Play-reading
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News May 2013
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The International Theatre Studio has had a great success with the spring production, “Dirty Dusting,” and the very large number of you who saw it (a record number for recent years) found it extremely funny. It was so popular that it will be performed again at the Salon Variétés in Fuengirola on 13/14/15 September (details nearer the time). Thanks to all who helped to make it such a success and most grateful thanks to Vice President, Carol, for all her hard work keeping everything running in Diane Clarke’s absence.
Looking forward, our next event will be a play reading in Bar El Candil, San Pedro, on Tuesday 28th May at 7.30pm for 8pm. As usual, tapas will be available on a pre-ordered basis and more information about the evening will be coming out very shortly. These evenings are proving very successful and are a lovely way to meet up and enjoy reading a good play in good company. They are also an excellent way for those who like theatre, but haven’t yet found the nerve (or the desire) to audition for a part on stage, to try out their skills. So, whether or not you want to read a part, do come along and join in the evening.
On Sunday 23rd June we’re holding our annual charity event “Lark in the Park” at the lovely venue Parque Torre Leonera, Benahavis. The evening will follow the usual formula of variety and a short play with an interval for everyone to enjoy their picnics in the beautiful gardens. In the last few years we have held this event in September, but this year we thought we’d try to put on the show in June when, hopefully, more of our audience will still be here before flying north for the hot summer months. Rehearsals are underway so make sure you put the date in your diary and arrange to bring lots of friends. Our charity this year is CARITAS, the Spanish charity that collects and distributes food and other necessities for local people who are badly hit by the present financial crisis, so do please try and support this very important and worthwhile cause.
Looking ahead to the autumn, we’re delighted that Peter Brooks, whom many of you know from his productions at the Salon Variétés, will be directing a play for the International Theatre Studio. Peter has been a member of ITS for many years and directed plays for us in the past so we’re very happy that he’s available to direct for us again. He is presently deciding on a play to be produced in November at the Atalaya Park Hotel.
Play Reading - 22 April 2013
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Everyone is welcome to attend and to read or not as they wish.
'Silent Night' by Colin and Mary Crowther. It is a heartwarming story about an ordinary family in extraordinary times: the Blitz, Winter 1940.
News
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ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Annual General Meeting of the International Theatre Studio will be held on Thursday
21st March, at 7.45 for 8pm at Bar El Candil, San Pedro.
All are very welcome to attend, although only those who have paid their membership subscriptions for 2013 may vote. Our Secretary, Wendy Castle, will be there and will be happy to take any subscriptions due for this year. A calling notice for the AGM will be sent out shortly.
It is our custom to offer a free drink and tapas to those who attend so that once the formal meeting is over we can all enjoy a social get-together. I do hope that many of you will come along as it’s an interesting evening and a good way to get to know people and exchange ideas. Please let us know if you want to attend, so that we have an idea of numbers for the tapas.
If any of you know of anyone you think might be interested in finding out more about the International Theatre Studio, please bring them along to the play or the AGM or put them in touch with Wendy on 952 00 02 24. We are always keen to welcome new members whether they wish to act or help with general production tasks.
Dirty Dusting - March 2013
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A RACY COMEDY BY ED WAUGH AND TREVOR WOOD
at
THE ATALAYA PARK HOTEL, DISCOTECA
on
FRI 8 & SAT 9 MARCH at 8PM & SUN 10 MARCH at 7PM
Tickets are available at Bookworld, Guadalmina;
Glitterati, Diana Centro; Longman’s, Estepona;, English Bookshop, Sabinillas,
Viva, San Pedro
or
Telephone: 952 88 06 30 or 952 88 02 40(eves/weekends)
When three cleaning ladies face redundancy, they decide to set up a new business – a saucy telephone chat line! This means they have to learn a few new tricks and they must keep it all from their bosses, husbands, children and grandchildren! This is a laugh-out-loud, heart-warming comedy, an evening of great entertainment and something a little different from our usual productions. Make sure you come along to enjoy the fun.
March 2013 - Dirty Dusting
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The main theatrical attraction in the coming months is the very funny and saucy play "Dirty Dusting", by Ed Waugh and Trevor Wood. The dates will be March 8th, 9th and 10th, at the Atalaya Park Hotel disco.
The play is directed by Kate Jackson and features Carol Woolnoth, Paul Baker, Carmel Rogers. We had intended to have Eileen Audas as the third elderly office cleaner but she has unfortunately had to withdraw for a forthcoming operation. Her part will instead be taken by Kate Jackson.
Rehearsals are well under way and it should be a highly entertaining evening of adult humour.
Synopsis
When the three cleaners, Olive, Gladys and Elsie, are threatened with redundancy they feel that their lives are coming to an end, until a chance wrong number gives them a new business start-up idea – why not run a saucy telephone chat line? They've got motive, opportunity and a lifetime of experience – some more than others, mind you.
Provided Elsie can teach the other two a few new tricks, there’s no reason why they can’t get rich quick, providing they can keep their operation a secret from their bosses… and their husbands…and their children…and their grandchildren.
A searing indictment of ageism in the 21st Century heavily disguised as a hysterical, laugh-out-loud, heart warming comedy, it promises an evening of great entertainment and something a little different from our usual productions.
January 2013 Newsletter
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We had our Christmas celebration at El Caserio Restaurant on Saturday,
8 December. It all went off very smoothly, everyone I have spoken to was very happy with the choice of menu and the quality of the food. There was also a terrific magician who did table magic and acted as a DJ for the music as well. It was a really successful evening and great value for money. A total of 35 people attended, both members and friends. I am sure we shall be repeating this by popular demand.
We had a play reading on 21st January in El Candil bar/restaurant in San Pedro. We read 2 plays by Stephen Smith. One called 'Eight Seconds' and the other 'Barbecue'. About 30 people came, including 2 new young ladies from Marbella who were kind enough to read 2 of the parts for younger women. We very much hope they will become actively involved with our society.
The 2 plays are linked by local GP Lydia. She is new to the area and 'Eight Seconds' is set in the local doctors surgery while the senior partner is away on a course. The title refers to the average time a GP listens to a patient before interrupting them! 'Barbecue' takes place at her new home, as she hosts a house warming barbecue for her new neighbours, who turn out to be feuding with one another.
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the evening, both plays are very entertaining and a mixture of comedy and pathos, showing problems people face and how they can be helped to deal with them.
December 2012 Newsletter
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The International Theatre Studio has had a very good year with two major plays, a Charity event, Murder Mystery evenings and play- readings. Our most recent production “Prescription for Murder” by Norman Robbins proved to be very popular indeed and played to over 400 people over three nights. Thank you to all of you who came along to see it and we hope that you enjoyed the evening.
We have plenty of events in the planning stages for 2013 starting with a play-reading on Monday, 21 January, which is being organised by Carol
Woolnoth. Further details will be given nearer the time but it is bound to be an enjoyable evening so make a note of the date before your diaries fill up.
Also in the planning stage is a very funny One-Act play, which we hope to present as a rehearsed reading with either tapas or a “menu del dia” available, some time in February. We are still looking for a suitable venue that will offer us space for our small stage and our audience at a reasonable price and are hoping to have more news on that by the end of January.
The main theatrical attraction in the coming months, however, is the very funny and saucy play “Dirty Dusting”, by Ed Waugh and Trevor Wood, which is planned for early March. We’re still awaiting confirmation from the Atalaya Park Hotel but hope the dates will be March 8, 9 and 10, 2013. The play’s Director, Kate Jackson, recently held successful auditions for the play and has a good strong cast who will be starting rehearsals immediately after the holiday period.
All the members of the Board of the International Theatre Studio are wishing you a very Happy Christmas and New Year and good health and good fortune for 2013.
November 2012 Newsletter
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Firstly, we have our autumn production “Prescription for Murder”, a tense thriller by Norman Robbins, to be performed on Friday
23 and Saturday 24 November at 8pm and on Sunday 25
November at 7pm. Performances will be at the Atalaya Park Hotel Discoteca and tickets, at 10€ for members and 12€ for non-members, can be reserved by calling the Box Office on 952 880 630; or 952 928 196 evenings/weekends. A taster:
“Barbara is delighted to have married Devon-based doctor
Richard Forth. She knows he was married before and that the lady concerned died in unusual circumstances but she’s not too worried about that. …But why is Barbara, fit as a fiddle all her life, now
frequently feeling ill? And why does she suddenly start to have doubts when a stranger calls and seeks to rake up Richard’s past. And what about their elegant, widowed neighbour, Julia? She and Richard have
known each other a long time and seem awfully cosy together.”
Do come along and see the plot thicken as innuendoes abound
and suspicion builds before the highly unexpected dénouement explains all.
When you’ve recovered from that we invite you to join our ITS
Christmas Celebration. We are holding a dinner at El Caserio (next to the farmacia by Agrojardín) on Saturday, 8 December, 7.30 for 8pm.
The price of the three-course meal will be 20€ and includes a welcome drink and 2 glasses of wine per person. Below you will find the menu for the evening. If you wish to attend would you please telephone Carol Woolnoth, 952 880 630 during working hours or email Carol at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. giving your menu selection. There will be a vegetarian option, which we will publish after our next meeting with the restaurant. We would be most grateful if you could let
Carol know as soon as possible if you would like to attend.
Moving on to January 2013 (where does the time go?), we’re
planning to hold a play-reading, with tapas, on the evening of Monday,
21 January 2013. Details of the play to be read and the venue will be published nearer the time when arrangements have been finalised.
During January and February we have more bookings for
our Murder Mystery Evenings, so we’ll keep you informed of dates and
venues and where to obtain tickets should you wish to attend.
General News and Information
As mentioned in the last newsletter, Clive Jacklin will be
standing down as our Technical Director after eleven years in the service of the International Theatre Studio. Our forthcoming production of “Prescription for Murder” will be his last “in
post”. We do hope many of you will be able to come along to the play and add your own thanks to Clive and Mary for all their hard work over the years. We are presently advertising for a successor to Clive and hope to find someone who can join us before too long, but if you know of anyone who might be interested please let us know.
If you read the local press, you might see articles about the International Theatre Studio from time to time in the coming weeks. We are presently trying hard to increase our numbers of actors and backstage crew to help carry out the theatrical events we
would like to bring to you here at the western end of the Costa del Sol. In the past year we have had talented new members join us but more would be very welcome, so if you know of anyone who
might be interested, or who has recently moved to the area, please put them in touch with us either on 952 92 81 96 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
We hope to see many of you at one or more of our forthcoming
events. Do please contact us if you want more information about any of them.
Menu choices
Cocktail langostinos
Chicken Consomme
Popurri de Hongos (mushrooms)
Pato a la Naranja
Medalliones al vino Malaga
Roast Beef
Cauliflower Cheese
Baked Apple Cheesecake
The price includes a welcome drink of sherry or cava and 2 glasses of wine with the meal
October 2012 Newsletter
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Sorry that there was no newsletter last month. President Diane Clarke was in the UK and then on holiday in Croatia and Vice-President Carol was touring India so there was nobody available to write one.
The main event for the International Theatre Studio during the summer was the Charity Concert in mid-September, which many of you attended, but more of that later. Also, Carol organised an enjoyable play-reading in July, which was well supported for the time of year.
Sadly, during August, John Mitchell – husband of our last presidenta Barbara – had a bad stroke in the UK. Following weeks of treatment in hospital, he is now in a rehabilitation centre near their home in Surrey. The doctors are pleased with his progress but there is a long hard haul ahead if he is to get back to reasonable fitness. For those of you who know John and Barbara, their email address is: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. We know it helps John to hear from friends.
The Charity Concert held in Benahavis in mid-September was a great success and raised 2,500€ for Age Concern. This is a fantastic amount and many, many thanks to all of you who attended and to those who took part in this popular event. More people than ever came along
to enjoy the entertainment and the picnic in the park and we have heard many complimentary comments about the evening.
Our next production is a thriller, “Prescription for Murder”, by
Norman Robbins and will be performed at the Atalaya Park Hotel Disco on Friday 23, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 November. More information will be sent out nearer the time but we have started rehearsals and are hoping many of you will be coming to see it. We wonder how many will be able to “spot the killer” before the twist at the end!
Our Murder Mystery season starts again in October with a performance for Los Arqueros Golf Club members on 26 Oct, followed by one for CAP members on 2 Nov. The International Theatre Studio will also be performing the current Murder Mystery at other venues during the winter and we are presently in the process of arranging for a performance at a local restaurant so members of the I.T.S. can come along, have a meal and solve the murder! Due to present commitments this will probably take place early next year but we will keep you informed.
With Christmas fast approaching, the ITS Board are working
on arrangements for our annual Christmas meal. It will probably be in early December before people begin to disperse to spend the festive season elsewhere. Would those of you who think they might like
to come along please contact me to let me know if you prefer a lunch or an evening meal. The Board are evenly divided on this matter so we would like to know what you would prefer. You can email Diane at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call her on 952 92 81 96. We
will be booking an appropriate venue within the next two weeks so would like to know your views as soon as possible.
Sadly for us, our Technical Director and long-time Vice President Clive Jacklin is standing down from this position and from the Board after eleven years as our lighting and sound expert. Whilst still remaining members and supporters of the I.T.S. Clive and Mary are hoping to have the freedom to do more travelling, which hasn’t been possible whilst Clive has been needed for every one of our productions. We are sure you will all join us in a heartfelt “thank you” to Clive and to
Mary for all their hard work and dedication over the years. We hope to mark Clive’s “retirement” at our Christmas celebration before he and Mary go off on their exciting, extended cruise and visit to Australia.
Clive’s departure means that the International Theatre Studio will urgently need to find a new technical expert. We have been asking for volunteers for some time now but haven’t managed to find anyone. Would you all please tell everyone you know that we are looking for someone to join us who would like to undertake lighting and sound and be a valued member of the Drama Group.
Just before finishing we would like to tell you that the I.T.S.
Board has bestowed the accolade of Honorary Vice-President on our
long-time Producer and indefatigable “anchorman” Fred Wallis. We are sure most of you know Fred and recognise all that he has done for the ITS over many, many years and would like to join us in saying an enormous “thank you”. Fred will, though, still be undertaking many
tasks for our future productions as his experience and expertise remain
indispensable.