Category: Orpen Players

The Orpen Players

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Dancing at Lughnasa

Dancing at Lughnasa by Brian Friel

This Orpen Players production will show between 25th – 27th October with curtains up at 8pm each day and tickets £5 on Thursday, £6 on Friday & Saturday (plus 50p online booking fee if booking that way).

Dancing at Lughnasa is a humorous yet poignant play by dramatist Brian Friel set in Ireland’s County Donegal in August 1936 in the fictional town of Ballybeg.  It is a memory play told from the point of view of the adult Michael Evans, the narrator.  He recounts the summer in his aunts’ cottage when he was seven years old.

The play takes place in at the end of summer, around the festival of Lughnasa, in Celtic folklore, the festival of the first fruits, when the harvest is welcomed.  The play describes a bitter harvest for the Mundy sisters, a time of reaping what has been sown.  Love briefly seems possible for three of the Mundy sisters (Chris, Rose, and Kate) and the family welcomes home the frail elder brother, who has returned from a life as missionary in Africa.  However, as the summer ends, the family foresees the sadness and economic privations under which they will suffer as all hopes fade.

To book visit the Orpen Players’ website for online booking, call Roger Milne 01206 241048 or purchase from Ash’s as of Saturday13th October.

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
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Senior Moments – A Diamond Revue

Orpen Players’ next production is a revue of the Diamond Years featuring music & laughter from the past 60 years.  Tickets, priced £10, include light refreshments and entry into a best Jubilee costume competition for those wanting to join in the fun.  Tickets available from Roger Milne on 01206 241048.

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
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The wonderful story of Mother Goose

… is the title of the Orpen Players’ annual pantomime running over two weekends with 6 performances (2 matinee) as follows:

  • 27th January – 8pm
  • 28th January – 2pm & 6pm
  • 3rd February – 8pm
  • 4th February – 2pm & 6pm

Tickets are priced £4 children and £6 adults and can be purchased:

  • from Ash’s Store, Colchester Road, West Bergholt 
  • by calling Roger Milne on 01206 241048, or
  • you can also pay on the door.

The pantomime was written by Norman Robbins and is directed by Peter Cox. Cast members are:

  • Fairy Queen    – Chrissie Wenden
  • Harmony         – Izzy Slater
  • Discord            – Debra Hornigold
  • Clarence Creep  –  Micheal Poole
  • Jill Goose         – Emily Hilson
  • Colin                 – Ellis Benjamin
  • Billy Goose      – Ben Maytham
  • Sage                 – Anne Sexton
  • Onions              – Norma Knighton
  • Mother Goose – Scott Sophos
  • Priscilla the goose  –  Holly Snowling
This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
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The Unexpected Guest

… a thriller by Agatha Christie is the Orpen Players Autumn production directed by Mike Poole. Lost in the fog, Michael Starkwedder stumbles into Richard Warwick’s house to find him dead and Richard’s wife, Laura, standing near him with a gun – but did she kill Richard?

The characters and cast are:

  • Richard Warwick – Paul Michaels 
  • Laura Warwick – Debra Hornigold 
  • Michael Starkwedder – Kevin Topple 
  • Jan Warwick – Ben Maytham 
  • Mrs Warwick – Jo Austin 
  •  Miss Bennett – Chrissie Wenden 
  • Henry Angell – Brian Butcher 
  • Sergeant Cadwallader – Keith Sparrow
  •  Inspector Thomas – Robin Warns
  •  Julian Farrar – Will Parrick 

Running for three nights only between 27th & 29th October tickets are available from Ash’s Store, Colchester Road, by calling Roger Milne on 01206 241048 or you can also pay on the door. Find out more more on the Orpen Players website.

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
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Entertaining Angels …

Original cast from Chichester production
with Penelope Keith

… by Richard Everett is the Orpen Players’ spring production between 12th -14th May. This comedy is based around Grace, a clergyman’s wife, who upon his (Bardolph’s) death breaks her strait-laced character to do and say exactly as she pleases:

‘I’ve made four thousand six hundred medium-sized quiches and personally baked two tons of short crust pastry. And for what?’

The return of her eccentric missionary sister Ruth, together with some disturbing revelations, however, force Grace to confront the truth of her marriage. This show is full of sharp-edged comedy and probing wit.

Tickets will soon be available on-line, in the meantime they can be bought from Ash’s Store, Colchester Road, West Bergholt, by calling Roger Milne on 01206 241048 or you can take a chance and pay on the door.
This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
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Babes in the Wood

A traditional fun-filled family pantomime full of fun for all the family! Fabulous fairies, ghastly goblins, dazzling dames, hapless heroes, and captivating chorus combine to make this the event of the new year! Written in house by the creator of last year’s very successful Jack and the Beanstalk. The company has been augmented with the inclusion of several new and talented performers (the huge cast numbers over forty) who bring even more magic to the pantomime.

With six performances to choose from, ticket prices have been maintained at last year’s levels – £6.00 adults & £4.00 children

Book early to avoid disappointment either from Ash’s Store, Colchester Road, West Bergholt, by calling Roger Milne on 01206 241048 or, of course, you can always take a chance and pay on the door.

Performances are as follows:

  • Friday 28th January – 8pm – 10:30pm
  • Saturday matinee 29th January – 2pm – 4:30p
  • Saturday evening 29th January – 6pm – 8:30pm
  • Friday 4th February – 8pm – 10:30pm
  • Saturday matinee 5th February – 2pm – 4:30pm
  • Saturday evening 5th February – 8pm – 10:30pm
This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
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Spooky Players


… The Orpen Players next performances are targeted squarely at the Halloween season with a production of “The Ghost Train” by Arnold Ridley (of Dad’s Army fame) running at 8pm on 28th – 30th October.

The plot revolves around a party of passengers who find themselves stranded in the waiting room of an isolated station. The station master tries to get them to leave citing the local legend of a ghost train that dooms all who see it to death.

Cast details etc… at http://www.orpenplayers.co.uk/

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
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Laying The Ghost – A Comedy by Simon Williams

This fast moving, witty play is set in Yew Tree House, a retirement home for actors and actresses on the South coast. The plot revolves around Margot Buchanan (played by Giovanna Austin) the witty and acerbic ex-wife of the famous actor Sir Leo Buchanan (played by Robin Warnes), and Freda Deacon (played by Avrial Gamble), an eccentric lady with a love of naughty jigsaws and an unusual tendency to talk to ghosts. Things go haywire on the morning of Margot’s 70th birthday, when she receives a variety of unwanted guests and well-wishers.

The box office for this Orpen Players production opens on Saturday 17 April at Ash’s shop Colchester Road in the village (or telephone Roger Milne on 01206 241048).
The play runs at the Orpen Memorial Hall, Lexden Road, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday 29/30 April and 1 May. Tickets are £6 (£5 on the Thursday). Doors open 7.30pm with curtain up at 8pm.

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
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Buy a second hand cow from Jack?

It’s Panto time again folks and the Orpen Players can’t wait to delight you. This years panto is the classic fairy tale of Jack & the Beanstalk, which has been brought to life, in a NEW version, with a brand new script written exclusively for the Orpen Players by David Wenden. This is going to be a great show and full of all the usual thrills and spills, and a classic sing-along-sound track!

There are 6 performances with tickets (priced £6 adults and £4 children) now available either from Ash’s or from Roger on 241048.

Performance times are:

  • 29th Jan at 8pm
  • 30th Jan at 2pm and 6pm
  • 5th Feb at 8pm
  • 6th Feb at 2pm and 8pm

You can also find out more about the Orpen Players at http://www.westbergholt.net/theatre.htm

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
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Orpen Players’ budding Oscar nominees?

The Players’ youth group recently took part in the North Essex Guild one act play festival staged at the Headgate Theatre in Colchester. The play ‘Lunch Hour’ was written by John Mortimer and directed by Michael Poole. Congratulations go to Ben Maytham who won Best Young Actor and to Holly Snowling who won Best Young Actress.

The Players are also looking forward to a celebration of 40 years of the Orpen Players with a Music Hall showcase on 29th – 31st October. The entertainment will comprise songs (both comic and tragic), sketches and skits, melodrama and monologues in typical music hall style up to and including the Second World War.

This material has been developed for the West Bergholt Village Website at http://www.westbergholt.net
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