Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2020, and to the fortieth anniversary of The Wight Strollers in their current form...and we're going to be celebrating in style!

The celebrations begin with our annual February Half Term pantomime at Medina Theatre.

This year, our chosen fairytale is Sleeping Beauty and it has again been co-written by Sarah Scotcher and by yours truly, tailored to the cast and crew and with all the traditional elements of a family pantomime with plenty of jokes and musical numbers and slapstick to make all ages laugh.

The set and costumes have all been designed and made in-house by Geraldine Tulloch (also our chairperson!) and her wonderful team, the music has been arranged by our supremely talented MD, Kim Ball, and the choreography is in the expert hands of Cheryl and Izzi Rudd.

The cast is filled with Strollers faces new and old, with the principal character list boasting several members taking their very first speaking roles within the company...and we just know they're all going to smash it!

Tickets are on sale now from Medina Theatre either by phone on 01983 823884 or online, or in person at the Box Office - don't miss out, and come along to what is going to be a truly spectacular show, all in aid of Island charities - more about them later.

We will then be entering the IW Music, Dance and Drama Festival in the Senior Musical Theatre Vocal Group Class - wish us luck!

Following this, we will be staging The Wind in the Willows this summer, the musical that took London by storm a couple of years ago. Directing this will be Andy Ball, who many of our loyal supporters will remember as 'Bob' in Priscilla: Queen of the Desert - The Musical in 2018 or perhaps even as Rancid in Jack and the Beanstalk in 2017....or maybe even as that squeaky-shod guard in Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood in 2019 - I wonder if he ever did get that shoe fixed?

The Wind in the Willows is the tale of Toad of Toad Hall and his compatriots, Ratty and Mole, and it's based on the beloved children's classic by Kenneth Graham. The music is gorgeous, and we can't wait to share our production of this exciting show with you all.

Tickets will be on sale from February 14th - so watch this space!

To finish our fortieth 'season', we will once again be parading the streets of the Island as part of the summer carnival season. The theme will top secret until our first outing - as always - so you'll just have to wait and see. Suffice to say, it's going to be colourful, hilarious and great fun, and we can't wait to see you all there.

The benefit of producing two shows in a year is that we can support double the number of Island charities, and we have decided on these, too - an announcement will be forthcoming soon, so keep your eyes peeled.

That's about it from us for an update for now...so hop on over to the Medina Theatre website and book those tickets for Sleeping Beauty! Go on...you know you want to!

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.

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!