Beeston Musical Theatre Group
Encyclopedia
Beeston Musical Theatre Group (BMTG for short), based at Beeston, Nottinghamshire
, are an amateur, non-profit organisation that perform musical shows and concerts at venues in and around Nottingham
, UK
.
Since 1967 Beeston Operatic Society has been entertaining Nottingham
audiences with musicals and concerts.
1967 saw the Society putting on a performance of The White Horse Inn
(later revived in 1977 and 1989) at a local school. It was to a very local audience but as popularity grew a move was made to the Co-op Arts Theatre in George Street, Nottingham. There they stayed until 2000, when the future of the theatre was in doubt. A move to the Duchess Theatre in Long Eaton
was finally made until a fire ravaged the building in 2003. Making a temporary move to Round Hill School in Beeston
.
In 2010, the decision was made to move back to the newly rebuilt and refurbished Duchess Theatre (Now known as The Chatsworth Centre). My Fair Lady
saw the return of BMTG to the venue in May 2011, and the company are currently rehearsing The Full Monty (musical)
to be performed there in November 2011.
. Committee members are voted for during an Annual General Meeting
and hold office for 2 years (with the exception of the President, which is 3 years).
The Society is non-profit making, a registered charity
and a Member of NODA (The National Operatic and Dramatic Association
).
Money to put on concerts and shows comes from a number of sources - Members and Patrons fees, ticket sales, grants and donations.
Every year the Group puts on a show and, approximately 6 months afterwards, a series of concerts are performed. They get regular press coverage and superb reviews.
).
These concerts normally take place half way between shows and allow the group to spend 6 months of the year working on their vocal abilities. Many of these performances are privately booked by local church groups, but some are available to the general public.
Recent concerts have included:
Beeston, Nottinghamshire
Beeston is a town in Nottinghamshire, England. It is southwest of Nottingham city centre. Although typically regarded as a suburb of the City of Nottingham, and officially designated as part of the Nottingham Urban Area, for local government purposes it is in the borough of Broxtowe, lying outside...
, are an amateur, non-profit organisation that perform musical shows and concerts at venues in and around Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
History
Until the end of 2002 the Group was known as Beeston Operatic Society or BOS for short. It was thought that the "operatic" part of the name was becoming misleading - an opera had never been performed by the Society in all its 35 years!Since 1967 Beeston Operatic Society has been entertaining Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
audiences with musicals and concerts.
1967 saw the Society putting on a performance of The White Horse Inn
The White Horse Inn
Im weißen Rößl is an operetta or musical comedy set in the picturesque Salzkammergut region of Upper Austria. It is about the head waiter of the White Horse Inn in St. Wolfgang who is desperately in love with the owner of the inn, a resolute young woman who at first only has eyes for one of her...
(later revived in 1977 and 1989) at a local school. It was to a very local audience but as popularity grew a move was made to the Co-op Arts Theatre in George Street, Nottingham. There they stayed until 2000, when the future of the theatre was in doubt. A move to the Duchess Theatre in Long Eaton
Long Eaton
Long Eaton is a town in Derbyshire, England. It lies just north of the River Trent about southwest of Nottingham and is part of the Nottingham Urban Area...
was finally made until a fire ravaged the building in 2003. Making a temporary move to Round Hill School in Beeston
Beeston, Nottinghamshire
Beeston is a town in Nottinghamshire, England. It is southwest of Nottingham city centre. Although typically regarded as a suburb of the City of Nottingham, and officially designated as part of the Nottingham Urban Area, for local government purposes it is in the borough of Broxtowe, lying outside...
.
In 2010, the decision was made to move back to the newly rebuilt and refurbished Duchess Theatre (Now known as The Chatsworth Centre). My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
saw the return of BMTG to the venue in May 2011, and the company are currently rehearsing The Full Monty (musical)
The Full Monty (musical)
The Full Monty is a musical with a book by Terrence McNally and score by David Yazbek.In this Americanized musical stage version adapted from the 1997 British film of the same name, six unemployed Buffalo steelworkers, low on both cash and prospects, decide to present a strip act at a local club...
to be performed there in November 2011.
How The Society Is Structured
The Group consists of Members (acting and non-acting) and Patrons and is run by a central CommitteeCommittee
A committee is a type of small deliberative assembly that is usually intended to remain subordinate to another, larger deliberative assembly—which when organized so that action on committee requires a vote by all its entitled members, is called the "Committee of the Whole"...
. Committee members are voted for during an Annual General Meeting
Annual general meeting
An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...
and hold office for 2 years (with the exception of the President, which is 3 years).
The Society is non-profit making, a registered charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
and a Member of NODA (The National Operatic and Dramatic Association
National Operatic and Dramatic Association
NODA has a membership of 2500 amateur theatre groups and 3000 individual enthusiasts throughout the UK, staging musicals, operas, plays, concerts and pantomimes in a wide variety of performing venues, ranging from the country’s leading professional theatres to tiny village halls.Founded in 1899,...
).
Money to put on concerts and shows comes from a number of sources - Members and Patrons fees, ticket sales, grants and donations.
Every year the Group puts on a show and, approximately 6 months afterwards, a series of concerts are performed. They get regular press coverage and superb reviews.
Being Charitable
The Society, as well as being a registered charity, does what it can for other charities - both "regular" charities and new ones in current need (for example, the fund to rebuild the Duchess Theatre). Special concerts, proceeds from social events and one-off donations go towards such funds.Past, Current & Planned Shows
Beeston Musical Theatre Group usually perform a show once a year. The following, in reverse chronological order, lists shows that have been performed, or are being planned.- 2012 - RentRent (musical)Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
- 2011 - The Full MontyThe Full Monty (musical)The Full Monty is a musical with a book by Terrence McNally and score by David Yazbek.In this Americanized musical stage version adapted from the 1997 British film of the same name, six unemployed Buffalo steelworkers, low on both cash and prospects, decide to present a strip act at a local club...
- 2011 - My Fair LadyMy Fair LadyMy Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
- 2010 - Little Shop of HorrorsLittle Shop of Horrors (musical)Little Shop of Horrors is a rock musical, by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, about a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood. The musical is based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Roger Corman...
- 2009 - Kiss Me, Kate
- 2007 - Annie Get Your GunAnnie Get Your Gun (musical)Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley , who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler.The 1946 Broadway production...
- 2006 - Viva Mexico
- 2006 - Jesus Christ SuperstarJesus Christ SuperstarJesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
- 2004 - The MikadoThe MikadoThe Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations...
- 2003 - KismetKismet (musical)Kismet is a musical with lyrics and musical adaptation by Robert Wright and George Forrest, adapted from the music of Alexander Borodin, and a book by Charles Lederer and Luther Davis, based on Kismet, the 1911 play by Edward Knoblock...
- 2002 - Me and My GirlMe and My GirlMe and My Girl is a musical with book and lyrics by Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose and music by Noel Gay. It takes place in the late 1930s in Hampshire, Mayfair, and Lambeth....
- 2001 - ChessChess (musical)Chess is a musical with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, formerly of ABBA, and with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story involves a romantic triangle between two top players, an American and a Russian, in a world chess championship, and a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other;...
- 2000 - The Pajama GameThe Pajama GameThe Pajama Game is a musical based on the novel 7½ Cents by Richard Bissell. It features a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story deals with labor troubles in a pajama factory, where worker demands for a seven-and-a-half cents raise are going unheeded...
- 1999 - The Pirates of PenzanceThe Pirates of PenzanceThe Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
- 1998 - Sweet CharitySweet CharitySweet Charity is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon. It is based on Federico Fellini's screenplay for Nights of Cabiria...
- 1997 - Guys and Dolls
- 1996 - Kings Rhapsody
- 1995 - My Fair LadyMy Fair LadyMy Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
- 1994 - Kiss Me, KateKiss Me, KateKiss Me, Kate is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It is structured as a play within a play, where the interior play is a musical version of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. The original production starred Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison, Lisa Kirk and Harold Lang.Kiss...
- 1993 - Calamity JaneCalamity Jane (musical)Calamity Jane is a musical stage play based loosely on tales from the life of Martha Jane Cannary.The stage play was adapted in the 1960s from the highly successful 1953 Warner Brothers film Calamity Jane. It was premiered at the Municipal Theatre in St. Louis in 1961.-Credits:Adapted by Ronald...
- 1992 - The Merry WidowThe Merry WidowThe Merry Widow is an operetta by the Austro–Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to keep her money in the principality by finding her the right husband – on an 1861 comedy play,...
- 1991 - CarouselCarousel (musical)Carousel is the second stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II . The work premiered in 1945 and was adapted from Ferenc Molnár's 1909 play Liliom, transplanting its Budapest setting to the Maine coastline...
- 1990 - Oklahoma!Oklahoma!Oklahoma! is the first musical written by composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance...
- 1989 - White Horse Inn
- 1988 - BrigadoonBrigadoonBrigadoon is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. Songs from the musical, such as "Almost Like Being in Love" have become standards....
- 1987 - ShowboatShowboatA showboat, or show boat, was a form of theater that traveled along the waterways of the United States, especially along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers . A showboat was basically a barge that resembled a long, flat-roofed house, and in order to move down the river, it was pushed by a small tugboat...
- 1986 - Summer Song
- 1985 - The Gypsy BaronThe Gypsy BaronThe Gypsy Baron is an operetta in three acts by Johann Strauss II which premiered at the Theater an der Wien on 24 October 1885. Its libretto was by the author Ignaz Schnitzer and in turn was based on Sáffi by Mór Jókai. During the composer's lifetime, the operetta enjoyed great success, second...
- 1984 - The King and IThe King and IThe King and I is a stage musical, the fifth by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The work is based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon and derives from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in...
- 1983 - Bless the Bride
- 1982 - The Dancing YearsThe Dancing YearsThe Dancing Years is a musical with book and music by Ivor Novello and lyrics by Christopher Hassall. The piece is one of Novello's most popular musicals...
- 1981 - The Vagabond King
- 1980 - Goodnight Vienna
- 1979 - The New MoonThe New MoonThe New Moon is the name of an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Mandel, and Laurence Schwab. The show was the third and last in a string of Broadway hits for Romberg written in the style of Viennese operetta...
- 1978 - The Merry WidowThe Merry WidowThe Merry Widow is an operetta by the Austro–Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to keep her money in the principality by finding her the right husband – on an 1861 comedy play,...
- 1977 - White Horse Inn
- 1976 - Viva Mexico
- 1975 - ShowboatShowboatA showboat, or show boat, was a form of theater that traveled along the waterways of the United States, especially along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers . A showboat was basically a barge that resembled a long, flat-roofed house, and in order to move down the river, it was pushed by a small tugboat...
- 1974 - South PacificSouth Pacific (musical)South Pacific is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The story draws from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific, weaving together characters and elements from several of its...
- 1973 - Kings Rhapsody
- 1973 - Calamity JaneCalamity Jane (musical)Calamity Jane is a musical stage play based loosely on tales from the life of Martha Jane Cannary.The stage play was adapted in the 1960s from the highly successful 1953 Warner Brothers film Calamity Jane. It was premiered at the Municipal Theatre in St. Louis in 1961.-Credits:Adapted by Ronald...
- 1972 - The King and IThe King and IThe King and I is a stage musical, the fifth by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The work is based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon and derives from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in...
- 1972 - BrigadoonBrigadoonBrigadoon is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. Songs from the musical, such as "Almost Like Being in Love" have become standards....
- 1971 - Oklahoma!Oklahoma!Oklahoma! is the first musical written by composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance...
- 1971 - Summer Song
- 1970 - Trial By Jury
- 1970 - CarouselCarousel (musical)Carousel is the second stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II . The work premiered in 1945 and was adapted from Ferenc Molnár's 1909 play Liliom, transplanting its Budapest setting to the Maine coastline...
- 1969 - The Vagabond King
- 1968 - Batsman Bride
- 1967 - White Horse Inn
Concerts
The Society also regularly performs a series of concerts at different venues. These often have a theme of classic musicals but others have been performed with a more specific theme (e.g. the music of DisneyThe Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
).
These concerts normally take place half way between shows and allow the group to spend 6 months of the year working on their vocal abilities. Many of these performances are privately booked by local church groups, but some are available to the general public.
Recent concerts have included:
- 2010 - Something Wicked This Way Comes
- 2009 - The Wish List
- 2005 - The Best of British Musicals
- 2004 - Songs We Love To Sing
- 2003 - Disney Spectacular
- 2002 - Modern Musicals: The Best Volume Ever
- 2001 - Songs Of the Century