Updated 04.06.06
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NEWS ITEMS
"Memories of a Highbury Ham"
by Reg Tolley (£6.50) available now from theatre or by post(P&P
£1.00)
2006 - 2007
65th SEASON PROGRAMME ANNOUNCED (April 2006)
Click for
2006/07 Familiarisation Dates.
LOCATION and CONTACTS
Highbury Little Theatre is situated in a residential area of north
Birmingham.
It is on the Cross City Rail Line near Chester Road Station.
The postal address is:-
Highbury Little Theatre
Sheffield Road
Sutton Coldfield
B73 5HD
When visiting the Theatre by car for
performances please park near the railway in Marston Road or in
the gravel drive on the right off Sheffield Road. Please avoid
parking in Sheffield Road.
Click on the map to get more detail and A/Z map of B73 5HD from Multimap.com
The Box Office is open 7.30-9.00pm. each
Monday and also Tuesday to Friday for 2 weeks before and during
main productions. It is also open on Wednesday mornings between
10.00 and 12.00 noon.
Please leave enquiries on the answer phone at other times.
There are facilities for the disabled including lifts to the upper
floor and a hearing aid loop system.
Please inform us if you intend to visit in a wheelchair.
Box Office :- 0121 373 2761 Back
Stage:- 0121 382 5214
Email
Box
Office Information
General Information:- Please contact
via telephone (hours as Box Office or answering machine), letter
or Email
Register your Email address
Simply send an
email request to Admin stating your interest.
Home Site address: www.highburytheatre.co.uk
Membership & Prices.
Highbury Little Theatre is a
private membership Arts Centre sustained by voluntary community
effort. All members of the community are welcome to join as Highbury
Theatre Centre members or as Highbury Players company members.
Temporary Centre Membership is available
at 24 hours notice for one play.
Centre Membership enables purchase of tickets for all events and
use of the Club Bar.
PRICES
(2005/2006 Season )
Centre Membership
Annual Centre Membership .........................
.........................£4.00
Annual Family Membership (2 adults plus 2 or more children) £12.00
Annual Group Membership (Parties of 20+).. .......................
£20.00
Tickets
Tickets for Highbury Players productions:-
Members - £6.00/£5.00*
Visitors - (including Temporary Centre Membership (£2.00)
each person/play) £8/£7*
A limited number of Season Voucher
Booklets are available to Members at £37.00/£31.00*
comprising one voucher for each Highbury Players main production,
plus one guest voucher which saves £14.00 for the season.
* Concession prices are for Senior Citizens, children, students
and the unwaged.
It should be noted that the above ticket prices apply only to
Highbury Players Main Theatre productions.
Tickets should be paid for 48 hours
before the production. Any tickets not paid for may be sold.
Payments may be made by cash, cheque, Switch or Credit Card.
Other societies may apply to become Associate Companies thereby allowing them to use the facilities of the Centre. These Companies each have their own ticket pricing policies.
Membership of the resident acting company
The Highbury Players or of the Highbury
Youth Theatre is open to application
by any interested persons when other membership fees apply.
Highbury Players Annual Membership - £12.50/£6.00*
Highbury Youth Theatre Annual Membership - £6.00 plus £1.00
subscription per session.
MAIN ACTIVITIES.
Highbury Little Theatre, a Community Theatre Arts Centre, is a
private membership theatre that was established on the opening
of a Building Fund in 1935. The site was purchased in 1937 and
the theatre opened in May 1942. It has proved to be a remarkable
sustained voluntary community effort undergoing many changes,
including a major rebuild of the premises in the 1980's. Improvement
work is ongoing, most recently with the financial support of the
National Lottery and Sutton Coldfield Municipal Charities. An
outline of the history of Highbury is given below.
The Highbury Theatre Centre is for people of all ages from the
very young to those who have retired. Everything concerned with
community activity, theatre and the arts has a place.
The resident company is the Highbury
Players who were established in 1924 and whose then members
were the founders of the Highbury Theatre Centre.
If you would like to become involved in any of the activities
listed below please contact
Highbury.
Main House Plays
Seven main house plays are produced in a season commencing in
September and closing in June. The plays are presented by the
resident company, The Highbury Players. The plays selected
will usually follow the Highbury tradition by including an English
Classic, an International Classic, a play connecting the theatre
with our own times, one or more new plays that are good theatre
but which cannot be readily seen elsewhere and a children's Christmas
play. Audition dates are
posted on the Notice Boards in the Theatre.
Studio Plays
The Studio is used to present plays that may not draw a large
audience and also to allow new producers, authors and actors to
develop their talents in front of an audience.
Associate Groups
The many Amateur Musical companies and other societies
in the locality are welcome to become associate members of Highbury
with the opportunity to mount their productions at the Centre.
Occasional Sunday Evening Musical Performances
It has been the practice over many years to run concerts to raise
money either for special projects within Highbury itself or for
local charities.
Social Events
There is an informal Coffee Morning each Wednesday during the
season 10.00a.m. - midday.
An informal Club Night is held each Wednesday evening 8.00 - 10.30pm
in the Members Bar.
Light suppers for groups of up to 40 persons can be arranged before
or after performances.
Workshops
Occasional acting and technical workshops are run for the benefit
of members. Please enquire for the current situation.
Scenery Building, Costume, Props and Technical Activities.
Highbury has a large scenery workshop and wardrobe. Newcomers
are always welcome to assist in scenery construction, making props,
etc. The team usually meets on Wednesday 9.30am-12.30pm and at
7.00pm on Monday evenings. Similarly, assistance is welcome in
all of the other departments.
House Maintenance
There is always the usual housekeeping and building maintenance
work to be undertaken on a large, highly used premises. Assistance
with these activities is always welcome.
Administration
The administration work involved in day to day operation of the
Centre includes Box Office, Publicity, Membership Records, etc.
There is a comprehensive archive of material relating to the development
of the Centre and its activities dating back to 1924.
Art Exhibitions
During the season there is a changing exhibition of arts and crafts
by local artists in the Upper and Lower Foyers and Coffee Shop.
Members usually provide a display of formal flower arrangements
in the Inner Foyer.
Talks and Tours
Members are available to give talks on the development and work
of Highbury Theatre Centre to interested community groups and
schools.
Sheffield Road Residents Association
The Association holds regular meetings at the theatre.
Click for further
information.
Current
Season.
The Highbury Production year starts in
September.
Click to view the detailed programme for the 2005/2006 season
Click to view the detailed programme
for the 2006/2007 season
Click for a chronological Calendar
of Events
EXTRA EVENTS
See News for dates of readings and Auditions
SOCIAL COMMITTEE & CLUB BAR SPECIAL EVENTS:-
Special Social Events for Highbury Players are organised by the Social Committee.
Click here
for full details of Special Social Events.
Latest update to list 24.02.06
200 CLUB
As part of fundraising for the ongoing development
of theatre resources subscribe £7 (or more) per year for
the chance of winning £30, £20 or £10 drawn
at each of the Highbury Players 7 main production plays. (Highbury
Players or Audience members only)
"Enhancing
the Highbury" development proposals brochure (PDF)
MONDAY NIGHT IS WORK NIGHT
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
Set building, maintenance, administration
and wardrobe work parties -
Please join in and make new friends 7.30 - 9.00pm.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT IS CLUB NIGHT.
Drop in for an informal
evening every Wednesday 8.00 - 10.30pm
PlEASE JOIN OUR MONDAY EVENING OR
WEDNESDAY DAYTIME WORK PARTIES - Set Building, general maintenance,
costumes, props, admin, etc.
- All help gratefully received.
HIGHBURY NEWS
The fortnightly "Green Room"
newsletter is available by email or may be picked up from the
Theatre. Please ensure your email address is on your membership
renewal application.(Jan 2006)
If you have any News to impart then let
editor Rich know -comms@highburytheatre.co.uk
Click to view
- Special announcements and information
for Highbury Players and for the Highbury Theatre Centre Trust
are also included on pages in this site.
Some of the archived Newsletters are in Adobe Acrobat format.
Get
Adobe Acrobat to read .pdf files
Workshop - Tension on
Stage with Dorothy Heathcote on 28 January 2006.
More details of the
day's activities to follow. Limited to 20 participants. £5.00
including light lunch.
FAMILIARISATION READINGS
FOR 2005/2006 Season
Dates for play
readings and casting are shown.
Familiarisation with 2005/2006 programme is on Sunday 26
June 2005
Special Social Events
for Highbury Players are
organised by the
Social Committee
Click here for full details of Special Social Events.
REGISTER YOUR
EMAIL ADDRESS.
HIGHBURY
Newsletter (Green Room)
If
as a Highbury Player you have registered your Email address you
will receive regular updates on Players' activities through the
weekly /fortnightly newsletter (formerly Membership Matters)
Two activities for
Youth. Class
Act Drama School and Dance Force (Disco & Street Dance) run
Saturday Schools at Highbury.
Press Releases may also be shown on the NEWS pages.
History of Highbury.
In 1935 a small group of people who had been producing plays in
local church halls since 1924 decided to provide a theatre centre
for themselves. From the dedication of these people who had no
money or rich patronage has grown the modern theatre that Highbury
is today. The original theatre on the site was built almost entirely
by the men and women members themselves during the early years
of World War 2 using as a basis a wooden Mission Chapel which
itself had been a hospital hut for World War 1 veterans.
Amongst the founding group was John English OBE whose deep interest
and dedication to Theatre continues to inspire members even after
his death in December1998. It was John who, with others, had the
vision to form the Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain.
Highbury Theatre Centre opened in May 1942 and has continued to
be used by a variety of activities from that day. Properties adjacent
to the original site have been purchased as they have become available
and in the 1980's a major rebuild of the premises was made possible.
As with all community ventures there will always be something
more that can be done and so it is with Highbury where we continue
to develop our facilities and skills..
For an outline of the history
of the early days of Highbury Theatre Centre click
here.
Past Productions by Highbury Players.
The first production at the then new theatre in May 1942 was Arms
and the Man by Bernard Shaw produced by John English.
Click for a list of all of the Main
House productions by Highbury Players
to date in the Highbury Little Theatre.
Click for a list of productions by Highbury Players prior to creating Highbury Little Theatre.
Click for a list of experimental and Student plays produced in period 1943-1946.
Click for all productions in the Highbury
Theatre Centre:-
Current season productions
2005/2006
1998/1999 season productions
1999/2000 season productions
2000/2001 season productions
2001/2002 season productions
2002/2003 season productions
2003/2004 season
productions
2004/2005 season
productions
Theatre Centre Facilities.
Highbury Theatre Centre consists of the main theatre building
with adjacent buildings comprising a purpose built Scenery Workshop,
a converted terrace house which is the Theatre Centre administration
offices and a large detached house in which the ground floor is
set out for use as a Children's Play Group and the upper floor
as a self contained flat.
There is a small car park for approximately 15 cars at the rear
of the theatre. Other parking has to be on street, as shown on
the location map.
Click here for description of the Highbury Theatre Centre facilities.
Click here for pictures of Highbury Theatre Centre.
Hot List.
Circle Light Opera
Company (CLOC)
From the Top Theatre
Company
Sutton Arts Theatre
Sutton
Coldfield Town Hall - a local venue for Concerts, Opera and Musicals
A listing of shows local to Sutton Coldfield
Birmingham City Information (Birmingham Assist) - Whats on, Tourism etc.
BBC Birmingham Theatre Pages - Theatre activity in the West Midlands
Its behind you - Scenery, Props, Costumes bespoke for your production. (located in the West Midlands)
Robbie
Rainer - a local professional entertainer with links to Highbury.
Little Theatre Guild
- Information on member theatres, some with Web sites.
LTG
Discussion Group
West Midlands Arts
Birmingham
Theatre Guild
The Raconteurs & The Eleanor Rigby Experience with Andy Bole
Central Theatre
Supplies - a source of equipment for hire and sales and links
to other interesting information sites.
Community Theatre Green Room - General practical theatre information.
Riggers Page - for the stage manager, set builder, and climber!
Samuel French Play Publishers.
AMDRAM Amateur Theatre network.
ABBTT - Technical and other topical theatre information.
UK Theatre Web - What's on, locations and other info for UK Amateur & Professional Theatre.
tesco.net - The company kind enough to provide free web space for this site
Brecon B&B - Somewhere to stay when visiting the Brecon Festivals
Blue Room - An interesting forum site discussing all aspects of theatre, safety, wardrobe etc.
We know the line, Dear- but who says it?- A Local company offering bespoke Acting Workshops.
Goosemoor Lane Website - A mine of useful local information and some local history
Theatrecrafts - Some interesting links to props making information
Castle Bromwich Singers - A local choral group.
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