31 March 2021
Welcome to a new year at Arcadians Theatre Group website.
How glad are we that 2020 is now behind us. All of our activities were severely affected by the pandemic. Arcadians Children’s Theatre (ACT), Lamplighters, Minstrels, Costume and Props hire, and the Monday Maintenance Men (MMM) volunteers all went into hibernation. The impact on many members was significant in that friendships were interrupted, activity and socialising put on hold and the feeling of not knowing when it would all end. Fortunately, previous Management Teams had the foresight to put aside finances for such a drastic change in our activity and consequently, although there was little income for the Group to be able to continue to operate our own theatre there were sufficient funds to continue to progress the extensive renovations that had been planned to commence in November 2020 and keep the theatre viable until the pandemic passed.
When our March production of “Pirates of Penzance” had to be closed with the last weekend of the season cancelled, attention turned quickly to bringing forward the renovations. As a consequence, the planned work was commenced and continued throughout the year under COVID conditions, culminating in their completion in 2021 for our first production with COVID restrictions of “Sweeney Todd”. We can now boast one of the most technically advanced theatres in the State; owned and operated by a purely volunteer Not-for-Profit Company. We thank all the tradesmen and members who gave up their time and expertise in arduous conditions and restricted movement to finish the project ready for opening night.
As Sweeney Todd opened with 75% allowed occupancy and then 100% for the last weekend, we completed the last twelve months in a fantastic position; ready to get back to the new normal of living with the virus.
The new Board of Directors thank the outgoing Board for continuing to take responsibility for the Group for a two-year term rather than the usual one year. A mammoth task to stay in touch with the membership and the internal Groups that call the Miners Lamp Theatre their home. Special mention goes to our Immediate Past President Liza who after 12 years as President and a pandemic has decided to retire. Liza has left the Group in an extremely strong position to move forward in the coming years, but she has vowed to continue working for the Group when called upon.
Another special mention is to Paul Greer who has built the Monday Maintenance Men team up over many years to be an important contributor to the development of the theatre and of individual productions. For health reasons, Paul has stepped back from managing the MMM but still takes a keen interest in their progress. Thank you Paul for your important contributions to the Group over the many years you have been a member. We wish you all the best.
Watch this space as we keep you up to date with what is happening at Arcadians. We treasure the involvement of our members and the support of the general public that continue to follow our progress and attend our productions – even in the most difficult of times.
Watch our Facebook page for announcements of our newly elected Life Members.
We look forward to seeing you at the theatre for our next productions very soon.
Cheers for now,
Steve
President.