Robinson Crusoe: Rehearsals, Awards and Semaphores!

Robinson Crusoe rehearsals are well and truly underway for The Wight Strollers, with the cast already working hard at getting script and song words down for Act I before Christmas.

The show is still two and a half months away, but it feels a lot closer. Thankfully, with such a strong cast and dedicated production team, we're not too worried...yet!

We've been waving flags, tap dancing, testing out flowery swimming caps, learning how to wield spears and even learning to sing in Swahili - so far, so good.

That's not to say we haven't had our hiccups - we have. Act II is undergoing a makeover, songs have shifted keys and changed in length and characters have been tried, tested, retried and settled on. But this is all part of putting on a pantomime and, for the most part, it's an enjoyable process.

In other news, we've now finished learning almost all of the songs, several of the dances are finished and Act I of the script is shaping up rather nicely. We've also passed 300 likes on Facebook this month, and we're thrilled. And the good news from November doesn't stop there!

On November 19, Patrick Barry - our Robinson Crusoe - won the IW Amateur Theatre Award for 'Best Performance in a Christmas Show', for his role as Prince Rupert in Sleeping Beauty. John Hannam, the man who decides on the winners and presents them with their, quite frankly, beautiful glass trophies, described him as 'energetic, enthusiastic...everything a pantomime prince should be.'

We couldn't agree more, and Patch deserves a huge congratulations for all his hard work last year. He earned extra brownie points, of course, when he brought the award to a panto rehearsal and asked for a photo of the company with Sleeping Beauty director Sarah Scotcher holding the trophy - the award belonged to everyone in the photo, he said. What a sweetheart!

In the meantime, tickets for Robinson Crusoe officially go on sale from Medina Theatre Box Office on January 3 - phone number 01983 527020 - and the charities we'll be supporting will be announced in the new year.

Out of the carnivals, into the pantomime!

Summer is over and carnival season has come to an end with it. Our Mexican Mayhem float scooped another collection of trophies in the last few of the season, leaving our mules tired but happy.

After the soaking we got at Sandown, we were understandably nervous about the forecast for Cowes Main. Mercifully, there wasn't a drop of rain in sight and we were awarded not only first prize but also a trophy for the most time and effort spent in construction. Well-deserved indeed, and a huge congratulations to Mike Squibb and the team behind the float.

A fortnight followed where we took a break from carnivals, working ourselves up to Ventnor Main on August 14th, the first night of the Ventnor Fringe Festival and one of the Island's best-supported carnivals. Nerves had kicked in, that was for sure, and we ran the routines over and over before the judges made their way over to us.

Best in Procession and Best Comedy Tableaux were the prizes picked up by our troupe in Ventnor, and a fantastic crowd meant adrenalin was high for hours after the carnival had finished.

Sadly, Ventnor Illuminated and Ryde Main clashed, both scheduled to happen on August 17th, at the end of the Ventnor Fringe Festival. With several of the mules racing over from the Fringe in near-torrential rain to get to Ryde Main, and with the weather worsening and people fast growing tired, we made the decision to perform only in Ryde Main and give Ventnor Illuminated a miss this year. A tough call, but with the state of our windswept mules by the end of the carnival, it was a necessary one. Another first, and everyone's spirits were lifted, and a barbecue in St Mary's Church Hall, our usual rehearsal haunt, gave us the chance to dry off.

There were even cardboard horse races, courtesy of Judith Day - affectionately known among those who have been on our camping trips as 'the corporal' - and, minus the occasional underhanded manoeuvre and questionable judgment, it was all good, clean fun!

Newport Illuminated hasn't done an illuminated carnival in about ten years, so there were nerves a-plenty as we took our second outing of the summer to the Matalan car park. First prize was a real achievement in our first illuminated appearance of the year - after wrestling lights onto sombreros and fighting to keep the new, heavier hats balanced on our heads, it was a welcome reward, as were the crowds that turned out to watch. This marks the first of many illuminated processions for Newport, we hope!

Our next illuminated was Sandown, and it was, quite frankly, one of the best carnivals we have ever done. The crowds were twenty people thick in places, the weather was perfect, the turn-out from floats and walkers was excellent and our energy levels were through the roof. Winning first prize only served to increase the hype, and our team trotted out to cheering crowds, our soundtrack blaring and our mules dancing at their best.

But there was better still to come...if we thought Sandown Illuminated was a buzz, nothing could have prepared us for Ryde. First place in our class, Best Overall and the Jo Brand trophy for Most Humorous Entry; ecstatic, we set off dancing along the seafront towards the crowds.

Packed. That's the only way to describe those streets: utterly rammed with people and an atmosphere so electric that we probably could have done the carnival twice over and still been raring to go!

With the carnival over, we deflated our mules for the final time. Sadly, though not for want of trying, we can't find a way to shoehorn them into Robinson Crusoe, so it's back to the stables with them for a while. If you miss them as much as we do, though, there are plenty of videos popping up all over YouTube to make you giggle at the end of a long, rainy day, of this year's entry and of our previous carnival offerings, too!

A massive thank-you to all our mules, to all those who made the ponchos and sourced the horses, to those who built the float, to those who walked so tirelessly with us at each carnival, to those who choreographed the routines, to all of the Island's carnival committees for their hard work in organising such a brilliant summer of processions and, of course, to those who came out to support us as we galloped around the Island - we truly do appreciate it!

After such a successful carnival season, it's time now to take the brakes off panto preparation and go full steam ahead ready for our first rehearsal on September 26th. Watch this space!

Mexican Mayhem: All Systems Go!

Keeping this year's carnival theme a secret was a challenge and, with members being questioned on their weekly shop, facing interrogations at work and even having to resist telling their spouses and children, the pressure was on to deliver at our first carnival of 2013.

As the floats and walkers gathered for Newport Carnival, on Saturday, July 20, we were more than a little nervous as we inflated our mules, painted on our moustaches and donned our sombreros. 'Mexican Madness' was underway and there was no going back now!

Every year, we strive to have three dance routines - two progressive and one static - to keep us moving around the carnival and give us the opportunity to stop and deliver a 'showpiece' every so often to the larger crowds. This year's lucky tracks were Mexican Hat Dance, La Bamba and Tequila, with a cheeky dose of Gangnam Style as a nod back to our pantomime in February, where it also made a cameo appearance.

Weekly rehearsals began in June to learn the choreography, while the costume team worked on getting the mules ordered, the hats bought and the ponchos made. Mike Squibb, a committee member and one of the backstage boys, and his team built the float: an explosion of colour and illumination, it's easily our most popular float design since the nuns' outing in our 'Bad Habits' theme of 2010.

Newport Carnival was blessed with blazing sunshine, great crowds and a turn-out of around 30 Mexicans, almost a full house. We took second place in our class, and received the Committee's Choice cup for best entry, and, according to the results published in the local paper, we were awarded Best Overall, too!

There were a few kinks that needed ironing out before we hit Sandown Carnival, that much was clear, but therein lies the beauty of Newport: it's a simple route, with few hills, and plenty of chances to air all of the routines and figure out what needs changing of improving before we're faced with the likes of Ryde and Sandown, where the crowds are condensed, the hills steep and the routes much longer.

In the days leading up to Sandown Carnival, the weather forecast didn't look good.

Of all the Island's carnivals, Sandown is the one cursed by bad weather, almost every year, and so it wasn't a surprise to find that, after a week of uninterrupted sunshine, it was Saturday, July 27, that was due thunder, lightning and a healthy downpour.

Wonderful.

The day itself dawned, but the rain was nowhere in sight. Our eyes were firmly on the Sandown Carnival Twitter feed and all events were still scheduled to go ahead...but as the afternoon progressed the weather turned sour. The clouds rolled in and the mules grew jittery, but it was all systems go nonetheless!

We arrived in Sandown at 5:45pm, and so did the rain - mercifully, the thunder and lightning gave us a miss! Heavier and heavier it fell, until both Mexicans and mounts were soaked through from hat to hoof. Even so, nothing could dampen our spirits when we were awarded first place in our class and the trophy for best overall entry.

We had been there almost an hour when a Sandown Carnival official approached the float and asked if we were still willing to go ahead with the procession. We looked at each other, we looked ahead towards the crowds gathered at the start of the route, we looked towards the sky; we couldn't get any wetter, and letting people down doesn't sit easy with us, so we gave him a resounding thumbs-up, punctuated with cries of "Arriba!"

All things considered, the crowds were impressive, and hugely responsive. They cheered and clapped and buoyed us up as we set off, moustaches dripping down our faces, on our second carnival outing of the season. Battling large puddles and fuel spillages on the roads, our troupe of Mexicans worked hard to keep energy levels high and were still dancing even as we rolled back onto Culver Parade to finish the evening.

If there had been any doubts about our decision to go ahead with the carnival, the faces of the crowds as we trotted our way around Sandown stamped them out. Carnivals might be a dying form of live entertainment in other parts of the country, but on the Isle of Wight they've never been stronger. And as long as people continue step out of their doors to support them, come rain or shine, they will keep on growing for many years to come.

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If you'd like to see The Wight Strollers in carnival, there are still plenty of chances this summer:

Cowes Main - Wednesday 31st July - 7pm
Ventnor Main - Wednesday 14th August - 7pm
Ryde Main - Saturday 17th August - 5:30pm
Newport Illuminated - Wednesday 21st August - 8:30pm
Sandown Illuminated - Wednesday 28th August - 8pm
Ryde Illuminated - Saturday 31st August - 8:15pm

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Sleeping Beauty: The Debrief, Part Two!

10:30pm on February 23rd. Pantomime was over and the post-panto blues had hit with a vengeance. In fact, several of the cast were moping for weeks, and a few were even spotted sitting in their cars outside Medina Theatre, costume in hand, gazing woefully at the doors and wishing the show was still going...

Alright, that's a slight exaggeration – but everyone was pretty gloomy!

The reviews were out and they were fantastic. A full-page spread in the Isle of Wight County Press and a spot on their website had everyone smiling, and an extra giggle came from Sara Bryce, the reviewer, when she revealed that her boyfriend had got so into the production that he'd hit her in the face in his hurry to snatch flying sweets from the air.

We also received a review from Fern Alexander, one of the contributors on the Island's website for under-25s, yoppul.co.uk. Another glowing report.

The show had been hailed as our 'best panto yet' and that felt good. For all the people who had put so much hard work into the production, both on stage and behind the scenes, it was just the response we had been hoping for.

An after-show night out for some of the younger cast members and an after-show lunch at the Ponda Rosa the day after the final performance seemed to lift everyone's spirits, and the highest honour the Strollers have to offer was awarded to its unsuspecting recipient...

The Orchestra's Accolade.

More commonly known as the 'Cock-Up Cup', this is a trophy that has been passed on from year to year to the cast or crew member who makes the biggest, most embarrassing cock-up of the show run.

Last year, it was awarded to fabulous fairy Nicola Steedman, whose skirt made a dramatic drop from her waist, leaving her in a bodice and granny pants, in the opening scene of Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood.

This year, the nominees were plenty, but the winner was unanimous:Step forward Patrick Barry, our Prince Rupert, with a hideous case of gender confusion.

Whilst engaging with the audience (beautifully), he found himself ad-libbing and in conversation with one of the audience's youngest members in the front row. As they shouted a response, he turned back to check he'd heard right:

"What did you say, little boy?" he asked.

"I'm a girl!"

Whoops. Bad luck, Patrick, in that moment you were crowned the cock-up champion for 2013. Better luck next time!

Next stop: the AGM in April, where Princess Aurora and Prince Rupert presented the cheques to our chosen charities for this year.

We pride ourselves on making sure our money never leaves the Island and goes to local charities, to make a difference to local people. This year, the causes were as worthwhile as ever, and we were thrilled to give away a grand total of £6000.

£500 went to the 1st East Cowes Guides, £500 to the Isle of Wight Synchronised Skating Team, £1,000 to the Isle of Wight Youth Trust, £2,000 to the Isle of Wight branch of Parkinsons UK and £2,000 to Layla's Trust.

Three new committee members were elected, and the carnival theme was announced. It was decided, as we did last year, to keep the theme a secret until the big reveal at Newport Carnival on Saturday, July 20, 2013 – it's become quite the popular guessing game!

Another lovely article in the Isle of Wight County Press followed the AGM, and pantomime was deemed truly over for another year, which could mean only one thing: it was time to start planning for the carnival season!

Sleeping Beauty: The Debrief, Part One!

Huge apologies for the radio silence, everyone! We've been busy, busy, busy since our pantomime, Sleeping Beauty, finished in February. Normal service will now be resumed!

Sleeping Beauty was a massive success - we packed Medina Theatre, selling out four of the five performances, with ticket sales overall up on last year's pantomime. The lead-up was...a little stressful. Two days before the show, we found ourselves without a drummer and the call to arms went up. We had to find help, and we were on borrowed time.

Nothing could have prepared me for the overwhelming response we received that day. Nothing makes you feel so loved as when people rise to help you in a crisis!

So thank-you to everyone who sent out messages on Facebook and Twitter, and to everyone who got in touch with us to hand over names of potential drummers, and to everyone who offered their services in any way, but particularly to the following we must extend a huge thank-you:

The Isle of Wight County Press - Never have I known such a supportive working environment. Not only did they allow me to spend my afternoon drummer-hunting, my colleagues also used their personal Twitter and Facebook accounts to join the appeal, for which I know the Strollers were all grateful.

Rob da Bank - With over 50,000 followers, and hundreds of people requesting retweets, he was under no obligation to help us. But help us he did, by sending out a message to all those thousands of followers and prompting a flood of help and no small amount of sympathy for our plight...thanks, Rob!


The cast and crew of Sleeping Beauty, their families and friends - Some of our own, and those that knew them, leapt into action the moment the call went up and came up with a number of names and contacts to try. This, I realise, is no mean feat - many of our members work full time, so for them to use their lunch breaks, tea breaks, and working contacts to help us meant a lot.

And finally, one thank-you that cannot be overlooked...

Simon Keates. Our saviour. The man with the sticks, who knows how to use them! As I climbed into my car, my head thunking onto the steering wheel, all but giving up on finding a drummer that could commit at such short notice, my phone rang.

"I hear you're looking for a drummer," said the mysterious voice on the other end. "I think I can help you."

And help us he did! Simon stepped in at the eleventh hour, and gave us better bashing, crashing and tinkles that we could ever have hoped for. Thank-you, Simon, truly, and we're thrilled to be welcoming you back as our drummer for 2013/14.

The show itself ran like a dream and, as the curtain fell each night, we were inundated with excellent feedback; it was so lovely, in fact, that we'd like to share some of it!

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"Thank-you for a brilliant afternoon's entertainment, and see you next year!"
Caroline Seaward, 6th Newport Cubs

"Excellent show. Well done, everyone. Not one thing on my snagging list! We all thoroughly enjoyed it."
Geraldine Tulloch

"More than worth going to see. Excellent."
Terry Adams

"My first ever panto...it was great, and great to see the money raised going to great causes. Well done, The Wight Strollers."
Gray - Wight Time


"Fabulous show, well done Strollers!"
Bayliss and Booth

"Brilliant show last night, well done to all the cast and everyone involved. We had a really enjoyable night."
Jeff Ritchie

"Another wonderful show...loved it! Well done!"
Ann Potts

"Brilliant. Never stopped laughing! Thank-you, Strollers, for making me laugh so much."
Debbie Egan

"Saw the evening show, superb in every aspect of the production. Haven't laughed like that for a while."
Gareth Hayles

"Layla's Trust went to see The Wight Strollers yesterday at the Medina Theatre, and had a fabulous time! Thanks to all the players, production team, volunteers and everyone behind the scenes that put on a magnificent show."
Layla's Trust

"It was fab. My little boy loved it. Sat through the whole thing, joined in with the clapping and booing, loved the bits he could dance to. Wonder if he was your youngest audience member. Well done. Great show as usual."
Vikki Roberts

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With such incredible feedback pouring in from the audiences, with many saying it was our best pantomime yet, there was one question on the lips of all the cast: what would the review be like...?

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End of Part One.

Sleeping Beauty is looming!

It's less then a month until our 2013 production of Sleeping Beauty, and rehearsals are reaching fever pitch!

With musical numbers from films, shows and the charts, this is a show we'd recommend coming along to see, even if you're not usually a panto fan, as it's set to be one of our most magical yet.

It's been a busy few months for our Strollers members: you may have seen our Princess Aurora, Em Scotcher, featured in the County Press and on yoppul for her role in the new Hollywood blockbuster, Les Mis; one of our senior dancers, Kerry Way, has achieved a full house of offers from the performing arts schools she's applied to; another senior dancer, Alex Chambers, is returning to work as a TeamStar on the mainland after a hugely successful 2012 season on the Isle of Sheppey; our wicked fairy, Sarah Scotcher, was interviewed by John Hannam for the February edition of the Isle of Wight Beacon; henchman Ryan Tulloch is finalising plans to visit Ethiopia; and we've decided on our chosen charities for this year - more on that soon!

To see all these members, and our forty others, in action, all you have to do is book a ticket to see Sleeping Beauty at Medina Theatre - the details are as follows:

Saturday 16th February - 2:30 and 7:30pm
Sunday 17th February - 2:30pm
Saturday 23rd February - 2:30 and 7:30pm

Tickets:
Adults - £7.50
Senior Citizens - £6.50
Children - £5.50
Youth Groups (Matinee only) - £5

Box Office:
01983 527020

We promise that you won't be disappointed, whatever your age or theatrical preferences!

The carnival theme for this year has also been decided, but it's all very hush-hush until the day of Newport Carnival, the first of the season, in July when our top secret theme will be revealed to the watching and waiting world...well, Island!

Happy January, everyone, and we'll see you in February at Medina - but hurry up and grab your tickets, they're selling fast!