📣📣📣📣BIG NEWS📣📣📣📣

Wellington Operatic Society’s next show will be

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Made in Dagenham

#madeindagenham #ford #strike #amdram #getinvolved

It is with sadness that we have to say that Sandra Kerry died on the 19th October.

Not everyone will know her, but she was the Panto Chair in the mid 1980s and then after that the Chair of what was then the Civic Players.  At both of these times the groups had very little, if any money, but she helped to secure their future.

She is probably best remembered for making numerous costumes.  But she also was a props lady, directed a few shows and was always willing to be front on house.

She will be missed by her friends but in particular by her daughter Sue.

On Thursday May 26th at 7pm the Operatic Society will introduce its autumn 2022 production
“Cliff” which celebrates the songs of a true British icon, Sir Cliff
Richard. Sir Cliff is the only artist to have a hit album in every decade
since the 50’s. He celebrates his 82 nd birthday in 2022.

You will get an opportunity to listen to a preview of some of the songs
that have been short listed for this show covering Sir Cliff’s hits from the
charts, movies and stage shows. You will meet the Director John Walker
and some of his team. The songs are a true celebration of this amazing
and popular star. The Operatic Society is looking for enthusiastic
performers who will shine a light on his most memorable hits from Rock
‘n Roll, Ballads, Eurovision, Stage, Movies, Christmas, Gospel – the
songs are endless.

In his 16 years involvement with the Arts Association John Walker has
devised and directed several Autumn Shows celebrating the songs and
music of John Lennon, Elvis Presley, James Bond and Bacharach.

Rehearsals begin on Monday 12th September and thereafter on
Thursdays and Mondays until the show week of 7th November.

Once, we know the number of members who want to be part of this
show, a few preliminary rehearsals will be arranged to familiarise the
company with the songs, before September 2022.

To become a member of the WAA and it’s constituent groups follow this link

Looking forward to seeing you at the launch.

At this time of year, members of WAA would be normally busy making final preparations for the annual Pantomime at the Wellesley, but these are no ordinary times.

This year, instead of sewing costumes, as she has done for over 20 years (and more recently making props), Penny Bradnum, who is also President of Wellington Pantomime Group, has been sewing scrubs.  Just a week ago, she got a call from  WAA members Bridgette Sells and Jane Burt, who had both volunteered as a Covid vaccinators at Taunton Racecourse, to say that they were not being provided with scrubs, and could she help?. Penny had been sewing face masks for a charity during the first lockdown, and hadn’t made scrubs before, but thanks to the Taunton Scrubbers, she obtained a pattern and some material, plus whatever could be found from her own fabric store, and set to work.

So if you are called to the Racecourse for your vaccination, look out for some particularly colourful  scrubs, that might look more at home on the stage than a medical scenario. As Penny says –“ it’s not been so different from making some Aladdin chorus costumes, and I just hope they brighten peoples’ day a bit.”

Many Arts Association members have been busy volunteering during the past year. They vary from being Vaccination Volunteer Stewards, doing shopping,  collection of  prescriptions , transporting people to their vaccinations,, being NHS volunteers as Check-in & Chat reps, producing online exercise videos, sewing scrubs and masks, right up to opening a Community Shop and running a Community Support Group, and creating support software

Wellington Arts Centre has been undergoing a major refurbishment since the Spring, so the members are keen to get back to putting on Musicals, Pantos and Plays, and welcome back the public as soon as they are safely able to.