Welcome to Actonians
On this page you'll find the details any future events we have planned and the most recent three past events. You can find details of all our previous activities in the Archive section on the menu above along with links to search the site, contact us and buy tickets.
Forthcoming Events
Below is a summary of forthcoming events, clicking each event name will provide more details.
Spring 2024
7:30 pm 16th May at Iron Acton Parish Hall
7:30 pm 17th May at Iron Acton Parish Hall
7:30 pm 18th May at Iron Acton Parish Hall
We Happy Few
Written by
Imogen Stubbs
Directed for Actonians
by
Sarah McMahon
Synopsis
This play follows a group of female actors touring Shakespeare and other classic plays, all around the country during World War II.
It is based on Nancy Hewins' touring group, the Osiris Players and its title quotes the St Crispin's Day Speech from Henry V. They toured their set and costumes in a 1922 Silver Ghost Rolls Royce, sometimes did 4 shows a day and slept on hall floors! In total they did about 1,500 performances.
Nancy lived in Willesley (near Westonbirt ) during her latter years.
As they performed in schools, village and town halls in hugely different locations in Britain, the setting is perfect for our village hall.
Tickets are £11 each with a booking and processing fee of £0.70 making £11.70 in total
Credits
Cast | |
---|---|
Role | Person |
Hetty | Sue Anstey |
Flora | Jenny McDowell |
Helen | Rebekah Grose |
Rosalind | Gemma Perrett |
Charlotte (Charlie) | Nic Harvey |
Jocelyn | Margaret Bulmer |
Ivy | Alex Holmes |
Joseph | Joe Marshall Evans |
Gertrude | Lin Bowden |
Reggie | Stewart White |
Lady | Pat Stimson |
Man | Nick Pearce |
Leonard | Steve Anstey |
Maureen | Rachel Taylor |
Keith | Mike Schofield |
Mayor | Stewart White |
Bert | Nick Sharp |
Sharon | Christine Rogers |
Elsie | Rachel Taylor |
Henrietta | Gaynor Clark |
William | Nick Pearce |
Crew | |
Role | Person |
Assistant Director | Ann Aplin |
Stage Manager | Alison Horner |
Costume | Marion Hill |
Sound | Peter Carlin |
Prompt | Di Roper-Marshall |
Lights
|
Mark Whitehouse
Mike Schofield |
Set Construction
|
Steve Anstey
&co |
Props
|
Gaynor Clark
Christine Rogers |
Painting | Maureen Blake |
Original Music | Rob Pardoe |
Front of House Manager | Di Pardoe |
Latest News
- Dates For Your Diary
Rehearsals for 'We Happy Few' - 7:30pm on Wednesdays at Iron Acton Parish HallRehearsals for 'We Happy Few' - 2:30pm on Sundays at Iron Acton Parish HallCommittee...
Read more...
Recent Events
Details and photographs of our most recent past events can be found below. Older events may be found in the archive linked from the menu.
Avon Short Play Festival 2024
6th, 8th and 9th March 2024
Chipping Sodbury Town Hall
We entered two of the segments from London Suite (Spring 2023) into the festival: Going Home and Man On the Floor, with the same casts as our main production.
Sarah Godsell received a nomination for best Actress as Mother in Going Home
Lin Bowden and Rachel Taylor received nominations for best supporting performance as Annie and Doctor McMerlin in Man On the Floor
Gabriel Marriage received a nomination for the adjudicator's award as Bellman in Man On the Floor
Nick Sharp won best actor as Mark in Man On the Floor
Ann Aplin won best director for Man On the Floor
And Man On the Floor won the Alexander Trophy for best overall performance
Autumn 2023
7:30 pm 23rd November at Iron Acton Parish Hall
7:30 pm 24th November at Iron Acton Parish Hall
7:30 pm 25th November at Iron Acton Parish Hall
Bleak Expectations
Written by
Mark Evans
Directed for Actonians
by
Nick Sharp
Synopsis
The story Charles Dickens might have written after drinking too much gin.
An hilarious, chaotic caper, featuring dastardly villains, preposterous names, pulse-quickening romances, heart-rending death scenes, and, of course, a happy ending.
Based on the award-winning BBC Radio 4 series.
Credits
Cast | |
---|---|
Role | Person |
Sir Philip Bin | Rob Pardoe |
Agnes Bin | Di Pardoe |
Thomas Bin | Mike Schofield |
Pip Bin | Gabriel Marriage |
Pippa Bin | Dee Mason |
Poppy Bin | Sue Anstey |
Skinflint Parsimonious | Sarah Godsell |
Gently Benevolent | Stewart White |
Bakewell Havertwitch | Mike Schofield |
Headmaster Wackwell Hardthrasher | Steve Anstey |
Harry Biscuit | Sarah Godsell |
Reverend Praygood Hardthrasher | Steve Anstey |
Broadly Fecund | Godfrey Laundy |
Ripely Fecund | Rachel Taylor |
Flora Dies-Early | Gemma Perrett |
Miss Chastity Hardthrasher | Lin Bowden |
Judge Solomon Hardthrasher | Sarah McMahon |
Boy | Jenny McDowell |
Crutch Person | Sarah McMahon |
Passer by/Mrs Convenient Exposition | Di Pardoe |
Man | Godfrey Laundy |
Woman | Jenny McDowell |
Queen Victoria | Sarah McMahon |
Court Official | Sarah McMahon |
Reverend | Godfrey Laundy |
Crew | |
Role | Person |
Stage Manager | Mark Whitehouse |
Lighting and Sound | Peter Carlin |
Prompt | Di Roper-Marshall |
Set design and painting | Maureen Blake |
Set construction
|
Steve Anstey
Richard Stanway |
Props
|
Alison Horner
Sue Anstey Cast |
Costumes
|
Marion Hill
Ann Aplin Bristol Costume Services Cast |
Bar Manager | |
Front of House Manager | |
Box Office
|
Di Pardoe
Sarah Godsell Sarah McMahon |
Photographer | Ray Bulmer |
Spring 2023
18th to 20th May 2023 at Iron Acton Parish Hall
Rebekah Grose was nominated for the Rose Bowl's "Quartet Community Foundation Award for Best Supporting Actress (Dramatic Production)" for her role as Diana in the third part of this production "Diana & Sidney". Well done Rebekah!
London Suite
Written by
Neil Simon
Directed for Actonians
by
Ann Aplin
, Di Pardoe
& Michelle Pawley
Synopsis
A comedy telling four separate stories about relationships; all taking place in the same suite of a London Hotel overlooking Hyde Park. A sedate place until the following characters check in.
- An inebriated Welsh writer and his agent.
- A widow accompanied by her daughter, who spends her last evening in London with a rich Scotsman.
- An Oscar winning actress and her, now divorced, bi-sexual husband who are seeing each other for the first time in years; a bitter-sweet tale.
- A married couple from New York who have lost their tickets to Wimbledon and are now in danger of losing their suite to Kevin Costner.
Credits
Cast 1 - Settling Accounts | |
---|---|
Role | Person |
Briony | Sue Anstey |
Billy | Stewart White |
Cast 2 - Going Home | |
Role | Person |
Lauren | Gemma Perrett |
Mother | Sarah Godsell |
Cast 3 - Diana & Sidney | |
Role | Person |
Diana | Rebekah Grose |
Sidney | Mike Schofield |
Grace | Nic Harvey |
Cast 4 - The Man on the Floor | |
Role | Person |
Mark | Nick Sharp |
Annie | Lin Bowden |
Mrs Sitgood | Sarah McMahon |
Bellman | Gabriel Marriage |
Dr McMerlin | Rachel Taylor |
Crew | |
Role | Person |
Director 1 | Di Pardoe |
Director 2 | Michelle Pawley |
Director 3 and 4 | Ann Aplin |
Stage Manager | Jenny McDowell |
Prompt
|
Di Roper-Marshall
Richard Pawley |
Set design and painting | Maureen Blake |
Set construction
|
Steve Anstey
Richard Stanway June Schofield |
Sound | Peter Carlin |
Lighting | Mark Whitehouse |
Props
|
Gaynor Clark
Christine Rogers Margaret Bulmer |
Costumes
|
Marion Hill
Cast |
Bar Manager | |
Front of House Manager | Gaynor Clark |
Box Office | Debby Ashton |
Photographer | Ray Bulmer |
Flower Arrangements | Teresa Norton |