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Recent Newsletters

Paper Copies of Newsletters:  We no longer send out newsletters by Royal Mail to members and Associates unless specifically requested.  Printing and postage would be a major expense for an organisation like ours and with most of what is going on reported and/or available on our website and Facebook page (which are generally much more up to date) there is little point in replicating the information in paper form.  Consequently, email is used wherever possible to keep members and Associates up-to-date.

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However, we acknowledge that not everyone has internet access so we can send out newsletters on request, encompassing the details from the website as required. 

Newsletter - December 2023

 

Dear members, associates & friends,

First off, thanks to all of you for being with us on our amazing journey. It’s a wonderful privilege to be able to entertain our local community with our theatrical events. There are some exciting times ahead with Nailsea Little Theatre and the club is a hive of activity, so let me share with you what is going on, in date order!

1) ‘BERYL’S DAY OUT’ – play by Kate McNab

SHOW DATES – Friday 15th December and Saturday 16th December 2023.

(Currently, only 2 tickets available for the Friday and 20 tickets for Saturday).  

Kate returns to the Little Theatre with ‘Beryl’s Day Out’, her latest comic escapade, based around her childhood memories visiting our very own Bristol Zoo. Remember Johnny Morris and his wonderful way of ‘talking to the animals’! Kate will take us on a wonderful trip down memory lane with lots of fond, fun-filled memories to share.

You can get tickets online (as well as on the 0777 298 1037 box office number). Just go to www.ntc-online.co.uk , click on ‘Tickets’ (50p booking fee applies).


2) ‘BLEAK EXPECTATIONS’ - play by Mark Evans

NEW SHOW DATES - Sunday 3rd to Saturday 9th March 2024.

To be directed in Nailsea by Phil Kingsley-Jones, this hilarious play has recently been showing in the Criterion Theatre in London to great acclaim. As The Times wrote, it is ‘Dickens with a dash of Monty Python’…Need I say more?!  

Tickets will be available online after the Kate McNab show or via the box office telephone.

(Please note the new dates for the above show. It’s now on a week later than originally advertised).


3) ‘THE ACTRESS’ - play by Peter Quilter

SHOW DATES – Sunday 2nd June to Saturday 8th June 2024.

Directed by Connie Walker, the play is a funny and poignant comedy dramatising the events backstage as a colourful, complicated actress makes her farewell performance. Drama and comedy collide as old acquaintances say their goodbyes, declare their love, roar with laughter, spit insults, grab a final embrace, and renew old battles…

4) ‘THE SHOEMAKER OF HAVANA’ - Thu 4th & Fri 5th July 2024 @ 7.45pm.
               
5) ‘TREASURE ISLAND’ – Fri 5th July @ 6pm

Award-winning Australian Theatre Company, NUWORKS, are to make their debut visit to Nailsea Little Theatre as part of their 2024 UK Tour, presenting two uniquely different but equally fascinating shows, over two nights. This is how Nuworks describe themselves.

‘NUWORKS: Theatre made in Australia, is a not for profit, completely self-funded company of adventure seeking theatre lovers of all ages and persuasions with a goal to produce good theatre and make new and lasting like-minded friends wherever we roam.

You can research them online and on places like YouTube & Facebook, but below is a wee taster link for you - a recent trailer showing some of their original, fun and innovative work.

Watch the trailer here!

It is very exciting and a real coup for NLT to have secured 2 nights with this wonderful Australian theatre group. They have performed award-winning shows in many renowned events, such as the Edinburgh Fringe, Adelaide Fringe and the Dublin Fringe, to name but a few, so we are truly delighted to welcome them to our own little corner of paradise.

I can also humbly say, they are delighted we are having them. In fact, they approached us, having seen our website and being inspired by our rich 60-year history, which they thought a proud achievement for such a tiny theatre, in a small town in North Somerset.  

(Please note the exact showing-times for the Nuworks plays may alter slightly nearer the time, but the dates of Thurs 4th and Fri 5th July 2024 are fully agreed upon, so put them on the calendar to avoid missing out on this wonderful gift, from the other side of the world).

So, there are exciting times ahead for us all to look forward to in 2024, but in the meantime, we would love to see you sooner, on 15th or 16th Dec, to welcome Kate McNab to our stage in her Bristol Zoo based bonanza!     

Many thanks to you all, as always, for supporting our Little Theatre. Have a lovely Chrimbo and all the very best for the new year. 😊  

Steve Allan, Chair of Nailsea Little Theatre

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Newsletter - May 2023

Dear members, associates & friends of NLT,

Lots to let you know about at our busy, busy Little Theatre – so (in date order) let’s crack on with it all!
 

1) Open afternoon on Saturday May 20 (2pm to 5pm) as we celebrate our 60th anniversary. No charge – just turn up to wander round our precious little building, chat with others who love it, stroll down memory lane (and enjoy tea and cake!).

2) Our final show of 2022/23 is from Monday June 5 to Saturday 10 (7.45pm) – Isobel Williams’ production of Amanda Whittington’s hilarious yet poignant ‘Ladies Down Under’, the follow-up to ‘Ladies’ Day’, which we staged in 2014.

For the first time in our history (hasn’t taken long, has it?!) you can get tickets online (as well as on the 0777 298 1037 box office number). Just go to www.ntc-online.co.uk , click on ‘Tickets’ and take it from there (50p booking fee applies).

Associate members needn’t worry, by the way. Your seats will be reserved for you as usual. We’ll only sell unallocated seats online.

3) Director Sandra Goodall is holding read-throughs of the first play in our 2023/24 season, Richard Harris’ ‘Saving it For Albie’, on Tuesday June 13 (Act One) and Friday June 16 (Act Two) – and auditions on Monday June 19 (all 7.45pm for 8pm). More details on www.ntc-online.co.uk under ‘Readings & Castings’.

4) You still have time to book your place at our anniversary lunch on Sunday 16 July (12.30pm) – a cold fork buffet of Nailsea Masonic Hall’s excellent fare @ £25 a head. We’re taking bookings up until a month before – June 16.

The easiest way to book your place & pay is by bank transfer – payee Nailsea Theatre Club, sort code 40 34 39, account number 80615013, ‘Lunch’ as the reference.

But you can pay by cheque, too, and we’ll waive the 50p fee we usually add to cover bank charges. You can drop cheques into the post box at the theatre (Stage Door entrance) or bring them along with you to ‘Ladies Down Under’ and leave them with our Front of House people.

Email Hazel peteandhazel@talktalk.net with any special dietary requirements.

5) Our AGM (yes, our 60th – seems amazing, doesn’t it?) will be at the Little Theatre on Friday July 21 (8pm). Pop along for a chance to have your say about things at Union Street, vote on committee membership & posts and become a full member for Season 2023/24. Current members will get more details soon-ish.

6) It’s a while away but it’s never too early to plan for Christmas, is it? So don’t forget the return of Kate McNab to the Little Theatre with ‘Beryl’s Day Out’, her latest comic escapade. Kate will be here on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 December – the perfect start to your Christmas festivities.

And finally…. we’re delighted to announce two of our three plays for next season are already decided (see precise dates below): Richard Harris’ ‘Saving It For Albie’ and Peter Quilter’s ‘The Actress’.

Associate Members

A reminder to all our associate members – it’s time to renew your membership for Season 2023/24. Here are the dates you need:
 

  • Monday November 6 to Saturday 11 (‘Saving It For Albie’ by Richard Harris, director Sandra Goodall)

  • Monday February 26 to Saturday March 2 (play to be confirmed, director Phil Kingsley-Jones); and

  • Monday June 3 to Saturday 8 (‘The Actress’ by Peter Quilter, director Connie Walker).


Remember: as an associate you’re guaranteed a seat for every production on the night you choose (and you can also get involved in other club events like our Friday night social evenings). We’re pegging prices for 2023/24. So renewing will cost £30 for the whole season – a saving of £6 on the cost of tickets for all three shows.

Here’s how to renew:

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  • Option 1: if you can, download, fill in & return the attached form electronically to associates@ntc-online.co.uk. Pay by bank transfer (payee Nailsea Theatre Club, sort code 40 34 39, account number 80615013, your surname and ‘Associate’ as reference);

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  • Option 2: print off, fill in & return the form to the Little Theatre (either through our postbox or at ‘Ladies Down Under’). Pay by bank transfer or by cheque (a 50p handling fee applies)/cash;

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  • Option 3: email us on associates@ntc-online.co.uk if you need us to send you a paper copy of the form. Once you get it, fill it in, return it & pay as in Option 2; or

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  • Option 4: if you’re using a paper copy of the newsletter, fill in the form you’ve also received; and return/pay as in Option 2.


Many thanks for supporting the Little Theatre.

Vicki, Chair, Nailsea Little Theatre

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Newsletter - March 2023

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Dear members, Associates & friends,

What a busy time we’re having in Union Street!

Fresh from the success of ‘Whipping It Up’, we’re now planning to make the most of the rest of a very special year for the theatre.

2023 is our diamond anniversary, 60 years on from the very first show we ever staged. Do you know what it was and who directed? There’s a pic hanging in the Green Room – check below to see if you’re right*.

We want everyone to have a chance to celebrate this milestone in our history so here are details of the events we have lined up so far:

Saturday 1 April (doors open 7pm for a 7.30 start) – social evening with free nibbles AND a rehearsed play reading. Audience 45 max. – so ring the box office on 0777 298 1037 to book a seat. No charge to get in but the bar will take your money if you fancy a drink!

Saturday 20 May (2pm to 5pm) – open day with tea & cakes. No charge – just turn up for a wander round our precious little building, a chat with others who love it and a stroll down memory lane.

Sunday 16 July – Anniversary lunch at the Masonic Hall, Nailsea – 12.00 for 12.30pm. The meal is a cold fork buffet lunch of the Masonic’s excellent fare, cost £25 a head. The easiest way to book and secure your place is by paying the cost of your lunch by bank transfer – payee Nailsea Theatre Club, sort code 40 34 39, account number 80615013. Please use ‘Lunch’ as the reference. Alternatively pay by cheque at the Theatre with a note of your name and the reference “Lunch”. On this occasion however there is no 50p surcharge. Finally please email Hazel at peteandhazel@talktalk.net with any special dietary requirements.

And of course don’t forget our next show:

Monday 5 to Saturday 10 June, usual 7.45pm start – ‘Ladies Down Under’ by Amanda Whittington, directed by Isobel Williams. The hilarious and poignant follow-up to ‘Ladies’ Day’, which we staged in 2014.

These dates for your diary mean you’ll have the chance of something to enjoy at Union Street for each of the next four months as we celebrate our 60 years of keeping theatre live in Nailsea.

There’s every chance of more events later in the year. We’ll keep you in touch.

PS: Just confirmed – the return of Kate McNab to the Little Theatre with ‘Beryl’s Day Out’, her latest comic escapade. Kate will be here on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 December – the perfect start to your Christmas festivities.

First show in 1963 was ‘Sailor Beware’, directed by Graham Tyson.

Vicki, Chair, Nailsea Little Theatre

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Newsletter - September 2022

 

Dear friend of the Nailsea Little Theatre,


September 2022: Season 60 on the way.

After getting over the pandemic and staging a successful season over the last 12 months, everyone here at your local home of drama is excited to be looking forward to 2022/23’s productions. Here’s what we’re planning so far……

First, the good news – our opening play

We kick off the new season with one of Noel Coward’s most loved offerings, ‘Blithe Spirit’, described by the Master himself as ‘an improbable farce’. We last staged this masterpiece back in 2004 in a production directed by Graham Tyson, who’ll be in charge of this revival here in Union Street from Monday 17 to Saturday 22 October.

Rehearsals, set building etc are now well underway; tickets are on sale now; and we can’t wait for opening night.

Now the bad news – prices up

We’re very sorry but – as double-digit inflation rages – we’re putting up the cost of tickets to our shows. We’re having to pay a lot more for everything we need to keep the Little Theatre going (from, say, timber for set-building to buying props to printing programmes)

So our tickets will go up this season from £10 to £12 a show and our Associates’ Scheme (for those who plan to attend all three shows) will now cost £30 instead of £25 (but still a saving of £6 over the season).

It’s our first price increase since 2013/14, we think, and we don’t want to bring it in. But we see no alternative.

There’s still time to sign up for the Associates’ Scheme, by the way. Just go to our website (address below) to download a form.

Dates for your diary

We’re still canvassing options for the second and third shows of the season, but you can pencil in these 2023 dates for them:

 

  • Monday 20 to Saturday 25 February; and

  • Monday 5 to Saturday 10 June.


Christmas Show at Nailsea Little Theatre

You can also start making plans for the festive season this year because Folksy Theatre are returning with one of their adaptations of timeless children’s classics – and it couldn’t be more Christmassy.

We’re in Dickens’ hands as Folksy are back on Sunday 11 December with two performances of ‘A Christmas Carol’ – at 2pm and then 5pm. Tickets are now on sale (0777 298 1037). Prices are the same as last year – £12 adults, £8 children – because we want as many youngsters as possible to be able to come along.

Fixing the roof

Back in March we told you not to be surprised if you saw scaffolding around the Little Theatre as we looked at problems with our roof.

We’re now planning to get the scaffolding up next Spring as, meantime, we crack on with raising the thousands we reckon we’ll need to fix the problems (another reason for that increase in ticket prices).

Friday nights anyone?

The theatre is open most Friday nights from 7.45pm for an 8pm start for members and people interested in the Little Theatre to get together. We often have events – play readings, quizzes, what-have-you – to enjoy, and we’d love to see you there, too. Just check out our website for details.

Vicki Hyde, Chair, Nailsea Little Theatre

 

PS: Write, phone or go online to stay in touch:

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Newsletter - March 2022


Dear friend of the Nailsea Little Theatre,

March 2022: Busy, busy, busy!

The new year’s off to a cracking start at the Little Theatre – so it’s high time to let you all know what’s going on at your local home of drama……

Our next play

Rehearsals are now well underway for ‘The Dinner Party’, the second production of our current season. Our original plans to stage this fast-moving comedy by award-winner Neil Simon (remember hits like ‘Come Blow Your Horn’? ‘Barefoot in the Park’? ‘The Odd Couple’? ‘Plaza Suite’?) fell victim to the pandemic. But now director Connie Walker, cast and crew are back in action preparing for six performances from Monday 2 to Saturday 7 May.

Welcome back, Kate!

You can also look forward to the return of Union Street favourite, Kate McNab. She’s given us many a night to remember and will be doing so again (with Ross Harvey) as the Ministry of Entertainment stage the fun-filled ‘Mrs Gerrish’s Guesthouse’ on Friday 10 and Saturday 11 June. Set in sunny Weston-super-Mare, it’s just the ticket to get you in the mood for summer!

Dates for your diary

We’re still deciding on this season’s third production. But it will be on stage from Monday 4 to Saturday 9 July. And looking even further ahead, there’ll be our regular seasonal treat for the kids and young at heart as we welcome back Folksy Theatre on Sunday 11 December with ‘A Christmas Carol’.

Ugh! Bank charges!

We’ve been staggered to be told by our bank that from now on (even though we’re a registered charity) they’ll be charging us every time we pay a cheque (or cash deposit) into our account – plus a £5 a month standing charge.
We’re very sorry but – as we seek to secure the Little Theatre’s financial future – we see no option but to ask people who want to pay for tickets by cheque to cover this. So we’ll be adding 50p to tickets paid for by cheque.

This extra fee WON’T be payable if you pay for tickets by bank transfer. Our account is in the name of Nailsea Theatre Club, sort code 40-34-39, account number 80615013; and please include your name as the reference. We’d urge everyone to consider using a bank transfer like this. It’s easier for us; hopefully easier for you; and will help keep a lid on the bank’s blatant profiteering.

Fixing the roof

Don’t be surprised if you spot scaffolding sprouting up around the Little Theatre in the next few weeks. We think we may have a problem with our roof and need to get up there to have a proper look. We can’t pretend this is good news. We’re having to find thousands for the scaffolding and anticipate having to find more to repair the damage we fear we’ll find. But rest assured: there’s no damage to the interior of our lovely little theatre and we can safely carry on with our usual activities, including performances.

Friday nights anyone?

The club is open every Friday night from 7.45pm for an 8pm start (apart from a summer break) for members and people interested in the Little Theatre to get together. We often have events – play readings, quizzes, what-have-you – to enjoy, and we’d love to see you there, too. As you know, we also have a nice little bar to help things along!

Steve Allan, Chairperson, Nailsea Little Theatre

PS: Write, phone or go online to stay in touch:

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PPS: Don’t forget: phone the box office on 0777 298 1037 for tickets (£10 for our own productions but £8 if you were an associate member before the pandemic – plus 50p for people paying by cheque).

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