Sunday Get-in Day The van was supposed to be arriving with the set at Stranmillis 10.30 am but very unusal he was there at 9.45 with Meike receiving her first of many phone calls that day saying that the set was at the theatre. Dutifully she obliged and went straight to the theatre to meet the driver on a very cold morning. Next to arrive was Les, Mark and Ken. No one was available to open up the theatre so we decided to start unloading anyway. When we opened up the lorry, we reckon it was about 40’long there didn’t seem to be a lot of set. How wrong we where!!! More and more people arrived including Drew, David, Gareth, Jim and Norma. It was all hands on deck now with all bringing various bits of staging to the stage door. By now Andy, Helen, Clare, Niall, Wendy, Angela (and she wasn’t even in the show) and Matt had arrived too. Apologies if we left anyone out as it was a very hectic day. By now Ali had arrived with the keys to open up and it was great to see so many helpers who gave it their all. We heard a loud bang from the van at one point…what had happened was that Ken and Mark were in the van handing out the bits and pieces of set. Ken had moved a very small piece which resulted in the rest of the set crashing on top of him. What a shock we all had. We kept shouting at him “Ken are you alright?” and eventually this tiny voice came back saying “I’m ok!” Andy just said “Thank goodness it wasn’t a dancer!!!” And so into the theatre… Clare and Meike started to study the set plans to see what goes where and it became clear very soon that this was gonna turn into a long day. The first thing we looked at was the Back cloths… and there was lots of them. Unfortunately they where all about 3’ too short… and no one seemed to have a solution to this as the rigs could not be lowered. At this stage we contacted Peter who was visiting his partner in Dublin… he suggested getting longer ties for every cloth… not really feasible at this stage. We decided to leave the cloths for now and start building trucks… it took a while to sort what had to go where and one particular truck proved somewhat complicated. Just ask anyone who build TRUCK TWO!!! We now had been working hard for some hours and it was time for a well deserved break. We headed to Cutters for a late lunch which was much needed. Discussions continued regarding the cloth and Ali suggested bringing in lower curtain rails to hang at least some of them. He contacted a friend who he thought could do this, but they wouldn’t be hung that night. We all agreed relieved somewhat. By 5 o’clock the rest of the cast started to arrive and the set was nowhere close to being finished. Matt and Mark where up a scaffold like monkeys fitting pins and other bits onto the set while everyone else worked on the ground. We had a severe lack of pins but having true stage hands there Clare and Ali made pins out of coat hangers. The Tech Rehearsal had been called for 7.30 and at this stage we where considering cancelling as it did not look like we would finish in time. And then all of a sudden we where almost there. We made the best of it but without all the cloths. Have we mentioned yet that we still hadn’t received some of the costumes? These where still in transit somewhere. We did decide to go ahead and run a tech rehearsal which went really well. Even though we had some bits missing including Wild Bill. We left the theatre at about 11 pm after a very tiring day. Straight home? No… Of course we went to the Pub!!! Monday Dress Rehearsal Day The day started with lots of phone calls to Meike (who was at work) regarding set, costumes et al. Les too was in touch with David McWilliams to see where the costumes where as they had originally been scheduled to be delivered to his house. David was hot on the trail of DHL trying to re-route them to his workplace. At 4.30 pm Meike and Les both got a text from David saying that the costumes were in the theatre. In the middle of all this Peter and Gareth had gone to the theatre to see what was to be done with the cloths. They did a sterling job as did Ali and Clare and when we arrived at the theatre the cloths had been duly hung. Les arrived around 5.45 pm at the theatre to sort out the principal costumes as Meike was travelling up from Newcastle and would be a bit late. He need not have worried though as Mary M arrived soon after and took charge as always. He was much relieved! It was beginning to feel that we had finally got the Show on the stage. The Dress went well… a remarkable feat considering it was the first time we had all been on stage together!!!! And so to the Run… What can we say… the craic was mighty, the fun was great and at the end of it all we produced a fantastic show… Not our words, but that was the feedback from some of our audience. Some people even came to see it twice! We also had a great review in the Belfast Telegraph!! Everyone raved about ‘Calamity’ and how great she was in the role. Everyone also loved the energy and enthusiasm of our young (with a few old people too) chorus. Of course there were many fox passes (or should that be faux pas) during the week but these will be covered in more detail in our Awards Script. Special thanks at this point has to go to Gareth and Mary M for looking after Bar facilities during the week. Helen and Jen for their programme selling efforts and also Olive for sorting out everyone’s tickets. Also to David and all the others who helped out at Front of House. And not forgetting Norma of course who always delivers the goods! Also… Ali and Clare who both went above and beyond the call of duty during the week. The Get-Out This is usually the point when the cast disappear to the pub and leave a very few to get the scenery loaded back onto the lorry. Not in this case!! It was absolutely great to see all the cast involved in the get-out. From dismantling the set to packing up the costumes everyone worked very very hard. From our director to principals to chorus, everyone played their part. Quite amazing! What had taken a whole day to build, came down and was loaded into the van in about an hour. A fantastic achievement and a huge thank you to all!! It just shows the commitment from all involved. Just brilliant!!!!!! Clare D (who has been involved in many get-outs) said it was one of the best she had ever seen. High praise indeed!!! And so to the Party!! Mark was hosting the party (special thanks for that) so he and a few went to his house straight after the get-out. The rest of the gang went to Cutters (for a change!) for a few well deserved beers. The highlight of the evening was David Smyth’s dancing! Boy… does he know how to enjoy himself!!!! Everyone was very tired but that was not going to stop the partying!! We left Cutters around 1 am and headed for the Party!! Once we arrived Andy and Meike went straight up the stairs to sort out the awards. (Les had organised the trophies that day and had them delivered upstairs to the Awards Committee). While we waited on the ceremony to take place everyone availed themselves of the nibbles on offer. Earlier Andy had sent a text to Les, Gareth and Niall asking them to bring some crisps, nuts etc for the party. Each didn’t know the other had been sent a text so all brought loads!!!! And so onto the Awards Ceremony… Script to follow. A is Andy, M is Meike… M. Ladies and gentlemen welcome to the this year’s Ulster Operatic Company's SHAMES awards night. A. The past number of weeks have seen some spectacular nominations for these sought after awards and many of them have been a close fought battle, as competition for the top five got hectic at times. To explain to those who are not exactly clear on what the awards are for I will allow my esteemed colleague to guide you through the awards process. M. The SHAMES awards is an idea we pinched from one of our sister companys – along with a cast some may say. Each award is open to every member of the cast and crew and nominations are gathered during the run of the show. The awards committee then meet, usually in the pub, to decide the most deserving winners of the awards. The outcome is a closely guarded secret and only the official awards committee know the winners. A. I'm sure you'll all agree, this year has seen another successful show. We hope you’ve all enjoyed the craic and will be come back and join us for our next venture. We’ve had such a laugh watching and listening to you all and reckon this year’s faux pas’ have gone way beyond normal. So much so we had to start writing on Friday! As always though - you did not disappoint us! No need to look so nervous, the awards have already been allocated so from the curtain came down tonight, you're all off the hook. M. This year, we have thirteen awards, such was the high standard of shambolic dancing, stage presence and diction. We have five main awards and six special discretionary awards. Thanks must go to my fellow committee members for their astutenesss and readiness to tell tales, in most cases to avoid nominations themselves! Andy, Les, Niall, Gareth!! A. Thanks must also go to all the cast members, so sure they were deserving of an award, they sought to bribe myself and Meike with drinks, notably Mr McBride and Mr Higgins and Miss McAllister. But as tradition dictates, we graciously accepted these drinks with a smile on our face and noted the likely nominees who hadn't bought us drink, notably Mr Kennedy, Mr Gray, Mr Rice and Mr Laverty. M. And so to the awards themselves. Our main awards consist of: 1. Golden Balls Award - awarded to the cast member for the most numerous faux pas during the run of the show. 2. Silver Balls Male - awarded to the male cast member with the most memorable balls up during the run of the show. 3. Silver Balls Female - awarded to the female cast member with the most memorable balls up during the run of the show. 4. I wasn't even there award - awarded to the cast member with the most memorable non- appearance throughout the show. 5. The committee special award - a discretionary award, awarded to the cast member who's contribution to the show has been second to none! A. However, before these awards are handed out, we have a few special awards we would like to bestow on their well deserved winners. Fear not however, winning at this stage does not exclude you from the main awards – myself and Meike are the only ones immune to that!!! M. This evening's first award is for the cast member who struggled to get to grips with their costumes during the run of the show. The nominations for the 'COSTUMIER'S AWARD for SARTORIAL INELEGANCE.' are as follows: A. Kelly – the first trousers ripped at rehearsals M. Gareth – the second ripped trousers at rehearsals A. Rachel – a ripped dress at the dress rehearsal M. Mark – for his Jimmy Cricket Cow Boy out fit A. Jen – just about kept bloomers on in opening on Wednesday M. Andy – for his nightly boot on and off fiasco – could you not have got the right size?? A. Kelly losing her shoes for the can can on Wednesday so had to use Cherelle’s M. Andy for chasing his hat round the stage in Wednesday’s Windy City A. Kerri for her dancing a woman’s touch with her zip down on Thursday M. Matt – Victor’s niece in the audience noticed spurs at the bottom of the league A. Kerri – managed to attach her wig to David’s buttons on Thursday night M. Tanya – for her tights in Keep it Under Your Hat on Wednesday A. Karen – for stuffing her mike into her knickers and then casually handing it to Ande Gray M. The stage door Johnnys for their smart casual tux wearing. A. Gareth foror accusing the male cast of stealing his apron which he’d hung over the cupboard door. M. Blain for his dress rehearsal transvestite outfit. A. Helen Smyth for losing her petticoat during the can can M. Becki for her white bra in Keep It Under Your Hat. A.David Rice – zip down on Friday night M. Ken with a severely untucked shirt in tonight’s Adelaide number M. But the winner for the most costumes faux pas is Kelly!!!!!!!!………………………….. A. Our second award of the evening was one of the most closely contested. This award is for the cast member who just couldn't manage all of the choreography, all of the time. The nominations (and there are lots) for the 'CHOREOGRAPHERS AWARD for BLATANT DISREGARD TO PETER’S CHOREOGRAPHY' are as follows : M. Andy & Cherelle for knocking over a table with their fish in Deadwood Stage on Tuesday A. Mark for wimping out of the lifts in Windy City M. A. Mark for falling off his bike to get out of dancing at rehearsals M. Matt’s sways in Tuesday night’s Black Hills A. Les – choreographing his own version of Black Hills on Tuesday M. Mark – standing still in Tuesday night’s finale A. David and Rachael’s lift in Windy City on Wednesday M. Mark – standing looking lost during Deadwood on Wednesday A. Les – choreographing his own Windy City on Wednesday M. Andy’s version of the tap on Wednesday night A. Matt for his sways in Black Hills on Thursday night M. Andy and Rachael for polka offences on Tuesday and Thursday A. Ken and Fiona for their unique version of Black Hills every night M. Wendy falling on her face during her leapfrog on Sunday night A.Niall and Helen for their Windy City lift or lack of it. M. Karen and Blain for their back roll and walk over attempts A. Aimee and Les for various polka offences every night. M. Mark for wrecking a table in Friday’s finale. A. The three boys who crashed on the dance floor on Friday in Cutter’s on Friday – you know who you are!! Ciaran, Matt & Mark. M. Andy for stepping on Paddy’s toes on Friday night. A. Rachael and Gareth for Friday night’s attempt at the fish M. Andy and Kelly for their leap frog tonight! A. Becki for her attempt at Windy City on Friday night. M. Rachael for her falling down in Keep It Under Your Hat tonight A. Karen and Kelly for Friday night’s can cann attempt M. Karen for not being able to manage her Y stand any night. A. Ciaran for doing an impression of a teapot at the end of the polka every night M. Aimee for tripping over her cloak in the Black Hills midweek. A. With so many nominations in this category, it’s safe to say there were many contenders for the award. The winner however for assuming his own choreography fitted better to the music – our beloved secretary – Les!!!! M. Our third award this evening goes to the cast member who should be recognised for their misuse of set. The nominations for the ‘SET WRECKERS AWARD’ are as follows: A. All those involved in the construction of Truck 2 M. Ken for burying himself in the lorry A. Claire Donnelly for not following the simple instructions that came with it M. Andy and Cherelle for toppling the table while dancing A. Surefoot Maxwell for not breaking his duck and falling over a truck on Thursday M. Ciaran for not being able to manage the saloon doors A. Heather for being the only woman I know to be firing blanks M. Gareth and Andy for tonight’s episode spilling drink in the finale A. Mark for wiping out a table in the finale. M. Tough competition, but the winner – never lets us down – Mr Surefoot Maxwell!!! A. Our fourth award this evening was again closely contested. This award goes to the cast member who just couldn't remember all their lines all of the time. The nominations for the 'SCRIPTWRITER'S AWARD for BLATANT DISREGARD OF THE SCRIPT' are as follows: M. Paddy – didn’t realise panto had finished and Button’s wouldn’t do in the wild west A. Niall – forgive my stammer but I f F F Forgot on Tuesday M. Victor – various script offences on Wednesday notably showing Adelaide to her room A. The male chorus for the crowd scenes M. Peter – Who is Ganny Dilmartin A. Mark – bit premature during the matinee M. Paddy – Ten Dollar Suits?? A. Paddy – How many times can you use ‘god damn’ in the one show? M. Victor for skipping two pages of script tonight A. We have an undisputed winner however, Mr Turets himself – Golden Balls McBride M. Our fifth award this evening recognises the effort people put in to look good on stage. The nominations for ‘I WANNA BE LIKE YOU AWARD’ are as follows A. Wee Matt for looking like Garth Brooks M. Andy and Paddy or is it the Dukes of Hazzard A. Les for his Woody from Toy Story Impression M. Professor Higgins or is it Jimmy Cricket A. Karen for pouting like a blond Victoria Beckham M. However – we’ve really only winner our resident Declan Moore look a like – ANDE GRAY!! A. Our sixth award this evening is another new introduction. The nominations for the ‘POSH & BECKS BEST SUITED COMBINATION AWARD’ are as follows M. Andy and Mark for squabbling like a married couple A. Paddy and Karen for their constant ‘Mills & Boon’ live impression M. Kelly and her mobile phone – they’re always joined at the hip A. The writing team – you’ve surpassed yourselves yet again A. However there can really only be one winner for……………….David & Jen M. And so to our main awards. Our first award is the 'I wasn't even There' award; awarded to the person who didn't quite make it to where they should have been in time. The nominations are as follows. A. Peter for various rehearsals M. Heather, Kerry and Niall for Adelaide’s entrance to the bar on Tuesday A. Ken for not carrying on Calam on Wednesday M. Wendy late on for can can scene on Wednesday A. Peter late back on after polka on Wednesday night M. Cherelle who didn’t appear for keep it under your hat on Sunday A. Brendan for not appearing for the infamous get-in. M. Andy for turning up either late or hung over to nearly all rehearsals A. Meike for Thursday nights show M. Andy for Saturday matinee A. Wendy for being constantly late for all crowd scenes M. Wendy for being constantly late for rehearsals A. In case you didn’t work it out – and please remember the clocks go forward tonight – Wendy!!1 A. Our second award is the 'silver balls' female award. This award goes to the female cast member with the most faux pas of the week or for one outstanding individual piece of idiocy. The nominations are as follows. M. Wendy – came on far too early in Wednesday’s keep it under your hat A. Rebecca – slagging off our make up artist while he was standing beside her M. Wendy’s nose dive on her leap frog on Monday night A. Becki for her Windy City Effort on Friday night M. Rachel for falling during Keep It Under Your Hat A. Kerri for her wig incident with Danny’s buttons M. Calamity – wrong entrance with Adelaide A. Karen for various offences in Everyone complains about the weather M. Our winner however for pure entertainment value is Rachael’s arse over tit impression in tonight’s Keep it under your hat. M. Our third award is the 'silver balls' male award. Again this is awarded to the male cast member who chalks up the most faux pas of the week or for one individual piece of idiocy. The nominations are as follows. A. There are normally very few males who escape nomination in this category so here goes. M. Ciaran didn’t give Matt his mike on Wed night A. Ken for not carrying Calam on stage M. Mark for not moving during the finale on Tuesday night A. Peter for his falling over Ken’s feet in Careless With the Truth M. David for failing to check his fly A. Blain for his transvestite impression M. Matt for a similar fly offence A. Mark for various offences in the opening M. Gareth for wiping out a tray of shots in Cutters on Friday night A. Mark for various offences in Windy City M. Les for his alternative choreography A. Mark for his Black Hills and polka efforts M. Gareth for falling over the set A. mark for his finale dancing efforts M. Andy for various dancing offences although he does blame his partners A. Our winner however for those who can’t count the nominations – Professor Higgins A. We're nearly done you'll be glad to know. However before we announce our number one award winner. It’s time to award the committees special award. This is a discretionary award for the person most deserving as decided by the company’s committee. M. The key to this show was that we had an audience and it was great to see so many friends and family come along to support us! However had you not have went out, begged and pleaded and sold as many tickets as you did, it may not have been just as worthwhile. This year’s award goes to our best ticket seller. It was a close run thing, and special mention must go to Kim, Ditanya, Gareth, The Bangor posse, but the winners are David and Jennifer!!! A. This year also sees the inaugural – ‘BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY AWARD’ As our avid diary readers will know – the award recipient is the person who has been nominated by you, for going way beyond the norm to ensure the success of the show. The nominations were as follows….. M. Big Drew for his Opera House Stake Out A. Meike and Les – a stunning effort as usual and we all appreciate your tireless efforts M. Maurice Jay for fantastic support on U105 A. David and Jen for their trip to see the students in Stranmillis to promote awareness and ticket sales M. David, Heather and Les for being interviewed on U 105 A. Karen, Michelle, Kelly, Cherelle and Rachael for their flyer blitz in Bangor town centre M. Andy’s email – ‘please help’ campaign A. Les for crashing email servers all over the world – including his own M. A. Clare Donnelly and Ali Kerr for their assistance and knowledge with the set. M. Everyone really pulled out the stops when things threatened to go wrong so on behalf of the committee a big big thank you to everyone! A. One person however is richly deserving to be the recipient of this award. The tireless effort which has been put in and the permanent ‘can do’ attitude has been refreshing to see. To list everything they have done would take all night but to name a few – copying music and scripts, organizing the bar, runs to B&Q, set building. M. Very few of you will have seen however when an eighteen plus stone man, took a ticket booking on the mobile while forty feet in the air fixing cloths to the curtain rails. In case you haven’t guessed, the winner of the ‘beyond the call of duty award’ is – GARETH!!! Andy.. And now for our main award winner. The person who without a doubt was the front runner in either one moment of madness or the biggest catalogue of offences. M. The nominations consist of an amalgamation of the nominations for the two silver balls awards. Let us remind you. Female M. Wendy – came on far too early in Wednesday’s keep it under your hat A Rebecca – slagging off our make up artist while he was standing beside her M. Wendy’s nose dive on her leap frog on Monday night A Becki for her Windy City Effort on Friday night M. Rachel for falling during Keep It Under Your Hat A Kerri for her wig incident with Danny’s buttons M. Calamity – wrong entrance with Adelaide A Karen for various offences in Everyone complains about the weather A. And of course we have our male contenders Male M. Ciaran didn’t give Matt his mike on Wed night A. Ken for not carrying Calam on stage M. Mark for not moving during the finale on Tuesday night A. Peter for his falling over Ken’s feet in Careless With the Truth M. David for failing to check his fly A. Blain for his transvestite impression M. Matt for a similar fly offence A Mark for various offences in the opening M. Gareth for wiping out a tray of shots in Cutters on Friday night A. Mark for various offences in Windy City M. Les for his alternative choreography A. Mark for his Black Hills and polka efforts M. Gareth for falling over the set B. mark for his finale dancing efforts M. Andy for various dancing offences although he does blame his partners! A. This years golden balls winner – for falling flat on his arse on Friday night – Peter Kennedy All in All a Great Time had by All!! Until Next Time Best Regards The Writing Team

Now I remember!!

For some reason much of the party and awards ceremony had gone missing in my memory!

Good to be reminded as to who to blame for various things!

See you soon...
Joe

I am sure you are not the only one...

karen,kel,relle n michelle i just wana hear one word from yaz.........


mnnnnaaaaggggggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!! hahaha!

luv yaz!! x0xox0

wat is happenin???!! im havin serious...calamity withdrawl symtoms??!!! bo0o0o0!!! how is every1?? any criac?? or gossip??!!

Hi all

I'm finally recovering from a "bad pint of wine" (as you can tell from the cast photo above).

But.... I understand through the grapevine that there maybe more plans for the near future!!

As a matter of interest, what shows would you like to do for a laugh e.g. Little Shop of Horrors, Guys & Dolls, The Wiz etc - you tell me, 'coz I is a (large) dancer who can do anything (as long as it doesn't involve bending over)!

Let's keep the craic we have been having in the "Ulster" going!!

Joe (the fattest tapdancer in Deadwood)

Yes Joe

The Cabinet has met and big big plans are afoot for the future. It will take huge cast involvement and also huge ticket sales!

But we believe it will be worth the effort!

Choice of show is always a crucial matter so as you have said.. we invite all to give us your thoughts.

And think big!!!

Professor (and everyone else) .... give us your best thoughts???

Am assuming JSC is off your list Mark?

Not available anyway to Am Dram.

So thoughts everyone?

The PM

PS Think Big (Box Office) Show and Big Venue!

Ahh Shite PM,

I was lookin forward to gettin dressed up as a YMCA Apostle with leather trunks and a snooker ball in my mouth lol,

I havent a clue about musicals, I still refuse to watch them, I suggest something with comedy characters and no dancing that would be cool...

Dont know how possible that is though, lol

No back row chorus next time remember guys, Im moving up to....second back row, who knows by the time the Operatic is celebaratin its 200th year I may be in front row In a coffin of course... I know, I could be a prop.

Thought The Wiz was good but then I was full (shock) and easily amused as the rest of the people will agree...mmmm costumes lol

Anyway Im of no use, just tell me what we're doin and I'll be there with bells on.

Mark (aka Mr. Dead Stage Prop)

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS.

I love this show. I bet even Mark would like it. The rest of the Bangor girlies werent members when we did it but I think they would love it too. And Jillian & Clare should choreograph it.

i just wana do a reli reli fun show....is lil shop of horrors good...sounds klassy!! so howz every1???wats the criac??!
xoxox

Yes, Rach it is a fun show to do with lots of dancing as well.

It's so much fun Rach! It's about a giant man-eating alien plant. It sounds strange but it's so good. No craic here unfortunately, now the show's over I have to do my dissertation. I have no excuses left.

beautiful fotos...very amusin :P!! hope every1 had a go0d weekend!! not a borin one like mine!! boooo!!
missin yaz all..xoxo

I'm just back from London tonight yeay!! Arts Ed is SUCH an amazing stage school I would love to go there full time 5 days just wasn't enough! I had such a great time, I sweated soooo much and nearly cried at one point (choreographers can be soo mean!)but it was worth it I loved every second of it my wee heart seems to belong in musical theatre. I went to see Blood Brothers on sat night has anyone else seen it? OMG I cried like a big baby at the end it was really sad! I'm a little depressed to be back in N'Ards again but hey life goes on and I'm starting a new job tomorrow hope you are all looking after urselves!! mnnnnnneghhhhhh nitey nite xxxxxx

Giant man eating alien plant !!!

and instead I was friggin doin Black Hills, someone will pay for this f**k up lol

aaaaaaaaoooooooowwww lets get this lil shop of horrors started!! lol! i think mark shud b the giant man-eating alien plant!!!!! o yea!!
so wat av u all bn at??!!! good easter??! h0pe s0! mmmnnnnaaaaggggghhhhhhhhhh!
xoxo

Rachael...

the committee hasn't decided yet if and what sommer show we will be doing. At the moment we are looking at various options and ideas. Little Shop is just one of many ideas.

Hey there muppets,

Where da f**k are ye all hidin...

PM, Mummy, Griselda, Rach, anybloodybody time to get this bad boy up and runnin again,

How are ye all Keepin, Whens the next show, Im gettin queries from my fans, (Well Fan) so get the finger out and start chattin again ye eijits...

Over and Out,

Professor