During the production week of Aladdin, right in the middle of the fit-up, someone said to me:

 “You know, we are not just putting on a show here, we are building the theatre as well!”

And over the course of the last couple of years that is more or less what we have been doing.

At the beginning of November 2009 the Salle Apollo was a big empty room with a bar at one end and a stage at the other. Then along came the Groupe de Théâtre d’Entente Cordiale, we extended the stage, built a proscenium arch, installed curtains scenery and lights. Added a generous helping of actors, music and sprinkling of fairy dust. Hey Presto! For few nights at the beginning of December a little bit of magic happened that we call theatre.  And to prove it wasn’t a fluke we did it again the following year, only bigger and better.

But ‘The Theatre’ is not just the building in which the plays are performed, even more it is the people who are putting on the play. The magic of theatre doesn’t happen spontaneously. It takes many weeks of hard work and dedication not only from the actors, singers and dancers but also the team of carpenters, painters, electricians, costumiers and many others who between them do the 101 other hidden, backstage jobs that it takes to bring the play ‘from the page to the stage’.

As the new Porte Parole for the Groupe de Théâtre d’Entente Cordiale I see it as my task to build upon the foundations laid down by our previous productions and transform what has been up to now an ad hoc group into a proper Amateur Theatre Company. Naturally this is not something I can do on my own. I already have my colleagues in the Management Team working beside me, but most of all we need You. One of the biggest challenges for any Amateur Theatre Company is not finding actors and performers but finding people with the commitment and enthusiasm to become part of the backstage team. If you have an interest in theatre, whether it is to be Onstage, Backstage or Front of House, and want to become part of a company who are dedicated to producing good quality theatre in our corner of La Creuse then we would love to hear from you. Come and join us and become part of the magic.

Dick Bloxsidge, March 2011