amdram.co.uk

Group Details

• Type: Various
• Age Range: 16 – 65 approximately
• Rehearsals: Mondays, Thursdays, Sundays

Location

• Town: Guildford
• County: Surrey
• Region: South East

Contact

• Email: dianeweatherwax [at] yahoo [dot] co [dot] uk
• Phone: 01483 505079
• Website: http://www.pranksterstheatre.org.uk

The Pranksters Theatre Company was founded in 1977. In 2007, our 30th anniversary year, our production of “An Inspector Calls” at Guildford’s Electric Theatre was a huge success, being completely sold out before its first night. Jenny Haynes’s summer production of “The Merry Wives of Windsor” was described by the Surrey Advertiser as “an energetic and highly watchable piece of theatre” and 2008′s production of “The Crucible” was described by the same critic as “… one of the finest non-professional performances I’ve ever seen”.

The Company also took part in the Mayor of Guildford’s first ever “Lantern Walk” in October 2007, performing a scene from Guildford’s history written for the event by Diane Maxfield (Hon Secretary), featuring Matthew Alexander, the curator of Guildford Museum as a ‘Brother’ of historic Abbott’s Hospital.

We are based in Guildford and regularly produce two/three shows a year. We have performed every year since 1982 at the Victorian bandstand in Guildford’s historic and beautiful Castle Grounds, as well as at The Electric Theatre. The Company was one of the groups instrumental in persuading the Borough Council to convert this old Electricity Works into a vibrant, riverside venue where both professional and amateur productions offer theatregoers high quality entertainment.

The Company was recently described as an “adventurous company … known for having a ‘big idea’ for each show.” We have a really big idea this year for our outdoor production for the Guildford Summer Festival. We hope we will again be “applauded” for our “… innovation and imagination and undeniable dedication …”.
The Pranksters Theatre Company will be taking Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” onto the streets of Guildford. The audience (strictly limited to 70 each evening) will watch from Tunsgate Arch as the Montagues and Capulets clash on the cobbled High Street; they will be guests at the Capulet ball under the Arch; look up at Juliet on the Guildhall balcony; move into the Guildhall where Juliet’s bedroom is upstairs in the beautiful Council Chamber and finally stand beside the ancient gravestones in Holy Trinity Churchyard for the culmination of this unique production. Guildford High Street will be closed to traffic for the eight consecutive evenings of our performances – something which we think has not happened before.

In spite of having “big ideas”, Pranksters is a small, friendly group where everyone mucks in. We say “There are no small parts, only small actors”. You could play the lead in one play and be a dead body in the next! Pranksters are always pleased to welcome new members as actors, backstage crew or supporters. Rehearsals are usually Monday and Thursday evenings at a local church hall and during the day on Sundays at a nearby school.

Our plays vary from Shakespeare’s comedies, such as “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (2004), “The Comedy of Errors” (2006), to modern dramas such as “Dancing at Lughnasa” (Friel), “Blue Remembered Hills” (Dennis Potter), and “Of Mice and Men” (Steinbeck).

For more information contact – Diane Maxfield (Hon Secretary).