It’s Show Week!

 So, ‘Show Week’ is here- the lines are learned, the lights are stunning, the band is amazing and the venue is just perfect. But- what is ‘Godspell’ all about? Well, it’s a show that’s rarely performed; it’s filled with wonderful music; laughter and tears. You might say it’s got a bit of everything.

Writer, Tom Casling, took to Facebook to let people know what it’s all about.

Hi All

I just wanted to give a bit of information and background to a show opening this week in Jarrow and in doing so hopefully encourage people to consider supporting it .  Sometimes it helps to have a bit of a background if you’re thinking of going to see a show.  An apology if that sounds patronising it wasn’t meant to be.

Godspell is a musical, composed by Stephen Schwartz. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971.  The show is being performed, this week, by Jarrow Musical Theatre Company: 15th to 19th May 2018 at Christ Church, Jarrow, nearly 47years ago to the very date it first hit Broadway.  Not a lot of people know that. 

The show has been performed by various touring companies since then and has enjoyed many revivals, including a 2011 revival which played on Broadway from October 13, 2011, to June 24, 2012. Several cast albums have also been released over the years and one of its songs, "Day by Day" made the singles chart in the summer of 1972. (My favourite number.)  

Like most shows of its era they seem to fall in and out of favour.  In our current secular society, plays or musicals about religion are not everyone’s cup of tea, however, I defy anyone to watch this show and not to take something away from it.  Similar revivals are now happening within the amateur circuit from ‘Joseph’ to ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’.

The musical is based on a series of parables: (short allegorical stories designed to illustrate or teach some truth, principle, or moral lesson.)  Some people may be put off by musicals based on religion but my advice is go see and make up your own mind up. 

For those who are interested in religion, the various Scenes / Parables are mostly based on the Gospel of Matthew, although there are extracts the Gospel of Luke and one extract from John: the woman taken in adultery.  The parables are interspersed with a variety of modern songs and many of the themes are so relevant today.  This particular show is to be performed in a church and I’m told it has fantastic acoustics.  In its day the musical was quite controversial. I think it still is in many ways.  I’m hoping to get there myself so I might see you there!

Jarrow Musical Theatre Company: 15th to 19th May 2018 at Christ Church, Jarrow:  Tickets £10.00 ticketsource.co.uk/jarrowmusicaltheatrecompany  

Break a leg!

Thanks, Tom for this great ‘in a nutshell’ and we hope to see you at Christ Church too- feel free to sing and dance along!

It's almost time for 'Godspell'!

We can't believe how quickly the months have passed since Christmas! May is here and it's almost time for our 2018 production of 'Godspell'.

This is an amazing show. We've all worked hard to ensure that it's going to be a treat for our audiences. It's being performed in Christ Church, Jarrow. The sound inside the church is just fantastic- and when the band kick in it's going to raise the roof. 

The full cast

Michelle Coulson (Director), Michael Curry (Jesus) and Joe Coulson (John & Judas) BBC Radio Tees at Alex Hall's  'Songs from the Shows'.

Have you booked your tickets yet? If you have we'll see you there. If not- what are you waiting for? Just click the links at the side if the page to book online, or phone 0191 4225068.

JMTC comes to Brinkburn for Christmas!

JMTC comes to Brinkburn Community Association this winter and we're bringing this wonderful, traditional Christmas tale. Everybody loves the story of the miserly Ebeneezer Scrooge and his spiritual visitations from the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future following the death of his business partner Jacob Marley. 

There's nothing quite like this tale to get you in the Christmas spirit. Peter Denyer's stage adaptation is a true reflection of the wonderful and much-loved story by Charles Dickens. There's a fabulous selection of traditional and contemporary Christmas music too.

It's a change from our traditional pantomime and it promises to be a glorious Yuletide show, guaranteed to warm the cockles of your heart and give audiences that fabulous Christmas feeling just in time for the month of December.

Tickets go on sale at 5pm on October 21st 2017. It's easy to book. You can give us a ring or you can use the link on the side of our blog. All of the details are in the poster below.

We look forward to welcoming you to our Christmas show and help you celebrate the most wonderful time of the year!

The Future's So Bright ...

Thanks to all of you who came along to see 'Sweeney Todd, Demon Barber of Fleet Street'. Once again, it was a huge success and we're delighted with the accolades we've received from our wonderful audience. They truly are a refection of the blood, sweat and tears that go into putting together a production like this. Without every single member, volunteer and worker it just wouldn't happen.

One audience member, Brian Allen, said:

"That was amazing! A great show- and we're still buzzing about it. 

The quality of the performers and music was like being in a West End show. 

Keep it up! I want to see more, more, more!"

Show week is always a week of mixed emotions. Stressful- and also full of fun and laughter. Memories are made and ambitions soar, as we think about our next project.

It's a time of great change for JMTC- our regular home, Jarrow Community Centre is undergoing refurbishment and we are temporarily moving to new rehearsal and performance spaces. We have a few ideas up our sleeve to keep our audience entertained for the coming year and believe us when we say that we will have something extra special in store for our return home. Watch this space! The future's so bright!

Meanwhile- here are a few memories...

One Week Until Opening Night!

It's only one week until opening night. We are so excited to be bringing 'Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street' to life! It's been a busy few weeks.

We have been working hard- as always. The musical numbers are sounding fantastic and the action is looking great. The stage is starting to come together. The back cloth is up and Sweeney's chair is in place; placing us firmly in the heart of London for this chilling tale.

The next week will be a busy one! Final rehearsals are taking place. The lights will go in and there'll be tech runs, band calls and dress rehearsals... until finally... this time next week, it will almost be time for curtain up.

We hope you've got your tickets- and if you haven't- don't worry, there are still some left and you can book directly from this blog. Just look to your right! We can't wait to see you there!

The Principal Cast

28 Days and Counting!!!

Well the final countdown has begun to our fantastic show, Sondheim's, 'Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street'. The lyrics are being brushed up, the lines are being learned and the props are just about sorted! We're getting there! 

Our cast will soon be stepping up their time in rehearsals to make sure that this show really sparkles. Hard work continues from all of the cast, crew, production and front of house teams to make sure that our audience are just as thrilled as they were last year with our Noda Award Winning production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's, 'Whistle Down the Wind'.

It just seems like yesterday when we had our photoshoot- and I promised you pictures!!! So here are the final edits.

We hope they give you taste for the show ahead- and remember to book your tickets. They're available directly from this blog.

All photographs and editing are courtesy of Jillaine Reay Hindson.

Photoshoot Day!

The weather was good to us on Sunday for our photoshoot which took place in the area around The Customs' House.

Before heading down to the docks we started in Union Barbers in Jarrow. They kindly allowed us to use their shop while they went about the business of cutting hair! We couldn't tempt any of their customers to a shave with a cut-throat razor though! I wonder why not?

Photoshoot day is always entertaining. We meet up- usually in costume and usually in a car park- we carry strange props and bits and pieces and it usually draws a bit of interest from passers by wondering who the weird people are. Yes! That'll be us!

The weeks are flying by as we continue to work hard on all of the different aspects of our show. It's looking like it'll be another fabulous show.

Photos will follow soon- but here's a little taster for you! Click the link on the right to book tickets. We look forward to seeing you there.