It is with a hint of sadness that I write this mornings post as Calamity Jane has now finished and I am experiencing the come down that nearly always follows the highs of such a great show like Calamity Jane.
I have to say that the whole production has been brilliant from start to finish. With Claire at the helm, rehearsals have been a blast, full of fun and frivolity, and the whole cast have such a good sense of humour that there has never been a dull moment!
Show week of course has been great. The feeling of community backstage has been immense, from the get-in when our male cast members arrived to help with the set, to the get-out when lots of people came down to help strike it again, clearing out the props, costume etc and lending a hand tidying the changing rooms, it has been an excellent example of team-work! We have had plenty of laughs along the way too - from the band-call when everyone was dancing around the music room, to the dress rehearsal - when we found that I needed the help of two people to do up my corset and Jason needed to wear stockings to make his boots fit, and I'm certain we won't forget Thursday nights performance 0  dealing with the aged heckler in the front row!
Good luck cards and gifts of encouragement given, the cast have grown closer and close friendships have been formed with our new members.
I will admit that I shed a few tears after the final finale, and indeed since as it is such a heartwarming experience working with so many like minded people, sharing a love of musical theatre, and a fond affection of each other!
Well done AMOS for a particularly fantastic production.

After watching the show on opening night, the Southern Daily Echo have written this review:

THIS was a musical treat, full of tap-along-melodies, in which every song was sheer pleasure to hear. The whole company number of the Black Hills was outstanding, performed in lamplight in the auditorium. Charlotte Barham’s (Calamity) deeply heartfelt Secret Love beautifully balanced Rob Talbot’s (Wild Bill) commanding Higher Than a Hawk. Congratulations to Neil Streeter for excellent musical direction.

Calamity impetuously promises to bring the gun-slinging, gold-digging, poker-playing Deadwood residents the darling of the cigarette cards, Adelaide Adams, to entertain them. As usual, she courts disaster when she brings back Adelaide’s maid instead. John Parker excelled as the despairing landlord of the Golden Garter; Paul Marsh (Francis Fryer) had the audience hooting with laughter at his impersonation of an actress; Ann Sinclair gave a delightful cameo as Adelaide whilst Louise Ellison (Katie) charmed us throughout.

Barbara Godwin

For more from the Southern Daily Echo CLICK HERE

Well that's it - our last ever rehearsal at the hall before we move into the theatre for Calamity Jane. We ran the show and went over a few sticky areas and all in all it went very well! Claire has done a fantastic job and the whole cast has worked tremendously well to put together this exciting and lively show. We are sure it will be a great success next week.
There are still tickets on sale - available from The Lights 01264 368368 or for group bookings and family tickets please call Linda Bagnall direct on 01264 351168

On Friday 14th May, Louise Ellison and Paul Marsh of Andover Musical and Operatic Society were honoured and privileged to be given a tour of Naomi House.

Over the last year, AMOS has held various events such as Carol Singing and collections during their production of Scrooge to raise money been raising money for the hospice which provides support to children and young people with conditions that mean they are unlikely to live to become adults.

In total they raised £377.00 and were please to present a cheque to Deborah Speirs, a Community Fundraiser for the charity.

The support offered by Naomi House children’s hospice is unique in the central south. It delivers a range of services to help to relieve families from the day-to-day pressures of looking after a child or young person with a life limiting condition.

Naomi House provides care to families living in communities across the seven counties of Berkshire, Dorset, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Surrey, West Sussex and Wiltshire, with two specialist units, ‘Naomi House’ for young children, and the recently opened ‘Jacks Place’ for young people. Each unit is purpose built and provides an appropriate environment for each age group.

Louise admitted to being apprehensive about seeing what goes on inside the hospice but said that it was a very positive and moving experience: “The atmosphere inside Naomi House, and in particular Jacks Place, was surprisingly uplifting, it is a happy and colourful place and there is a real emphasis of making the most of the time the children have left. There are pictures everywhere of smiling children, and when you think of what they are going through you can’t help but feel emotional, they are so very brave.”

It costs around £4.5million a year to run the two units, with only 7% of its funding from the Department of Health meaning the remaining £4.2million is raised by people and businesses across region.

AMOS are pleased to have helped this worthy cause and will continue to support the charity during their next production of Calamity Jane.

Anyone interested in helping Naomi House by either fundraising or volunteering should contact the charity on 01962 760060 or visit the website: www.naomihouse.org.uk

AMOS member Jez Jameson took a starring role this weekend - as Christ in the Andover Passion Play.
Written and adapted by Peter Hutley MBE, the Passion Play graphically recreated the scenes of the crucifixion, starting with the walk of witness from the Baptist Church then along Junction Road, through the leisure centre and into the town centre, where the action took place between the time ring and the Guildhall. The production was produced by Sharon O’Leary, who assembled a cast of 65 from members of the various local communities, helped by Andover Churches Together with the support of Test Valley Borough Council.

For a the full news story visit the Andover Advertise website: www.andoveradvertiser.co.uk

We are extremely pleased to announce that we have a Lieutenant Danny Gilmartin!

Jason Davenhill has recently joined the society and was more than pleased to take on the role.
We are now fully cast and rehearsals are well underway.

Tickets are on sale now so please book soon to avoid disappointment!
Save us money by booking direct with our Theatre Liason Officer - Linda Bagnall 01264 351168

I simply have to tell you all about the wonderful singing rehearsal we had last night...
As my character doesn't appear until the end of the first act, I haven't been to many full chorus rehearsals, but last night we had singing practice for the whole cast and it was brilliant!
I thoroughly enjoyed it - singing four part harmony with a room full of people and a piano is just fantastic fun! The best part though, was listening to our male chorus, which for this production is made up of, wait for it.... nine men!!! Boosted in numbers by new members Scott Goodair, Rob Talbot and Jason Davenhill, and with the return of John Parker, the mens chorus sounded just lovely.

An am dram society can never have too many men though, so if you or anyone you know might like to join us - get in touch!     

"The Likes of Us" Lyrics by Tim Rice  Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber    
An Amateur production by arrangement with The Really Useful Group Ltd.
The AMOS committee are pleased to announce that our 2011 production will be "The Likes of Us"
The Likes of Us was the first collaboration between award-winning composers Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The relationship began when a 17-year-old Lloyd Webber received a letter from then 21-year-old Rice offering himself as a “with-it writer”. And there a winning partnership was born.

Although written in 1965, The Likes of Us has only ever been performed professionally twice, then Rice and Lloyd Webber moved onto global hits such as Joseph, Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar. However, The Likes of Us was never forgotten and now with the approval of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber it has become available by the National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA) and the Really Useful Group (RUG) to amateur theatre prior to its professional release and eventual appearance in the West End. 

The Likes Of Us based upon the story of Victorian philanthropist Dr. Barnardo who established children's homes for orphans.

A percentage of the profits from this production will be donated to Barnados Childrens Charity.

The Calamity Jane cast is as follows...

Calamity Jane..............Charlotte Barham
Wild Bill Hickok............Robb Talbot
Katie Brown.................Louise Ellison
Lieutenant Gilmartin....To be cast
Adelaide Adams..........Ann Sinclair
Francis Fryer...............Paul Marsh

Rehearsals start on Tuesday 19th January at 7.30pm
A full rehearsal schedule will be available from the Members Area very soon!

ATTENTION ALL MEN!
We are looking for someone to fill the un-cast role of Lieutenant Danny Gilmartin. 
Any interested parties should come to rehearsals on Tuesday 26th January
or contact Kathy Rawles on telephone 07840 903212