Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks - Review of our last production

....an actor's view.

Written by Helen Clinton-Pacey, who took the role of Lily in the show.


Usually when I've finished a play, I think, 'Enjoyed that, what's next'?

'Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks' has left a void, and I would love to have done it longer, got more 'into' Lily Harrison, and built an even stronger 'rapport' with Michael Minnetti.

I'd like to thank Isabel for giving me the opportunity to play such a lovely role. It's the 'first time' I've ever worn something 'glamorous'. Ifanyone can remember some of my 'previous outfits', bunny rabbit hops to mind, courtesy of Peggy, Liz and co.

This play  was a 'challenge' in more ways than one, not only was it a 2-hander, BUT I had to learn to DANCE!

Well I'll tell you a story: I sound like Max Bygraves!

A few years ago I fractured my skull - no sarcastic comments please, Alain, Ian, Paul, Mog, etc! This resulted in me having no balance or co-ordination, so when instructed by Alain, 'starting on your left', inevitably I'd use my right, and then 'tick-tock with my arms. This must have driven Alain 'crackers'. Thankyou sssoooo much for your patience.

And also a 'BIG' thankyou to John Abraham, a professionally trained dancer, who 'coped' admirably with my trips and falls (either that or he's an excellent actor). It was great working with you John.

Thanks also to set builders for my lovely apartment, sound, lighting, etc. I really loved S D L I S W, and hope that with John and I turning 'my dance hiccups' slightly quirky, to cater for Lily's age, we entertained. Not as 'comedic' as our final dress:what say you Mrs Reading?

Added to the above, I have arthritis in my left hip, and obviously it was not happy dancing, so I tried heat pads, wonderful, till I lifted my leg in the waltz an it fell off, fortunately only at rehearsal, so I dispensed with them, and suffered for my 'art', adrenalin is great!!

100 Club

Box office receipts just about cover the expenses of running the Apollo, so to bring in additional income to help fund improvements to the theatre a maximum of 100 people donate £5 per month.  

Their names are entered into a prize draw and each month one person wins a cash prize of £50, except in February, when the prize is £250, and August, when one lucky winner will receive £500.  

To be in with a chance, download the 100 club application form and fill it in, give the relevant bit to your bank and pass the tear-off slip to the secretary, business manager or any member of the committee, or, for non-members,  hand it in to the box office.  

You’ll be entered into the draws from then on.  Good luck!

Next Production - The Tempest

While the plot of this play, written in 1610-11 and thought by many critics to be the last that Shakespeare wrote alone, is well known, its lyrical beauty and other-worldliness set it apart from the majority of his canon.

 The play is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place using illusion and skilful manipulation. Using his magic powers he conjures up a storm, the eponymous tempest, to lure his usurping brother Antonio and the complicit King Alonso of Naples to the island. There, his machinations bring about the revelation of Antonio’s lowly nature, the redemption of the King, and the marriage of Miranda to Alonso’s son, Ferdinand.

 ‘The Tempest’ was first performed at Court by the King’s Men in the autumn of 1611, and again in the winter of 1612–1613 during the festivities in celebration of the marriage of King James’s daughter Elizabeth.

 It is probably the last play written entirely by Shakespeare, and it is remarkable for being one of only two of his plays (the other being Love’s Labour’s Lost) whose plot is entirely original.

 The play does, however, draw on travel literature of its time—most notably the accounts of a tempest off the Bermudas that separated and nearly wrecked a fleet of colonial ships sailing from Plymouth to Virginia.

 The play has an eerie and dreamlike quality, making it seem rich and complex even though it is one of Shakespeare’s shortest, most simply constructed plays.

Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks

Directing the Apollo's next play has been a labour of love for Isabel Favell.

She first discovered 'Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks' on a twinning visit from Sandown to St Pete Beach in America, when the writer Richard Alfieri held a workshop to discuss his new play.

It went on to become one of the most regularly performed plays in the world, and can be seen at the Apollo on March 27, 28 and 31, and April 1 to 4.

The play tells the story of a formidable widow who takes private dancing lessons with an acerbic young dance teacher. Their different backgrounds give rise to a range of comic, and also emotional moments, as she eventually reveals her closely guarded secret, and he shares his greatest gifts.

The story revolves around each dance lesson as the characters - played by Helen Clinton-Pacey and John Abraham - dance the Swing, Foxtrot, Tango, Waltz, Cha-Cha, and Contemporary Dance.

Isabel said: "I have loved this play since the moment I was introduced to it, all those years ago. Richard Alfieri said it came about when he took his elderly mother to a tea dance at the Don Cesar Hotel, an imposing pink palace on the beach, and was surprised to see the number of elderly ladies dancing with young attractive men."

The assistant director Alain Smith has also been responsible for choreographing the dance scenes.

Online booking is now available at www.apollo-theatre.org.uk. Opening night tickets cost £8, and for other nights the cost is £8.50. 

Advance booking forms are available from a dispenser at the theatre's main entrance, and can also be downloaded from the website.

Welcome to the Apollo Theatre

Welcome to our new blog, where we will be posting articles on various topics related to The Apollo Theatre in Neport, Isle of Wight.

The Apollo Theatre is a member of the Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain (LTG).  The little Georgian building is a  former Methodist chapel in Pyle Street, Newport, Isle of Wight, which was bought in 1970 and converted by a team of dedicated volunteers.  

Every year we put on a main season of seven shows as well as visiting productions,  vintage films, jazz concerts and other events.  

We are continually investing in the building and its facilities, and have state-of-the-art lighting and sound and a small but comfortable auditorium (with seats originally saved from Shanklin cinema!).  

The auditorium is wheelchair-accessible, with spaces for wheelchair users and an accessible loo close by, and there is a loop system for hearing-aid users.  

The well-stocked bar offers special themed cocktails and a new exhibition of local artists for each production in ‘Art in the Bar’.

For more information on what's on, what's coming up and more, visit our website at http://www.apollo-theatre.org.uk

.....and follow this blog for updates!