BATS will very soon be preparing to stage their next major production – “Return to the Forbidden Planet”. While we have all the necessary principal cast members for the show, we are in need of people who can help with the following:

• Dancers
• Singers
• Chorus Members
• Set Construction/Painting
• Costumes
• Props
• General backstage/pre-production work

If anyone feels they can lend a hand, Sue (director) has organised a meeting at the Methodist Hall at 8pm on Monday 23rd April. Alternatively please drop an email to Sue.

It’s that time of year again when we at BATS start to think about festivals – and sure enough next weekend we’ll be presenting our (abridged) version of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors.

The cast under the direction of BATS veteran Michael Darvell have been rehearsing hard since January and are just putting the finishing touches to the performance. The immensely complicated(!) set has been constructed and props and wardrobe are all in place. Providing nobody’s tongues get tripped by Shakespearean prose it should all be just fine!

BATS will be at the festival on the evening of Saturday 21st April. We’ll be setting up at 7:15pm with the curtain going up at 7:30pm. For more information please see the festival website!

There’s now only one week to go until BATS puts on its latest pantomime – “Robin Hood – The Panto”.The cast and crew have been rehearsing hard the last few months to put on the best show possible for your entertainment! The tickets are selling fast, so if you’ve not bought yours yet, get down to Thomas Morris Estate Agents in Biggleswade, who are kindy acting as our box office – for more information see our performance information!

We’ve had a few requests for information on our pantomime “Robin Hood” this year. In a nutshell:

• Evening performance on Friday 19th January 2007 – the curtain goes up at 7:45 PM.
• Two performances on Saturday 20th January 2007 – matinee at 2:30 PM, evening performance at 7:45 PM.
• All performances will be in the main hall at Stratton Upper School, Biggleswade.
• Adult tickets are £7.00 each.
• Concessionary tickets are £5.00 each.
• Tickets will be available from Thomas Morris Estate Agents in Biggleswade Market Square from the beginning of December.

For information on group bookings please email Caroline or call 01480 352683.

A quick Synopsis from Andrew (BATS Chairman) of the group’s plans for the future.

October 2006

• Rehearsals start for the Panto 2007 – Robin Hood is to be staged in January.

November/December 2006

• Finalise scripts for main 2007 musical production and Youth Festival entry.

Read more of ‘Future Productions – 2007′

As you’ve probably noticed, the BATS website has had an overhaul recently!  We’re hoping that this new website will make information easier to find and manage.  Some of the benefits of this work won’t be immediately apparent to most members but with any luck the changes we’ve made should allow more frequent updates of the information on here.

This isn’t the end though!  We’re hoping to get some extra features in over the coming months including a discussion forum for BATS members old and new, present and past and possibly some members-only content!  Stay tuned for regular updates.

Lastly if you’ve got any issues regarding the new website, please contact the committee using the “Contact” link at the top of the page.

Thanks,
Jon (Webmaster).

As mentioned in the last newsletter, we were planning a social evening combined with an open evening for potential members. We’re planning on showing videos and photos of previous shows and BATS members old and new will be available to answer any questions you may have about the group!

We’re looking for members of any kind, so even if you don’t want to tread the boards, we are always looking for people to work building sets and helping out behind the scenes. With the scale of some of our productions, such as the annual pantomime, there are always jobs to be done!

So come along – there’ll hopefully be some refreshements too – and see what you think!

Just a quick reminder that on Monday 25th we’ll be holding a meeting to look at (and more importantly, decide on) scripts for the 2007 drama festivals. If anyone has any scripts they’d like to propose to the group, please try to get these out in advance so people can read them beforehand! On the evening itself you can then present your script and we’ll have a short read through. We’ll be voting for the scripts that get produced on that evening, so if you’re interested – get those scripts out now!

To try and provide more information to our members we have started putting together a regular newsletter. Click on the link below to see the September edition!

http://www.bats.uk.net/newsletters/BATSNewsletterSept2006.pdf

BATS will soon be starting on its annual pantomime and this year it’s Robin Hood! Our producer, Kay Elkin, is looking for Mery Men (and Women!) to come and get involved for a show that is guaranteed to be as much fun for those on the stage as for the audience! If you’re interested, please come along to the read-throughs/auditions, which will be beginning on October 2nd at the Trinity Methodist Hall on Shortmead Street, Biggleswade. For more information please contact Kay Elkin.