Hi guys. Just a note from your outgoing Productions Co-Ordinator extending many thanks and congratulations on behalf of the committee to our delightful members for what has, in my opinion, been the finest year in recent New Theatre history. I have been involved with the theatre for three years and looking back on that time I could list countless improvements that have been made to the building, the sense of community within the theatre and, most crucially, the productions themselves. This year’s committee has worked hard to shake off the cliquey reputation that was prevalent when I first came to the University and I leave the theatre behind confident that we are now a welcoming, fair and unbiased organisation where a Fresher is just as likely to be cast as a wrinkly old third year such as myself. The number of Freshers involved in productions this year has been much greater than in previous years and I have every faith that this will continue in the future, ensuring that the theatre is passed on to people who have an artistic, emotional and loyal devotion to the further development of the company.

This year we have collectively produced more plays than any other year in the theatre’s thirty-seven year history and I think that I speak for everyone when I say that the quality of these shows reflects the deep passions and close friendships of all involved. The successes of our productions in the wider world (two shows at NSDF 2007; the RIDICULOUSLY complimentary Evening Post review of the Seagull; continued presence at the Edinburgh Fringe) shows that what we are doing has a greater purpose than simply the creation of great theatre for our families and peers to enjoy, as we continue to promote the reputation of the University of Nottingham as an ever-growing hub of student dramatics. The New Theatre ‘brand’ continues to garner much respect within the professional world and this will undoubtedly grow in the coming years. I very much look forward to seeing just how far we as a company, but also as a group of friends, can take our little theatre on the hill in the next decade and beyond. With a brand new theatre (The New New Theatre? The Newer Theatre? The Newest Theatre? The New Old Theatre? The Dave Stephenson Theatre?) promised by University top brass following the imminent destruction of our present home, it is clear to me that the next few years will be difficult for the company, yet also incredibly exciting, progressive and fulfilling for all the future students who will be involved in this forthcoming chapter in the New Theatre’s history.

It is emotional for me to write this, as I will never again tread those ever-so-slightly rickety boards that we know and love, yet for so many of you this year will have marked only the first chapter of your own personal adventure. How I envy you. My advice? Continue to progress as a company. Do ANYTHING that you as an individual can to get involved. And, finally, do it because you LOVE it. Continue to make art that you believe in and are passionate about and the results will speak for themselves. I look forward to seeing more and more superb productions in the coming years. And to any Freshers starting this year, all that I can say is MAKE THE MOST OF IT. The New Theatre offers a unique and utterly fulfilling experience to those who embrace it with open arms and for many it will provide the focal point of your University life. Many of you will step onto that stage for the first time next term in a fit of nerves, excitement and adrenaline, yet before you know it you will be taking your final bow and bidding the theatre farewell, thinking ‘Where the hell did my three years go?’ Trust me. I know what it’s like.

I am so thankful to the theatre for all that it has given me and extend my deepest love and gratitude to everyone who has contributed to the progress that I myself have witnessed over the last three years. I have every faith that next year’s President, my good friend Ali Blackwell, will lead by example and create a formidable army of thespians, directors and techies who will continue to fight for excellence on every conceivable level. For myself, and many of my close friends, this truly is the end of something very beautiful. But for the theatre, this is only the beginning…

David Stephenson, June 2007