This month we bring you urgent news! Please read the update, below, from the Home Office on the use of firearms.

For those of you booked onto the NODA Summer School 2010, please remember to pay your outstanding balances by Friday 11 June. Payments can be sent by cheque to:  NODA House, 58-60 Lincoln Road, Peterborough, PE1 2RZ, payable to NODA, or call the office: 01733 865790, were you may pay over the phone, with a credit or debit card.

The Home Office have reclassified of the use of the Olympic .380 BBM revolver (also known as a 'blank firer')

An amnesty is in place, until 4 June 2010, to hand in any of these weapons you may hold.

Go to the NODA website, Members' Area, for the full article

DaDa - Disability And Deaf Arts - is an innovative disability arts organisation based in the North West, formally known as NWDAF. It continues to be a cutting edge Disability and Deaf Arts Agency, not only from its base in Liverpool, but also across the North West region of England, nationally and internationally.

The DaDa Festival is being held in Liverpool 18 November - 3 December 2010.

More information can be found on the DaDa website

Schools all across the country are becoming part of Young Performer Week 2010 (21 - 27 June).

As part of Young Performer Week, your school can present a Talent Show in aid of Barnardo's which will...

1. Raise funds for the children's charity, Barnardo's
2. Create a performance opportunity for your students in a few simple steps
3. Give your students the chance of winning amazing prizes including a full one-year scholarship to a Stagecoach Theatre Arts School.
 

Start by visiting the website to get the information you need   

17 year old, Jack Irving, needs your help to make his dream come true.

Jack is a member of the Lytham Academy of Theatre Arts and has appeared in productions for Blackpool and Lytham Operatic Societies. But it is the technical side that Jack loves best.

He has just won a coveted place at the National Youth Theatre, in London, where he will spend 2 weeks in July, being trained by professionals in set design, building and prop making. He is struggling to afford the bill for the University halls of residence, where he will have to stay; £35.00 per night accommodation, £20.00 per day food, plus travel and course fees!

If you would like to sponsor Jack, even the smallest donation will help towards these costs, please call Karen or John (Jack's parents) on: 07752 307256 or email

The 2010 Drama Festivals' Conference will be held at the Lighthouse Theatre and Conference Centre, Kettering, Northants on Saturday 18 September.

The theme of the conference, organised by the Guild of Drama Adjudicators, on behalf of the drama festivals' movement, will be "Going for Gold" and will include sessions, workshops and forums of interest to everyone involved in festivals at all levels.

For further information please email Paul Fowler (T: 01536 511308 / M: 07973 343158) or Jan Palmer Sayer (T: 01992 581375)

These awards are in memory of the London Shakespeare Workouts late musical director, Tim Williams.

The next programme (featuring 24 new songs, by 17 different composers, sung by 24 West End artists) is on Sunday 20 June (6.00 pm to 8.50 pm) at the Cochrane Theatre, Southampton Row (just up from the Holborn tube). It is called 'OUT OF THE PIANO,' after a new song written by Tony Award Winner, Frank Lazarus, to launch the evening. There is no charge, but you are asked to make a donation.

Full details can be found on the website and there is a FACEBOOK events page

In the past six months, the royalty-free musical 'Below Stairs' has had three productions (Isle of Wight, Powys and Hitchin) and has raised a total of £2011 for Cancer Research UK to add to the money generated by previous productions.

Four more societies are considering it, and High Wycombe's WYSPAS is to stage it in Autumn 2011.

More information can be found on the Below Stairs Show website

If you don't already, subscribe to HSE's Health and Safety Newsletter and you'll find out the best ways to tackle today's key health and safety issues. Every edition is packed with practical information which will help you comply with the law and run a profitable, healthy and safe business.

See the HSE website for more information.

Trinity Methodist Music & Drama Fellowship are coming together to do The Gondoliers from scratch on Saturday 16 October 2010, at Trinity Methodist Church, Rainsford Road, Chelmsford.

Further details will be published later, but anyone interested in participating should put the date in their diary now, and express their interest to Val Byatt on: 01245 261933

Real Talent are looking for talent of all ages and abilities. The first workshop is being held on 5 June at The Compass, studio theatre.

For more details, visit their website.

Since 1998, Raymond Hopkins has been writing farcical comedies and donating his royalties to Multiple Sclerosis research. His plays have been extremely successful in the UK with hundreds of productions and summer season runs. The plays are also very popular in Australia and Europe.

At the present time, over twenty thousand pounds has been raised for MS research. The plays have received dozens of excellent reviews.

For further information, please visit Raymond's website

Peter Allday from Walberton Players (NODA South West region), has developed an iPhone / iPod application to help him learn his lines.

The application makes it easy to record and play back your lines and, as a keen amateur himself, he wants to help support other amateurs by offering this application FREE of charge for a limited period (18 - 24 June). There are no ongoing costs and upgrades are free too!

If you would like to find out more and take advantage of this offer, please email Peter Allday.

MProductions Presents 'Tick Tick Boom' 19th – 21st August 2010

MProductions return to Trestle, after their highly successful debut production of ‘I love you because...’ with ‘tick, tick...BOOM!.’ 

Featuring the music of Jonathon Larson, 'tick, tick...BOOM!' is the posthumous, biographical story of 'Jon's' attempts to make it as a composer. With instantly appealing melodies, and a unique blend of pop, rock and musical theatre styles,'tick, tick...BOOM! takes you on the fascinating playwright/composer's journey that led to the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning, Broadway blockbuster 'RENT'.
 

 Tickets - £12

Book Tickets: ONLINE or PHONE - 01727 850950

An Amateur production in arrangement with Josef Weinberger Limited on behalf of Music Theatre International of New York.
www.mproductions.org.uk

• 'Calamity Jane' - 14 amateur operatic version vocal scores and 12 librettos - offers. Contact Dave Richardson, by email or telephone 01275 847880 
• Artificial snow flooring, used once, for the play 'Terra Nova'. 2 pieces 2mts wide by 8mts long (covered stage 4mts by 8mts). This would be best described as a white astro turf. Cost £400+ would accept offers in the region of £200. At present stored in Woodley Berkshire. Please contact me by email. Graham Silvester, Woodley Theatre (amateur company)
• High quality costumes for sale, in excellent condition. Includes several complete shows such as 'Meet Me in St Louis', 'Guys and Dolls', 'Copacabana', 'Hot Mikado' etc. Email: Bryan Davies or call him on: 07931 249097 

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