How Many?!?
The NODA District 2 Award nominations are out and Bispham CastAways has received a total of FOURTEEN nominations!! We’re now all looking forward to the awards evening on February 24th… keep your fingers crossed for us!
World Debut Success
The world debut of CastAways own Linda McKenzie’s thoughtful and surprising play, Memories, was a big success across the three performances on the 31st of March and the 1st of April! Audiences were treated to surprising twists and turns with an ending that left some in tears. Linda’s first play was also a directorial debut for Lesley Amos who did a great job with a play that needed restraint. Everyone at Bispham CastAways looks forward to seeing what these two talented ladies do next!
And the winner is…
What a wonderful evening at the NODA North West District 2 Awards at The Imperial Hotel! Bispham CastAways had an unbelievable 11 nominations and the group got their first ever winner. The amazing Hayley Price (also a Trustee and Deputy Business Manager) picked up the award for Best Leading Performance in a pantomime for her portrayal of Toto in The Wicked Witches of Oz by Peter Nuttall. It was very well deserved and she now goes onto the North West regional awards. Everyone is wishing her all the luck in the world!
And there’s more!!!
Even more nominations poured in for the CastAways following the release of the NODA North West District 2 nominations relating to pantomimes! A further 5 nominations were announced for the CastAways all from their production of The Wicked Witches Of Oz by Peter Nuttall. They were:
- Best Pantomime – The Wicked Witches of Oz
- Best Director of a Pantomime – Harry Chambers – The Wicked Witches Of Oz
- Best Pantomime Dame – Ian Dodd – Momby/Aunty Em – The Wicked Witches Of Oz
- Best Pantomime Villain – Susan Hope – Edna/Wicked Witch of the West – The Wicked Witches Of Oz
- Best Leading Performance in a Pantomime – Hayley Price – Toto – The Wicked Witches of Oz
This brought the nominations at the upcoming NODA awards to a massive ELEVEN for Bispham CastAways… what an amazing achievement!!
What a great night of murder!
There were oooohs, aahs, laughs and gasps as Bispham CastAways performed their interactive murder mystery, Cruise of Carnage by Belladonna Mysteries, across two nights on April 8th and 9th 2022. Everyone had a great time helped by a lovely hot pot supper. There were winners and lots of ”I told you so’s” going around as the killer was revealed. We can’t wait for the next one!
CastAways on Your Lancashire
A group of seven members had a great time being interviewed by Garry Scott on BBC Radio Lancashire on the 21st of October about the community theatre group and upcoming pantomime. The episode is still available on BBC Sounds, so get listening now!
COVID-19 Update
The trustees of Bispham CastAways took the decision to shut it’s doors during the worldwide pandemic to do it’s bit to stop the spread of the disease. This means that all Sunday rehearsals have been cancelled and our next play, “Bed Socks and Blackpool Rock” by Sharon Sinclair, has been postponed. We are actively trying to support our members through this difficult time, especially as we have a number of vulnerable and at risk members as well as some who are key workers. We are ensuring that communication is kept open and many members have been amazing at offering help to those who are in difficulty. We would like to thank all our members and supporters for their understanding and backing during this time and will continue to keep people updated on further developments. Good luck to everyone…
Stay strong, follow government guidance, stay healthy, be kind and supportive to all!
Oh what a night!
All 30 CastAways members and their partners who came out for the NODA North West Region 2 Awards evening on the 29th of February 2020 had a lovely evening, filling a long table with laughter all night. Although the Grand hotel did let the night down with problems encountered with the food, service, bar and access, the CastAways set out to have fun and made the night their own. Still amazed that they had received eight nominations in their first full year with NODA, they clapped and shouted for everyone. Their own Tara Stott did a turn onstage singing for the hundreds who attended, to massive applause. They know how lucky they are to have such an amazing group of talented people and hope to have an even better awards night in 2021!
Nominations Galore
Everyone at Bispham CastAways are currently buzzing after receiving a total of eight NODA North-West Region 2 Awards nominations, covering an impressive three out of the four of their productions performed in 2019. The CastAways nominations were for the following:
- Best supporting actor in a drama – Dave McChrystal as Alex Art in Brutal Biology
- Best actress in a drama – Sue Hope as Mrs Austin in Beside The Seaside
- Best supporting actor in a Panto – Dave McChrystal as Cheryl in Cinderella
- Best supporting actor in a Panto – Dominic Bradley as Beryl in Cinderella
- Best supporting actress in a Panto – Sharon Sinclair as Lady Devillia Hardup in Cinderella
- Most entertaining in a Panto – Adam Smithson as Bispham Bronco in Cinderella
- Best ensemble drama – Brutal Biology
- Best pantomime – Cinderella
We wish to thank all our members for their hard work over the year to create such a successful four productions. Good luck to everyone at the awards evening on the 29th of February!
Pantomime Success
Bispham CastAways performances of Cinderella by Ben Crocker went down an absolute treat with two very appreciative audiences! The acting was superb and included onstage debuts from Tara Stott as Cinderella, Emma Jelley as Prince Charming, Jennifer Maycock as Snatch and Adam Smithson as Bispham Bronco. The set and a lot of props had been lovingly hand produced through hours of hard work by the extremely talented Gary Tunnicliffe. An amazing amount of sound, lighting and special effects had taken further hours of dedicated searching, sourcing, building and creating by the fabulous Ian Fleetwood. This was a true group effort for the CastAways who are all extremely proud of the fairytale pantomime they created!