Our Friends

The South Devon Players

south devon playersThe South Devon Players is a team of dedicated, career-orientated performers, of all ages, who are working on creating careers in theatre and film, and showcasing the very real talent that exists in Torbay.
We always welcome new members, who share our professional aims, and who, regardless of previous experience, want to join a lively, friendly, hardworking team of performers, hone old skills & develop new ones, and create professional quality new stage and film productions.

We perform theatre shows in Brixham, around Torbay, and South Devon, based on historical events, classical stories and mythology. We also make period drama films productions, around Devon and Cornwall, which has become a large percentage of our annual projects.

We run a casting agency for experienced, vetted, local actors as well, as a service to people in the local area.

 


Screen Acting Survival

Screen Acting Survival

created by Ruggero Dalla Santa and Colin David Reese, The idea of the workshop is to look at the reality of screen acting when people are starting out: having a couple of lines in a big production, when nobody pays any attention to what you’re doing and you haven’t even read the full script, much less rehearsed with anyone.

That’s when knowing exactly what you’re doing on camera pays off!
And check  the Facebook page with testimonials from people who attended before: https://www.facebook.com/ScreenActingSurvival

 

One Foot In The Door Showreels

My name is Ruggero Dalla Santa, I am aOne Foot in the door showreelsn actor and film maker based in London and I’d like to help you put one foot into the door of the Industry!

After graduating from drama school, I kept auditioning for short movies, web series and music videos in order to get good material for my showreel. Six months of unpaid jobs later, I realised that what I had wasn’t good enough; either the overall quality of the footage was bad, or I wasn’t playing the characters I wanted, so I decided to put my passion for film making to good use. I wrote a few scenes, which I then shot with the help of some friends. Ever since I made my showreel, I have been cast in various feature films and high profile productions.

I decided to start making showreels for other actors who want to push their career forward but don’t have thousands of pounds to spend.
Visit the website at: http://www.onefootshowreels.co.uk/

Second Thoughts Drama Group, Stratford-Upon-Avonsecond thoughts

Second Thoughts Drama Group was formed in 1984 and performs in and around Stratford-upon-Avon. At least three main productions are put on most years, as well as occasional readings, recitals and street theatre.  Second Thoughts always aims for high production values and often produces challenging and exciting theatre. The group has won the NODA District award for drama several times. Unusually for a drama group (most are usually run by committees), Second Thoughts operates an open democratic structure where the views of all members are taken into account.  Second Thoughts President is distinguished actor David Bradley
www.secondthoughts.org.uk

 


 

Therapeutic Poetry for Senior CitizensMonty

I conduct Therapeutic Poetry Workshops in care homes in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Surrey, Oxfordshire and Middlesex.A typical workshop sees me read my poetry whilst getting to know the residents by gently asking questions about them.

I am careful not to distress or upset them as some have dementia, hearing loss or in physical pain.

Once I have gained their trust I ask them to think a little about poetry. They are then encouraged to share their thoughts with the group. I take away their thoughts and ideas and create a unique poem just for them to read out at the next meeting.

I am a published poet and my first anthology, ‘Words of my life’ is available on Amazon.

www.therapeuticpoetryforseniorcitizens.com

 


 

Bite Size PlaysOur Friends/

White Room Theatre’s ‘Bite Size Plays’ productions feature new short-form playwriting for festivals, public performances, conferences and dinners. With our “menus” of short plays (5, 10 & 15 minutes) – we showcase the best examples we can develop and/or discover from around the world!! Shortening the distance from the page-to-the-stage for emerging writing talent while helping talented actors find their voice on the regional, national & international stage.

Our work has been featured on radio (BBC World Service, Southern Counties, Radio Oxford) & television (BBC South Today & Sky Arts).

We use audience feedback to select our playlists – development events at Brighton Fringe, international competition finalists, read through events and public showcases. In Edinburgh since 2006, the group have achieved 5-star press recognition, Carol Tambor ‘Best of Edinburgh’ Award Shortlist, Fringe First nomination, The Observer/Guardian ‘Picks of the Fringe’ and been televised on Sky Arts. The Big ‘Bite-Size Plays’ Breakfast Show has premiered at the Roman Eagle Lodge, Bedlam Theatre & Assembly Rooms, and the beautiful Queen Dome space at Pleasance Dome.

The group has created multi-award winning theatre short play events since 2003 in the UK in Brighton, Edinburgh and the West End as well as internationally in Finland’s Pori Festival and in Australia at the Adelaide Fringe. Recent awards include this year’s Latest Festival Award for ‘Best Theatre Performance’ & BBC Pick of the Fringe at the Brighton Festival & Fringe, and in the past a Brighton Festival Angel for ’Artistic Excellence’ – plus a Fringe Review ‘Outstanding Theatre’ Award, Brighton Festival Angel Award & Fringe Guru Editor’s Award for our co-production ‘Here Comes the Bride’ with Beside the Seaside Productions.

 


 

 

OIEMOur Friends/

OIEM is committed to becoming the UK’s premier educational services provider for overseas students.  This is to be achieved through an uncompromising focus on individual needs, customising programmes to meet those needs and, unlike other providers, providing continual long term educational and pastoral support at every step of the student’s experience to ensure career goals are met OIEM is an Oxford based tutorial college specialising in tailored short residential courses in ESOL and international secondary school exams, and is based at Pembroke College, the University of Oxford.

www.oiem.co.uk/wordpress

 


 

Re:Conception TheatreOur Friends/

Re:Conception is an Oxford-based theatre company, who produce original devised performances. Using a combination of text-based performance, physical theatre, and film and sound, Re:Conception aspires to create performances which look at the world from a different angle, and recreate it in expressive, dynamic and imaginative style.

www.reconceptiontheatre.com


 

Don’t Hate the PlayersOur Friends/

Don’t Hate the Players Theatre Company was started with the intention of finding and creating work for actors in the Oxford area.
Run by actors, they employ and train a company of talented individuals who may otherwise have encountered difficulty finding paid work within the county because of issues such as having not received a Drama School training.

They act as representation for local actors, finding them work wherever possible and working to ensure they are treated fairly. To aid in this they also create work through their own shows and other means.

They hope to work with other talent based companies in Oxford to help provide them with a high standard of talent.

To find out more, and for information on how to get involved, please visit their website

www.donthatetheplayers.co.uk


 

Rainbow TouchOur Friends/

Annette Rainbow studied Aromatherapy Massage and Reflexology amongst other therapies then realised she had a strong desire to teach which led her to eventually teach for MIND. She then became very interested in personality and behaviour which led her to study Neuro Linguistic Programming, Time Line Therapy® and Hypnotherapy which included Conversational Change and Personality Matrix – Why people do what they do.Annette is a qualified and certified therapist with over 12 years experience and has an interest in people and their ability to develop and change. Annette works with individuals, couples and families .

www.rainbow-touch.co.uk


 

Fitness Over FiftyOur Friends/

I am a qualified Gym Instructor, Personal Trainer and upgraded to Advanced Personal Trainer in June 2012, the same time as I obtained my Advanced Certification in Nutrition for Weight Loss and Nutrition for Physical Performance. I am keen to help you achieve your fitness goals by one-to-one personal training in-gym sessions, by combining skills from both these formal courses with my own experiences that I’ve picked up over the past seven years of my own fitness transformation.

www.fitnessoverfifty.co.uk

 


 

Retreats for YouOur Friends/

Retreats for You has gradually blossomed into a place for anyone who needs some time out, and whether a guest wants to write, paint, walk, or simply reflect, the ethos remains the same. A warm welcome into our home, a calm, supportive and nurturing environment, plenty of good homecooked food, and the choice of being sociable or solitary. The latest development at Retreats for you is Bob’s furniture making workshops. Restore a family heirloom or make something beautiful, with guidance from a craftsman with years of experience. My favourite definition of the word retreat is ‘a safe, quiet and secluded place.’ And that’s what Retreats for You is all about.

www.retreatsforyou.co.uk


 

Irresponsible DecoratorsOur Friends/

Irresponsible Decorators were founded in October 2011 and are a theatre company comprised of Artistic Director, Stanley Walton, and Co-director/Writer, Joe Berwick, who met while studying for a BA in Theatre and Performance from the University of Hull. They strive to create work that excites audiences and draws them into an engaging world where story-telling is paramount. Their projects range from installation work in conjunction with museum exhibits, immersive promenade theatre occuring in unexpected public places to contemporary tales staged in traditional theatre spaces.


 

Theatre Aid

Go see the videos here


 

Pint Sized Plays

Pint-sized Plays is a writing competition that started in Pembrokeshire in 2008 and now attracts entries from almost every continent (we’ll have to work on Africa and Antarctica!)

Many of the 5 to 10 minute plays are funny, some are poignant, but they all have two or three actors and must be capable of being performed in a pub, with only the props that the actors can carry with them.

The winners are performed in pubs in Pembrokeshire starting Tenby Festival Week and then compete at the Script Slam where the audience vote for their favourite script and the writer gets to walk away with a ‘Pint-Pot’ award.  Winning scripts are also considered for an anthology of scripts too – the first volume of which is now published.   http://www.pintsizedplays.org.uk  @PintSizedPlays

 


 

Sheer Drop Theatre

 

Sheer Drop Theatre develops and stages the work of new and emerging playwrights Our Friends/of any age. Working with writers to develop plays through script-reading and dramaturgy, workshop processes, rehearsed readings and showings,
we are committed to becoming a vital part of the whole country’s theatrical seedbed.
Our particular passion is to nurture writing talent at the beginning of their careers to create the leading playwrights of the future.
To date of the 11 plays we have produced, 8 were the writer’s first major production.

We are drawn to plays which explore the big issues of the day through human stories. Drama which is thought-provoking and touching. Plays which make you think, melt the heart and tickle the funny-bone all at once.

Sheer Drop Theatre is a Not for Profit Organisation.

 


 

Kepow Theatre Company

Formed in 1991 (by Kevin Tomlinson and Paul Jenkins, whilst they were studying for their Our Friends/Drama Degrees at Hull University), Kepow are now one of Europe’s leading improvisation-based theatre companies and one of Britain’s funniest.

Over the past 21 years Kepow have produced 25 shows and have, in the process, won a “clutch of awards” (the Independent on Sunday). These include: the Sunday Times Playwright Award and the Rose Bruford Trust Directors Award.

The company have toured all over the world, performing in: Hawaii, New Zealand, Canada, America, Singapore, Germany, Norway, Bali and Holland. They have, collectively, worked with some of Britain’s leading theatres and theatre companies: the National Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and Trestle.

In recent years, the company have also undertaken numerous rural tours around the UK: most notably in Cornwall, Lincolnshire, Hampshire and Devon.

View their website here


 

 

The Oxford Actors’ Network

Our Friends/The Oxford Actors’ Network is open to all trained actors and those with a professional interest in the performing arts.

  • Our aims are:
    • to provide a network and discussion forum for actors in Oxford and surrounding counties.
    • to support the development & well being of actors
    • to act as a catalyst for theatrical endeavours
  • To facilitate meetings & workshops
  • To provide a point of contact for producers looking for a cast.

 

Meetings are usually held on 1st Thursday of the month. Contact info@oxford-actors.net for information

Visit their Facebook Page by Clicking Here


 

 

Hidden Track Theatre

Hidden Track Theatre is a company committed to making new theatre Our Friends/
outside traditional spaces.

Working in parks, fields, forbidden corridors, complete darkness and even in old fridges, we seek to create immersive, responsive worlds in which the audience are treated as characters in their own right; while always maintaining strong roots in traditional storytelling.

We are always excited by new and interesting ways of making theatre, and strive to create work that invites audiences to rediscover the rules of theatre, and presents urban and natural environments both new and familiar in a fresh and exciting way.
Based in Oxford, Manchester and London

http://www.hiddentracktheatre.co.uk/home.htm

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/HiddenTrackTheatre?fref=ts

Twitter: @HiddenTrackTC

 


Therapeutic Poetry for Senior CitizensChris Meredith

I conduct Therapeutic Poetry Workshops in care homes in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Surrey, Oxfordshire and Middlesex.

A typical workshop sees me read my poetry whilst getting to know the residents by gently asking questions about them.

I am careful not to distress or upset them as some have dementia, hearing loss or in physical pain.

Once I have gained their trust I ask them to think a little about poetry. They are then encouraged to share their thoughts with the group. I take away their thoughts and ideas and create a unique poem just for them to read out at the next meeting.

I am a published poet and my first anthology, ‘Words of my life’ is available on Amazon.

www.therapeuticpoetryforseniorcitizens.com