‘Stupid Cupid’ a Big Hit with Parents and Children Alike
The first ever Phoenix Play in a Day was a huge success when 28 Primary aged children, most of whom had never met each other before, gathered together at 10.00am at The Rhodes in Bishops Stortford with the sole aim of putting on a performance for friends and family by 6.30pm that evening! The idea was the brainchild of Phoenix Principal Phil Dale, who was asked by The Rhodes to provide a drama based workshop for the half-term holiday. The day-long project cost just £35 per child and 2 tickets for friends or family to the final performance were included in the price.
The 28 participants were assisted throughout the day by Phil as well as Primary Drama Tutor Faye Linden and Musical Theatre Tutor Debbie Hannam. Jules Dale also provided invaluable support with props and costumes whilst the Rhodes technical team were on hand to ensure the finished performance had that professional touch!
The children had great fun but most importantly worked hard to achieve their goal and astounded their friends and family with a 35 minute performance. Entitled Stupid Cupid, it included song, poem and mime and told the story of how a miserable pop star learnt to appreciate the concept of love. The performers received a rousing response from an audience of 100 at the end and went home tired but thrilled, with new friends and a huge sense of achievement.
More pictures of the day can be found on our Facebook page and a DVD record of the final performance will be available soon. Blip, the week-long summer school for primary aged children will return in July at the start of the summer holidays, and Blast, it’s big brother for senior aged students will be back in August. Full details will be released soon, along with news of the next Play-In-A-Day.
Dates and Times for all Performances Now Available
The Dates and Times for all the forthcoming Phoenix Showcases at The Playhouse in Harlow have now been confirmed. You can download full information about when each Phoenix student will be performing and what time they will be required to rehearse.
The opening of our 3 new Phoenix drama classes at Rhodes in Bishops Stortford and their subsequent immediete success leading to a sharp increase in the number of Phoenix students has meant we had to rearrange details slightly.
Full information is now available as follows:
Musical Theatre and Dance Showcase, Sunday 11th & Monday 12th March
The Musical Theatre & Dance Showcase takes place on the main stage of the Playhouse in Harlow on the above dates. Full details about show times and rehaersal requirement can be found by clicking the link below. All students are appearing in both shows.
Download Musical Theatre & Dance Showcase 2012 Details
Senior & Intermediate Drama, Friday 16th & Saturday 17th March
The Senior and Intermediate Drama Showcase for both the Harlow and Bishops Stortford classes takes place on the above dates in the Studio Theatre of the Playhouse in Harlow. Full details about show times and rehearsal requirement can be found by clicking the link below. Tickets can be booked online here. Please ensure that you book for the correct show as Year 10+ and Year’s 7 to 9 perform on different nights. Each student will perform just once.
Download Senior & Intermediate Drama Showcase 2012 Details
Primary Drama Showcase, Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th March
The Primary Drama Showcase for both the Harlow and Bishops Stortford classes takes place on the above dates in the Studio Theatre of the Playhouse in Harlow. Full details about show times and rehearsal requirement can be found by clicking the link below. Tickets can be booked online here. Please ensure that you book for the correct show as Different classes perform at different times. We have added a fourth show and now each student will perform twice.
Download Primary Drama Showcase 2012 Details
Tickets for all performances can be booked online here
William Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure
Phoenix will be holding open auditions for our forthcoming production of William Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. The production will run from March 2oth to March 22nd and will play at The Thameside Theatre in Thurrock, Harlow Playhouse and also at Rhodes in Bishops Stortford. The production will be directed by Phoenix Head of Acting Jeanne Stacey.
Rehearsal times will be confirmed once the production has been cast but we are planning to run a mixed rehearsal schedule with full-time day reheasals for those available as well as evening and weekend. The production will be semi-professional and will use a mix of both professionsl and local talent.
The open audition will take place on Friday 20th January from 7.00pm in the Drama Studio at Burnt Mill School. Full details can be found on our Facebook event page by clicking here.
Phoenix helm another Smash-Hit!
The Rhodes Pantomime Robin Hood and the Babes in The Wood broke box office records at the Bishops Stortford venue and became the biggest selling and highest grossing show in the history of the 300 seat venue. The production was produced by Phoenix Theatre Arts, the production company wing of the Phoenix group, which is run by Phoenix Principal Phil Dale, who also played the part of the Sheriff of Nottingham. The show was directed by Phoenix Head of Acting Jeanne Stacey and featured numerous Phoenix students of all ages in the cast of over 30 performers. Not only was the show a hit with audiences, but critics raved about it as well. The Stage Newspaper said the show filled the Rhodes ‘with fun and laughter’. What’s On Stage gave the show 4 stars saying it had ‘simple but ingenious elements’ that gave it ‘big show values’. Finally, the Herts and Essex Observer said the show was ‘a slick production which moved seamlessly from one scene to the next, whose entertainment values were matched by the sets, costumes, lighting and music. It’s got all the elements and constitutes a great night out locally.’
Our production pictures all feature Phoenix staff and students. Primary Drama tutor Faye Linden is Robin Hood with Senior Drama students Calum Landau and Connor O’Sullivan behind her. Senior Drama
student Kelly Middleton-Evans is Elfwand the Fairy. Senior Drama student Connor Linden is Will Scarlet. Principal Phil Dale threatens Primary Drama student Elle Nash whilst Senior students Grace Wheeler (Maid Marion) and Tom Brace look on.
Next years Rhodes Pantomime has been confirmed as Cinderella and will once again be produced by Phoenix Theatre Arts. Open auditions will be held in July and full details will be announced here on Phoenix News first!
Festive Treat at Town Park Pets Corner
Primary Drama students from year 3 to year 6 braved the threat of wind and rain to perform their Nativity plays to hundreds of delighted audience members on Sunday 10th December. The annual Nativity play in the Town Park venue has become a firm favourite for many hundreds of supporters of Pets Corner as well as Phoenix parents and they too braved the wind and rain to support the event. In the end the much forecast bad weather didn’t materialise and both performances went off without a hitch. At midday the year 3 and 4 students performed a very traditional Nativity, accompanied by Carol singing from Phoenix Musical Theatre students. Later in the day, Year 5 and 6 students performed a very contemporary re-telling of the Nativity story including a big screen with live close-up camera work and pre-recorded pop videos, as well as a Dragons Den pastiche involving 3 modern day Kings!
Organisers at Pets Corner were delighted with the 2 productions which helped raise the profile of the closure threatened petting zoo and raised much needed cash. Phoenix would like to thank all those involved, particularly Chris Buck from CBSVL who gave his time and equipment FOC, as did video editor Zulqua Cheema. We very much hope that Pets Corner will still be thriving next year and that the Annual Phoenix Nativity will continue.
Our pictures show Joseph (James Beavis) and Mary (Kirsty Ottosen-Gowlett) making their way to Bethlehem while students from Years 5 and 6 sing in their performance. More pictures can be found at The Phoenix Facebook page.