Once again our two radio plays were performed to a packed house — this time in Condom.
Our stage crew turned up at the salle de réunion at the Hotel Continental just after lunch on Saturday 1st April and assembled our travelling stage, set up our own lighting system and wired the room for sound. By 5pm all 55 seats were set out in front of the stage, the lighting check and sound checks had been completed and there was just time for a warm-up run-through of Dad's Army before our guests arrived.
The programme started with A King's Speech by Mark Burgess, once again the performance touched the audience and there were many moist eyes as the house lights went up at the end.
We all then crossed to the hotel's restaurant for a meal. Afterwards it was back to the salle de réunion for Dad's Army. The wine had been flowing over dinner so as the familiar theme tune started up the entire audience sang along — they even knew the words to the lesser-known verses. Once we could quieten the audience down we launched into Dad's Army. The chosen episode, Mum's Army, had first been broadcast in 1970 and it was one of the most poignant episodes of the entire series. The audience laughed in all the right places and there was a big sympathetic "aaaaahhh" at the end when Captain Mainwaring waved goodbye from a railway platform at Warmington-on-Sea as his new-found lady-friend disappeared into the distance on the London train.
The audience left with smiles on their faces, the crew dismantled the stage, put away the lights, packed up the sound gear and we all returned home with fond memories of the English Theatre Company's first production.Next up, Absurd Person Singular at Lectoure on 6th & 7th May.
Our stage crew turned up at the salle de réunion at the Hotel Continental just after lunch on Saturday 1st April and assembled our travelling stage, set up our own lighting system and wired the room for sound. By 5pm all 55 seats were set out in front of the stage, the lighting check and sound checks had been completed and there was just time for a warm-up run-through of Dad's Army before our guests arrived.
The programme started with A King's Speech by Mark Burgess, once again the performance touched the audience and there were many moist eyes as the house lights went up at the end.
We all then crossed to the hotel's restaurant for a meal. Afterwards it was back to the salle de réunion for Dad's Army. The wine had been flowing over dinner so as the familiar theme tune started up the entire audience sang along — they even knew the words to the lesser-known verses. Once we could quieten the audience down we launched into Dad's Army. The chosen episode, Mum's Army, had first been broadcast in 1970 and it was one of the most poignant episodes of the entire series. The audience laughed in all the right places and there was a big sympathetic "aaaaahhh" at the end when Captain Mainwaring waved goodbye from a railway platform at Warmington-on-Sea as his new-found lady-friend disappeared into the distance on the London train.
The audience left with smiles on their faces, the crew dismantled the stage, put away the lights, packed up the sound gear and we all returned home with fond memories of the English Theatre Company's first production.Next up, Absurd Person Singular at Lectoure on 6th & 7th May.
