Sedos News
Keep up to date with all the latest events by taking a look at the Sedos Calendar. Not sure exactly where our rehearsals and events take place? Then check out the Venues Map, which has a list of places of interest for members and friends of Sedos. Plus, follow us at www.facebook.com/sedostheatre |
Sedos Social - Thursday 16 February
Have you missed your fellow Sedos friends in the New Year? Detoxed for January and ready to retox in February? Seeking a jug of wine after Valentine's Day?
Come to the Seahorse (you know you want to) and accomplish all three! Come and join us on Thursday, 16 February! Say hello to new casts and crew and new and old members alike!
Maybe the ol' karaoke machine will make a guest appearance too! See or hear you then!
When: Thursday 16 February, from 7pm
Where: Seahorse
What: Sedos Social!
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What: This session will be led by Dom Lindesay-Bethune, who produced The Water Engine for Theatre6 last year and offers an opportunity for Sedos producers — both experienced and aspiring — to glean tips and insight from a professional producer. The evening will include a presentation and Q&A session with Dom, as well as a chance for Sedos producers to swap ideas on best practice and ideas for the future.
When: evening of 22 February
Where: Ocean House
What to do now: to attend, please register with Matt Hudson (mattkhudson@gmail.com) with the subject line PRODUCERS' WORKSHOP
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Sedos Event – Amateur Stage Expo
If you love amateur theatre – and we know you do – then boy, do we have an event for you! What’s more, Sedos are actively involved.
The Amateur Stage Expo (31 March-Sunday 1 April) will be the first time in the UK that amateur theatre groups, traders, industry professionals and amateur theatre audiences are assembled at one event. With workshops, discussion groups, live performances from amateur groups and West End shows and exhibits from companies serving the amateur theatre industry, The Amateur Stage Expo will be a ‘must see’ event.
Sedos have a stand for the entire weekend where we’ll be spreading the word about the City of London’s premier amateur theatre company, drumming up new memberships, potential new audiences, increasing our mailing list, selling tickets and generally telling everyone about us!
What’s more, we’ll also be performing at the event!!
This mammoth event will bring together societies, traders, and other theatre practitioners in a celebration of amateur theatre but we need your help to make it happen.
We’re seeking volunteers to help on the day on the stand to spread the word about Sedos, but we also need people to help with the planning of how we’ll do it!
So, if you want to be part of this mammoth event in ANY capacity, please get in touch – email stephen.beeny@qsoft.co.uk.
When: Saturday 31 March-Sunday 1 April
Where: Business Design Centre in Islington
What: Amateur Stage Expo
Website: www.amateurstageexpo.co.uk
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Sedos are planning a theatrical whirlwind adventure entitled 7Days6Plays next month.
The premise of the project is that we can write, cast, direct, produce and perform 6 plays in just 7 days. ARE YOU UP TO THE CHALLENGE!??
We are seeking 6 writers, 6 directors, 6 producers and around 30 actors to take part in the fun.
The project begins with a fun and informal meet and greet on Sunday 25 March with everyone. The writers are then sent off to write a 15min play over the next 5 days. The directors are sent their play on Friday 30 March and allocated actors and a producer. The teams all then meet on Friday night to begin rehearsals, continuing all day on Saturday until we head to Winterflood Theatre on Saturday evening to perform all 6 plays in front of an audience!
Seeking WRITERS
Are you an aspiring playwright? Do you have the skills to produce a 15 min plays in only 5 days? Email for your chance to see your words performed on stage!
Seeking DIRECTORS
A great fun challenge for the experienced director as well as a wonderful chance for a first timer to test their skills in this fun filled environment
Seeking PRODUCERS
An essential part of the project we're seeking 6 organised types to be part of the teams, your role will be to source and props or costumes the Director might want and generally be the key go-to person during the madness. A great chance for a new wannabe producer to have a go.
Seeking ACTORS
Adrenalin fuelled theatrical fun!! A unique experience for any actors willing to throw themselves into the fray!
We are also seeking a few technical types to help on the Saturday with lighting and sound etc...
What: 7Days6Plays
Where: Ocean House and Winterflood Theatre
When: Sunday 25 March, Friday 30-Saturday 31 March
Please email rebecca.m.smith@gmail.com if you'd like to join in.
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Launching The Hat Amnesty Following the successful Sedos Christmas Ball, Sedos seemed to have 'misplaced' a few of the hats that were used for decorations and the photo booth. The quest now begins to source these missing beauties.
If, for whatever reason, you seem to have woken up with one of Sedos' hats in your possession... (ahem) ... then please leave said hat in the box marked 'Hat Amnesty' on the first floor of Ocean House.
In particular, we're trying to track down the Kiss of the Spider Woman turban and a big black ostrich feather. True story.
Finally, if you have any hats that you never use, they are welcome too!
And remember...
NO. QUESTIONS. ASKED. :)
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.Sedos Announces 2012 Charity of the Year
Mousetrap Theatre Projects
Sedos is pleased to announce that we have chosen Mousetrap Theatre Projects as our 2012 Charity of the Year. Amongst other things, this means that 50% of proceeds from one performance of every show will now donated to Mousetrap. Last year we gave £5,000 to our Charity of the Year!
Mousetrap Theatre Projects is a dedicated to bringing the magic of theatre into the lives of disadvantaged young people. This small theatre-education charity takes 12,000 young people to see a top London production each year; for many of them it is their first time ever in a theatre. Mousetrap enhances that experience with education programmes in schools and communities, using theatre as a catalyst to explore ideas, learn new skills, develop creativity and offer new perspectives. At the heart of their work is the desire to open doors to theatre to young people who thought those doors were closed.
Gayle Bryans, Sedos stalwart and Mousetrap Theatre Projects Development Manager, explained just how delighted the charity are to be involved with Sedos.
"It is fantastic to have the support of a company like Sedos, whose members all share with us a huge love of theatre. We feel that we have gained not just one supporter but 200 more! I hope lots of you get involved over the coming year."
Find out more www.mousetrap.org.uk
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Sedos Bridewell Christmas Ball Photos
We had a fabulous time at the Sedos Bridewell Christmas Ball. Huge thanks to everyone involved in the mammoth organisation and entertainment (in particular the amazing Angharad Davies, Dawn Harrison-Wallace, Chloe Faine and Matt Gould), it was a fantastic night and we partied well into the early hours. Here’s to our five year residency at the Bridewell Theatre – it’s going to be an exciting time and we’re looking forward to working with the St Bride Foundation.
Take a look at the images below - as you can see, a great time was had by all!!
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Sedos 2012 Season Announcement
We had a great evening at the EGM on Thursday, what's more we announced the 2012 Sedos Season - exciting stuff!
Directors:
Roger Beaumont, Three Sisters; Chris Warner, Spring Awakening; Chris De Pury, Push Up; One acts, tba; Baby, Dawn Harrison Wallace and Roger Harwood; As You Like It, Zoe Thomas-Webb; House & Garden, Matt Gould; Guys and Dolls, Chloe Faine and Becky Smith. Phew!
So what takes your fancy?
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Sedos Wins Poster Design Award
We've always known we produce award-winning material and now we have proof - Sedos has won the Dumayne Warne Trophy for Poster Design for our 2010 production of Hair! Huge congratulations to everyone involved - it's great to be recognised for all our hard work.
What's more, the poster also came 3rd across the entire country in the NODA overall awards!
NODA rep Tony Sweeney presented us with the award at the Thursday night performance of The Last Days of Judas Isacriot at the Bridewell Theatre.
Chairman Chris de Pury and Hair cast member Fran Rafferty (who are both in Judas) accepted the prize and celebrated with a glass of champers!
Find out more about our production of Hair.
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Could Your Company Benefit Sedos?
Did you know that because we are a charity, your employers might be willing to make a donation?
Sedos treasurer Craig Topp recently secured
a £500 donation to Sedos through his employers, Lloyds bank.
“There is a a Lloyds Foundation, which is set up for CSR [corporate and social responsibility] purposes — the PLC makes an annual donation to the foundation to support charitable work. The foundation will support any charity you volunteer for to the tune of £5 per hour spent volunteering, up to a maximum of 100 hours per year,” explains Craig.
Sedos will reward you with four free tickets to bring your colleagues along to a 2012 show of your choice if you secure a donation from your company
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Arcadia Cast Present Half Moon With Cheque For £2,705
The cast of Arcadia were on hand to present Half Moon Young People's Theatre with a cheque for £2,705.90, our fourth donation to the local charity. Half Moon has been our charity of the year since 2007 and has received almost £13,500 from this association to date. SEDOS produce over ten shows a year and nominate one performance of each production to donate 50% of the proceeds to Half Moon.
Half Moon engages with 25,000 people each year, presenting professional theatre for young audiences and giving young people an opportunity to participate in drama activities themselves.
Chris Elwell, director of the company, was delighted to receive the cheque from the cast of Arcadia, which ran at Bridewell Theatre from 19-23 July: "Once again we are thrilled to accept this donation from Sedos as their ongoing support enables us to continue our work with young people in one of the most deprived areas in the UK."
At the cheque presentation, committee member William Harrison-Wallace said: "Half Moon is a specialist young people's theatre based in Limehouse, between London's two financial hubs, the City and Canary Wharf. Their drama work with young people is a perfect fit with the charitable ethos of Sedos."
Find out more at www.halfmoon.org.uk.
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Sedos Committee 2011
Thanks to everyone who turned up to the AGM on 20 April and helped vote in the new committee, which saw four new members join the team and a new Secretary elected! Thanks also to the outgoing members for their dedication and hard work.
The committee works tirelessly throughout the year to ensure that Sedos remains the premier amateur dramatics society in London. But this year they aim to do more...
At the AGM, it was announced that the committee is looking to set a five-year plan to run in parallel with our arrangement with the Bridewell. They are planning on inviting members to attend an open forum to discuss where we want Sedos to go in all respects, artistically, its constitution and charitable role, how it allocates resources and what we think we collectively could achieve in the short, medium and long term.
Whether you have a view on what shows we should be doing, what tours we could go on, where we could or should perform, what charities we should or could support, how we should spend our money, scholarships, new writing, membership perks, communication or just want to feel part of the process - then this day will be an opportunity for all of you. Further details will be announced shortly.
The new Sedos committee is:
Chris de Pury (Chairman)
Matt Gould (Secretary)
Craig Topp (Treasurer)
Jacqui Adams
Stephen Beeny
Dawn Harrison-Wallace
Will Harrison-Wallace
Matt Hudson
Deborah Lean
Matt Prince
To contact the Sedos committee please email secretary@sedos.co.uk.
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Sedos Are Resident At The Bridewell Theatre
The society has kicked off the new year in style with the announcement of a new partnership with the Bridewell Theatre.
Sedos members at the annual Christmas party were the first to hear the exciting news that the society has entered into an agreement with St Bride’s Foundation, owner of the Bridewell Theatre.
Chairman Chris de Pury outlined the terms of the partnership, which will benefit both sides and help secure Sedos’s place as the City’s premier amateur theatre company.
In summary, under the terms of the partnership Sedos has made a donation to the Bridewell of around £90,000, which will be used to upgrade and generally improve the theatre. On the Sedos side we will become the resident theatre company of the Bridewell Theatre and have committed ourselves to the theatre until at least the end of 2016, with the reciprocal part of the deal being use of the theatre rent-free for a significantly increased number of weeks (see below).
Not only will this arrangement lead to a better theatre for Sedos productions and others at the Bridewell, there are also great benefits for the society in terms of reciprocal advertising, the status of being the resident theatre company at a top off-West End venue and having “officially” a home from which to launch other exciting theatrical initiatives.
Sedos has long regarded the Bridewell — the 130-seat theatre just off Fleet Street where the majority of our season takes place — as its performance home and this arrangement formalises that.
In 2011, Sedos will be using the Bridewell for seven weeks (see page five for more on this year’s season), while for the following five years we will be securing the theatre for 10 weeks annually, plus two single days — one of which will for a social and the other a fundraising event in aid of the St Bride’s Foundation.
The 10 weeks a year break down into four weeks in spring (1 February-30 April) and three weeks each in summer (1 May-31 July) and autumn (1 September-31 December). There will be two two-week slots, one three-weeker and five single weeks.
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Facebook: Check Your Newsfeed Settings!
Have you noticed that you are only seeing updates in your newsfeed from the same people lately? Have you also noticed that when you post things like status messages, photos and links, the same circle of people are commenting and everyone else seems to be ignoring you?
Don't worry, everyone still loves you and nobody has intentionally blocked you. The problem is that a large chunk of your friend/fan list can't see anything you post and here's why:
The 'New Facebook' has a newsfeed setting that by default is automatically set to show ONLY posts from people who you've recently interacted with or interacted the most with (which would be limited to the couple of weeks just before people started switching to the new profile). So in other words, for both business and personal pages, unless your friends/fans commented on one of your posts within those few weeks or vice versa - you are now invisible to them and they are invisible to you!!
HERE'S THE FIX: Scroll down to the bottom of the newsfeed on the homepage and click on 'Edit Options', click on 'Show Posts From' and change the setting to 'All Of Your Friends and Pages' Note: This is the fix for personal pages but I am unsure of whether or not the business pages are set up the same way.
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Venues Map
Not sure exactly where our rehearsals and events take place? Then check out our new Venues Map, which has a list of places of interest for members and friends of Sedos. The list includes theatres, rehearsal rooms, drinking establishments and details of our new home, Ocean House.
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Dates For Your Diary
You can now keep up to date with all the latest Sedos events by taking a look at our Diary Dates calendar.
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