Digswell Players is a friendly group of people of all ages, who love putting on shows. Joining our group is a wonderful way of meeting new and interesting people and a great opportunity to learn new skills or rekindle old skills that you haven’t used for a while. Some people get involved in every show that we put on, while others ‘dip in and out’. While some of us have been around for many years, new people join us every year and we always welcome enthusiastic new faces!

 

We also put on a Miscellany event twice a year when anyone who has been involved in a Digswell Players production (and their friends and families) gather in the village hall to show off their talents to each other. We’ve had singing, dancing, monologues, comedy sketches, short extracts from dramas and even a now infamous all male Spice Girls group, lip syncing to Wannabe!

 

How can I get involved?

 

While acting may seem like the most obvious way to get involved, putting on a show involves many people and many hours of work, most of which happens before the actual performances take place. Some of these roles are technical, some are creative, others require some organisational skills. Whatever your interests are, there will be somewhere that you can help out. Remember that working behind the scenes is a fun way to be part of the show and means that you don’t have to learn any lines!

 

Roles include:

 

Director – Supported by a fantastic team, you will cast the show, run the rehearsals, direct the actors and liaise with the light, sound, costume and set construction departments to achieve the look that you want for the show.

 

Set Design/Painting/Construction – The director will communicate their vision for the show and it up to the set department to make the staging match the director’s ideas. Coming along to help at our set painting afternoons are a great way to get involved.

 

Props – Most shows need an array of props, which can range from wands to whistles, goblets to gravestones! All these props either need to be made, borrowed or bought and it is the job of the props department to source these objects.​​​​​​

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Costume/Make-up/Hair – Actors always need costumes, even if the play is set in the present day. The costume department will buy or make these costumes and be on hand backstage during the shows to help the actors change. Actors also often need to wear make-up and have their hair styled, so volunteers to help with this are always welcomed.

 

Stage Manager/Stage Crew – Every show needs a stage manager who is responsible for the safe running of each performance. Along with the stage crew, the stage manager will set the stage with furniture and props and change the scenery during the performances, as well as open and close the front curtain (a very important job!)

 

Lighting/Sound – The job of the lighting and sound departments is, unsurprisingly, to provide lighting and sound for the shows! They will liaise with the director and put together a lighting and sound plot for each show, programming this in advance. During the shows, they will sit in the elevated box at the back of the hall and make the shows come alive with lights and sound. Some technical knowhow is required for these jobs, but full training will be given for anyone who is interested.

 

Prompt – As soon as the actors go off book (ie. have learnt their lines) we use a prompt at rehearsals. This person will follow the script and feed any forgotten lines to the actors. For some shows we have a prompt on hand during the performances, but at others we don’t. Another decision for the director to make!

 

Publicity/Box Office/Website – To sell tickets to our shows, we need to advertise them online, via leaflets, posters or anywhere else we can think of. The publicity department will make sure that a poster has been created and will put this out as far and wide as possible. Posts on social media channels such as Facebook are particularly important, as well as on our website, which we keep updated. Although ticket sales are via an online box office, we also have someone responsible for setting this up and overseeing its running.

 

Front of House – Our Front of House Manager, along with a team of FOH assistants, is responsible for the safe running of the auditorium during the shows. They help audience members find their seats, sort out any problems and also sell refreshments before the shows and at the interval.

 

Rehearsal Refreshments – At Digswell Players, we love our tea breaks, so we are always grateful to anyone who will come along and put the kettle on, pour the tea and wash up. It’s a great way to see some of the show rehearsals.

 

Production Co-ordinator – Particularly needed if we have a director who is new to the group, the co-ordinator will make sure that the production is on track by liaising with all the above departments and sending out emails to the cast and crew. 

 

Acting - To quote Spencer Tracy “Show up on time, learn your lines and don't bump into the furniture.” If you are not clever enough to do any of the jobs above, there is always acting!!