We are a friendly, village drama group based in Upham, Hampshire, between Winchester and Fareham. Members are from both the village and the surrounding area, including Fair Oak, Bishopstoke, Bishop's Waltham, Swanmore and Wickham.
We have existed since 1978, and perform a variety of theatre, from pantos and variety shows to serious plays.
New members are most welcome! Amateur dramatics offers plenty of opportunities to get involved, not just through acting, but backstage too - lighting, set design, props, sound, production, etc.
Sun, sea, candyfloss and sand castles are the quintessential elements of a British sea-side holiday and Bob Larbey uses these elements to good effect in his comedy of manners, Sand Castles.
Stan & Bernice Billet and William & Margaret Patterson have been taking their holidays in the same resort for years, enjoying that peculiarity of sea-side life, the beach hut. Little ambition beyond keeping their little part of the coast tidy and cosy they run up against newcomer Doug and his two nubile nieces. Doug isn't interested in the protocol of sharing a stretch of beach front property, he has other ideas of fun in the sun!
Then some stray 'beach' people attempt to assert their territorial rights in front of the huts and it's down to Doug to come up with a solution...
Bob Larbey's credits for comedy stretch from The Good Life and Ever Decreasing Circles through Brush Strokes and Mulberry (all written along side John Esmonde) to long running hit As Time Goes By. A mainstay of British comedy for over 40 years, Bob Larbey knows how to write an entertaining script and Sand Castles is no exception. Written in 2000 for the British Telecom Biennial and has proved as perennially popular as the beach huts it features.
Shows are on the 14th, 15th and 16th October 2010!
Instead of the usual pantomime, the Upham Players presented something a little recherché in the form of The Keymaster as the post-Christmas production. Cast entirely from 8-18 year olds, this colourful extravaganza boasted songs, dances and time travel. Recreations of pivotal moments of human history formed the backdrop to the school class learning exactly what effect the past has on the present and how the future is shaped.
From a big match in 1066 through Tudor medical 'cures' to cunning 18th century smugglers, the suffragette movement and the effect of WW2 on evacuees, this marvellous play was the perfect outlet for youthful high spirits to entertain the village in that cold, damp, post Christmas slot that always needs filling!
Congratulations to Cyn Kimble and Mo Peters, ably abetted by musical director and sound/light man Will Peters as the production crew! All the kids were brilliant with Jasmin Knox Langford excelling in the title role. The singing was great and the script managed to be fun, entertaining and educational at the same time. It's hard work putting on a junior production, but Cyn and Mo are to be congratulated for the high standards they managed to achieve with the large cast of our younger members yet attempted!
Pictures from the show being performed can be found here.
