Utter Garbage
Theatre 64, the Yateley-based drama group, announces that it's next production will be utter garbage... the children's play 'Utter Garbage' by Les Ellison, that is.
The play concerns Dumpster, an idealistic young rat who lives with his Uncle Binlid in a rubbish dump. Dumpster dreams of a better world, where there are no rusted tins or putrefying vegetables. But his dreams are dashed by His Ratship The Lord Vermin who has plans to turn every park and every garden into Utter Garbage! Dumpster finally runs away to sea with Captain Rodent and his loyal crew of Sea-Rats. However, he returns after meeting up with a young hamster Hamilton and together they thwart Lord Vermin's plans, and start to build a bright, better world right there in his own back yard.
'Utter Garbage' is a delightful play with an obvious, strong environmental message. However, it is also full of audience participation and children's humour, and will be fun for children of all ages.
Performances are at the Main Hall, Yateley Centre, Yateley. Performances are the evenings of Friday 19th and 26th January , matinee and evenings of Saturday 20th and 27th January and matinee of Sunday 21st January.
Utter Disaster for Utter Garbage
Major disaster struck Yateley's Theatre 64 in their production of 'Utter Garbage' by Les Ellison, at the weekend. Caroline Reeves playing the major part of Hamilton, slipped coming down a short flight of steps, badly breaking a number of bones in her ankle.
"It was coming to the end of the first act, just before the intermission on the first performance", explained Carole Fowler, the director. "Caroline was coming through the audience, dodging imaginary cars, when she slipped over. She landed in a heap at the bottom of the steps, obviously in considerable pain. Thank goodness I was in the audience, as many of them thought it was part of the play.
Luckily a nurse who was in the audience tended to her until the ambulance arrived, while the rest of the audience was taken into the refectory and provided with tea. I was very touched that Caroline tried to stop the paramedics from cutting her leggings off, crying that they couldn't do that as it was part of the costume! I was nearly in tears when she tried to say sorry to me for disrupting the production.
We obviously couldn't go on that night, and offered the audience either their money back, or entrance to another performance. Very kindly all of them took the second option. Very bravely Claire Sergeant, who had only just joined the group for this production and was playing the minor part of the guard, volunteered to take over the role so as not to disappoint our audiences.
Claire had a walk through of the part on the Friday night after the audience had gone, learnt as much as she could on the Saturday morning, had a rehearsal at Saturday lunchtime, and then went on for her first performance on Saturday afternoon. She took her script on with for her first performance but only as a security blanket. After that she didn't need it at all. She turned in absolutely brilliant performances and if you hadn't been told, you wouldn't have known she hadn't been rehearsing the part with the other actors for the previous three or so months."
Remaining performances are in the Main Hall, Yateley Centre, Yateley at 8pm on 26th January, with 3pm and 7pm performances on Saturday 27th January. Tickets are £4 for children, £6 for adults with a discount of 10% for pre-booking. For pre-booked groups of ten or more, Theatre 64 are offering a discounted price of £3.50 for children and £5 for adults.
