🎬 Upcoming Footlights Productions 🎬
Bad Girls by Jacqueline Wilson, adapted for the stage by Vicky Ireland.
Directed by Laura Creed
Performances: June 2025 13th 19th & 20th at 7:30pm / June 14th 15th & 17th at 2:30pm
Book your tickets here: https://lancastergrand.co.uk/shows/bad-girls-lancaster-footlights-presents/all/
Spider’s Web by Agatha Christie
Directed by June Metcalfe
Performances: October 3rd, 4th, 5th, 9th, 10th, 11th at 7.30
Auditions will be held on June 23rd and 24th. More information below.
Book your tickets here: https://lancastergrand.co.uk/shows/spiders-web/all/
Family Panto - Snow White
Performances: Multiple dates & times throughout December 2025
Auditions will be held on July 1st, 8th & 9th. More information below.
Book your tickets here: https://lancastergrand.co.uk/shows/snow-white-family-panto/all/
The Production Committee is always taking suggestions for future shows. If you'd like to direct a production, reply to this email with as much information as you can about your show and what you'd like to do with it, or contact the Production Committee to have a chat.
☕ Coffee Mornings & Theatre Tours ☕
Footlights Members new and established are very welcome to join us for a brew and cake from 10:30AM on the following Saturdays:
Saturday 7th June
Saturday 12th July
Saturday 9th August
Saturday 6th September
Saturday 4th October
Saturday 12th November
Saturday 13th December
🌞 New Faces and Old Friends 🌞
Among the new faces this month, we welcome a number of new members and volunteer chaperones who are taking part in "Bad Girls".
New Members:
Paul Rhodes, Rachel Beauchamp, Macy Marrin, Hazel Haworth, Ellie Lewis, Freya Collier, Lyra Knight, Scarlet Till, Julie Shaw, Hazell Brevitt, Elena Weaver, Quinn Wilson, Missie Brown, Cameron Baird, Alana Mataka, Scarlett Ashleigh, Elspeth McCoombe
New Volunteers:
Emma Parsons, Lisa Baines, Laura Wrennall, Sarah Sweeney, Sarah Wilson, Anne Marie Weaver, Vanessa Edwards
🎀 Don’t Miss ‘Bad Girls’! 🎀
Just under two weeks to go until Bad Girls takes the stage!
In rehearsals the final adjustments are being made, and our talented creative team is working magic to bring this powerful story to life.
Don't miss your chance to support this fabulous show and keep an eye out on our Facebook page for character headshots!
🎭 ‘Spider’s Web’ Auditions This Month 🎭
As announced in the last Footnote, our autumn play is to be “Spider’s Web” by Agatha Christie. It is sure to entertain as it is a conscious parody of the detective thriller, a play full of suspense and humour with tension and laughter in equal parts!
The characters are as follows; (using Christie’s own words)
SIR ROWLAND DELAHAYE around 50, distinguished, with definite charm
HUGO BIRCH about 60, rather irascible (i.e. easily angered)
JEREMY WARRENDER elegant young man
CLARISSA HAILSHAM-BROWN mid-thirties to mid-forties, vivacious
PIPPA HAILSHAM-BROWN girl aged about 12
(Please note that anyone taking this part will need to be accompanied by an adult or carer for all rehearsals and performances if under the age of 16)
MILDRED PEAKE forty odd, a big and jolly woman
ELGIN middle-aged butler
OLIVER COSTELLO 40 – 50 ish, handsome but with a rather unpleasant face
HENRY HAILSHAM BROWN good-looking, about 40, rather expressionless
INSPECTOR LORD ‘Wily’
CONSTABLE JONES (male or female) Welsh, any age
If you are thinking of auditioning, please be aware that all the characters apart from the Welsh Constable Jones will speak with what is known as ‘RP’ or received pronunciation similar to the old BBC style – this is Christie Land, after all! Also, Henry Hailsham Brown, Oliver Costello and Constable Jones have very few lines whereas Clarissa has a considerable amount!
Whether a member of Footlights or not, all are warmly invited to audition.
Auditions will be held on June 23rd and 24th at 7.30 p.m. (no need to attend both evenings) with audition pieces available on request from the membership secretary or from the Box Office between 10a.m. and 3p.m. They will take place with script in hand, there is no requirement to learn any lines.
🎤 Footlights Family Pantomime: Snow White 🎤
Auditions
It’s that time of year again, oh yes it is, Panto Auditions are here! Below is information about the Principal roles, Chorus and Dancers, and some frequently asked questions. Please feel free to email Director Cheryl at [email protected] if you have further queries. We really hope to see you there to come and join the fun!
Can I audition if I have never done Panto before?
Absolutely YES! Both new and experienced people are all very welcome. No roles have been given/cast before the auditions and new faces are always welcome. Those who perform the best at auditions, and fit the roles, will be cast.
Do I have to be available for all 21 performances?
Yes, please do not audition if you know you are not free for the entire run as our audiences deserve our best performances and the cast need consistency.
Please check the Theatre website for the full list of performance dates: https://lancastergrand.co.uk/shows/snow-white-family-panto/all/
What’s the rehearsal schedule like?
We start rehearsing at the beginning of September. Schedules are given out in the first rehearsal. We rarely add additional dates, as we know people need to plan their lives. This means it’s important that people attend all rehearsals so we can cover and set the whole show well. The magic of panto is created by people bouncing off each other and creating chemistry. When people are missing it has a big impact on everyone else and creates delays when things have to be re-done. We know life also carries on, so very special one-off occasions can lead to missing a rehearsal but please let us know this at the auditions. Rehearsals are on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons for Chorus and for Principals. Dancers’ rehearsals are on Sunday mornings (and they need to attend many of the other rehearsals too). Principal roles also have a rehearsal mid-week on Tuesday or Wednesday evenings. The schedule will tell you who needs to attend when.
I work and am not sure if I have time?
Don’t worry, lots of the cast and crew work and find if they are organised there is time to fit panto in. There is only one show date which may require those who work typical 9-5 hours to book leave, which is Christmas Eve as this is a matinee (2.30pm curtain up). The rest of the shows are on evenings or weekends or bank holidays.
I don’t think I will be good enough at dancing and singing, can I still audition?
Yes please do come along, most people just need to show some potential and be willing to learn and work at their dancing. You need to be able to sing well enough to follow a tune and the key principal roles will need to sing well.
I can’t attend one of the audition dates, can I come to one of the other dates?
For Chorus and Principals, yes you can, just please email in advance to let me know. Dancers however need to attend on 9th July, and apologies but cannot audition on the other dates. If any dancers are not able to come, then contact me and if we have not cast all the dancers on 9th July we may hold an extra audition date, if this is possible, but unfortunately this cannot be guaranteed.
How much does it cost?
All those who are in the Cast have to join/be members of Footlights (adults £20/year; juniors free). There is no charge to audition. For the shows, Cast members are asked to provide their own footwear, base layer, makeup and hair stuff. All costumes and accessories will be provided.
Will I have fun?
Definitely! We have so much fun in rehearsals and during the show run, whilst also working hard. Cast and Crew become one big panto family, so kindness, care and consideration for each other are the most important things.
Principal roles:
Snow White: Princess, innocent, gentle, warm and kind (aged 16+ female role) singing role
Queen Avarice: Wicked Queen – Snow White’s Stepmother, “glamorous baddie”. Elegant with evil intent and heart of ice (aged 16+ female role) singing role
Edna Bucket: The Palace Housekeeper – typical pantomime dame character – a bit daft, kind and rather bossy (adult, usually a male role) singing role
Chuckles: Queen’s daft new jester, funny, warm character (aged 16+ any gender) singing role
Prince Ferdinand: Dashing Prince from a far-off land, polite and confident, some humour (aged 16+ usually “principal boy” female role) singing role
Fairy Fortune: Typical warm good fairy character, sets the scene at the start and at points during the show (aged 16+ female role) singing role
Merlin or Merlina: Magical voice and face of the Queen’s mirror who later “escapes” from the mirror (aged 16+ any gender) singing role
Justice Quill: The local Magistrate, rather silly character who acts as legal advisor to the Queen, thinks they are important and clever but gets things wrong – half of the panto comedy duo (adult any gender)
Scribbles: Justice Quill’s scribe, silly character, makes lots of mistakes, tries hard – other half of panto comedy duo (16+ any gender)
Slurp: Palace drain cleaner who becomes the Queen’s henchman, not very bright, drags one leg as they walk, smaller principal part (16+ usually male role)
Seven Dwarfs - Brainy, Smiley, Grumbly, Blushful, Snoozy, Sniffle and Dozy
The dwarfs are just under 1metre tall puppets worn by the actors whose legs are in the legs of the dwarf (stood up not on their knees) and they work the dwarfs’ hands with their hands. Actors will wear black tops (aged 12 to adults, any gender) speaking and singing roles
Chorus: villagers/ spirits/ forest characters/ Queen’s minions/ royal courtiers - support the principal roles and are so important in setting the atmosphere and bringing life to the performances, will need to sing and dance/move (aged 9 to adults, any gender)
Dancers: Able to perform ballet, modern, jazz, contemporary and tap to a good standard. Need to be happy with quick costume changes and be able to pick up choreography quickly (aged 10 to adults).
Panto Audition Dates at Lancaster Grand Theatre:
Please wear comfortable clothes and shoes you can move in, and bring a drink. Enter via the side door in the car park up the ramp. Please arrive a few minutes early to allow time to register.
Tuesday 1st July 7pm – Principal roles (theatre open from 6.15pm to allow time to read script exerts if required)
Tuesday 8th July 7pm – Chorus roles (theatre open from 6.15pm to allow time to read script exerts if auditioning for principal role as not free the previous week)
Wednesday 9th July 7pm – Dancers (please wear appropriate clothes for dancing, bring your dance shoes and a drink)
Auditions generally encompass a warm-up activity, learning a small dance sequence, singing a song which will be put on the website 2 weeks before (singing solo for principals, in groups of 3 for chorus/dancer roles) and then reading excerpts of script for principal role auditions. Dancers will warm up and learn and perform 2 short dance sequences (ballet and modern) and demonstrate a small amount of tap.
Hope to see you there!
🤸♀️ Upcoming Workshops 🤸♀️
4 June - Collaborative Acting Skills Workshop, improvisation-based, led by Steve Longstaffe, open to anyone aged 17+
£3 to attend. Contact [email protected] to register.
7 June - Script to Stage Workshop - led by Kris Williams, a full afternoon joint session with Lancaster University students, ages c. 18-25
£10 to attend. Contact [email protected] to register.
💬 Update from the Chair 💬
This month saw the completion of a new and much needed raised storage area at our off-site store. Have a look online at: https://lancastergrand.co.uk/backstage-boost-new-storage-installation-transforms-theatre-store/Huge thanks to Mike Hardy and Richard Maddieson for their hard work designing and commissioning the build and selecting best value contractors, to Mark Pitt for updating the plumbing, and to Jeanette, James, Daniel, Phil, Mike, Charles, and Peter for all their help temporarily re-locating the scenery!
Still on the theme of capital investment, this month we have been liaising with a range of suppliers to obtain best value pricing for installing new flooring and 460 auditorium seats in 2026, as well as commercial installers to refurbish all our customer bathrooms. For capacity reasons we are hoping to refurbish all downstairs toilets this summer, with the mezzanine and upper floors being completed in 2026. We have also been working with specialist engineers, scanning, and wood analysis companies to have a comprehensive assessment of the theatre undertaken. This work will help us finalise future safe working limits for the truss above the stage (we want to hang pro-let lighting below ours, so we don’t have to de-rig our kit, as well as making LED screens easier and quicker to install). The work is also fundamental to installing the new circle balustrade, and other engineering assessments necessary to ensure we are looking after our listed heritage venue.
By the time you read this, the Footlights production of Bad Girls will be in the final stages of rehearsals. Director Laura Creed and Producer Taylor Heald-Oliphant have been working phenomenally hard and the young cast have had a great time getting ready to wow their audiences. As Footlights members and volunteers it would be awesome if you could show support for their efforts, and to the charity, by encouraging ticket sales amongst your circle of friends and colleagues.
https://lancastergrand.co.uk/shows/bad-girls-lancaster-footlights-presents/2025-06-13/
As we move into the time of year when we advertise for new trustees to take up roles at the AGM, it’s usually helpful if I share my position and plans. Whilst I’ll be remaining as a trustee, I’m hoping someone comes forward who would like to take over the chair role sometime in 2026. This approach should enable a steady and supportive transition. Over the past two years we have collectively delivered a ‘refresh’ and significantly improved how we ensure our charity is safe, joyous, and sustainable for everyone involved, but we no longer need to keep evolving at the same pace, as most of the larger pieces of work have been done. After such a period of change, I think a new chair will help the theatre settle into a period of ‘steadier state’ where there will no doubt be some ongoing improvements (organisations have to be able to adapt and respond to changes in their operating environment) but certainly not as many, or as far reaching, as we’ve had to deliver recently. On a personal note, whilst I’ve certainly found the last two years enjoyable and rewarding, I’ve also had to put on hold personal and professional plans in order to dedicate sufficient time to the charity. Whilst the future chair will not have to do this (as the large and most time-consuming work is done) I’m personally hoping to be able to channel more of my time into some as yet unrealised personal and professional goals… I hope this makes some sense, and I’m always happy to discuss it if anyone wants to.
Last but by no means least, the coming week (from 2nd June) will see our new Deputy Theatre Manager Ryan Mason starting with us. Please join me in offering a very warm ‘Grand Theatre’ welcome as he gets to know everyone in the coming months.
Mark Hutton, Chair of Trustees
🔔 Production Committee Update 🔔
Welcome to our two new committee members, Pam Hearne and Peter Woodward - we know their backstage and technical experience and expertise will be invaluable in supporting productions and our ongoing mission to select a range of shows that are exciting, fun, thought provoking and popular with audiences and Footlights members.
What a busy May! The Bad Girls' team has been working incredibly hard. Rehearsals are looking amazing, the photos and trailer are fabulous, filled with amazing costumes, there are some 'flaming good' props, and the tech and stage teams are working their magic to realise the multiple locations and dream sequences. It's brilliant to see new faces and Footlights regulars shining in the adult and youth cast.
Now we need your help! Please use your membership cards to pick up your 2 free tickets from the box office, take a leaflet or two to display or pass on, share the posts if you're on social media, and most of all tell people about our family show. It's for anyone ages 7+, Bad Girls by Jacqueline Wilson, 13 - 21 June, #Not Just For Girls - a fun family adventure, full of drama and energy.
We've had another successful workshop with lovely positive feedback - it's great that these are becoming a more regular feature for Footlights and we're looking forward to more in the next month - June looks even busier than May!
🏰 Heritage Open Day 🏰
The Grand will be open to the public on Saturday 13th September as part of the national Heritage Open Day programme. This year's theme is architecture, so as well as our usual theatre tours, we are looking to celebrate the rebuilding of the Grand after the fire of 1908 with a rehearsed reading of a short excerpt from "Raffles the Gentleman Thief", the show which re-opened the theatre as the Grand.
The rehearsed reading would be more like a radio show on the stage than a theatrical performance. Actors would be holding scripts rather than having had to learn them. Probably a line of microphones on stage. We would be looking for these characters:
Raffles - Confident, public school educated, a celebrated cricketer, moving in upper class circles
Bunny - Knew Raffles at school, so a similar age, but a subservient character, rather as Dr Watson to Sherlock Holmes
Lord Amersteth - older aristocrat
Lady Amersteth - his wife
Miss Melhuish - silly vicar's daughter
Waiter (non speaking, so another actor could double up)
Inspector Mackenzie - Scots policeman
Would anyone like to direct this? It could be one of the actors and only a few rehearsals would be needed.
Script and more info from Adrian Tayler - [email protected]
🎉 Well done FoH, Stage Management and Tech! 🎉
On 22nd May Charlie Connelly did his "Attention all Shipping" show at the Grand. He evidently enjoyed his visit, because he posted loads of photos on Facebook and wrote:
"At the risk of sounding like the absolute luvvie I aim to become, the staff at the Grand were all absolute sweethearts, the loveliest bunch of people.
The show went great with a really enthusiastic audience. Please excuse the torrent of photographs but this was one of the most smashing nights I've had so far as a touring hoofer."
🤝 You Said – We Did! 🤝
In this section we’ll keep you informed of progress we’re making against the feedback submitted in our recent Thankyou & Feedback survey. Huge thanks to the 47 staff, members, and volunteers who took the time to complete it – your insights and thoughts are priceless, and genuinely help us to improve.
You Said – Sometimes it’s difficult to manage audience members in the AA seats and boxes when performers ask them to stand and dance.
We Did – In the short-term we have reviewed our risk assessment, and we will not be selling these seats for acts that encourage standing and dancing. We will install retracting barrier tape to prevent audience members migrating down into this area. Whilst this is achievable for shows where tickets have yet to be sold, there will be a transition process for shows that have already sold and we are unable to relocate audience members. In the longer term we are investing in a new balustrade which will go round the entire circle and boxes. Whilst we are progressing this as fast as possible, unfortunately we are in the hands of specialist engineers, building control, and conservation officers due to the age and nature of our building.
You Said – Sometimes the theatre is too hot, sometimes it’s too cold!
We Did – Managing temperature in old theatres is challenging as there are so many variables. Duty Managers need more localised control so that temperature can be managed more effectively during performances. We have commissioned an electrical engineer to install new controls so that our air extract fans (in the roof space) can be controlled locally by Duty Managers to cool the theatre if required. Once winter approaches, we will provide similar control for the heating system.
You Said – Can we recruit more volunteers suitable for our wide range of shows?
We Did – We have launched a general volunteer recruitment campaign. In addition, we are focussing on December daytime availability, and attempting to attract more males of all ages, and as well as more younger volunteers.
You Said – Can we sell a wider range of flavours of ice cream?
We Did – Choice has been increased to 4 flavours as a trial. As with everything in life there is more to this than first meets the eye… The historical reason for limiting the number of flavours was for customer service reasons to minimise queue size – as we found with too much choice the person buying the ice-cream often forgot what their order was or had to shout across the theatre back to their seats!!!! We have tried to counter this by more information about flavour options on the projector screen and in programs. We’ll see how it goes!
You Said – We’re not sure what trustees do.
We Did –The role of trustees was included at the recent Thankyou & Feedback event. The charity will be launching adverts for new trustees to join the Board from September soon. The campaign material will include a full guide to all trustee roles and responsibilities. If anyone ever wants to know more please contact [email protected] at any time.
💻 New Membership Software – One Month Away From Launch 💻
We’ve been working hard to prepare our new membership software for launch. All being well, we will go live on 1st July and staff, members and volunteers will have access to a secure system that will:
Automate annual payment. If you have a standing order, we will be asking you to cancel it once the new system is launched.
(New Membership Fees will be applied when the system launches - £20 for adults, all others remaining unchanged)
Use existing membership data, you’ll be able log-in at any time and update your own details (address etc) .
Provide a secure internal website, accessible only to volunteers, members and staff via a link on the main website.
Enable you to find information more easily about what’s going on, upcoming events / training, and useful documents.
We’ll be sharing more information in the coming weeks.
‼️ Trustee & Chair Vacancies ‼️
Next month we will be launching the application process to become a trustee. The Board has 12 seats and by the September AGM we will have 4 vacancies. If you have the skills and time to offer, and are interested in exploring the rewards being a trustee can bring, please contact [email protected] who will be delighted to provide a trustee pack and arrange a meet up.
Please note – these are unpaid voluntary roles.
👍 Please Like and Share!! 👍
A quick note from the face behind Footlights Facebook, Debbie Satterly:
Hi! A huge THANK YOU to everybody who likes, shares and comments on the Lancaster Footlights page and the Footlights posts on the Lancaster Grand website and Facebook. We know from research that many of our audience find out about shows online.
If you use Facebook at all (and I fully appreciate that not everybody does!!) please follow the Grand and Footlights pages and take a moment to like and share, maybe even comment on the posts. The more you interact, the more people will see our content and the more people will know about and come to watch our shows, join our tours, come along to workshops and auditions.
What's even more powerful is if you tell someone about the great stuff happening at Lancaster Footlights - virtually or in person - word of mouth really does work wonders!
📫 We’re Looking For New Volunteers – Can You Help By Distributing Leaflets? 📫
It’s National Volunteers week on 2nd to 8th June (https://volunteersweek.org), celebrating the immense contribution volunteers make across every aspect of society. We certainly couldn’t operate the Grand without our amazing volunteers.
As we have recently run our own Thank You & Feedback evening, we are not participating directly in the national week, but we are using its significance as a launchpad for our latest recruitment. Whilst we have an amazing cohort of volunteers, we still have key areas we need to fill to ensure volunteering remains sustainable and enjoyable for all.
We are always looking for additional volunteers for daytime schools’ pantomimes in December, and we’ve recognised it would be great to have more male and younger volunteers, so our overall cohort is representative of the wide range of shows we host.
So, we will be undertaking our normal campaign on-line and using social media, supplementing it with additional leaflets aimed at attracting more male and younger volunteers. If you have a few hours available to assist with the campaign, and specifically leaflet distribution to some key locations in the District, please contact [email protected]
🚗 Canal Quarter Update – What Is Happening To The Local Car Parks And When? 🚗
Trustees met with Lancaster City Councillors and Officers on 29 May. The Council have put together a range of measures aimed at offsetting the reduction in spaces if both St Leonardsgate car parks are eventually built on. The Grand, and Lancaster BID, have had a chance to give feedback on the proposals, and Councillors will be taking a paper to Cabinet in July. Once we know which measures have been approved, and the proposed phasing of works (i.e. ensuring mitigations are completed before any car parks near the theatre are closed) we will be in a better position to understand the potential impact on the Grand and how we respond.
Things have improved significantly from the position two years ago, but we are still working hard to ensure the charity remains unaffected, and potentially even sees benefit from the wider improvement works to an area of the city that so desperately needs it.
The first stage of the Canal Quarter plan (building on the Nelson St car park near the town hall) will go through planning soon and we will be lodging an objection on the basis that it’s the first stage of a wider plan that will impact on car parking, and in the absence of any mitigations or other improvements, we have a duty to protect the charity.
💭 Support, Surprises And Success! 💭
Freddie Markham was charming, persuasive, encouraging – and thoroughly professional. Clearly, he had done this before, with much success, and had a well-established routine. We were told not to rush - but to prepare well. The first step was to establish a ‘Special Appeals Committee’ which had to include people other than Footlights Officers – it was Chaired by Professor Tom Lawrenson, Professor of Theatre Studies at Lancaster University, and included the Secretary of the Civic Society, Geoffrey Burnstone, and other well known figures from the local amateur societies. We were then tasked with drawing up a list of people we knew who might be interested in supporting the appeal – Club members, Patrons (of which we still had around 100 in those days), members of the other amateur groups etc. with a view to inviting them to a special presentation evening. We sent out over 300 invitations to a ‘Buffet Information Evening’ which was held in a marquee on the theatre car park on 4th July, 1979, and were pleasantly surprised when so many people arrived.
The buffet (on Freddie’s advice, this was quite a spread!) was followed by the information evening in the theatre itself. Ray Langley, as President, Jill Betjemann as Chairman, as I, as Treasurer, all gave speeches outlining the purpose of the evening – and, although he didn’t speak personally, all the speeches were carefully written by Freddie himself. He was very clear about the procedure – we were not to ask people to make donations there and then – we invited them to show their interest by filling in a form by which they agreed to a visit from one of the Appeals Committee members.
The scheme was based on 7 year covenanted giving – a precursor of Gift Aid. We were asking people to commit to what was pretty much a legal commitment to give a sum of money to the Appeal for 7 years – and if they did, we would be able to claim back the income tax they had paid on their donations. The rate of income tax was 30% - so every pound donated resulted in £1.43 to the Appeal. Freddie produced endless charts to show how effective this was – for example, a covenant of £1000 over the 7 years (about £12 per month) would contribute a total of c£1300 to the Appeal. Over 98% of the people who supported the scheme used this method – others made one-off payments as donations. Freddie had asked the members of the Special Appeals Committee to make their donations first – so that when the visitors went out they could say that over £32000 had already been promised – more than 40% of the appeal target.
Those of us who volunteered to be the visitors were given training by Freddie – we knew exactly what to say and what questions were likely to arise. The visitors were very busy – and none more so than Margaret Samuels, who did an incredible number of visits and was a real inspiration to the rest of us! We had to report back to Freddie at the theatre every evening, so that we could keep the total of our successes updated and collect our next ‘visit’ cards. We only had a few weeks to complete the visits – we needed to keep the momentum up so that we’d be able to announce a final total before Freddie’s contract was up. And by that time, not only had we reached the target – thanks to Freddie’s organisation, the commitment, energy and enthusiasm of the visitors and all members of the Appeals Committee, and, of course, to all those who agreed to take out the covenants – we reached the staggering total of £125000! The very glossy brochure which Freddie had organised listed the schedule of improvements and the costs: these included total restoration of the cottages, improvements to the dressing rooms and stage lighting, the provision of a motorised safety curtain (much to the relief of stage managers!) restaging of the circle seating, new carpets and curtains in the auditorium, restoration of the two boxes, improvements to toilets and complete redecoration internally and externally.
To achieve all this as quickly as possible, we needed to arrange a bridging loan with a local bank – and fortunately, the Manager involved was the father of one of our junior members, and he was very helpful. Using the covenants as security, we were able to spend money for 3 years, and use the remaining 4 years to repay the loan. And, just as Freddie had predicted – it worked! So much so that, by July 1982 we were ready to re-open in time to mark the bicentenary of The Grand with a Royal visit.
Next time : a Royal visit – and more Grand plans!
✏️ Jottings ✏️
Summary of Board Meeting on 6th May
Redesigned website
Kerry Tenbey demonstrated the new theatre website, which matches our new design style and offers more content and better functionality, including closer integration with the ticket booking system and capturing more customer data to help us build a loyal customer base. Kerry was thanked for her hard work.
Lancaster University
A group of marketing students conducted a survey to see how the Grand could appeal to that community. Only 50% of students were aware of our theatre, and the group made a number of useful suggestions.
Volunteers Week
We are looking to collaborate with Lancaster CVS to promote opportunities for volunteering in our theatre.
Ticket Prices
Tickets for all Footlights shows will increase by £1 from July with the launch of the new brochure.
Theatre Manager's Report
Ellie said that bookings had been quiet over Easter, but sales so far this year had been very strong. Two additional ice cream flavours were to be trialled. It was thought we could do more to reach out to our local communities; this was referred to the Heritage & Culture sub group.
Trustees
A number of trustees will step down at the AGM, so we will be inviting applications both internally and externally.
Canal Quarter and Musicians Co-op
A trench will be dug in our car park in late July to allow the Co-op to connect to the drain that runs through there. The board is still awaiting a meeting with the council to learn what alternative car parking will be provided if St Leonardsgate is built on. We are also collaborating on this with other local businesses through BID.
Finance
Charles Willett reported that we are in a strong financial position; the first four months had generated the same profit as had the first five months of last year. Planned expenditure was continuing on the scenery dock and on theatre lighting. We hoped for grant funding for a new accessible hearing system.
Theatre Refurbishment
Mike Hardy reported that the fire doors would be upgraded in June or July. Survey and design work was progressing on a pit lift, replacing the circle balustrade and raising the AA seats, replacing the auditorium seats and flooring, and refurbishing the toilets.
Production Committee
Kris Williams reported that Bouncers and Shakers had been a success. A new Director and Producer Production Planning Guide had been developed. The programme for the northern conference of the Little Theatre Guild to be held at the Grand in October had been approved.
Membership
The new online membership software is planned to be introduced in July.
Tours, Talks and Heritage
An expanded sub group will be meeting to look at how this activity can be increased.
The next board meeting will be on 17th June. Send any issues you would like to raise to the Secretary - [email protected]
Thank you for reading the monthly Footnote. Contributions are welcome from the whole Footlights & Grand Theatre community.
