Directed by Mike Baulch

Co-produced by Amanda Thomas & Rosie Reid

The Anglo Cypriot Theatre group (ACT) will again this year be entertaining Nicosia audiences with its annual traditional Christmas pantomime. This year ACT will be performing one of the classic pantomimes, Aladdin. Audiences will be transported to the mystical land of China. A silly vizier, an evil Abanazar, a beautiful princess, a powerful genie, an incredible lad named Aladdin and his ravishing (?) mum, Widow Twankey, all come together for an exhilarating ride through bazaars, caves of jewels, palaces and even the odd Chinese laundry. In the best of panto traditions Aladdin has hilarious topical jokes, comic antics, a touch of romance, great singing and dancing, amazing costumes, and, of course, plenty of opportunities for the audience to get involved and join in the fun.

There will be seven performances at the Russian Cultural Centre, Nicosia as follows:

Saturday 3 December 3.00pm & 7.30pm

Friday 9 December 7.30pm

Saturday 10 December 3.00pm & 7.30pm

Sunday 11 December 11.00am & 3.00pm

Tickets € 12 (€ 6 children up to 12 years on Sat 3rd 3.00pm & 7.30pm and Sun 11th 11.00am)

Tickets available at the theatre from 21 November (Monday-Friday) 4.00pm-6.00pm or
phone Business Manager on 22 329293. Tickets sell fast so it is recommended to book early.

ALADDIN

Directed by Mike Baulch

Co-produced by Amanda Thomas & Rosie Reid

To be held at St. Paul’s Cathedral Hall, Byron Avenue, Nicosia on Saturday 17 September

Children (8–12) at 2.00 p.m.

Adults (13 upwards) at 3.00 p.m.

Performances will be at the Russian Cultural Centre on 3/4/9/10/11 December.

All are welcome.  Please call 99065341 or 99586192 for further information.

The Characters

ABANAZAR (Male) Traditional pantomime baddie; sinister and nasty through and through. Major role.

SLAVE OF (Female)   Fairy character, very polite & obliging.

THE RING Medium role.

ALADDIN (Female)   Principal Boy. Brash , impetuous, yet not always as brave as he might like to think. Major role.

WIDOW TWANKEY The Dame.

WISHEE WASHEE (Male) Assistant to Widow Twankey. Cheeky chappie. Lots of inter-action with audience. Major comic part.

GRAND VIZIER (Male)   Head of the Emperor’s household. Pompous, fussy and dithery. Medium role

THE EMPEROR (Male)   Elderly, Colonel Blimp type. Autocratic father. Large comic role.

THE PRINCESS (Female)   The Principal Girl. Young and romantic

MOON FLOWER Resists her father’s strict regime. Large role.

HI WEI (Female)   Governess to the Princess. Outwardly strict, but with a soft centre. Large role.

THE GENIE (Male/Female)   Character part which can be played in many ways. Medium role.

SENIOR CHORUS (Male and Female)   Citizens of Peking, but also appear variously as Cleaning Ladies, Emperor’s Guards, Slaves to Abanazar, and members of Prince Aladdin’s retinue. Some lines and two/three song and dance routines.

JUNIOR CHORUS (Boys and Girls)   Children of Peking and members of Prince Aladdin’s retinue. Some lines and two song and dance routines. Minimum age 8 years

Following ACT’s very successful production of Agatha Christie’s ‘The Mousetrap’ in 2010, there was a surplus of unsold T-shirts that had been especially made for the production. Rather than allow these shirts to deteriorate in storage, ACT decided to put them to better use. Thus recently two shipments of shirts (around 350 in total) were sent to Sri Lanka and Zambia. The former was to help clothe victims of recent major floods in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka. And the Zambia shipment was to the Damiano-Lutanda Academy in Mufulira, set up to rescue street children from the abuse of drugs, alcohol and other related problems including HIV/AIDS by encouraging them to take up sports instead.

ACT has received profound thanks from the associations in these countries who have organized the distribution of the shirts to those in need.

Every year, part of ACT’s proceeds from the season’s productions are donated to charities and associations.

ACT is delighted to present its forthcoming production of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.

Performances will take place at:

• The Russian Cultural Center, Alasias Street, Nicosia (directions, map) on March 16,17,18,19 2011 at 8pm;
• Skala Theatre, 15 Kyriakou Matsi Street, Larnaca 6015 on March 24th and 25th 2011 at 8pm (Formerly called the Attikon Cinema; map)

Tickets are €15 each and can be bought from the  Soloneion Bookshop (for Nicosia Nights) or at the door on the night.

Reservations +357 97 738 522 or by emailing tickets@act.org.cy.

Patrons are advised that this production may not be suitable for children under 12.

The Anglo-Cypriot Theatre (ACT) will be holding open auditions for this exciting production on Saturday 8 January at 3pm and Monday 10 January at 7.30pm at St Paul’s Church Hall, Byron Avenue, Nicosia (map).   New members welcome.

The play will be performed in March 2010 with rehearsals starting in January.  ACT is planning to have 4 performances in Nicosia and 2 in Larnaca.

For further information please contact the director on +35799944729  or email the director on director@act.org.cy.

Synopsis

Ten strangers are lured to an island mansion by the mysterious U.N. Owen. Over dinner a record begins to play. An unknown voice accuses each guest of harbouring a guilty secret, and the guests soon realise that a killer is amongst them …

The Cast†

• Rogers – A manservant, middle-aged;
• Mrs Rogers – A housekeeper, middle-aged;
• Narracott – A fisherman, any age;
• Vera Claythorne – A good-looking woman, 25-ish;
• Philip Lombard – An attractive young man, 34-ish;
• Anthony Marston – A young man, 23-ish;
• William Blore – A middle-aged man, thickset;
• General Mackenzie – An old, upright soldier;
• Emily Brent – A tall thin spinster;
• Sir Lawrence Wargrave – A High Court Judge, 50-60;
• Dr Armstrong – A good-looking man, 44-ish;

† Note from the Director:  Some of the male roles could become female as this is a contemporary piece.

Anglo-Cypriot Theatre (ACT) and Xmas Productions are very proud to announce that the world famous production of THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES was a great success in Cyprus where it was performed in October/November 2010, with full houses at every performance in Nicosia, Larnaca and Limassol.  The reaction from the public has been overwhelmingly positive with a number of persons coming to see the show twice – even three times – in the same or different cities.  Both men and women said they enjoyed the show, and  women in particular said that they got so much out of listening to these personal intimate stories  – prompting them to ask “and what about me?”  One lady exclaimed “I am so thankful that all of you could say these things that I cannot”.

But THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES is not simply a theatrical performance on women’s relationship with their vaginas and themselves.  As hundreds of women also shared their stories of rape, incest, domestic violence and humiliation, it became clear to writer Eve Ensler that something needed to be done to stop the violence against women and girls and the silence around it.  All over the world each year, funds from the performances are distributed to local shelters and rape-crisis centers, awareness campaigns and initiatives aimed at empowering women to take an active role within their communities.

In line with this concept of social engagement surrounding THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES, ACT and Xmas Productions have chosen to provide support to the following associations working with women and girls in Cyprus. They each work on different issues affecting women in this society.  Cyprus Family Planning Association provides educational, clinical and counseling services on sexual and reproductive health rights for all women and girls living in Cyprus; KISA strives to assist migrant women claim their rights including when they are subject to violence and to facilitate their integration and participation in the society; Association for the Prevention and Handling of  Violence in the Family provides a crisis center, an emergency hotline and a shelter for battered women.

The production organisers have raised awareness of these associations and their work through the production publicity and through the programmes distributed at all the shows. And now they are very pleased to announce that the net benefits of the production totaling over €6000 will be donated equally to each organisation in order to help them continue and advance their valuable work in Cyprus.

More information on the different organisations involved can be obtained on the  following websites:   www.cyfamplan.org, www.kisa.org.cy, www.domviolence.org.cy,  info@act.org.cy

It’s  time once more for ACT’s very popular Christmas pantomime, and this year we will be showing a unique performance of Red Riding Hood.

Will the Dame fall in love this year too, and with whom?  And what are piglets and chicks doing with Riding Hood, Granny and the wolf?

To find out, come and see Red Riding Hood at the Russian Cultural Centre.

Saturday 4 December (3pm & 7.30pm)  /  Sunday 5 December (3pm)  /  Friday 10 December (7.30pm)  /  Saturday 11 December (3pm & 7:30pm)  /  Sunday 12 December (3pm)

Tickets:  €12   –    Special offer:  €6 for children aged 2-12 years on 4/5 December only.

Reservations:  Call Business Manager at 22329293  / Purchase & collect:  From 22 November  at the Russian Cultural Centre between 4-6pm.

You can find directions to the theatre here.

facebook - Red Riding Hood Pantomime

The Vagina Monologues premiered with great success on Friday 8 October 2010 at the Anoichto Theatro in Old Nicosia. The first weekend of the world famous production in Cyprus enjoyed full houses with men and women of all ages and nationalities.

“I did not know what to expect”, said one lady at the intermission, “it is a real eye-opener”. “All men should come and see this production, they will learn a lot” said a gentleman after the first performance.

Only one more weekend left in Nicosia, so don’t miss this opportunity to see the show on Fri 15th, Sat 16th or Sun 17th October 2010.

If you cannot make the Nicosia performances you can also catch the production at Theatro Ena in Limassol on the 29th, 30th & 31st October 2010 or at Intercollege in Larnaca on the 5th and 6th of November 2010.

All shows start at 8.30pm – free seating so please come early.

Tickets: €15 Programmes: €3 (correct change appreciated to speed up long line) Proceeds will go to local non-profit organisations working with women in Cyprus.

Ticket booking for Nicosia +357 22329293 or +357 99924363 or email tickets@act.org.cy

Ticket booking for Larnaca & Limassol +357 96837281.

ACT is delighted to announce that its next production will be The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler. The Vagina Monologues are a series of 16 monologues based on activist Ensler’s interviews with over 200 women. Each monologue relates somehow to some aspect of the vagina, with recurring themes throughout the piece being the vagina as a tool of female empowerment, and the ultimate embodiment of individuality.

This production calls for up to 12 women of all ages. Auditions will be held at L’Ecole Francaise Arthur Rimbaud (The Arthur Rimbaud French School), 17 Ayiou Marona, Nicosia (next to the Maronite  Church, Paphos Gate; map here) on the following dates:

• Tuesday 15th June 2010 from 19:00 to 21:00;
• Sunday 20th June 2010 from 17:00 to 19:00.

Rehearsals are due to start the first week of September 2010.

Performances will take place in the cosy and intimate Open Theatre (Ανοιχτο Θεατρο) in Old Nicosia, on the following dates:

• Friday 8 October 2010
• Saturday 9 September 2010
• Sunday 10 October 2010
• Friday 15 October 2010
• Saturday 16 October 2010
• Sunday 17 October 2010

ACT entered the 2010 Rosebowl Festival with “Tried and Tested Methods” by Sandra Goddard, directed by Graham Thomas. We came away empty-handed, but were rewarded with many laughs from a full house and good remarks from the adjudicator, Mr. David Thomas. We’d like to offer our warmest congratulations to the 2010 trophy winners:

• Rosebowl Trophy (adults): Stage One Theatre with An Englishman Abroad by Alan Bennett;
• Rosebud Trophy (under 18s): St. Johns School with Bang Out of Order by Johnny Carrington & Danny Sturrock;
• Adjucators Pot: Stage One Youth Theatre with Hi-Fi Spy, or What the Butler Didn’t See by Richard Tyderman;
• David Thomas Trophy (Best Actors): Sue Crawshaw and Geoff Grevey from Stage One Theatre;
• Waistcoat Trophy (Best Set): Stage One/Stage One Youth.

See you all in 2011!