A Happy New Year from all in the Charades team. We hope you have had a lovely holiday.

We came across a Christmas cracker joke that we couldn't resist sharing, most topical for those that have done or are about to embark on a production Treasure Island:

What is a pirate's favourite kind of cheese?

         Chedd-AAARGH!

All the best for the first day back at school.

A Grand Finale at Stow Primary

Tonight's performance of Burke and Hare at Stow Primary was the last of the term and what a show to end the run.

The original performance date for Stow was Thursday the 5th of December however sadly the show had to be postponed due to severe weather. Not to worry though, the cast made excellent use of their extra two weeks by rehearsing even more and creating a stunning mural and array of gravestones to decorate the hall. 

 

The day at Stow started on a high with an easy set up for Charades, it was almost as though we had done it all before…then cast arrived and performed and incredibly tight first run through with singing even more polished and melodious than it had been a few weeks ago. Notes were given on merits and possible improvements before lunch then it was into costume for the afternoon dress rehearsal. 

As the day progressed the quality of performance delivered by this talented young cast just got higher and higher, climaxing with a vibrant evening performance to a full house.

Well done Stow Primary School and have a lovely festive holiday, you deserve it. 

A High Energy Show at Hayshead

The final show of this term's Angus tour was an energetic production of Treasure Island at Hayshead Primary School in Arbroath. Hayshead was one of the last schools to get started on a project this term but from our first rehearsal with the P5s and P7s taking part we knew it was going to be a good one.

So what is it that makes a good Charades Theatre show? Firstly everyone needs to learn all of their songs and actions, next it is about making the performance believable and drawing the audience into the story; the whole cast must create and sustain convincing characters throughout the show. The last but most important factor is the energy and the children at Hayshead had plenty of it!

Today's performance was one of the most animated of the term and the audiences were enthralled throughout, both in the morning run through for the school and the afternoon performance for parents and the community. The atmosphere was electric and the audience's rapturous response was well deserved and testament to the hard work and success of everyone involved, pupils and teachers alike.

A huge thank you and well done to all at Hayshead Primary School, your children have done you proud and we hope to see you again in the future.

Double Success for Maisondieu and Edzell Primary Schools

Today Charades team; James, Rob and Moira, were thrilled to peform in yet another incredible performance of Burke and Hare up here in Angus.  The children of Maisondieu and Edzell Primary Schools joined forces to put on our only partnered performance this term. 

The classes from the host school, Maisondieu, played the parts of the Cadavers, the Townsfolk and the Navvies; the visiting performers, from Edzell Primary School, played the parts of the Guards and Dr Knox's Students. 

It was an exciting day for all involved and heart warming to see the visiting children so kindly welcomed and new friendships being made between children of the neighbouring schools. The children had only worked together for one day prior to the performance and their team work was commendable.  

The most noteworthy aspect of today's performance however was the sound. The combined forces of the two schools made for a big cast and some powerful yet moving renditions of the songs. The telling of the tale of Burke and Hare in Brechin was spine tingling in more ways than one and we hope the experience was as memorable for the performers as it was for us. Many thanks to all of the teachers for their hard work too.  

Treasure at Tweedbank

Well done to all of the P4-7 pupils at Tweedbank Primary School who took to the stage for todays performance of Treasure Island. Having already worked with the school previously, on a production of Burke and Hare, the Charades team were anticipating a great finale to this jam packed week of touring - we were definitely not disappointed!

On arriving at Tweedbank at first light, there was evidence of pirate activity in every corner of the school; an array of art work decorated the corridors and the hall was decked out with palm trees, jolly roger flags and more art work and original poster designs. 

The art work and scenery framed the show beautifully which was of course a swashbuckling success all round. Everyone in the cast really rose to the occasion and the energy of the performance was fantastic. In particular the P7 pirates excelled; not only did they master the difficult and very fast verses of 'Cold Blooded Mutiny' but they also really embraced the menacing pirate character. The combination of achievements resulted in a truly captivating performance. 

Here is one of our favourite Treasure Island posters from the hall - can anyone name the artist? 

We also found this impressive collage of photos and audience reviews from Tweedbank's previous performance of Burke and Hare:

Long John Silver condemned to rot by Ladyloan Primary School

Many congratulations are in order for everyone involved in the Ladyloan Primary production of Treasure Island today. Nerves were running high for some but everyone worked together to overcome the butterflies. 

Every member of the cast should be very proud of their performance but a special mention must go to the Pirates who were definitely some of the most vicious in Angus! Well done.