The 2011-2012 got off to a fantastic start with our pantomine “Aladdin” directed by Simon Pyper. It was an all singing all dancing extravaganza which played at the Canon Lindsay Hall between 30th November – 3rd December 2012 for 5 performances. It was very well received by the audiences and was great fun for cast and crew alike.
CAST LIST
Aladdin – Wendy Pyper
Widow Twankey – Andrew Devonshire
Wishee Washee – Kevin Murray
Abanazar – Norman Turkington
Emperor – Donal McReynolds
Empress – Lisa Henderson
Princess – Beth Gowdy
So Shi – Justine Henderson
Sing Hi – Rachel Doyle
Vizier – Michael Fee
Prince Pekoe – Lorna Jayne Fletcher
Bamboo – Brendan Fegan
Typhoo – Emma Townsend
Strong Pong – Stewart Greer
Rickshaw – Pat Rennix
Flash Bang – Phyllis McKenna
Spirit of the Lamp – Ross Jonas
Spirit of the Ring – June Silcock
Mummy – Ben McCrum
Reverend Ant – Rev Ron Elsdon
Reverend Dec – Rev Colin White
Citizens/Chorus – Sam Mahadeo, Letitia Fitzpatrick, Barney Gadd
BACKSTAGE
Director – Simon Pyper
Producer – Gillian Porter
Stage Manager – Caroline Mercer
Costumes – Carmen O’Hagan, Barbara Jeffers, Ruth Turkington, Sarah Campbell and June Silcock
Musical Advisor – Mark McGuire
Poster & Ticket Design – Michael Fee
Publicity – James Burns and Justine Henderson
PRODUCTION TEAM
Set Design & Decor – Alan Marshall
Set Construction – Eric Porter and Barney Gadd
Props & Stage Team – Clem Bell, Caroline Mercer and Stewart Greer
Lighting – Ivor Agnew and John Stannard
Sound – Michael Patterson, Rory McCadden and Jonathan Grimason
Make-up – Wilfie Pyper and David Sloan
Technical Support – John Little
Front of House – June Silcock, Christine Olver, Ann Sloan and St Bartholomew’s Mother’s Union
To view the programme from this production click here – Aladdin Programme
Following the success of the pantomine, the Bart Players undertook an unprecedented challenge with two shows for the Spring, the festival entry “Stella by Starlight” by Bernard Farrell and an Open Stages production under the auspices of the Royal Shakespeare Company “The Globe Motel”.
Our festival entry “Stella by Starlight” was once again directed by Gillian Porter. This hilarious comedy takes place during an evening and following morning in the life of a contemporary Irish couple Dermot ( a redundant corporate employee)and Stella (a former Dublin bank teller) who ,with their daughter Tara ,have left the economically booming city for a new life in the remote countryside. Visitors arrive to help them share the excitement of a comet crashing into Jupiter and things go from bad to worse.
Cast
Con McAlister ………………… Dermot
Letitia Fitzpatrick ……………. Stella
Lorna-Jayne Fletcher ………. Tara
Donal McReynolds ………….. Paul
Sandra Ardill …………………. Geraldine
Andrew Devonshire ………… Tommy
Stella by Starlight was performed in the Canon Lindsay Hall, Stranmillis Road, Belfast on 8th, 9th and 10th March 2012 at 8pm. See the programme here – Stella Programme.
Following the home run, Stella by Starlight toured on the Association of Ulster Drama Festivals circuit and was performed on the following dates:
City of Derry Festival – 15th March 2012 at 8pm;
Larne Festival – 20th March 2012 at 7.30pm; and
Newry Festival – 23rd March 2012 at 8pm.
The play was generally well received by the adjudicators and placed 2nd overall in Lane and 3rd in Derry.
Whilst the cast of Stella were busy rehearsing for the festival run the rest of the company were involved in a ground-breaking production “The Globe Motel” which was a co-production with the Dublin Shakespeare Society. Led by Barney Gadd, James Burns and Lorna Hastings, this was a mammoth task, producing a site specific promenade performance in conjunction with a company some 100 miles away! The show took pieces from a number of Shakespeare plays and wove them into an unforgettable evening’s entertainment. The group relished the challenge of presenting the challenging piece in a number of diverse venues, the Canon Lindsay Hall, Findlater’s Church in Dublin and the Naughton Studio at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast.
The show was performed on the following dates:
Canon Lindsay Hall, Stranmillis – 23rd – 25th February 2012
Findlaters Church, Parnell Square, Dublin – 23rd – 24th March 2012
Naughton Studio, Lyric Theatre, Belfast – 20th April 2012.
See the Belfast programme here – Globe Motel Programme
Photographs of the production are posted on our facebook site here
To bring the year to a close, Bart Players produced “Tiptoe through the Tombstones” by Norman Robbins for the summer season. This comedy thriller was directed by Andrew Devonshire, and proved a hit with audiences at home and away alike.
Months have passed since the ghastly events in Monument House occurred that are related in A Tomb with a View. Mortimer Crayle, the crusty lawyer, and his secretary have gathered the remaining members of the Tomb family at the house, ostensibly to inform this off beat bunch about their inheritance. In reality, Crayle has designs on the estate that necessitate eliminating all Tombs. Fog descends on the gloomy mansion. In the cobwebby corridors things and people are seldom what they seem. Poison is in every decanter and there are mysterious disappearances. Hosts and guests join the rising pile of bodies in the cellar. Previous acquaintance with the Tombs is not required to enjoy this glorious spoof.
The show was presented at the following venues:
Courtyard Theatre, Ballyearl – Friday 10th and Saturday 11th August 2012
Portrush Town Hall on Wednesday 15th – Saturday 18th August 2012
The Canon Lindsay Memorial Hall, Stranmillis on Friday 7th and Saturday 8th September 2012
To see the programme from this production click here – Tomb Programme
The Bart Players 