“Clean Sweep” cancelled

Because we are not yet allowed any visitors or spectators at the Rec Centre, the Franklin Players committee had taken it upon themselves to clean up the backstage, basement and garage once more. Great strides were made but we have been asked to suspend our actions due to renovations. Tenants were asked to suspend their rental payments for June but as yet we have seen no movement in relation to the renovations. We promise to keep you up-to-date regarding any new developments in the nearby future.

We hope that you are staying safe and healthy. 
Our thanks for your continued support!
 
Els De Bundel
Chairperson
The Franklin Players Community Theatre

Did you know?

• The longest running overall show in West End history is The Mousetrap, with over 27,000 performances.
• The longest running musical in the West End is Les Misérables, with over 13,000 performances.
• Since Phantom of the Opera opened on Broadway, 300 custom made masks have been used.
• Another iconic show is Wicked – a prequel of sorts to the Wizard of Oz, and based on the book by Gregory Maguire, its protagonist’s name actually comes from the initials of its predecessor’s author. L. Frank Baum = L F B = Elphaba.
• Speaking of Wicked, it also pays tribute to the Wizard of Oz musically, as disguised versions the first seven notes of Somewhere Over the Rainbow are featured in the show’s ongoing ‘Unlimited’ theme.
• The honour of the most Tony Awards ever received by a single musical is still held by The Producers.
• The West End show with the most Oliver awards is Matilda.

A day in history

JUNE 29 – THE GLOBE THEATRE BURNS DOWN

The Globe Theatre, where most of Shakespeare’s plays debuted, burned down on June 29, 1613 as a result of staged cannon fire during a performance of “Henry VIII” ignited a fire.

The Globe was built by Shakespeare’s acting company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, in 1599 from the timbers of London’s very first permanent theatre, Burbage’s Theatre, built in 1576. Before James Burbage built his theatre, plays and dramatic performances were ad hoc affairs, performed on street corners and in the yards of inns. However, the Common Council of London, in 1574, started licensing theatrical pieces performed in inn yards within the city limits. To escape the restriction, actor James Burbage built his own theatre on land he leased outside the city limits. When Burbage’s lease ran out, the Lord Chamberlain’s men moved the timbers to a new location and created the Globe.

 
Like other theatres of its time, the Globe was a round wooden structure with a stage at one end, and covered balconies for the gentry. The galleries could seat about 1,000 people, with room for another 2,000 “groundlings,” who could stand on the ground around the stage.
 
The first play performed at the Globe was Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar.” Over the next 14 years, many of his most famous plays, including “Hamlet,” “Twelfth Night,” “King Lear” and “Macbeth,” would be performed there.
 
Above the main entrance was a sign saying “Totus mundus agit histrionem,” which roughly translates as “all the world’s a playhouse” or “all the world’s a stage,” a reference to the line in “As You Like It.”

Sources:

• https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-globe-theater-burns-down
• http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/May-June-08/On-this-Day–Shakespeare-s-Globe-Theatre-Burns-Down

Current shows on circuit

• My Children! My Africa!
  DRAMA at SA State Theatre, Pretoria
  From 16 June 2021 (R100)

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to our May and June bunnies, belated and still coming.