Current newsletter

June 2011

Hello!

With the TOPS new Committee now in place we just wanted to bring you up to speed on some of the things taking place over the coming months. Firstly though, let us send our thanks to the previous committee members for their hard work and for leaving TOPS in a sound state ready for us to take up the baton and run! Thank you.

Charity Status

TOPS Committee are to prepare an application to the Charity Commission in order for us to achieve charitable status, and in that process, the Committee have already started to create the many policy documents required of us to meet the conditions of application. It’s a long and involved process but we will keep you regularly updated as to our progress. The long term benefits will outweigh the work involved and we have seized the challenge with great enthusiasm. Obtaining charity status will give TOPS valuable funding opportunities which may be necessary if; as it has been implied, we may lose our Arts Council Founding in future years.

We have adopted a Mission Statement and a set of objectives that will give us key points of intention. We ask you to embody our objectives as we work towards achieving the goals of our mission statement. Our Mission Statement and objectives are on the TOPS NOTICE BOARD at our rehearsal venue in Grays.

Birthday Cards

Kate Pettit has kindly taken on the role of membership liaison and it will be her responsibility to maintain our weekly register, keep our directors informed of absences, and ensure that we still manage to embarrass members with birthday cards and liaise with our treasurer regarding subscriptions. On that note, will those who have yet to pay their subs for Melody Lingers on do so as soon as possible.

Payments to TOPS

Marion Hunting, our Treasurer has agreed to attend rehearsals once a month on the 2nd Thursday of the month for the collection of Subs although more often during the lead up to shows whenever she feels it necessary to deal with Ticket orders and the collection of ticket monies.

With regard to show tickets we would like to outline our policy for ordering and payment.

We encourage cast members to promote and collect orders for tickets which may be reserved by contacting Marion with an order. At this point, you will have the best available seats reserved for you or your guests. The committee feel that a month’s grace is enough time for you to collect the money and pay for them. If you do not collect and pay for tickets in line with this policy we will return them to the pot for resale and those premium seats may no longer be available to you. Once we are 4 weeks away from the show all ticket orders must be paid for with order. This policy is now adopted.

Additionally;

The Committee have agreed in principal to open a TOPS online banking account to facilitate the payment of Tickets, and Subscriptions by credit card. More information will follow in due course.

Oliver!

For a whole host of reasons The Committee have decided to increase the number of public performances of OLIVER! to 6. We are adding an additional performance on Tuesday 10th March. The auditions are taking place on Sunday 11th September. If you intend auditioning for a role please plan to be available on that day, we do not envisage a second audition date. Auditionees will be required to sing the appropriate audition songs without score or lyrics held. Audition packs will be available online at www.thurrockoperaticsociety.co.uk or from our production co-ordinator Suzanne Gunn at Melody Lingers on rehearsals. These packs will be available from 1st July.

On at the Towngate Theatre

For those who would like to see the show beforehand, you might be interested to know that The Essex Group are staging OLIVER! at the Towngate Theatre, Basildon from Tuesday 2 to 6 August and they have very kindly offered TOPS members the opportunity to see the show at a discounted ticket price see Ann for details or call her on 01376 567677.

Rehearsal Etiquette

It becomes an increasingly frustrating time for our directors during rehearsals when constant calls for silence and concentration are called for. The practice of a member bawling “SHUT UP” has become more and more a part of rehearsals and frankly put, just as destructive. Whilst we all want to enjoy an harmonious few hours together during rehearsal, it seems that a break down in respect is slowly eroding the fun of rehearsals and we must call for the constant chit chat to stop! Dancers are required to give equal attention to this as the tapping of feet during musical or directors instruction is equally distracting and The Committee have agreed to personally speak to individuals not observing this request. The Committee respectfully continue to ask all members to turn off mobile phones unless specific family or work responsibilities require you to be contactable but this is by agreement with our show director who, in those instances has been asked to tolerate the intrusion. The process of reading and sending text for whatever reason is Banned! This policy is now operational.

The Melody Lingers On

We do hope you are enjoying the great songs from one of the world’s classic song writers. We need to make a concerted effort to encourage people to come along and see it.

Here are some easy selling points. Hope they help. By the way, we do keep a record of who orders seats and how they came to know of the show, so when your friend phones us we will make a note it was because of your efforts.

a) Be proud of your involvement.

b) Sell the songs in the show not the title. Everybody in the world knows White Christmas, There's No Business Like Show Business, Alexander's Rag Time Band.

c) Sell the costumes, there's going to be over 100 costumes in this show. Think of all the work Ann has put in getting them ready for you.

d) Talk to the people you know. And when they express some interest, hand them a flyer. Put your name on it so when they book, we know it was.

Thanks for taking the time to read this newsletter

Gary Sullivan, Chairman of the Thurrock Operatic Society