Chandler's Ford Today

Arts

Every photograph we take, every show we present, or every song and hymn that we sing, we bring inspiration, creativity and joy to the community. Our artists have taken risks. They have brought us wonder and beauty of nature.

Chameleon Theatre Company – Review: They Came From Mars…

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Apologies but the title of this spoof is so long for the boxes CFT has for its posts, I thought it best to truncate it. Truncate or not to truncate, that is the question… (oh and apologies to Shakespeare too).

Image Credit: As ever a huge thank you to Lionel Elliott, Mike Morris, and all of The Chameleons for the pictures.

I discussed titles in last week’s post and the latest production from The Chameleon Theatre Company has one which is a humdinger! They Came From Mars and Landed Outside the Farndale Avenue Church Hall in time for the Townswomen’s Coffee Morning doesn’t trip off the tongue but is a classic example of a title showing clearly what the story is – a spoof! [Read more…] about Chameleon Theatre Company – Review: They Came From Mars…

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Review: They Came from Mars and Landed Outside the Farndale Avenue Church Hall in Time for the Townswomen’s Coffee Morning

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Last Thursday I watched the latest Chameleons Theatre production – They Came From Mars and Landed Outside the Farndale Avenue Church Hall in Time for the Townswomen’s Guild’s coffee Morning – yes that is the title. A double parody of both amateur dramatics and sci-fi, the play is hilarious in how layered the comedy was, with multiple levels of humour. This performance also came ploughman’s dinner beforehand, which I thought was a nice touch and made the fourth wall breaks more immersive and “in tune” with the style of the play.

The nature of the play also meant a fake programme was created with lots of funny notes such as “Tickets cost £1 each- a strip of 5 is a bargain at £6” and the fact that Mrs Reece is the only member of the behind the scenes crew. The basic plot has the fictional Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society putting together a really, really, really dreadful version of They Came From Mars. Hilarity ensues. [Read more…] about Review: They Came from Mars and Landed Outside the Farndale Avenue Church Hall in Time for the Townswomen’s Coffee Morning

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Titles

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Janet and I will have seen The Chameleon Theatre Group’s latest production, They Came from Mars and Landed Outside the Farndale Avenue Church Hall in Time for the Townswomen’s Guild’s Coffee Morning, by the time this post goes live. The play is written by David McGillivray and Walter Zerlin Junior and I look forward to sharing a review next week.

This production easily has the longest title of any play I’ve seen but it is a great illustration of one of the prime purposes of a title for any piece of writing. That is, it should give you some idea of what to expect! No doubts here – this title practically screams out “sci-fi spoof” at you! I love a good spoof so this ticks all the right boxes for me. [Read more…] about Titles

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Summer Reports

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Did you look forward to your end of term report or was it something you dreaded?

My reports came in a yellow book and were filled in year by year at secondary school level. I only got to keep it at the end of my final year. No surprises really that I did well in English and History, less so at Maths and PE (though ironically now with the swimming and walking the dog, I’m probably healthier now than I was then!). [Read more…] about Summer Reports

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Organ Scholar Needed at St Boniface CofE Church

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An Organ Scholar is needed at St Boniface CofE Church, Hursley Road, in Chandler’s Ford.

Can you play a keyboard instrument to Grade 4 or above?

You could be eligible to have some organ lessons and to play organ in some services. [Read more…] about Organ Scholar Needed at St Boniface CofE Church

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The Black and White Dog

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In case I had forgotten, I am reminded. I am back in Delhi, the city of my childhood. “Be careful”, cautions Maya, the caretaker who I had known as a young school girl and is now a mother of three daughters in their twenties. Two of Maya’s front teeth are missing, like absent milestones of time, marking the passage of some 40 years. “Be careful of the dogs, big brother”, she warns me.

I go to the balcony and look outside. Hordes of stray mongrels roam the streets. Some have colourful winter coats on. Occasionally, they settle some canine scores with sporadic fights, but are peaceful on the whole. [Read more…] about The Black and White Dog

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Writing Legacy

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I had the great joy of being at the Winchester Writers’ Festival on Saturday 15th June and a lovely time was had by all. As ever, I learned a great deal from the courses I attended. I also loved chatting to friends, old and new, including Scottish crime writer, Val Penny, author of the Edinburgh Crime Mysteries, who I interviewed for CFT a little while ago. [Read more…] about Writing Legacy

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Reading Aloud Allowed (and Local Author News: Allison Symes)

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I make no apology for the pun! Reading aloud is encouraged in youngsters to help them develop their vocabulary and rightly so but, unless you are a performance poet or oral storyteller, this habit is forgotten in adulthood. I think this is a shame. I find it is a real treat to be read to and it makes a lovely connection to the old oral storytelling tradition too. [Read more…] about Reading Aloud Allowed (and Local Author News: Allison Symes)

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Stolen Murder

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Editor’s note: A new Saturday Story series by Gopi Chandroth

A short version of this story recently won the first prize in a competition held by the Society for Civil and Public Service Writers (SCPSW).

The SCPSW membership is open to civil and public servants, current or retired, including local government, NHS and the police. Contact Gopinath.chandroth@gmail.com for more information. [Read more…] about Stolen Murder

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Behind the Scenes

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In almost every walk of life there are those who are behind the scenes, who are easily overlooked but without whom life would be that much poorer. In any organisation or indeed on a website like this, there is at least one person driving it who makes things happen (take a bow, Janet and Neil).

I guess it is like housework in a way. Nobody notices when you’ve done it. They do notice when you haven’t! [Read more…] about Behind the Scenes

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A Two-Way Ticket for Goats

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Editor’s note: A new Saturday Story series by Gopi Chandroth

A short version of this story recently won the joint first prize in a competition held by the Society for Civil and Public Service Writers (SCPSW).

The SPCSW membership is open to civil and public servants, current or retired, including local government, NHS and the police. Contact Gopinath.chandroth@gmail.com for more information. [Read more…] about A Two-Way Ticket for Goats

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2019 Fryern Funtasia – Were You There?

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Well, I was, and it was great to meet up with Janet once again and, later, to meet Roger Clark, fellow CFT contributor. Many thanks to Janet for the selfie (and I guess you could have called this an outdoor editorial meeting!).

Image Credit (or blame as you see fit): Unless otherwise named, the culprit behind the images is Allison Symes. [Read more…] about 2019 Fryern Funtasia – Were You There?

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Review: Spring Trio of Plays – Chameleon Theatre Group

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Image Credit: Many thanks as ever to Stuart Wineberg, Lionel Elliott and the Chameleons for the wonderful pictures.

I went to see the latest Chameleons’ production Spring Trio of Plays on Thursday 25th April. I like the mixed assortment of plays they often put on in the Spring as you have a variety of entertainment which have a powerful impact. None of the three plays were long enough to stage alone (at least not in this form) but worked very well in a trio format like this. [Read more…] about Review: Spring Trio of Plays – Chameleon Theatre Group

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Plays – The Joys and Challenges

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By the time this goes live, I will have been to the Chameleons’ latest production Spring Trio of Plays at the Ritchie Hall. Review to follow. I like the “selection box” of plays in productions like this given each play has a different flavour to it. It makes for a good evening out.

Images below both from Chandler’s Ford Today archives. [Read more…] about Plays – The Joys and Challenges

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Story Analysis – Why Bother?

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Does it seem like an odd thing to do for a writer to regularly analyze stories? Does it take the joy out of reading? I suspect many an English Literature student, at whatever level, may well say yes to that, but I feel that would be a shame. It certainly isn’t the point of analysis. [Read more…] about Story Analysis – Why Bother?

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The Highs and Lows of the Writing Life

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Regardless of what you write, no two writers have exactly the same journey (whether it is to publication or just to produce work they value for their own pleasure).

There are, of course, many elements in common, not least of which is the fact every writer goes through highs and lows as they try to make progress. We all have to work out how to deal with these. Yes, even the highs, because while they are wonderful, life as a whole is not one long continuous good news chain so why should the writing life be any different? [Read more…] about The Highs and Lows of the Writing Life

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Experimenting with Words and Form

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One great thing about playing Scrabble is it does increase your vocabulary. It’s amazing just how many three and two letter words there are. I play on a mobile app so there are no worries about losing any of the tiles either!

Mind, there have been times many years ago when I’ve played the traditional board game when I would happily have stuffed the Q, X, V, and Z somewhere I could guarantee they’d not be seen again but that’s another story! I’m less hostile to the Q now I know you don’t always need the U to go with it. [Read more…] about Experimenting with Words and Form

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