The cast of last year's production of Oliver
Great shows that help good causes
By by Halima FradleyMarch 06, 2008
Starburst Theatre proves you do not have to be in a professional company to take part in quality productions.
Starburst has gone from strength to strength since it was formed in 1995, mainly due to the commitment of its members and the talent of its casts, all aged eight or over.
Its aim has always been to raise money for children in need. The company started in 1991 with the name of Make-A-Wish Drama Society, under the auspices of the Make-A-Wish Foundation charity.
As its success grew, it changed its name to Starburst Theatre Company and began donating the money it made to other children’s charities, as well as Make-A-Wish.
In 2005, the theatre became a charity in its own right, allowing it to donate directly to the children who need it.
Manager Caz Robertson said: “The amount raised over the years makes a grand total of £60,000. We are expanding our fundraising and including other activities, such as quiz nights, although the theatre will always be our main focus.”
Recent beneficiaries include Saxon Wood special school at Basingstoke, which received communication equipment for four of its pupils.
A mural was painted for Frimley Children’s Centre, which was also provided with physiotherapy steps and the charity paid for much of the work on the new sensory garden at Henry Tyndale School, Farnborough.
“We can help individuals, too,” Caz added. “We have just paid for an occupational therapy report required by a young boy to allow him to attend a special school as his parents couldn’t afford it. We are looking into providing specialist equipment for a disabled girl to allow her to ski.
“Specific items are usually provided rather than money. We are always looking for children up to the age of about 18 who need assistance. All they have to do is fill out a form. Then we see whether it fits our criteria.”
Starburst puts on at least two shows a year — a pantomime at Christmas and a musical in the summer. Comedy plays are also occasionally staged.
Members are hard at work on the next production, The Wizard of Oz, which will be showing at the theatre’s regular venue, the Harlington Centre in Fleet, in June.
As business manager Shaun Garrett pointed out, there’s plenty going on besides acting.
With everyone involved holding down jobs, studying and coping with life’s other commitments, it’s quite an achievement to get everything ready in the time available.
First task is choosing the play, which entails checking a script is available for hire and that it will not be too expensive.
“Some plays have restrictions,” said Caz. “For example, they could be currently touring or, like Joseph, only available to schools. Others might be difficult because they need a large number of good dancers.
“Then we have to check whether there are any other groups in the area doing the same show. Last but not least, we have to consider the cost.
“Some plays like Singin’ in the Rain are expensive because they need special equipment — a rain machine costing £7,000 to hire, for instance. Peter Pan would be a good choice for us, but the necessary theatre construction for flying makes it too costly and impractical.”
Once the show is chosen, and the script hired, auditions are advertised. Hopefuls take part in a read-through to see what the play is like and consider what part they might be suited to.
Caz said: “Sometimes we get people who only want to be in a particular play or who will only audition for one specific part, such as Nancy in Oliver.”
Shaun added: “We have to choose plays that have lots of fun parts for youngsters, as the majority of our actors are under 18. The casting takes many hours because we want to get it right and have a lot to get through. For the Wizard of Oz we auditioned 70 children for 30 parts as Munchkins.
“Then everything has to be doubled up, as we need two teams of actors because of the rules governing how long and often children can appear on stage.”
If you’re a man aged between 20 and 50 you will be welcomed with open arms, as this is an age group from which the theatre finds difficult to recruit.
“We are always short of men,” said Caz. “When the boys get to a certain age, they start to have other commitments like studying and girlfriends. Men tend to be more reluctant to join. Whether they have too many other commitments or are worried about the singing and dancing I don’t know, but it can cause casting problems.”
With the casting done, rehearsals begin and it’s full steam ahead organising sets, costumes, props and everything else to do with the production.
“We need people to direct and produce and to do the administrative tasks, too,” said Shaun. “We have to have chaperones for the children, at a ratio of one to 12.
“On the practical side, we’re very lucky as we have talented artists who can paint scenery, and dressmakers to make the costumes, as well as carpenters and the ‘techie’ people who know how to rig up lighting and sound. We have a graphic designer who works on our flyers and tickets, and we all do our bit backstage as necessary.”
A week before the show opens, the company rehearses in the venue for the first time. The first rehearsal allows the technical people to match the lighting and sound to the action and make sure the sets work correctly.
This is followed by two dress rehearsals, one for each team, and one or two ‘call backs’ where sections which are not quite right are perfected.
Caz said: “We have a pot of money available for each production, but this has to be reimbursed after the show. It has to cover everything, including script hire, for which we don’t receive a discount just because we’re a charity.
“Anything left over at the end is what we donate to our causes. We aim to raise £2,000 to £3,000 per show. Panto is usually cheaper to put on and attracts a bigger audience, plus we do slightly more shows. Musicals are more expensive, with fewer shows, so they are not so productive financially.”
Although most shows boast capacity audiences — Aladdin attracted 1,600 people over its seven performances last Christmas — not all the income comes from ticket sales.
Front of house — selling programmes, raffle tickets, sweets and souvenirs — adds to the proceeds and a collection is held at each show.
Caz said: “Naturally, we try to save money as far as possible — we can repaint our sets, or ‘flats’ as they are called, and use them again. Sometimes we recycle our costumes, particularly for panto. But perhaps the most tricky area is that of footwear, although some people help by buying their own. We try to match the teams in size as far as possible so we don’t have to have two sets of clothing and shoes.”
Staburst’s traditional home is the Harlington Centre but the company would like to have other venues available, to allow it to do longer runs.
Shaun explained: “We need large venues with good facilities. It is particularly difficult at Christmas, as good venues get booked by professional companies.”
The Wizard of Oz is six weeks into rehearsals, with director Pete Woodford and his choreographer wife Liz working flat out to get the cast into shape. Meanwhile, producers Caz and Shaun are making sure the behind-the-scenes organisation is on schedule.
Shaun said: “It is a bit like a duck in the water — the directors are the body you can see bobbing along, while the producers are the legs paddling like mad under the water.”
The hard work is worth it, as the company has a well-deserved reputation for shows of the highest quality.
“We want to get away from the term ‘amateur’ as anything we do is as good as professional theatre and people tell us that,” said Shaun. “We are members of NODA — the National Operatic and Drama Assoc-iation — and it does critiques every so often.
“Everything they have seen has been well received and the critic who saw our production of Oliver! said that, apart from in the West End, it was the best he had ever seen.”
Some members go on to greater things. One former Starburst actor appeared in West End productions of Bugsy Malone and Scrooge and is now in Mary Poppins. Another recently made her transfer to the West End — not bad going for a charity set up with the simple goal of raising money for children.
If you are aged eight or over and would like to join Starburst, call 07011 000782, or visit www.starburst-theatre.org.uk
Membership costs £20 a year and rehearsals are held at The Samuel Cody School, North Camp, on Sundays.
The Wizard of Oz is at the Harlington Centre, Fleet from June 13 until June 15. Call the box office on 01252 774466.
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