Hartpury Drama Group Newsletter, April 2024.

Angela Gaskell, Secretary: Email: hartpurydramagroup1973@gmail.com Address: Nettlecomb House, Highleadon GL18 1HH Mobile Number: 07807 130901

• Good memory skills: There’s no calling “cut” once the curtain goes up, so the ability to memorize your lines is an obvious must.
• Excellent diction: Every line you say on stage must be clear and understandable for the audience; be clear in your speech.
• A loud voice: Even with flawless diction, you still need to make sure the back row can hear what you’re saying; learning how to project your voice is vital to a stage actor.
• Physicality: use your body as an extension of projecting the story to an audience.
• Improvisation: most plays are scripted and not improvised, a good stage actor must know how to ad-lib and improvise in a pinch, should anything go awry.

1. It all starts with the groundwork. Take the facts from the script and think about your perception and take on the character and build your performance from here.
2. Find the character. Whether that’s doing diary entries as the character or finding characteristics or movements that the character would do, do the work.
3. Learn your lines and try performing them differently every time you read them.
4. Be proud to take up space and make yourself as big as possible – all whilst trying not to make it obvious that you’re an actor on stage.
5. Stage performances are simply expressions through your body and sharing that with your audience.
6. Use your body to thoughtfully express what your character’s feeling or what they’re going through.
7. Bring your own energy, but equally, draw on your audience’s energy. It can be incredibly powerful.
8. Involve the audience and make your performance big for the moment. There are people in the back row you want to experience what you’re trying to portray.
9. Picture the people sitting in the back row of seats of the auditorium and imagine your monologue or thoughts playing out to them. It automatically connects you to that very furthest spot so you know you’re filling the space.

• Maxine and Craig Le Cappelain will the serve aperitifs.
    Address: 14 Foley Rise, Hartpury
• Jean Spurling will serve the starters.
    Address: 3 Corsend Road, Hartpury
• Richard and Caroline Keene serving mains.
    Address: Honeysuckle Cottage, Corsend Road, Hartpury
• Dave and Janet Swift will round off the evening with a sweets and cheeses course.
    Address: 14 Quarry Close, Hartpury

• Frank Gallagher as Gherkins the Butler
• Lesley Wood as On-stage Irate Prompt (in this play the prompt is a member of the cast)
• Maxine Le Cappelain as Agatha Crispy, Author and Super-sleuth
• Alan Bird as Sherlock Crumbs, Legendary Detective
• Steve Jenkins as Doctor Glumbucket, an unstable family physician
• Claire Toplis as Lady Veronica mistress of Deathtrap Manor
• (Skeleton’s identity is only revealed at the end of the play) The Murderous Skeleton
• Den Groves as An Incompetent Lighting and Sound Guy
• Angie Gaskell as The Director From Hell