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Book online for "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"

This zany farce is one of the funniest shows you'll ever see!
at the Performing Arts Centre Ballard School
29th July - 2nd August, 2008
A mishmash of major mischief, mishaps, mistaken identities, misunderstandings, misconduct and mayhem! Written by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, the creator of Tootsie and the TV show M*A*S*H, this classic featured Frankie Howerd in the lead role when it opened in London. Sondheim’s show-stopping score (including Comedy Tonight and Everybody Ought to have a Maid) gives the audience a break from the frenetic plotting of this legendary musical comedy.

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NFP's week of 80th anniversary celebrations were enjoyed by all!

at the Performing Arts Centre Ballard School
A total of seven short plays and musicals were each performed twice during a busy week of celebration. The shows ranged from West End show stoppers to Chekhov, and involved many of NFP's membership, both young and old.
More information, and read the Daily Echo Reviews

Christmas Club Night on December 13th
The recent Christmas Club Night was a great success. It featured a variety of poems and monologues performed by long-standing members such as Stuart Needham, John James, Sonia Collyer, and Gillian Pitt. Two gorgeous women (where did they come from?) mimed to "Santa Baby", and Santa himself was quite overcome (see left). A number of junior members known collectively as Trace of Rouge received enthusiastic applause for their rendition of a number of songs from the musicals, and the evening was rounded off by Mike Beven providing piano accompaniment to some of our favourite Christmas Carols.
More photos of the Christmas Club Night (including a very nice picture of Connor Miller to make up for him not appearing in the 2008 NFP Calendar!)

80th Anniversary Calendar

To celebrate its 80th year, New Forest Players has produced a special 2008 wall calendar — each month features a different photograph of one of the outstanding productions of the past 80 years. Amongst the featured shows are Les Misérables (2007), Oliver! (2004), The Importance of Being Ernest (1993), Cavalcade (1978), and The Winslow Boy (1958). The calendars are now available at the bargain price of £6.00 (plus, where applicable, postage packaging, and processing charges).

There is a limited supply of calendars — to order yours for the New Year, please go to our Calendar ordering information page.

Based on the classic of children's literature by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Directed by Tim Schuler
23rd - 26th October, 2007
at the Performing Arts Centre Ballard School
Bournemouth Echo review:
Ignoring the advice to avoid working with children and animals, director Tim Schuler worked with both, albeit that the animals were in fact rather charming puppets, and the result kept a capacity audience of all ages spellbound.
Full review of The Secret Garden

Bournemouth Echo Review
"WHAT a tonic this glorious production proved to be: brilliantly acted and directed and an absolute hoot from start to finish. Ray Cooney’s hilarious sequel to Run For Your Wife finds two-timing taxi driver John Smith (Peter Davis) desperately trying to stop his children — one from each of his marriages — meeting up with each other, having corresponded through an internet chat room, because if they do so the secret of his double life will almost certainly be revealed."
Full Echo review.

Bournemouth Echo Review
"...Director Tim Schuler has paced the production extremely well, and his cast do him proud. Emma Moran excels as the governess, Miss Grey, with a beautifully rounded performance, while Mrs Grose, the housekeeper, is given a superb characterisation by Jane Sykes.
As the children, Rachel Hawkins and William Grantham Hill prove themselves fine actors, and both have superb diction.
And the icing on the cake is that costumes, lighting and sound effects are all absolutely first class."
Production photos

"EVERY now and then there comes along a production that makes me feel I am the luckiest person in the world to be a theatre critic... "
Read the rest of Linda Kirkman's review
Production photos

New Forest Players has an active membership ranging in age from 4 years to 94 years! We aim to produce three Plays and a summer production each year, and a One-Act Drama Festival every two years. Club Nights are normally held on the last Thursday of the month from September to December and February to May. These take the form of One-Act Plays, Talks, Quizzes and various other Entertainments. (Visitors are always welcome at our Club Nights.)

To keep us in touch and our diaries synchronised we have a monthly newsletter ‘Contact’. Workshops covering all aspects of theatre for all ages are held at various times throughout the season and are open to non-members.

Our productions are presented at the Performing Arts Centre at Ballard School.