Dream of a Dream.

I am, to coin a phrase, cock-a-hoop! And if anyone who was involved with the production at Hazelwood House isn't in the same mode...well, you should be!

I am so incredibly proud and privileged to be a part of this company; a company that pulls a production like this together in such a relatively short space of time and with the minimum of fuss and the maximum of great good humour! What an amazing bunch of people.

And here they all are (almost!), minus the usual camera-shy tech-types! But they shall be named!

Here are the 'Royals'. From left to right: Ben Hamilton - Demetrius; 

Sally Feetenby - Helena; Fred Radcliffe - Egeus; Rich Turley - Lysander;

Rob Willcock - Theseus; Lucy Nichols - Hermia; Shaunagh Radcliffe - Hippolyta.

For some strange reason Ernie Wingeatt (Philostrate) was hiding somewhere else when this picture was taken. But he was there...honest.

This 'ere's the rude Mechanicals - very rude in some cases! Left to right again.

Max Brandt - Bottom; James Osben - Peter Quince; Rheanne Derby - Starveling;

Lesley Scoble-Ash - Snout; Simon Fox - Flute; Jane Windsor-Smith - Snug.

The Royal House of Faerie.

Jill Brock - Titania; Ellie Brock - Puck; Gil Garland - Oberon.

  

The Faerie Hoard!

Moth - Shirley Tonkin; Mustardseed - Ben Tonkin; Peaseblossom - Talia Robens;

Nightdew - Sarah Robens; Cobweb - Freya Hoban.

And below are a couple of extra shots, included because they're fabulous pictures!

Ellie and Gil.

Ben - sporting the through-a-hedge-backwards look; de rigeur this season.

And the camera-shy Techies: Chris Brock and Chris Tonkin.

Special thanks are more than due to Jill and Chris Brock for all the magnificent work they put into creating the bower for Titania and Bottom 

to canoodle and kip on!

And so we move on to the next performance of The Dream, which is on 14th January at The Bike Shed Theatre in Exeter  (8.30 curtain; tickets on sale now!) which is all part of the 'From Devon With Love' Festival. Another completely different sort of space which presents a whole new catalogue of possibilities and problems to overcome.

Everyone is really buzzing from the last couple of nights: lots of positive comments, the energy from which has been bottled and will be distributed to all and sundry as we go forward to the next...and the next...and the next.

We have plans and I really, really, really hope that we can all be involved in whatever form they take in the future.
I say this without the least embarrassment and no small feeling of pride:
this is, without a doubt, the most talented and humble group of people with which to work and enjoy the experience of theatre and all that this entails. Quite simply, we rock!
And if you don't believe it, you'd better come to the next show and see for yourselves!