Totnes Amateur Operatic & Dramatic Society

It was touch and go for a while, but we’re very pleased to announce that there will be a pantomime in 2012: Dick Whittington, which will run from 16th to 21st January at the Civic Hall. Performances will be at 7.30pm, with a matinèe on the Saturday.

We are delighted that Rich Lea will be taking up the reins as director. Rich has been involved in many TAODS shows over the years, both on stage and off, including directing a memorable Mother Goose a few years back. We are hoping to confirm a musical director and choreographer very soon.

A read through/interest meeting will be held at the Dartmouth Inn, Totnes, on September 22nd starting at 7pm. We will be using the function room upstairs.

Auditions will be held on September 25th, almost certainly at the Masonic Hall starting at 10am, but check back in a few days for confirmation of this – the date won’t change, the venue might (but hopefully not).

The script offers some strong roles for all ages and there are opportunities for lots of chorus work, so if you are at all interested please come along. We also have plenty of vacancies for backstage help.

There have been a couple of changes to the TAODS committee recently as Nicky Whitby and Paul Robinson have had to resign as secretary and chairman respectively. They have both contributed a great deal to the Society over a number of years and we are very sorry to see them go. Hopefully it won’t be long before they are able to work with us once again.

Fortunately Phil Spicer and David George are unable to see a breach without stepping into it, and have agreed to take on the role of chairman (Phil) and secretary (David) to see us through to the AGM.

These changes do leave the committee somewhat smaller, so if any members are feeling called to serve as the winter evenings draw in, please get in touch.

The teams prepare for the general knowledge battle

Many thanks to everyone who supported our quiz night at the Dartmouth Inn. The evening was a great success, with 12 teams competing to see who would be taking a bow when it came to having the widest general knowledge. The winners were We Are Family with a remarkable 96 points out of 100, closely followed by The Panto Dames (94 points) and Both Sides Of The River (90 points).

Particular thanks are due to our quiz mistress, Judy Westacott, Rob and the staff at the Dartmouth for their hospitality and Mike Shail for his organisational efforts. Although the takings are still being counted we know the quiz made a significant contribution towards the costs of staging the next panto, but we’re not there yet  - so keep an eye out for the fundraising activities we’re planning to hold later in the year.