Bolsover Drama Group

The cast of 'Sleeping Beauty', nominated for Best District Pantomime (region 2) category in the NODA East Midlands Regional Awards We are pleased to announce that our 2011 pantomime ‘Sleeping Beauty’ has been nominated for the Best District Pantomime (district 2) category in the NODA East Midlands Regional awards. Sleeping Beauty was our first production to be held at the new Bolsover School, and as such was a big learning curve, so it is nice to see that our hard work has been recognised. The results will be announced at the NODA East Midlands regional AGM at Loughborough Town Hall on Sunday 27th May. The chance to be nominated for awards such as this is one benefit we gain from being affiliated to NODA , the National Operatic and Dramatic Association, who also offer advice, information and workshops to amateur dramatics groups throughout the country.

Bolsover Drama Group were proud to receive a donation of £200 from the Rotary Club of Bolsover at a recent meeting at Ringwood Hall. The money, which will be invested in new equipment for our forthcoming productions of ‘Summer Holiday’ and ‘Annie Get Your Gun’, was presented by the Rotary Club to Co-Vice Chairman Chris Peck on Wednesday 29th February 2012. The presentation followed two days assisting the Rotary Club to raise funds at Tesco in Chesterfield on Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd December.  We would like to thank the Rotary Club of Bolsover for their generosity and hospitality, and we look forward to working with them again in future.

On Thursday 15th December 2011 Bolsover Drama Group were invited to perform a selection of musical numbers from past productions along with a number of Christmas favourites at the Christmas dinner of the Mansfield Masonic Society. An enjoyable evening for all helped to raise £100 for the group, with thanks to Dawn Shearwood for organising the event for Bolsover Drama Group.  We are looking to perform at a number of other events over the course of the year.  If you know of any local events where we can perform please contact us .

Laura Hulett is presented with the Jack Elliott Trophy by group Chairman Mick Whitehouse and past winners (from left) Lianne Brunt, Leanne Barlow, Peter Maddison, James Sheppard and Dale Shaw. Following on from the Bolsover Drama Group 30th Anniversary showcase evening in June the Youth Section hosted their own showcase evening, entitled ‘A Trip Down Memory Lane’, on Saturday 12th November 2011.  The evening saw members of the youth section performed songs from past Youth Section productions, including ‘Oliver’, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and ‘High School Musical’, as well as songs from musicals which the Youth Section have yet to perform and the forthcoming production of ‘Summer Holiday’. The evening also saw the presentation of long service awards to Youth Section members and the announcement of this years winner of the Jack Elliott Trophy. The Jack Elliott Trophy recognises a youth member or youth members who have over a number of years continually demonstrated commitment to the group, an E

Chris Booth is presented with a gift at the group's Variety Evening last year At our AGM in July 2011 it was announced that Janet Atkinson and Chris Booth would be stepping down from their positions of secretary and treasurer respectively. Both Janet and Chris had held their positions as part of the management team for over 20 years and the group felt it right to honour their hard work and dedication over that period by presenting both with a gift following the group’s Variety Evening in December. Janet Atkinson is presented with a gift at the group’s Variety Evening last year

Our AGM in July 2011 saw a big change to the membership of our management team as Secretary Janet Atkinson and Treasurer Chris Booth stepped down from their positions.  Both Janet and Chris have held their roles of Secretary and Treasurer for over 20 years, over which time the group has flourished from a group which produced one or two productions a year, to now producing four shows, plus variety evenings and social events, with a large adult and youth membership. The consistency of the management team has been one of the key factors in our success, and it is thanks to the tireless efforts of Chris and Janet over the last two decades, and beyond, that the group is in the strong position it is in today and is able to celebrate reaching the thirty-year milestone. The group would like to express its gratitude to Chris and Janet, and welcome Wendy Blunt and Lisa Brunt into the roles of Secretary and Treasurer respectively.

The rear of the Banister Chapel after clearance work On Saturday 16th July 2011 a group of helpers from the Church of the Latter Day Saints lent their hand to assist with the ongoing chapel restoration project currently being undertaken by the Bolsover Drama Group. The Banister Chapel in Shuttlewood is the group’s largest asset and the location for scenery construction and storage for props and costumes.  Over the past three years we have been working towards restoring the building, which is over 100 years old, in order so that we can continue to use the facility for many years to come. The church group, who heard about our project after reading about our work at our last production, ‘West Side Story’, gave a morning of their time in bad weather to help clear the land to the rear of the building and help remove and recycle old props and scenery. Full bags following a hard days work This work has been in conjunction with other activities undertaken by Bolsover Drama Group during the sum

Guest of Honour Nigel Turner delivers his after dinner speech The 15th Bolsover Drama Group Annual Dinner and Dance took place on Saturday 21st May 2011 at Grassmoor Golf Centre. This year’s event proved to be another enjoyable evening, with a three-course meal and after-dinner music provided by ‘Therapy’, a band who our Lighting Director, Philip Clark, is a member of.  Guest of Honour for the evening was our Musical Director, Nigel Turner, who gave a speech to the members of the group following the meal. The evening saw presentations of long service awards to Diane Hulett for 15 years membership and founder-member Rachel Johnson who has been a member of Bolsover Drama Group for 30 years.

Diane Hulett, director of ‘Dry Rot’, and Mick Whitehouse, director of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ with the certificates from this year’s NODA awards The 2011 awards evening for the NODA East Midlands region took place on Sunday 8th May 2011 and we were proud once again to receive recognition for our hard work by being nominated in two categories. The play ‘Dry Rot’ was nominated for the Production Award For Best Play for District 2 while the pantomime ‘Jack and The Beanstalk’ completed a hat-trick of wins in the Production Award for Best Pantomime category for Distict 2, our third win in as many years. The awards were presented to secretary Janet Atkinson and vice-chairman Steve Sowerby at the event at Loughborough Town Hall. NODA are the National Operatic and Dramatic Association – the UK-wide representative body for amateur theatre, which Bolsover Drama Group are affiliated to.