Beauty and the Blog – SMP light up Enfield and keeeep dancing!! WEEK 9

Hello!! Maria here! Im new to SMP and join them for their brilliant Beauty and the Beast panto this year as one of the ‘dancing villager ‘ettes!’ 😊 LOVE IT!!

With all songs and dances set we hit the streets of Enfield and joined in the amazing atmosphere of the Parade of Lights last Sunday – following the serene Beauty and her Beast on their amazing float and lead by our carnival queen Marian, we danced and waved our way around Enfield – the looks on the faces of the children as they saw the float was just magical!!

Rehearsals this week consisted of run throughs and recaps – the amazing cast are all off-book now and are just fabulous – audiences are in for a treat! Songs that stay in your head for daaayyyss! Oh – and the sign of a great script?! When you’ve heard the jokes a hundred times during rehearsals but they still crack you up every time!!

We keep going to ensure this show is the best it can be – and it will be AMAZING! For me, I’ve loved every second of singing and dancing with this amazing bunch of talented people and I can’t wait to be on stage with them and share it all with the audiences and kiddies!!

Our cast have also been out and about this week entertaining shoppers at Love Your Doorsteps Pearsons event and visiting some of our local Beavers!

Don’t miss out!! Book your tickets for the most beautiful love story ever told with a whole lot of gags, fun and panto magic!

Tickets are available already via the Millfield Theatre website and you can book by following the link below.

https://www.millfieldtheatre.co.uk/whats-on/beauty-and-the-beast/

Beauty and the Blog – Rehearsals continue.

The last few weeks have certainly seen us busy bees at SMP! We’ve been filling in much of the remaining choreography, scenes and musical numbers, we even set the bows – as ever with Fay Kemal’s trademark flair!

The Ladies were excited to be fitted for their dresses, but obviously us male chorus were not present for that, so we can look forward to being pleasantly surprised at the costume call, just like you will be when the curtain rises!

In general, this is a really special time in any rehearsal process, where all the groundwork starts to come together, and we suddenly have something resembling the show you will see!

There is still plenty of polishing to be done before we present it to you on the night of course, but it’s definitely starting to feel like a real show!

At rehearsals for Beauty and the Beast it is a genuine thrill to be in the room with so much talent, enthusiasm and good humour, all of them bringing their absolute ‘A Game’! If that sounds like fun to you, we can’t wait to share it with you!

Book your ticket now and look forward to experiencing it yourself on the night!

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Keep your eyes on the website as we’ll be bringing more updates from the cast with all the latest gossip from from rehearsals with our show blog ‘Beauty and the Blog’.

Tickets are available already via the Millfield Theatre website and you can book by following the link below.

Beauty and the Blog – First few rehearsals.

Hey gang! Hannah here! You might remember me from a number of last years virtual shows with SMP (including Agatha Twisty and the murder in Pantoland). Beauty and the Beast will be my first “in person” show with this wonderful bunch, and I’m so grateful to have been given the opportunity to be your Beauty!

Our second rehearsal kicked off with learning the fantastic “Better when I’m dancing”, and I don’t mean to brag, but it’s amazing. It really is one of those songs that will have you bouncing away in your seat.

We also now have our opening number! The amazing Fay (our choreographer, if you aren’t familiar, which, if you’ve been around for longer than me, you should be) has done some fab work with this ONE, AND is the ONLY one who could have smashed out that number so quickly. (I’m sorry I’ll leave the terrible puns our script writer, Warren)

We also have a number of scenes from the first act blocked off. This is the first time a lot of us have been in a rehearsal together, and already the giggles have started. Lets hope we can get them all out before show week. (We will… I think…)

We also got to go through our final number with the oh so talented Kate, who has created some stunning harmonies that will be sure to blow you away. The cast have done so well at picking them up and the sound is GLORIOUS (if I do say so myself)

Am I gushing about how wonderful this show is going to be just because I’m in it? Of course not! It truly is going to be a great time. However there is only one way to find out…

Book your tickets below and we’ll see you in January!

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Keep your eyes on the website as we’ll be bringing you updates from the cast each week with all the latest gossip from from rehearsals with our show blog ‘Beauty and the Blog’.

Tickets are available already via the Millfield Theatre website and you can book by following the link below.

OMIBlog! – Week 5

OMIBlog you guys! I’m very excited to be writing the latest update for the marvellous SMP cast of Legally Blonde.

My name is Bex and I am playing the role of Whitney. This week was a fun packed week of Legally Blonde rehearsals. On Monday, we all swatted up and learned the Harvard sections of the show with our Director Luke Clow and Choreographer Jo Bakhurst. There was much sensibleness and silliness while we were schooled on the moves and lyrics.

Next door to us on Monday, another talented group of SMPers selected their entries for a festival of one act plays. These sound wonderful and there was much excitement from the group.

On Wednesday a smaller group met to rehearse songs and acting sections of the show which meant a lot of us had a well earned and rare evening free.

However, we were treated to some excellent recordings of the songs and you will not be disappointed!

This week we were also sent a personal SMP good luck message from the original London Elle Woods! Snaps go to Aiden who made this happen! Eek!

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This is shaping up to be a wonderful show and there is so much excitement from the cast. This is definitely one not to be missed!

Keep your eyes on the website as we’ll be bringing you updates from the cast each week with all the latest gossip from from rehearsals with the show blog #OMIBLOG!

Tickets for Legally Blonde are available already via the Millfield Theatre website and you can book by following the link below.

OMIBlog! Week 4

Helloooo! This week you’ve got Tara and Rosheen writing about all things legally blonde. We are both in the ensemble, and we are very excited to be a part of the show, which is shaping up nicely!

It was another one rehearsal week this week, with us getting to see our resident Callahan (John Stivey) in action, as we all navigated the tricky world of Blood in the Water. But with the help of our show week MD, Simon, getting us whipped into shape by the end of the night, it was sounding fabulous!

The rehearsal was immersive, where we got to experience what it would be like to be law students in Callahan’s class with the amazing John Stivey portraying his best self-important and manipulative law professor.

Overall the rehearsal was fun, and we got to get to know everyone else a little bit better. If the way the song sounded by the end of the rehearsal is anything to go by, this show is going to be amazing, and definitely one that you do not want to miss! We are loving every second of it so far, and cannot wait for more rehearsals to come.

Rosh and T over and out!

Keep your eyes on the website as we’ll be bringing you updates from the cast each week with all the latest gossip from from rehearsals with the show blog #OMIBLOG!

Tickets for Legally Blonde are available already via the Millfield Theatre website and you can book by following the link below.

OMIBlog! Week 3

Hey everyone! Archie Beach here with the third OMIBlog. I’m very happy to be in the show with SMP, it’s gonna turn out great from what we’re seeing so far!

On Monday, we set the dance to “What You Want” which was energetic to begin with, but with the dance on top, it’s a real showstopper! Big ensemble numbers are normally flashy and stylish, but this is even bigger! Hope everyone’s remembered the dance-there’s a lot to do in that number.

The energy in the room was just as good as the dancing-everyone was having a lot of fun from what I could see. It’s a good thing we have such a good choreographer in the form of Jo B because that could have quickly turned into a 2 hour nightmare session in the wrong hands! Everyone did really well on Monday’s session and it looks really good for the most part. The bad part’s mainly me not being able to dance to save my life, but oh well.

Unfortunately there was no rehearsal on Wednesday-I believe Jo was ill. Hope you’ve gotten better or get better soon! I guess “Jamaican Me Crazy!” is gonna have to wait for a bit.

Like I said, I think the show’s gonna turn out great from the quality of rehearsals we’ve had so far-can’t wait to see exactly how it turns out!

See you guys soon for another great rehearsal!

Keep your eyes on the website as we’ll be bringing you updates from the cast each week with all the latest gossip from from rehearsals with the show blog #OMIBLOG!

Tickets for Legally Blonde are available already via the Millfield Theatre website and you can book by following the link below.

OMIBLOG! Week 2.

Heyyy hey! It’s Lauren Price here kicking off off the OMIBlog Week 2. I have been fortunate enough to be cast as the one of the Delta Nus and can’t wait to perform alongside such a gorgeous cast under the instruction of our wonderful creatives. *Snaps*

This week started with setting our opening number “OHMIGOD you guys”!! The energy that was coming from the rehearsal space buzzed around the room and that was before anyone even had a red bull!! The over excitable, fierce and utterly fabulous show starter sets the precedent perfectly for the journey we’ll have putting this show on.

We then took the time to sneak next door and see something a little more “Serious” from our very own Warner (played by Phil Crocker). Who has been breaking hearts since 1990. Anyone who knows our Elle Woods (played by Jo McWilliams)should not see her suffer this sort of heartbreak so close to Valentine Day!

On Wednesday we had our singing rehearsal for the absolute epic that is “what you want”it is sooo full out and I’m super excited to see Jo B work her choreography magic next Monday!

Love love LOVING rehearsals so far and so excited to piece the Legally Blonde puzzle all together and see what super masterpiece we end up with!

Peace out y’all – Mwah x

Keep your eyes on the website as we’ll be bringing you updates from the cast each week with all the latest gossip from from rehearsals with the show blog #OMIBLOG!

Tickets for Legally Blonde are available already via the Millfield Theatre website and you can book by following the link below.

OMIBLOG! – The First week.

Hey there, you blooming beautiful bunch, happy Monday to you all. I’m Jo and I am absolutely tickled pink to have been blessed with the privilege of playing Elle Woods in SMP’s Legally Blonde (OMIGOD) Alongside a cast of phenomenal talent, and, as always, led by a team of very dedicated souls.

What a blast our first week of rehearsals have been, it’s been a joy to see both old and new members of the SMP family come together, havefun and sounding glorious already!

Starting with an eye wateringly funny “team building” session on Monday. As you can see from the pics our faces were alight with such a happy energy. OMIGOD you guys, we had so much fun! After a little introduction and “get to know each other” with our superb director Lukey, it was time to get moving…whoop

We were put into teams by “master of fun” our choreographer extraordinaire, JoBeeeone, who tasked us with several hilarious and slightly impossible missions to complete, including crafting Elles proposal dress out of bin bags of course, passing a hula hoop around our circles of joined hands, team skipping, sorting ourselves into a variety of orders in the fastest time and, naturally, climbing on top of one another to create the best demonstration of whatever random thing Jo had just shouted out, plus many other crazy and joyful antics.

Its safe to say all the fun worked a TREAT as everyone was buzzing, laughing, chatting and mixing so nicely by the time we sat down to have our first sing through of a full company number. The ever careful and expert conducting of our master of music, cupKate, had us all belting out our gorgeous harmonies in no time at all!

Needless to say the Delta Nus were mega excited to be returning on Wednesday for our second rehearsal, eeeeek, where we would be working very hard on the vocals for our extremely energetic opening number. This went super smoothly, and the deltas sounded incredible, so good I almost didn’t want to join in when the time came – I was enjoying it all so much!

A perfect start to our LB journey has begun, cherubs. Fun and laughter, friends new and old and sooooo many moments of “snaaapppsss” joy. Here’s to more heart warming weeks like that, eeeeek SNAPS (so sorry, last one) Xxxxx

One final thing, thank you Dave Stoughton for the lovely….SNAPS!

Keep your eyes on the website as we’ll be bringing you updates from the cast each week with all the latest gossip from from rehearsals with the show blog #OMIBLOG!

Tickets for Legally Blonde are available already via the Millfield Theatre website and you can book by following the link below.

The Cinderella Blog – Show Week.

Hello, Warren here with the last of the Cinderella Blogs. It’s been a whirlwind week, lots of hard work from everyone paid off and we put together a fantastic show for everyone.

Our show opened fully on Thursday night and the feedback was super. Thank you to all our audience members who joined us at the new venue and hello to all the new ones, we’re lucky to have so many supporters and we hope to see you again soon.

We have a fabulous cast who have all worked so hard and I would like to thank them all for their efforts at rehearsals which meant that when we came to the theatre we were ‘show ready’ and could concentrate on anything the new venue threw at us. Special mention to our newbies too who slotted into the group seamlessly.

The new venue this year meant more space onstage and backstage and so we were able to include a children’s chorus this year and it was a HUGE success. The children have been a joy to have involved and really added something special to the show. We’ve all been so impressed at how well they’ve done and big thanks to all the parents who’ve been a massive help too. 

The show continued Friday night and the weekend saw us perform three times on Super Saturday (followed by a party) and finish with a wonderful sold out matinee on Sunday.

Then came the real hard work, the get out! Our cast were fantastic all mucking in to make sure that everything we’d brought into the theatre, and it was a lot, all got speedily packed away, stacked, swept, folded and loaded. Thank you everyone who lent a hand.   

Coming to a new venue has been a bit of an adventure and there were a few hiccups but thanks to the experience of everyone involved we managed to get through the show looked fantastic even if there was frantic running around behind the scenes.

We have a fantastic set of people behind the scenes and we’re always on the lookout for anyone who can help with anything so please if you’d like to get involved next show we’d love to have you on-board.

Our show wouldn’t be possible without the support of everyone and I’d like to thank some people both personally and on behalf of SMP.

To our technical team Phil & Derrick on sound and lighting for coming to the rescue and making sure everything was ready for opening night. To Alex for doing a great job as production manager and handling the challenges of the new venue with ease. To Ruth for stepping in to op the desk and Gill, Laura and Claire for spotting. To Adam and Josh, the SMB, for their hard work lifting and shifting in the dark doing all our set changes. To Matt for making some wonderful pieces of set, our props team Debbie, Ellie and Wendy for finding all the weird things we needed for the show and Rob for transporting our set back to our store.

To our team out the front, Kate for running our box office successfully once again, Jo for all her work co-ordinating the FOH team, Yiltan for running our bar and all our volunteers who helped during the week on the front of house team.

To our costume team Fay, Ellie and Debbie, thank you for the wonderful array of costumes ensuring everyone looked stunning. To Lucy and Linda for doing all the paperwork for the children and for sorting out all the chaperones.

To our awesome band who we’re so lucky to have and travel from afar to make sure our show sounds amazing as always, thank you Mike, Paul, Chris, Steve, Tim and John.

To my wife Jo for being an amazing wife and mum, running around doing everything so I can direct the show. I wouldn’t be able to do half the things I do without you and I’m a very lucky man.

Finally to Mike and Fay my partners in crime on the production team. It’s always a pleasure working with you both as we have many times now and this show has been no exception. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved with this show and look forward to working with you both again. 

To anyone I’ve not mentioned by name but has helped us in anyway, there are so many of you, your help putting on the show is really appreciated by all of us in the group so thank you too.

And so now we look to our next show Legally Blonde – The Musical which will be a the Millfield Theatre 10th-13th June 2020, you’ll find all the details on our website for Read Through and Auditions if you’d like to be a part of the show.

Thanks for reading the blog, we hope you’ve enjoyed it. We’ll be back with a new show blog once Legally Blonde commences.  

The Cinderella Blog – Dress and Tech Run

Good day to you all! And how do you do? My name is Lucy and I’m lucky enough to be playing the role of your Princess, Cinderella in this wonderful production at Chingford Assembly Hall THIS WEEK!

Over the past two days we’ve been hard at work preparing and doing all of that last minute rehearsing, which has got us all SUPER excited for the week ahead, and having a wonderful audience in to perform to! Our tech team have put in a huge effort to make sure we’re show ready and we really can’t thank everyone behind the scenes enough for all their work.

Monday we had our tech run, which included working with props, set, sound and ACTUAL REAL-LIFE MAGIC. Luckily my Fairy Godmother has some extra sprinklings of stardust and we were able to pull it all off without too much trouble!

Tuesday we had our dress run, and final rehearsal before we welcome you all to join us in the Kingdom of Chingfordonia. Everybody looks so wonderful thanks to our incredibly hard working costume department (who I’m pretty sure had some sprinklings of star dust and real life magic up their sleeves too). I just hope I don’t lose my shoe this time!! See you all soon!

Our Saturday Matinee is sold out and our Sunday Matinee has 13 seats left so please contact the box office for returns.

You can book online by clicking the banner below. To book wheelchair seats or for information about group bookings please contact the box office on 07708 708 062 or by email on SMPTickets@hotmail.com Thank you!

The Cinderella Blog – Get in & Band Call.

Coo-ee folks, my name is Jo McWilliams and although I’m not actually in the show, I am a bit of a super fan and often hanging around and “helping out”…so they let me write a blog, hurrrah

It was teamwork-dreamwork today in SMP HQ or as its usually known “Get In” day…a very exciting fixture in the calendar. We get to spend a whole day together at the theatre, wahoo, and while the very hard working crew and tech teams put the set together, our FOH displays are completed, our bar is stocked, and our props table is filled, we have a chance to hear and sing with our full band, eeeek.

You could sense the excitement as our cast arrived and found their spots in the dressing rooms, even more exciting than usual as we are in a new venue this year and this was the first time inside for many of us. While our cast toured the new site, their hands piled high with sparkly costumes, they stopped to take a peek at our stunning FOH display by the ever brilliant Fay…who is not only one third of our epic costume team but also our choreographer…goodness knows when she sleeps.

Our INCREDIBLE crew (Adam, Alex, Josh, Matt, Warren, Michael, Jack and cast when they weren’t performing) had been at it for many hours at this point, hanging cloths, painting carriages, shifting set and our sound and lighting super stars; Phil and Del (aka the cavalry) had been busy saving our bacon and ensuring we are lit and heard throughout the week, so it was only right that our cast stopped for a little look at the splendid stage too. The new venue has thrown some new problems at us but our amazing team have risen to the challenge once again.

Soon everyone had arrived, and our lovely Chairwoman Ellie talked through our plans for the week ahead with our beautiful kids chorus, a first time in many years for us, and what joy they are bringing! Once our awesome, rockin band were set up it was time to start our “Band Call” with Paul, john, Chunk, Steve, Tim and our legendary MD, Mr Mike Benyon, who expertly lead us through a run of each number and they sounded incredible! The brilliant bands accompaniment truly enhanced the vocals and the two ingredients together made for the most delicious panto pie! We whizzed through our band call and followed up with a dance & sing through of every number and a costume check too! The foyer was seriously the place to be this afternoon with all the musical commotion and Yil stocking the bar for our lovely audiences to enjoy and Ellie G and Debbie S creating even more magic in the costume department

By early evening our absolute grafter of a director, Warren, was ready for us to test out the stage and run one of our most difficult numbers “the transformation“ … Oh you know, the one where the fairy godmother “magics-up” a sparkly ball gown for Cinders AND turns a pumpkin into a carriage…yeah, no biggy 😉

But with our super SM Adam and Prod Mgr Alex making “sparkly” plans and our props placed perfectly by our lovely DebDeb, there was soon another big tick off the list and before we knew it, it was time to go home (boo)

It’s safe to say peeps were ready for their hot baths and bed by the time we were done but would certainly sleep with a big smile on each of their faces, after a dream of a “get in” with the awesome SMP fam

Our Satuday Matinee is sold out and our Sunday matinee is limited so please contact the box office for returns.

You can book online by clicking the banner below. To book wheelchair seats or for information about group bookings please contact the box office on 07708 708 062 or by email on SMPTickets@hotmail.com Thank you!

The Cinderella Blog – The Final Week of Rehearsals.

Why hello there! How do you do? Jack here to give the final rehearsal installment of the Cinderella blog. From here on out it’s Theatre baby!

The final week of rehearsals saw the introduction of some firey elements. Mr Jamie Nichols, magician extraordanaire popped in on Monday to direct Kate and Lucy through some flammable fabulousness. Let’s hope Lucy remembers to complete said trick during the show, a feat she failed to achieve on Monday.

Our final rehearsal on Wednesday was fairly straightforward, athough we were Cinderellaless, with Lucy getting some last minute character research in Paris. I feel I speak for most, if not everyone, with how excited we are to get this into the theatre and put on what I think will be a very special show. Special shout out to the production crew of Warren, Fay and Mike for creating a show I know all of you will enjoy. And an even biggest shout out to Phil and Derrick for stepping in at the last minute to light this spectacle. With the decade nearing an end, Warren could have some competition for star of the decade!

See you guys at some point this week, I’ll be the one singing to a shoe.

Fare thee well, Jack.

Our matinees are almost sold out so please please get booking, this show is brilliant and you will not want to miss it.

Tickets are on sale and you can book online by clicking the banner below. To book wheelchair seats or for information about group bookings please contact the box office on 07708 708 062 or by email on SMPTickets@hotmail.com Thank you!

The Cinderella Blog – Week 14.

To my loyal Chingfordonian’s – it’s your Queen here and I’m about to spill the latest on everything Cinderella.

We’ve got two weeks (well actually one week once you read this) left before we start all things tech, dress and actual SHOW week! How fun is that?

As you can see we’ve got cast members dancing, signing and jumping for joy on our first rehearsal of week and oh what a rehearsal it was.. everything is coming together ever so nicely – as if it was planned to be such a fantastical evening.

As ever our amazing director (and writer, man of many talents) Mr Warren McWilliams spent his night laughing at our gags, complimenting our tricks and making sure we’re in tip top shape for our first performance – which I can assure you we are, getting to watch these guys and snap pictures of them was such fun and I was in awe of all my talented buddies!

Wednesday night brought another run and some surprise audience members, it was super fun to run the show in front of some new people and the laughter that erupted from them really lifted our spirts and I could feel the shift in our performance from rehearsal to show level which was just a wonder to see! With each rehearsal you can see all the little pieces sticking together and creating a truly amazing show.

Friday night was a good one as the King and I got dressed up to meet some very special people and teach them some dance routines from the show and have a little Q&A with them. Questions included ‘Why do we have a King & Queen in Chingfordonia?’ And ‘What’s the prince’s real name?’.

Saturday was another day full of behind the scenes magic, we had our wonderful band rehearsing, people out on the streets of Chingford putting up flyers and promoting our show, and a couple of handsome, strong men building the float for Sunday!

Sunday, Funday, and oh what a day it was, not only is it a week till we get to hear the music from our insanely cool band BUT…. it’s also parade of lights day! Now for those who don’t know what that means… it means we all get to cover ourselves in pretty fairy lights and dance around the streets of Enfield to promote our show, and our beautiful Cinders finally got in her pumpkin carriage and oh what a beauty it was! Seriously – I think it was the best thing since sliced bread! My legs hurt, and I’m dying for a bubble bath but it was so fun dancing and promoting our little show!

Seriously (on a little emotional, fluffy note) I have done three shows THIS year with SMP and they welcomed me with such open arms, love and peachy joy that I just keep coming back – every single individual I’ve met has just been so lovely and amazing that I feel like I’ve been around for years!

You do not want to miss this show guys, literally the matinees are very NEARLY sold out so if you want a little afternoon delight you better get your trigger finger ready to get those last couple seats! Keep booking tickets and I’ll see you there in my kingdom, don’t forget to wave hello if you see me strolling past with the dear old King and Hearld in toe, we do love a wander!

The matinees are almost sold out so please please get booking, this show is brilliant and you will not want to miss it.

Tickets are on sale and you can book online by clicking the banner below. To book wheelchair seats or for information about group bookings please contact the box office on 07708 708 062 or by email on SMPTickets@hotmail.com Thank you!

The Cinderella Blog – Week 13

Hello everyone, I am strangely writing this in my role as Mum rather than performer.  Having spent the past 10 years performing with SMP (and loving every minute of it) it is my 9 year old son who is treading the boards for this year’s amazing spectacle that is Cinderella. 

It has been great fun to observe from the sidelines as this show has been put together.  The script from Warren McWilliams has caused me to laugh out loud on many occasions, I have cried at the beauty of the singing created by Mike Benyon and been spellbound by the stunning choreography from Fay Kemal. 

As a former child performer I know how nerve wracking it can be to be surrounded by grown-ups, but my Kieran has taken it all in his stride and in his own words is having “the best time ever”.  There is something heart-warming about having a children’s chorus, they inject so much fun into it and their enthusiasm is infectious.

So the past week has been eventful!  We celebrated young performer Archie Beech’s birthday on Monday with lots of cake, merriment and a full run-through of the show. 

Then on Wednesday we brushed up om the singing and dancing to make sure we were pitch perfect for our costume run through on Sunday. 

This was the kids first time in their costumes and they loved getting all dressed up and seeing how they looked with the adults.  I spent much of the time running in and out of dressing rooms making sure everyone had what they needed whilst at the same time supervising to make sure nobody was where they shouldn’t be…..as desperate as the kids are to be involved and watch everything there are some moments that are not for their tender eyes……the “raining men” sequence is a particular highlight!!

We finally got to see the Cinderella costume transformation and the amazing work of Fay Kemal, Debbie Sandys and Ellie Goss is not to be missed.

We also had a visit from our lovely chairperson Ellie Ashby who has been busy working so has missed seeing the rehearsals up until now, she loved it and was chuckling along with the rest of us.

A huge big thankyou to my fellow Mums and chaperones, it is lovely being able to support each other as we watch out babies bloom on stage – a big thank you also to the creative team for getting the best out of the kids.

The matinees are almost sold out so please please get booking, this show is brilliant and you will not want to miss it.

Tickets are on sale and you can book online by clicking the banner below. To book wheelchair seats or for information about group bookings please contact the box office on 07708 708 062 or by email on SMPTickets@hotmail.com Thank you!

The Cinderella Blog – Week 11 & 12

Hello! My name is Sophie and I play the Herald in our production of Cinderella. I’m chuffed to bits to be taking part in my 2nd panto with SMP, having joined the family last year as Prof Dwarf in Snow White. They all said I’d get hooked and they were right…here I am again!

Only four weeks to go until show week, eeeeeeek! All scenes, songs and dances are set and our task now is to piece everything together and begin working through the show in detail, recapping and polishing it until it’s ready to wow you all at our brand new venue, Chingford Assembly Hall.

This is incredibly exciting as it means we have now got to the point where we are able to see our show begin to take it’s shape and let me tell you…it’s looking superb!

This week marked our first Sunday rehearsal, wahooo! As always, treats were in abundance…provided generously by Kieran Segal the birthday boy! (See below for his epic birthday dancing).

We ate birthday sweets, had our Front of House mugshots taken by the awesome Yiltan, ate more sweets, ran the show, ate some more sweets, and best of all, finally got the chance to see each other in all of our FABULOUS costumes! Which will hopefully still fit us in show week, after scoffing all those sweets…

It really is magical to see how each character pops to life once they are in their costumes. Once again this year they have been so carefully crafted and designed by our very talented costume team Ellie, Debbie and Fay, who work tirelessly to ensure we all look beautiful onstage! Debatable as far as the ugly sisters are concerned, but of course that has nothing to do with what they are wearing!

Also working hard behind the scenes this week, are our props peaches! AKA the lovely Debbie, Wendy and Jo who have been busy making and gathering all the bits and bobs we need throughout the performance, which means we’re now able to start practicing with them! Yay!

A few of us have been asked to learn and showcase some new skills in this production, I myself, as a regal horn blower (it’s harder than it looks!) On Sunday I took the opportunity of receiving a blowing lesson from the master tooter Luke Clow. After my toot-turial, I can proudly say I have managed to sound a tiny toot, so I still have quite a way to go until up to a royal standard! I’ve pledged to practice every morning until show week. My housemates will be so pleased.

Our Buttons on the other hand, the showman of many talents, Luke Ricketts, is already nailing his party trick of the performance (see video below)…but you’ll have to come along to see if he can pull it off on the night!

We’re having such a great time working on Cinderella, and we literally couldn’t have asked for a better production team to bring this panto to life. We are so lucky this year to have a trio of SMP legends at the helm, who have fused their creativity together to make a truly spectacular show. Who better person to direct us than the writer himself…the mighty Warren McWilliams, whose hilarious script is packed full of brilliant gags the whole family will love! Our fabulous choreographer Miss Fay, has done such an amazing job coming up with such fun and beautiful dances sequences which showcases so much of the wonderful twirly talent amongst our cast. To top it off, once again we have Mike the Musical Maestro to ensure we sound top notch!

Our wonderful cast are a great big mix of veterans, fresh faces, those of us in-between, and of course our wonderful junior chorus who are adding such a great dynamic to the show! The kids really are smashing it and always bring with them their big, infectious smiles! Collectively, we’re having a blast, working hard and laughing our way through each rehearsal!

If you haven’t got your tickets booked yet – now is the time! You’re in for such a treat. Our pantomime is packed full of spectacular singing and dance numbers and brilliant comedy from hilariously entertaining characters. With it being SMP’s first show in Chingfordonia….it really is extra special. So what are you waiting for??!! Book your tickets now before it’s too late!

Tickets are on sale and you can book online by clicking the banner below. To book wheelchair seats or for information about group bookings please contact the box office on 07708 708 062 or by email on SMPTickets@hotmail.com Thank you!

The Cinderella Blog – Week 10

It’s week 10 in panto land, and things are starting to look a bit magical! I’m Hayley, part of the dancer chorus crew, and loving being in Cinderella, back with the SMP Fam. I was lucky enough to be in our send off panto at The Intimate, a theatre that my family has trodden the boards of for many years. This year is extra special for me because not only are we in a brand new venue, The Chingford Assembly Hall, but I also get to be in my first ever show with three generations of my family, with my fabulous Mum, Debbie Morton, and my cousin’s little Lacey. It is so fantastic having children in our cast this year, they are just amazing, and really adding a new dimension to the show.

We started off the week with my favourite style of dance, tap! We were all in our absolute element and really enjoying practicing and teaching each other our favourite steps. Miss Fay was loving having a whole crew of tappers and was really putting us to work with some classic Fred Astaire moves, watch this space!

Wednesday was super exciting, we had everyone called for our first full run! We even had a little audience with one of our favs, Carla, who is usually in panto with us, but this time she has handed over the dancing shoes to her son Kieran.

It was great to see a real show taking shape and we all had the opportunity to see what each other had been up to over the past 10 weeks when we hadn’t been called. I was especially enjoying the work of the hardup gang and there are a few sneaky clips for you to enjoy!

The Halloween witches are back in their hidey-holes, it is now November full of fireworks and we are starting to think a bit about Christmas. Don’t forget to put a Cinderella ticket on your wish list, and prepare for your pre-Christmas festive spirits to be sparkled, with our December show!

Tickets are on sale and it’s never too early to book. You can book online by clicking the banner below. To book wheelchair seats or for information about group bookings please contact the box office on 07708 708 062 or by email SMPTickets@hotmail.com Thank you!

The Cinderella Blog – Week 9

5,6,7,8… Fay Kemal here, choreographer and one third of the costume team. I am very excited to write this weeks blog and be able to tell you how much I am loving rehearsals for this years panto ‘Cinderella’. We have the most amazing cast and everyone comes to rehearsal with tons of enthusiasm and energy!!

I am very lucky and grateful to have such a wonderful bunch who pick up all my routines and practice hard. This year we welcome many new faces to the cast and a children’s ensemble too!!! AMAZING!!

This week has been a very busy one!! On Monday I set a fun number ‘Bills’ with the Hardup family and principals. The Barons dance skills are legendary, and everyone manages to stay unharmed!!

Ellie Goss and Debbie Sandys make up the rest of the costume team and on together on Wednesday we went material shopping for our beautiful costumes. There is so much to do!!

Wednesday evening gave us the chance to fit people to their costumes. We are very proud of our costumes and everyone is looking rather lush!!! WHOOP!!!

Dancing and costumes being ticked off of my list and everything is coming on nicely!!! It’s going to be FABULOUS!!!!

Do not miss out on this SPECTACULAR show!! Come on And get your tickets to see Cinderella!!!

Tickets are on sale and it’s never too early to book. You can book online by clicking the banner below. To book wheelchair seats or for information about group bookings please contact the box office on 07708 708 062 or by email SMPTickets@hotmail.com Thank you!

The Cinderella Blog – Week 8

Hi all, my names Tina and this year I’m playing the role of lovely lady, handsome man and featured singer.

I am loving rehearsals and seeing all my SMP family. It’s also back to my yearly workout with Miss Fays choreography and the added extra bonus of getting to sit back and enjoy watching others bringing scenes to life.

This week in the land of panto has been brilliant as always…

Monday was full of dancing and making some beautiful shapes to one of our slower numbers. It’s a lovely duet between our Lucy and Jack, aka Cinders and the Prince, and I’m sure watching these two real life lovebirds together will help you all rewrite the stars of love! It truly is a stunning number both vocally and visually….

It was Miss Fays birthday on Monday, and Lucy’s on the Tuesday so there were sweet treats and cake for all! Just look at our Hayley – watch out though, she was very protective over the cake! However we are all aware that the show is that bit closer so our costumes have to fit!! Lol

Wednesday saw me rushing like a crazy person from Bounds Green to rehearsals in Southgate – the beauty of traffic and needing to get from a to b using transport that isn’t a pumpkin! Once I had arrived, definitely not 5 minutes late

Mr Director Bossman Warren added us ensemble lot into the scenes that the principals have been beavering away on for weeks. It’s all slowly coming together and I can’t wait till we start running the show in it’s entirety!

We really do have so much fun putting these shows together and this year is no exception, we laugh together, we dance together and we laugh together again because we’ve missed half the song out of the dance! Here’s a sneak peak of the number we did on Monday.

Don’t miss out as this show is already sounding and looking amazing! You’d be mad to miss out on tickets!! All the details for tickets are below See you all at the ball Xx

Tickets are on sale and it’s never too early to book. You can book online by clicking the banner below. To book wheelchair seats or for information about group bookings please contact the box office on 07708 708 062 or by email SMPTickets@hotmail.com Thank you!

The Cinderella Blog – Week 6 & 7

Week 6 of rehearsals and things are really coming together. I’m Charlotte, one of the newbies at SMP. From day one I have been made to feel so welcome and the quality of the cast is really impressive. The enthusiasm and energy is infectious, it’s been a delight and I can’t wait to get into the theatre and show Chingford what we’re made of!

It’s been a vocal heavy week, and my first one at all 3 rehearsals, everyone’s been working super hard. Monday we set the opening song and the ladies of the cast set One Thing. There are so many amazing voices in our ensemble, it’s going to sound great with a full band!

Wednesday we recapped all the songs we’ve set so far, something my previous companies have never done. Practice really does make perfect because I can hear the increase in quality already.

Sunday we set the Fireworks scene, the kids are just too good! They’re such little sponges, I’m amazed by how quickly they pick things up. This scene is going to be so magical, glitter everywhere!

If you can’t tell, I’m super excited about being a part of this show. I hope you’ve all got your tickets because they’re selling fast and there isn’t long to go now. See you at the ball!

Week 7

Welcome to another week of blogs! My name is Hatice and I am a part of the chorus for SMP Cinderella. We were going over the song and dance for Best day of my life by the American Authors. It was so much fun! The dance and song has really come together, everyone just smiling their way even after being so tired. With so many of us dancing at once everyone is being careful to not tread on anyone’s feet!

This Monday just gone we all worked on Re-wright the stars, it was such a beautiful dance showing the connection between Cinderella and the prince, as the ensemble we were trying to keep them apart throughout the dance. It was quite majestic the way the dance flowed. The way all the girls moved with their partners.

Here we have a quick but cute snap shot of Fay, Lucy and Jack

Can’t wait for the next rehearsal to see what dance and song number we will be doing next!

Ohh what fun awaits us?!

Tickets are on sale and it’s never too early to book. You can book online by clicking the banner below. To book wheelchair seats or for information about group bookings please contact the box office on 07708 708 062 or by email SMPTickets@hotmail.com Thank you!

The Cinderella Blog – Week 4 & 5

Welcome dear readers of the Official SMP Cinderella Blog! I am pleased to say that we are now, at weeks 4 and 5, entering that really exciting part of the progress of any show where things really start to come together!

Our regular Musical Director, SMP stalwart, Mike ‘Keys of Steel’ Benyon, taught our entire cast the song which will be our finale this year, and I’m excited to say that it is very much a current hit, so was well known to all our younger cast, and even those encountering it for the first time can vouch for how undeniably catchy it truly is, and I for one have certainly heard it being played around now I know what to look out for!

What a rehearsal we had on Monday 23rd when every section of the cast from our brilliant child chorus, right up to old hands like me, learnt our respective parts of the spectacular finale dance, ably instructed by Choreographer Fay Kemal, and it certainly was a joy to see it all come together!

Fay Kemal and Ellie Goss, who manage our costumes, with the invaluable assistance of the extremely talented Debbie Sandys, have all been busy in the Aladdin’s cave that is our famous costume store, and dress fittings have already begun. More exciting news for our costume department, and indeed the company as a whole, came with the arrival of our new purpose fitted container unit, which touched down in it’s new home in Southgate last week, on complete this excellent new space should allow us better access to our collections than ever before, and several of the company have already been on hand to move much of our stock into its new home.

Special mention must go to Monday 16th which saw the creation of a dance routine that places our two dames, Chantelle and Jordan played the irrepressible Mr Terry Aylot and the renowned Mr Nicholas Johnston Quye, front and centre leading the male chorus in a spectacle that truly has to be seen to be believed, I won’t spoil the surprised save to say that you should get booking those tickets, you will not want to miss this!

Week 5 saw us set the dance for the Finale on the monday night with everyone involved it’s a great number and on the wednesday we ran the dialogue for the whole show and already its starting to look great and gives us the chance to add even more humour.

Tickets are on sale already and it’s never too early to book. You can book online by clicking the banner below. To book wheelchair seats please or for information about group bookings please contact the box office on 07708 708 062 or by email SMPTickets@hotmail.com Thank you!