NEW MEMBERS
NEW MEMBERS
We welcome new members! Ever fancied being someone else? Well, acting is a great way of taking on a new persona. If you've never experienced the buzz of pulling off a dazzling performance and getting acclaim from an appreciative audience, we can give you that opportunity. We like to involve new members as soon as we can, even if that means only a small part at first. If you would rather work behind the scenes, there are plenty of roles for you to make your mark, including set-building and decorating, sound and lighting, props, costumes, make-up, prompt, publicity, front-of-house, refreshments as well as producer, stage manager and director.
We put on two productions a year - in May and November - and occasionally enter drama festivals too. Usually we discuss and select the next play as soon as we can after finishing the last one. After casting, we rehearse on Wednesday evenings for about 3 months, with Mondays added for about 2 months. For the two weekends before performance evenings (usually Wednesday through to Saturday) it's all hands on deck to help build the set, dress and paint it, then do a technical rehearsal.
We welcome new members! Ever fancied being someone else? Well, acting is a great way of taking on a new persona. If you've never experienced the buzz of pulling off a dazzling performance and getting acclaim from an appreciative audience, we can give you that opportunity. We like to involve new members as soon as we can, even if that means only a small part at first. If you would rather work behind the scenes, there are plenty of roles for you to make your mark, including set-building and decorating, sound and lighting, props, costumes, make-up, prompt, publicity, front-of-house, refreshments as well as producer, stage manager and director.
We put on two productions a year - in May and November - and occasionally enter drama festivals too. Usually we discuss and select the next play as soon as we can after finishing the last one. After casting, we rehearse on Wednesday evenings for about 3 months, with Mondays added for about 2 months. For the two weekends before performance evenings (usually Wednesday through to Saturday) it's all hands on deck to help build the set, dress and paint it, then do a technical rehearsal.
50TH ANNIVERSARY
The Bartholomew Players, Eynsham’s Amateur Dramatic Group, celebrate their 50th Birthday in 2025
Local Amateur Dramatics Groups are sometimes regarded as unprofessional and low key, but when you get feedback from audiences such as “Why bother going to the West End when you can see equally professional, outstanding performances from The Bartholomew Players in Eynsham”, it makes you think that you are doing something right!
The Bartholomew Players were founded in 1975 and this year celebrate 50 years of bringing high quality live theatre to the local community. Originally led by the teachers at the Bartholomew School, Eynsham, this is where the group’s name originated and where performances were first staged. Immediately, the group undertook to put on high quality plays by known authors, starting with Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit, and have continued in this vein with 2 productions per year, every May and November.
Very soon, the audiences for Bartholomew Players productions outgrew the capacity of the School Hall and in 2001, they moved to the bespoke facilities provided by the new Eynsham Village Hall. Successful Community Funding bids and high audience numbers have enabled reinvestment of funds allowing the stage to be equipped and improved with curtains, lighting and sound systems that keep us as up to date as funding and space allows.
More recently, the group have been honoured with the patronage of well-known TV playwrights Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran (successes include “Birds of a Feather”, “Goodnight Sweetheart” and “Shine on Harvey Moon”) who allowed Bartholomew Players to be the first amateur group to stage their play “Von Ribbentrop’s Watch”. They were so impressed by the professionalism of the group that not only did they give their patronage, but they hosted a special evening of a Fireside Chat regaling their TV show antics and also co-directed May 2024’s production of “Pack of Lies”, to great critical acclaim.
The Bartholomew Players members range in age from 18 to 84 years and come from all walks of life – academics from a variety of disciplines, market researcher, engineer, scientists, full-time mums, teachers – and bring a hugely wide set of skills to the group in addition to acting – painting, dressmaking, scenery construction, public relations, hair, make-up to name just a few. Steve Ashcroft was one of the original members of The Bartholomew Players, all those years ago, and is still very active in the group today, despite living in Sweden for 6 months of the year!
We always welcome new members since we believe that variety is the spice of life and new blood means new energy and skills in the group. If you’d like to get involved with a dynamic, friendly group where you can learn new skills and achieve potential you never even knew you had – either in an acting or stage support role - then come and join The Bartholomew Players.
Our next production is “Present Laughter” from May 14th – 17th 2025, one of Noël Coward’s best comedies – and a personal favourite of his - involving misunderstandings, extramarital affairs and complicated relationships – a suitably upbeat play to help us celebrate our 50th Birthday!
We meet from 7.30pm until 10pm on Wednesdays at Long Hanborough Methodist Hall until March 17th 2025 and thereafter at Eynsham Village Hall, Back Lane, Eynsham.
Contact Denise Santilli, Publicity Officer at bart.players@gmail.com for more information.
We look forward to seeing you soon! And we hope you will come and see our play as an audience member, if nothing else!