Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) pages. Below, we have tried to answer the most common questions visitors to this our website may have. If you find that your question is not answered on this page, please Contact Us to answer your query directly.
Meetings and Activities
When do you meet and how often?
Normally we meet once a week during term time on Wednesdays from 1830 to 2000. HOwever, in the run up to a show, we may need to meet more often and so some of the weekly meetings may be extended to 21:00 and we may need extra rehearsals scheduled in on Sundays. All additonal rehearslas are notified well in advance as we do require all cast to attend every rehearsal they are called for.
Where do you meet?
We normally meet at Cheddington Village Hall, although sometimes we have to meet elsewhere in the village such as the Old Schoolroom or the Pavillion if not available. We will always make sure venues are clearly notified beforehand.
What do you do?
The aim of the group is to help young people develop confidence, and social skills through performance, music and dance.
Meetings in the first half of the year are focused on teaching drama skills, such as improvisation, characterisation, stage skills, mime, imagination etc.; the second half is generally spent preparing for our annual performance in June or July. A typical weekly meeting wil include some warm up games, then sitting down togeterh for news and discusisons beforee splitting into the junior (7-10) and senior (11-15) groups for the specific activities. Finally we get together again at the end for an end game.
We also arrange for some special sessions instead of the normal weekly meetings including visits from specialist to develop a specific area from stage fighting to puppetry, and an annual visit to see a major show in the West End or other theatre. We also have a couple of sessions per year where families are invited to attend: our Christmas party and the annual BBQ and awards session.
Our members have a wide range of levels in performing on stage and we always pay particular attention to those with more needs; we do not just focus on the superstars.
Many of our members go on to bigger things such as there companies and even the West End.
Who are the Leaders?
All leaders are volunteers and most of them have been involved in productions at all levels themselves including acting on stage, trained dancers or producing shows. Full details of our leader team are available here. If you are interested in being a leader please Contact Us.
How can I help?
Parents can always provide valuable help for the group in all sorts of ways. These include:
- Parents rota, to provide occasional help at weekly meetings
- Support activities such as helping with an administrative task or organising an particular activity
- Being part of the production team for our shows, with anything form techncial support, building sets, helping wth costumes or just looking afte the audience as front of house.
Please Contact Us if you think you can help.