Welcome!

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Forfar Dramatic Society has been bringing high quality amateur theatre to the stage in Forfar for more than 80 years.

To comment on any aspect of our club, please email forfardramatic@live.co.uk.

The Society is delighted to announce that the first night of its three night tour - A Play, A Pie and A Pint has sold out a week prior to the performance.  Two, by Jim Cartwright, will be performed in the Osnaburg Lounge on Wednesday 23rd to a capacity audience after the last few tickets were snapped up last week.  There are still a few remaining briefs for the performances of Whisky Galore in the Strathmore Cricket Club on Thursday 24th and for the performances of Three Men and a Boat and Potholes to be staged in the Vine and Monkey on Friday 25th. At each venue, you will be able to savour a drink, have something to eat and enjoy one of the plays that makes up this short season of theatre.  Tickets for the remaining two venues can be purchased from the Toy Castle, 86 Castle Street, Society Members, the venues for their respective performances or by emailing forfardramatic@live.co.uk.

You can see four plays in three days on 23, 24 and 25 May as Forfar Dramatic Society presents its Play, a Pie and a Pint tour.  All performances start at 7.45pm with your pie and pint served from 7.15pm.  Alternative food and drink will be available.
Over these three days the Society is inviting you to join them on a visit to The Osnaburg Bar, Strathmore Cricket Club and the Vine and Monkey.  At each venue, you will be able to savour a drink, have something to eat and enjoy one of the plays that makes up this short season of theatre.
The tour opens on Wednesday 23 May at the Osnaburg with a performance of Two, by Jim Cartwright. This comedy is the ideal choice for presentation in a pub, because that is where the action takes place. Two is set in a pub and the storyline gives you the opportunity to meet the Landlady and Landlord, whose lives revolve around the running of the establishment. They met there, celebrated their marriage there and eventually achieved their ambition of living and working there. But did it live up to expectations, or will it be where their relationship ends?
The play also introduces the pub regulars; a cross-section of residents in the town – all of whom have their own reasons for visiting the pub and different stories to tell.
Next stop on the Play, a Pie and a Pint tour is Strathmore Cricket Club on Thursday 24 May, when drink will again be at the heart of the entertainment offered by Compton McKenzie’s Whisky Galore.
The well-known Scottish novel has been adapted for performance as a radio play and a small company of actors will bring its many characters to life.
Whisky Galore is set on the island of Little Toddy during the Second World War. Tragedy strikes the island when the supply of whisky runs out and there is no prospect of it being restored until the SS Cabinet Minister runs aground just off-shore. Will the islanders be able to rescue its cargo of whisky? And will they be able to conceal their contraband from the man from the revenue?
This gentle and delightful comedy is set in convivial surroundings and is one that you wouldn’t want to miss.
There are two plays on offer at The Vine and Monkey on Friday 25 May.
First on stage is Three Men and a Boat, to be followed by an American play Potholes.
Three Men and a Boat is Jerome K Jerome’s tale of three old friends from London who decide to take a trip in a rowing boat up the Thames. It is a charming, gentle tale which cannot fail to make you smile. Pubs may not be at the centre of this story, but they certainly play a part
Potholes is set in a New York café one lunchtime and focusses on conversation and relationships.  Once again Potholes is almost guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and remind you of conversations and situations in your experience.
The Play, a Pie and a Pint tour is an ambitious undertaking by Forfar Dramatic Society and is taking place at a time when the group is already very busy.
The Society’s main priority for 2012 is to convert its East High Street premises in to a performance space. This is a long held ambition for the group and this year they have decided to turn good intentions in to reality. Work is already well underway, with an insulation project completed, some upgrades to the committee rooms on schedule for completion in May and plumbing, electrical and decoration work planned for the summer months.
The Society did consider taking a break from performing while all this work progressed, but at the end of the day – members of the Society joined because they want to perform and the Play, a Pie and a Pint tour offers the ideal vehicle. It allows the actors to act, but without all of the additional work in putting on a main stage production at the Leisure Centre.
You can join the actors on the Play, a Pie and a Pint tour in several ways. You can follow the full tour by purchasing a season ticket for £20. There is a two night ticket available at £14 and a single performance is priced at £8. All of the tickets include, unsurprisingly, a drink and a pie.  There is a £2 reduction on these prices for concessions.
Tickets can be obtained in a number of ways. They are available:

From the Toy Castle in Castle Street, from Monday 14 May
From members of Forfar Dramatic Society
By emailing the Society at forfardramatic@live.co.uk. There is a link to this address on the Dramatic Society’s website at http://www. forfardramatic.com
So, don’t miss out on this unique theatrical experience as fringe theatre comes to Forfar. Support your local amateur theatre group and three local hostelries in an exciting new joint venture.

The Society was invited to provide a short programme of entertainment in Aberlemno Hall last Saturday (21st April), at an event to launch the Aberlemno website.

Firstly, we staged the sketch routine that was performed in Webster's Theatre, Arbroath for the Young Farmers cabaret event earlier in the year.  The sketches were well received and possibly worked better in the more intimate setting.  The performers on the night were Grahame Miller, Ewan Phillip, Graham Hewitson, Naomi Weir, Linda McLaren and Martin McKay.  The sketches were directed by Drew Barnett.  

The sketches were followed by a performance of Potholes by Gus Kaikkonen.  Directed by Ewan Phillip, this lovely little American play was also appreciated by the audience.  The performers were Chris Hewitson, Laurie Wilson, Ewan Phillip and Leah Gow.  Sound technican for the night was Elaine McEwan.

The whole evening worked very well and it is hoped that this may become an annual event.

RBS has awarded £250 to Forfar Dramatic Society’s Youth Theatre, to help fund its activities, including its current production of Alice in Wonderland.
The award has been made through RBS’s Community Cashback programme which was introduced as part of the bank's ongoing commitment to the communities in which it operates. 
Through the award scheme the RBS helps community groups, schools and charities in which its staff make an important contribution in their own time. 
In this case, the member of staff concerned is Elaine McEwan, who volunteers with the Youth Theatre on a regular basis. Elaine qualifies for the award because she has given over 200 hours of her own time to the youth theatre in the last year.
That has involved her in supporting the group to stage the production “Forfar Tales” as a co-production with the adult club, as well as helping to film and edit “Think Global”.
“Think Global” is a film made by the Youth Theatre which examines the threat of climate change and how changes of lifestyle can reduce carbon emissions.  The film was funded as part of the grant of just over £18000 awarded to the Society from Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Climate Challenge Fund to insulate their rehearsal hall.  You can see the film at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S9-LLyj96o
 
This is the second year that the Youth Theatre has been able to secure funding through the Community Cashback scheme.  Last year they also received funding which contributed to “Forfar Tales”, and the running of the regular Sunday night sessions.
 
Elaine is currently part of the team working on Alice In Wonderland.  This adaption of the popular novel will see the Youth Theatre use a variety of masks and puppets in an exciting new version of the story.
According to Elaine, it’s really exciting to be working on the project.  “It’s good to see the Youth Theatre doing something that will develop new skills.  They all seem to be really enjoy being part of the production.”
The award from RBS gives a considerable boost to the project. It will help to pay for the materials need for all the masks and puppets, as well as the other production costs.
Dramatic Society President Neil Paterson is delighted by both the injection of cash and the recognition of Elaine’s voluntary effort. “Our youth theatre relies heavily on volunteers” he said. “This award highlights the work they do and brings a tangible benefit to the youth theatre. Elaine is one of a team of volunteers who support the youth theatre and we’re grateful to all of them for their efforts.”
He added “The club as a whole is going through an exciting time at the moment as we continue to upgrade our premises, so remember to keep up to date with what’s happening in the Society!  Check www.forfardramatic.com, search for us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @ForfarDramatic.”

Society member, Ewan Phillip, has agreed to do a sponsored bungee jump in aid of Society funds.  This should be a great boost in our drive to accumulate the necessary funds to continue with our clubroom improvements and realising our goal of creating a studio theatre in our East High Street premises.  Ewan will undertake the jump on Saturday 5th May at the Highland Fling Bungee, Killiecrankie Visitor Centre, Killiecrankie, PH16 5LG. If you would like to sponsor Ewan and help the Society in its fundraising efforts please email forfardramatic@live.co.uk and someone from the Society will be in touch to let you know how you can contribute.  We wish Ewan every success with the jump and hope he very much enjoys the experience.

The Society would like to announce that their will be no main stage production this spring.  Due to difficulties in securing a venue, the Society has regrettably decided to postpone May's production of Off The Hook by Derek Benfield until November.  Despite this disappointing news, the Society is taking the challenge head on and hope to have some very positive news going forward.  Firstly, the renovation of our clubroom is now moving ahead significantly and the hope is that the November production can be staged in the East High Street premises. 
While Off The Hook has been put back until November, members will be heavily involved in forthcoming events.  There will be involvement in the Safe and Sound Event, Forfar Gala Day, The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Event at Glamis Castle, an event to be held in Aberlemmo as well as the possibility of putting on a series of shorter plays in various venues around the town.  Watch this space for full details.
In addition to the above, the Society is of course still involved in the SCDA one-act play festival.  The Society will perform Tippers by Gillian Plowman in the Aberdeen Arts Centre on Thursday 22nd March.  Success will see the Society progress to the Scottish Finals in Stirling in April.

Autumn 2012 Production
The Society is delighted to announce that Off The Hook by Derek Benfield will be their autumn 2012 production.  This classic 1970's farce will be directed by Ewan Phillip, who last directed the Arther Miller classic Death of a Salesman, and will run mid November 2012.  Dates and venue to be announced as soon as practicable.

The Society was delighted to return from last weekend's SCDA One-Act Play Festival on a high, having been awarded the Kay Fleming Cup after gaining a creditable second place behind Carnoustie Theatre Club.  Tippers, by Gillian Plowman, was the play entered by the Society and the cast, comprising, Bill Atkinson, Bruce Martin, Ewan Phillip, Lesley Fraser and Kim Brown put on an assured performance which was highly praised by adjudicator Alisdair Hawthorn.  The play now goes forward to the Northern Divisional Finals to be held in the Aberdeen Arts Centre on the 22nd to 24th March.  Tippers, which is directed by Winnie Brown, will be performed on Thursday 22nd.   The teams placed first and second overall will progress to the Scottish Finals, which this year are being held in MacRobert Centre, Stirling on 26th to 28th April.  

The short peice that the Society were asked to perform at the Young Farmers Caberet competition in the Websters Theatre, Arbroath last Saturday was very well received by a large and appreciative audience.  The peice was a fast moving series of nine short sketches previously aired on BBC television's The Sketch Show. 
The Society were grateful to Laurie Wilson for stepping in at the last moment to replace flu victim Naomi Weir.  Others taking part were Grahame Miller, Graham Hewitson, Ewan Philip, Martin McKay, Madelaine Simpson and Marley Laurie. The sketch was directed by Drew Barnett.

The Society is having a very busy start to 2012.  Firstly, on Saturday the 28th January, we have been asked to provide a short entertaining piece at the Young Farmers Caberet Event in the Websters Theatre, Arbroath.  We are currently rehearsing some short comedy sketches for the event.
This will be followed by our annual Double Bill of one-act plays, to be held in the Clubroom at 132 East High Street, Forfar.  This year we are presenting Tippers by Gillian Plowman and a farce by Anton Checkhov called The Anniversary.  Both plays are sure to be entertaining in their different ways.  To reserve a ticket for the Double Bill, to be performed on Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th February, simply email forfardramatic@live.co.uk with your requirements.  Tickets are free although we will ask for a donation.

The Society's recent run of the 1960's comedy, Peter Shaffer's Black Comedy, was hailed a great success.  The audience reaction was extremely positive and the feedback received indicated that the vast majority of those who attended had a thoroughly entertaining evening at the theatre.
The cast, led by Ewan Phillip, in the role of the put upon Brindsley, all excelled in what was an extremely demanding and physical piece of theatre.
The Society are now looking forward to 2012 and hope to announce their two main stage productions early in the new year.
As always, the Scoiety would love to hear from anyone who wants to be involved.  On stage and off stage personnel are vital to the continued existance of the Society and the desire to keep live theatre performances in Forfar.  If you would like to be involved or find out more, email forfardramatic@live.co.uk.

Tuesday 16th August, saw the first club night of the 2011-12 season take place...

The Society is offering to help local groups explore ways of reducing their energy consumption. This builds on the work done to insulate our club rooms.