Letter to the Trust from Tenbury Town Council

Regal Trust Report December 2014

Regal Trust Report December 2014

December was as usual very busy.  With a flurry of Nativity plays, a Christmas Concert, the seasonal ballet from the Royal Opera House, an excellent one man drama, and of course the Christmas Pantomime.

This year, the trust embarked on a very ambitious project.  To produce the best possible show, within the limitations of the building.

Professional set builders were engaged to produce a spectacular set, with many scene changes but designed so that they could be changed by a single person, or in our case a Panda.

Luxurious costumes were hired and then expertly fitted by our own fantastic team of wardrobe ladies.

Additional lighting was installed, and special effects were designed, including a magical flying carpet designed and built by Paul Daniels.

A mixed cast of professional actors and seasoned amateurs were engaged and supported by a troupe of Babes and Junior Dancers.  Professional Musicians were hired to give the show that added professionalism.

In addition to the thirty people on stage a large support team of crew, chaperones and technicians were also assembled and our usual team of front of house volunteers were supplemented by additional local people, and sometimes visiting relatives to cater to the needs of the 2227 ticket holders.

The Trust invested a lot of time and money into the Pantomime, with the final cost likely to exceed £23,000, but the result appears to universally acclaimed as very successful from an artistic and enjoyment perspective and is also likely to make a financial contribution to the Trusts ongoing investment programme. The show also brought a lot of visitors to Tenbury, many for the first time, so will have also boosted both the local day & night time economy.

Regal Trust Report November 2014

Trust Report November 2014

November was a much busier month, with good numbers for most shows & films.

The Mistletoe Music Showcase was a great success.  We were able to use a small grant from the Philip Bates Trust, in conjunction with volunteers from the Mistletoe Association to provide support to three young bands to help them become ready to perform in public.  The show was headlined by the Misers, who gave their time & loan of their equipment for free.

The preparations for the pantomime are gathering momentum, and nearly all the tickets for nine performances have been sold.

The latest brochure arrived at the weekend and a team of volunteers distributed copies to much of Tenbury & Burford on Friday & Saturday.  Royal Mail are also distributing a show diary to 25,000 local addresses.

Regal Trust Report October 2014

Trust Report Oct 2014

October was a month of contrasts,  The month began with a very successful broadcast by Stephen Fry, then we had a number of films that barely broke even.  In the middle of the month we had the excellent live drama, Around the World in 80 Days which unfortunately also failed to break even.  The half term week was very successful with 780 people enjoying live Music, Films and finally Magic with Paul Daniels.

The ticket sales for the rest of the year appear to look reasonably healthy, but our main focus is our Pantomime Aladdin.  

The cast are hard at work rehearsing, and the technical team are ramping up to cope with the requirements of building unusual props and using far more complex technical equipment than they has so far been exposed too.

We have already sold 30% of the tickets.  This is good, but we all need to keep up the effort of promoting the show, as bringing people into town in the Christmas season also has a tremendous effect on the whole town's vitality and viability.

Over the next few weeks 30,000 leaflets advertising the pantomime will be distributed by Royal Mail in a wide area around the town and hopefully this will encourage even more people to come and give us a try.

The new mid-stage curtains have now arrived and were used for the first time for the Paul Daniel’s show.  The new LED lighting has also been installed to replace the somewhat unreliable and expensive to run Par Cans.  The replacement cinema screen is due to be installed later this month.  

Regal Trust Report September 2014

In September the Trust screened 16 sessions of film, 6 broadcast events and staged 3 live shows.  Audience attendance was rather poor during the month  5 film sessions played to audiences of less than 10 and 5 more between 11 & 20.  Even the broadcast shows failed to inspire more than an average of 50 people.   This trend seems to have been repeated across the country, but we may have been additionally hit by the exceptionally good weather and September being a favourite holiday month for our core demographic.

On a brighter subject, our pantomime has started rehearsals and we have an exceptionally talented cast including a number of professional actors.

We have now completed the selection of the dance troupe and babes and this event is now being widely and excitedly anticipated especially in some local schools.

We have now completed the installation of the proximity tag access control system for the front of the Regal, but have a number of ongoing or outstanding maintenance jobs.

1. The display screen in the foyer has a failed VGA sender.  It is likely that the cost of replacing this will be uneconomic so we will likely be looking for an alternate solution.
2. One of the emergency lights has failed it’s test and will be replaced.
3. The kitchen range has a fault on one of it’s burners.  This will be attended to when it is next inspected.
4. The automatic sensor in the dressing room has failed and needs to be replaced.
5. There is a leak in the central heating system.  This is awaiting parts.
6. The central heating system pressurisation system is faulty and is being investigated.
7. The guttering system is going to be altered (under the original renovation contract)
8. The issue with the switching of the main auditorium lighting is still ongoing.

We have some exciting events now on sales, including the Mistletoe Music showcase which will see three upcoming junior bands performing before the headline act the Misers take to the stage. As part of the package, & with help from a grant from Philip Bates Trust & professional assistance we are supporting the band's with photography, graphic design and advice on PR & stage presentation.

This year's Poppy Concert includes an appearance by the Military Wives Choir.

The Fabulous Ceri Dupree has been booked to perform the Mayor's Charity Concert which will be a night to remember.

We also have Basil Brush, appearing live on stage early next year.

Thank you from Teme Valley Band

Regal Trust Report June 2014

Regal Trust Report June 2014

June was a month marked by smaller than usual audiences.  This appears to be a trend at many cinemas across the UK.  Cinema’s are very much content driven, and the content recently has been particularly poor.

The volunteers fair with stalls from over 25 local volunteer organisations was a great success.  The fair was organised by Malvern Hills Volunteering, sponsored by the Blakemore Trust (Spar) and hosted by the Regal.  True partnership working.

The Regal volunteers had their summer update meeting and social event, to acknowledge and celebrate our continuing success.

We also hosted part of the Worcestershire Film Festival, and two showcase performance for Fusion Cheer & Dance.

In the last week we have hosted another evening with the Severn Valley Railway reenactors who visited in full costume and arrived in their 1940’s coach.  We screened “Millions Like Us” starring Patricia Roc & Gordon Jackson.

We have now held two auditions for our Christmas pantomime.  The most recent for younger people.  About 30 youngsters ranging from 5 to 16 had a great time, and demonstrated what a talented lot they are.  There should be plenty of choice for the Director to choose from, and hopefully nearly everyone will get a part to play as pantomimes lend themselves to accommodating additional players.

Looking forward; this week we host the Tenbury High School Creative Arts evening, a performance by the Teme Valley Band with Tenbury CofE Primary School Choir and the Ludlow & Hereford Got2Sing Choir.  The local Here to There amateur theatre company stage a modern version of Chekhov’s Seagull,

So as usual we are keeping busy, with the premises being used by a large cross section of the community.