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Recent
Events and Reviews
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West Side Story -
January 2008
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Portsmouth News
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Southern Daily Echo
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13th January 2008
Dear Madam/Sir,
In returning our 'Friends of Dynamo' personal information
slip to you, we would like to take the opportunity of
thanking your organisation and the cast of 'West Side
Story' for once again giving us a wonderful evening's
entertainment.
One can only guess at the amount of hard work and number
of hours put in by so many people, to produce such a
splendid show. From the moment the show finished until
we arrived home some forty minutes later, my wife and
I talked about the musical, recalling our highlights
and the overall enthusiasm and commitment put into the
performance by the cast. This has continued on and off
over the past few days, as we have meet friends. Once
again your company's production really impressed us.
There were so many performances to savour. The delicate
singing of Alice Mayhead, the brave performance of Ross
Cobbold and Pippa Stimpson's portrayal of Doc, readily
come to mind, but the whole cast is to be congratulated.
At a time when youth in general get such a bad press,
this is a shining example of what is going on not just
in Havant, but all over the country, and rarely if ever
gets coverage.
Congratulation to you all for another superb evening's
entertainment. We look forward to seeing 'Alice in Wonderland'
in May.
Yours,
David and Joy Porter
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Dear Andrew and the Cast,
There was so much that I wanted to say to you all
after last night's wonderful performance of one of the
greatest musicals ever written.
West Side Story has always been a favourite of mine
since I first saw it in the early 60s and your performance
last night would have made the show's creators very
proud indeed. The colour, exuberance and fantastic use
of the space was worth the ticket price alone and coupled
with some truly emotional and thoughtful acting and
wonderful singing left me at times both speechless and
highly emotional.
Added to this was the superb choreography to make
a truly superb ensemble piece with everyone contributing
to the performance.
The costumes, set and all the other teams of adults
need the highest praise and congratulations and the
musical setting by John Gledall convinced me that there
must have been a full orchestra hiding somewhere in
the theatre.
I am sure that you will all have great memories of
the show and I for one will count it as one of Dynamo
Youth Theatre's finest productions
Have a great week.
Frank Hunwick
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By E-mail
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Dear Andrew and Everyone at D.Y.T.
Just a short message to tell you all how very much
Don and I enjoyed Saturday's matinee production. I wanted
to say more back stage but I felt the whole afternoon
very emotional.
We were just "blown away" by the greetings we received
from friends that we had not seen since we moved and
then the production itself. The sheer power and strength
of all those young people. They were not just on stage
but were acting on stage, every member seemed truly
dedicated to the show. The singing was so strong and
passionate, far above any standard that we have seen
in a youth group before, in fact they ranked above some
professional productions that we have witnessed. The
stagecraft was genuinely outstanding.
We thank you, the crew and the company for a brilliant
afternoon, even though we feel completely shattered
today. Looking forward to the wonders of Alice in Wonderland.
Kindest Regards.
Ann and Don. [Stewart]
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Petersfield Post
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The Jets in rehearsal at St faith's Church Hall
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Top
| 'The News'
(Portsmouth) 10th July 2007 |
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Preview
A moving performance
By Mike Allen
The true story of a village stricken by the plague through
the arrival from London of a box of clothing is being told
within the atmospheric setting of a 12th century church and
its surroundings this week.
Dynamo Youth Theatre will perform Don Taylor's play, The
Roses of Eyam, in promenade style in and around St Faith's
Church, Havant. The audience will walk from scene to scene,
encountering the villagers' determination under the persuasion
of present and former rectors to prevent the spread of the
disease by remaining within the village - at the certain risk
of their own lives.
The Dynamo cast is aged 11-18.
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Jake Elsbury as Edward Thornley and Alison Moyle as Elizabeth
Thornley
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from St Faith's
parish magazine:- |
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The Dynamo Youth Theatre presented a promenade production
of "Roses of Eyam" by Don Taylor in St Faith's
Church and Churchyard from 10th to 14th
July. With a cast of over 50, a crew of 30 as well as
support by the committee and parents, the director, Andrew
Bowker achieved the impossible dream: a three-hour performance
by teenagers which enthralled and moved those privileged to
be present.
The acting was totally focussed with the lines delivered clearly
and convincingly. The audience could see well because
of a new stage and raised acting areas in various parts of
the church and grounds. Additional lighting and carefully
chosen music enhanced the experience. The costumes were
imaginatively made to reflect not only the 17th
century but also the various families represented.
Audience movement was sensitively handled by the victims of
the plague, assisted by the stewards, which added atmosphere
to the overall performance.
The contrast in the life of the village before and after the
arrival of the box of plague-carrying cloth was clearly demonstrated.
The audience felt drawn into the dilemma of the remaining
villagers and the main characters did not spare themselves
in sharing their feelings.
Although the play presented a challenge to all concerned,
the success of the venture vindicated all the hard work which
must have gone into the preparation of such an ambitious production.
The idea to use the church and grounds, situated in the town
centre, was brilliantly conceived and, with the new platforms,
could pave the way to further worthwhile projects.
Geoff Porter
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Many people were very complimentary:-
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by E-mail: |
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My wife and I were stunned by the production last night.
We were enthralled and moved by the wonderful acting of the
talented young people. What a brilliant experience for all
who took part. The organisation was incredible and all credit
to Andrew and his helpers. We shall never forget it.
A sincere thank you to all concerned. Keep up the good work.
Best wishes,
Geoff. & Marion Porter.
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Dear Andrew,
Margaret and I would like to again send you our warmest congratulations
for a stunning evening.
The acting was without doubt some of the best and most emotional
that we have seen in Dynamo's long and distinguished history.
From the leads to the smaller parts, all were carried out
with total conviction and belief in the character. The scene
changes were beautifully and subtly carried out and added
enormously to the theatrical experience and the beauty of
the church was emphasised by the highly imaginative yet simple
staging and lighting and the music was glorious and added
so much to the drama and emotion of the play.
I hope the rain keeps away and yet even that cannot dampen
the amazing experience that the audiences will have during
the run.
Thanks and congratulations to you all.
Frank Hunwick.
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Congratulations to all involved with the Dynamo Youth Theatre.
You all rose to the magnificent challenge of a morality play
in St Faiths Church and succeeded. It was lovely to see the
imaginative use of space and the standard of acting was great.
Best Wishes
Sheilah Legg
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Dear Andrew and DYT
I just wanted to write to you while Roses of Eyam was still
fresh in my mind.
What a show … what a team… what a challenge!!
Site specific performances are special no matter where they
are but St Faiths church provided the most beautiful, evocative
and emotional setting for the play. I believe, this challenge,
although I'm sure a logistical nightmare and at times seeming
unreachable, has stretched everyone to their limits in terms
of design, technical restrictions, direction and acting and
in doing so, I think has brought out the best in everyone.
Staging and Lighting were simple in design but hugely effective.
The movement of the play used the space to its maximum, creating
special moments throughout, and the quality of the acting
and commitment of all of the actors was lifted due to the
atmosphere of the setting and, I know it goes without saying,
extreme hard work.
A truly unique event, full of special moments that you and
your audience should keep forever.
Remember this one….
Detta
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Dear Mr Bowker
Having visited Eyam in Derbyshire a couple of years ago,
I took Annie to see the Roses of Eyam on Saturday night.
I just wanted to drop you a line to say how much we both
enjoyed it; the setting was perfect as the backdrop to such
a tragic tale; the acting was outstanding and the ending was
stunning. It took me a few moments to work out that there
were more ghosts than we had seen in the play… a brilliant
way to finish - I haven't been to a performance that moved
me so much in a long time. Annie thought it was incredible
too.
So … just a huge 'well done!'
Yours sincerely,
Tracy Cooper
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Dear Producer & Cast of Roases of Eyam,
My husband and I watched the Thursday production of your
play at St Faith's Church, Havant. With us were our two visitors
from Australia. We'd like to thank you all for a wonderful
evening - we all loved it!
A great production with so many clever touches to keep the
action alive (or dead!). Particularly we thought the clever
'curtain call' with the dead walking through the rest of the
cast was so clever. As you can imagine, the venue was so exciting
for the Australians - atmosphere galore - it was great.
We thank you and wish you well in all future productions.
C. Treagust (Mrs)
Farlington.
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Snowman for Roses of Eyam
Steve Phillips reports on the techniques he
used to make it.
Click here
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Top
Bizarre
11th-13th May 2007
This was the first time the Director's Challenge,
for the Liz Goodbody Shield, was performed for the public.
Two days after the competition three special performances
were judged by a paying audience.
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Our production of 'Tommy' the rock opera
written by Pete Townshend and the Who, completed its run
in January, with sell out audiences and great reviews.
Performances: January 3rd -6th 2007
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Pinball’s
Wizard
Tommy
Havant
Arts Centre
Raw
energy, raw enthusiasm, raw talent. All entirely appropriate
to a project that grew from the hard-rock world of the late
1960’s.
But
although Dynamo Youth Theatre’s production of Tommy is as
loud as something by Pete Townshend and The Who should be,
it also has more refined qualities.
They
emerge in such matters as use of psychedelic colours and
stylised movement, sensitivity to period and creation of
a stepped set help manage a large cast in a small space.
And
they emerge, too, in the performances of the actors who
play Tommy at six, 12 and fully grown.
The
boy traumatised when he sees his farther kill his mother’s
lover is played first by Dominic Moss and Matthew Kenny,
who not only display admirable stillness but convey a true
sense of pathos.
The
abuse of the 12-year-old certainly as much a part of the
21st century as it was of the mid-20th is rightly painful
to watch.
Richard
Bailey has the dominant role of the adult Tommy who emerges
from his trauma to become a Pinball Wizard and a kind of
spiritual leader before deciding he just wants to be like
everyone else.
The
actor encompasses the character’s range of moods well and
his singing has all the required power. That word ‘raw’
springs to mind again not in a derogatory sense. On the
first night, some of the early singing was lost beneath
the sound of a pulsating band, and even when that was tweaked,
some performers had to force their voices excessively.
But
the acting of the other principals is largely admirable
- notably by Louise Moyle as Tommy’s mother and Callum West
as his slimeball uncle.
Mike
Allen
Portsmouth
News
The Guide, Friday January 5, 2007
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