Find out about the new season today at 2pm in the New Theatre. Sign up for auditions, back-stage work, technical opportunities and production work after hearing about each play from its director. For those of you who can’t make the meeting and want to sign up, you can do so at 1pm in the theatre. This is your chance to get involved this term, so make sure you’re there!

After the busiest proposals meeting in living memory, we are thrilled to announce this season’s plays. Eighteen plays were proposed for just nine slots, but with some canny double-billing the Committee managed to squeeze in eleven Major Productions (six of them new writing), a New Writing Festival, the annual Stars in Their Eyes Fundraiser, a Postgrad Project production (during Undergrad exams) and a 24hr play!

To find out about the productions that you can get involved with, come along to the AGM on Wednesday 23rd February at 2pm in the New Theatre. There are LOADS of really good roles available, so it’s only going to work if you turn up on Wednesday and audition audition audition…

Thanks so much to everyone who proposed a play, and commiserations to those who didn’t get accepted. The quality of all the proposals was really high, and the Committee spent a fraught few hours after the meeting programming the season. Our focus was on new writing and new blood (a lot of the ‘established’ directors are leaving after this season, so we thought it was important to nurture new talent).

We can also announce that The Curse of the Devil’s Verse, by Nic Harvey is going up for one night only on Friday 1st February. Nic is a member of a local theatre youth group, The Television Workshop. A lyrical look at male/female communication and the grisly nature of change, the play was first presented by The Television Workshop in Nottingham on 3^rd July 2007. After a brief trip to Leeds, the production returns to Nottingham for its final performance, and we are thrilled to be hosting it. For tickets please ring 07815 566165 and for more details about the show, please visit Current Productions. All profit that the New Theatre makes from External Productions goes towards paying off the Edinburgh Fringe Deficit, currently standing at around £6, 000.

Anyway, make sure you all come to the meeting on Wednesday at 2pm. The foyer has a lovely new roof, the auditorium has a spanking new carpet and everything’s shaping up to be the best season ever.

Yeah! Welcome back people! God how exciting… It’s the start of a new season, and there’s loads going on. Proposals meeting is on Sunday 20th January at 2pm in the New Theatre. If you want to direct or produce a play, this is your chance. We’re going to try and squeeze everyone in, so if you propose, chances are you’ll get given a slot and a budget.

Audition, production work and tech work sign-ups are immediately after the AGM. The AGM is scheduled for Wednesday 23rd January at 2pm in the New Theatre. There will be another identical meeting at 3pm.

Last season was brilliant: it was the most prolific ever, and the plays were all very successful. There’s always been a tendency for the second season to generate less interest, so let’s make sure this doesn’t happen. Let’s have more New Writing… if you’ve written a play, come along and propose! If you have an idea for an outdoor production, let’s do it. Anything at all, we’ll give you a budget and roll with it…

The Committee would like help doing some improvement work in the theatre. We’ve plans for a new ceiling in the foyer, the shop needs building, as does a sort of gallery space in that little corridor. If you finish exams early and are up for getting your hands dirty, please call Lee (the Theatre Manager) on 07958 718961. Or just turn up: every afternoon from next Monday… we’ll have cakes and things.  

For more info about auditions and proposals, see the Sidebar (to your left).

It is with great pleasure that we announce that three New Theatre productions have been shortlisted for this year’s Festival. The plays are Disco Pigs, The Lonesome West and Proof. On behalf of everyone, we offer enormous congratulations to the teams behind these plays Let’s keep our collective fingers crossed! Last year we had two New Theatre productions shortlisted, and two productions done by external companies in association with New Theatre. In the end, two productions (Talking to Terrorists and Charlie Brafman’s Cast Aside) were performed at the Festival. Let’s hope we can beat that by getting all three of these productions selected!

Of course, all this depends on the Arts Council re-instating NSDF’s grant. If they don’t, this country has officially gone to the dogs. We care more about idiots jumping over quite high bars onto a mat than the future of theatre. What the @£$%!? We’d rather see some nonce balance on a pole, pirouette and then jump off the pole than the next Harold Pinter’s first major production. We’d rather see a fat idiot lift a pole with some weights on the end than the best student theatre in the country. Or tossing a heavy ball a couple of metres onto some grass. Or hopping and skipping and then jumping into a sandpit. Or running mindlessly round in circles. Or jumping into a swimming pool. It’s ridiculous. Please sign the petition: SAVE NSDF PETITION!!!!

Last term the New Theatre advertised two slots in early February that were available for people to do a project in off their own backs. A proposals meeting was held at the end of last term. The Committee received two proposals for the two slots, so everyone was happy. The shows are:

TwinSS, by Ali Blackwell

6th-9th February

Theatrical Theatrics Productions proudly presents a deliciously gay romp, fresh and improved after a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe 2007. With camp spies, camp songs and pink fishnet stockings… ‘I’m Gay and I’m German!’

****Three Weeks

****ScotsGay

*****edfringe.com

Student Improv Nottingham

S.I.N. present a new play by Nick Moran and will improvise an ending every night. More details coming soon…

The National Student Drama Festival has had its Arts Council funding revoked in the wake of cuts in government funding for the arts. Here’s to the Olympics. NSDF does wonderful things for students, as any one of the thirty plus Nottingham students who attended last year will testify. It celebrates the best Student theatre on a National stage. Moreover, it organises workshops for schools and universities, an Edinburgh Fringe New Writing competition and various other wonderfully useful things. More useful anyway than jumping into a sandpit or Curling. There’s a danger the NSDF could close, so please sign the petition to appeal against the Arts Council’s outrageous decision. You can do this by clicking here: Save the NSDF

Daniel Weyman is currently playing the eponymous role of Nicholas Nickleby in the Gielgud Theatre in London. Before its recent transfer to the West End, the production was on tour, and one of the last venues was the Theatre Royal in Nottingham. Daniel, an ex-New Theatre-ite (if you like), took great pleasure in visiting the scene of the birth of his professional career. He was met by Sue Daly from Alumni Relations, a photographer named Martin, and some of the New Theatre Committee. After a quick look around the theatre, Daniel engaged those present in a fascinating discussion about his career and theatre in general. He has also lent his support to the fledgling campaign to Save New Theatre from destruction by the University. (The University have pledged to replace New Theatre, but haven’t yet named a place or time.) It was brilliant to meet Daniel, who is enjoying a tremendously successful acting career, and the general conclusion was that the New Theatre was and still is a wonderful spring board into the professional world. To view photos of the meeting click here: Daniel Weyman @ New Theatre.

The New Theatre has submitted its semester write up to SU Council. For the benefit of pride and accountability, do have a read by clicking here: SU Council Report.

The New Theatre is thrilled to announce that we have just finished eleven straight days of theatre! Proof finished in the New Theatre on Saturday 17th November, and on Sunday 18th, Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down went up in Lincoln Hall Library. It closed on Tuesday, and the following day The Lonesome West started its run in New Theatre. All of the plays were superb. The production team behind Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down did a fantastic job, being the first external production in a make-shift venue in New Theatre living memory. Our thanks go to the SRS Tech, who supplied technicians, equipment and, crucially for every one’s backs, a van.

Monday, December 10, 2007 at 7:30pm

It is with great pleasure that The New Theatre and Impact invite you to our Christmas Ball 2007 at the Hilton Hotel. There will be dinner, dancing, an awards ceremony and live jazz. Every one is invited, as long as you are a student or an alumni. Tickets can be purchased online by clicking here. Alternatively you can buy them from the New Theatre Box Office or from SU Reception after the 19th November. It’s going to be a wonderful night, and a great way to celebrate all of your achievements this season. Click here to read more about the ball, and click here to visit the Facebook Event.