Saturday October 22nd

 

The Season is winding down. We have been rained out seven times so far

but when it is nice, it is magical with the moon and the stars and the night air.

The trails are all lit from the park office and the parking lots.

You've got two more chances to check it out.

Without more participation,

this will not continue.

Laurence Olivier's Henry the Fifth

Here is the poster for the next film on Saturday October 8th.

The season is winding down

and the field at 

The Meadow Amphitheatre

has taken a beating in the rains

so we will need to be doing restoration work there

and need your help to do that.

Please consider contacting the Park Office in that regard.

Cancelled for Rain:

An Afternoon and Evening Without Gilbert & Sullivan

Well the program for this afternoon and evening has been cancelled

due to severe flooding at both of the stages and the impending storms.

Sorry.

Refer to The Shakespearean Journal for details.

There is a photo of the wet field there.

New Location G&S Concert

We will be having the concert at The Lion Grove Stage in the event of more rain tonight.  Please refer to The Shakespearean Journal for more details.

Playbill for An Afternoon & Evening with Gilbert & Sullivan

The Playbill for the upcoming performance on Saturday October 1st

has been posted on 

The Shakespearean Journal

For you to print out.

Poster for the upcoming Gilbert & Sullivan show on October 1. 2011

Please print this and post or hang it in your shop window in for people in the area to see.

Topsy Turvy

(reprinted with new dates & times)

* For Gilbert & Sullivan fans *

On Saturday October 1st

 We will be presenting 

The Bucks County Gilbert & Sullivan Society

performing

a selection of 16 numbers

from various shows

at

5:00 PM

in 

Tamanend Park's

The Meadow Amphitheatre

followed by a showing of the film

"Topsy Turvy"

around 8:00 PM

 

* Bring you own seating or blanket *

* We have concessions available *

Admission is free but;

* We ask that you contribute 

to the cost of

producing these programs

and 

maintaining the stage facility

with a

* Free Will Offering *

Please Note: for participants in this production- performers, technicians,

people helping with publicity, set-up/strike there will be a pot luck picnic 

at 3:00 pm prior to the performance

PRESS RELEASE:

  On Saturday October 1st, the stage in Tamanend Park's Meadow Amphitheatre will be graced with performances by some of the areas most talented individuals performing a selection of  numbers from the Gilbert & Sullivan  library of operettas.  Members of The Bucks County Gilbert & Sullivan Society will be joined by guest performers from Chester County G&S Society, Philadelphia's Savoy Theatre Company,  friends from Bryn Athyn and the surrounding areas  as they offer an evening of live performances before the showing of the film "Topsy Turvy",  Mike Leigh's Academy Award winning film about the making of Gilbert & Sullivan's "Mikado".   Cinema Under the Stars is a program presented in Southampton by The Shakespeareans of Tamanend Park and films are shown every other week during the summer months.    The conclusion of the summer season in Tamanend Park takes place last weekend of September and the first weekend of October and is slated as "The Autumn Leaves Performance Festival" where local theatre groups and individuals are invited to present samplings of the material they produce.  Review The Shakespearean Journal at http://shakespeareanjournal.blogspot.com for more information on participating in this developing festival event and for images of the stage facility.  Bring a chair or blanket for seating in The Meadow Amphitheatre,  concessions are provided and admission is free with a donation expected to help with the cost of the programs and maintenance of the stage facilities.  Inquiries about sponsorship opportunities are encouraged.

Editing this blog

I will be removing all the posters of films presented and references to programs already presented.  If you want to see the Archive,  I will be creating that at another time so in the meanwhile ask if you need to see older material. AG

Autumn Leave Performance Festival

During his years time slot of the last weekend in September

On September 24th

we will be showing

If any Shakespearean cares to perform 

any scene from The Bard's work

before the showing of the film

Please let that be known

At 5:00 pm 

we will be offering

"Spontaneous Shakespeare"

to anyone wishing to read

The 2011 Season Schedule

Live Performances 

The summer season for 2011 will include us opening the stage up an hour and a half before dusk for performances (from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm depending on Dusk).  With that in mind, performers are invited to propose programs that will be linked to a particular film. This will remain the ongoing policy.

Performances should take place in the afternoon , between 4 & 6 pm before the showing at dusk.

So if you care to participate  please let me know so we can plan a nice event.

Performance/Film Dates

All of these dates are weather permitting.  Rain dates are on alternating weekends.

The 2011 Season Film Schedule

Here is a listing of  the films we that are part of this season.  Nothing is set in stone, so if you would like to contribute your thoughts or have a film you would like to see shown, please communicate that via email to Arthur  - imagemindag@verizon.net or on Facebook. We can change a film to complement a performance .

5/7      (x)                  "American Graffiti"  * CANCELED FOR RAIN *

5/21    (x)                  "Yellow Submarine" *  EXHIB. RIGHTS WITHDRAWN *

6/4      (2)                   "All that Jazz" 

6/18    (4)     8:32       "Yankee Doodle Dandy" 
 
7/2     (21)    8:33       "The Patriot" 
                                            * showing a new film "Courage Too Late" 
                                                made in Tamanend Park using our stage as a set*
 
7/16    (16)   8:29    "West Side Story"

                                       * with a flute performance by Arthur Greisiger*

7/30     (1)    8:18     "Romeo & Juliet"  (cloudy weather, sprinkled rain)

                                    

8/13     (5)    8:02    "The Music Man"    (sprinkled rain)                       

8/27     (x)     * POSTPONED FOR HURRICANE *

                     7:42    "Topsy Turvy"
                             *  The Bucks County Gilbert and Sullivan Society to perform *

* Moved to October 1st *

9/10     (5)   7:20   "Showboat"  (clouds & rain all day, cleared just before showing)

Begin

* Autumn Leaves Performance Festival*

time-slot - 9/24 - 10/2

9/24      (x)     *CANCELED FOR RAIN*

                     6:00     "Spontaneous Shakespeare" script-in-hand readings
                     6:57     "Shakespeare in Love"

10/1      (x)     *CANCELED FOR RAIN*

                     3:00       Picnic/rehearsal for performers/volunteers
                     5:50       Bucks County Gilbert and Sullivan Society 
                                            and friends to perform
                     6:30       the Academy Award winning film "Topsy Turvy" 

10/2      (x)    * CANCELLED *

                     4:30   The Village Renaissance Players  performing 

"Crime & Punishment" & "Cryanose"

                     6:15    "Cyrano De Bergerac"  starring Gerard Depardieu

10/8              6:34     Sir Lawerence Olivier's  "Henry the Fifth"

10/22            6:13     Errol Flynn in  "Captain Blood"

10/29            6:03     SpookFest - Dee Wallace & Patrick MacNee in "The Howling" 
                                       This film may not be available,  in which event 
                                         we will show Abbot & Costello Meet Frankenstein.

Attendance

Attendance at these showing thus-far has been rather poor, even though many people express their delight and appreciation for having this happening in their community. Unless attendance improves, we will not continue to present these films.  There is quite a lot of work and investment involved in setting up, presenting, and taking down the supplies to do this.  Without a reasonably sized appreciative audience who contributes there is not point in continuing.


Fund Raising/Sponsorship

We need to raising the money required for these programs.  Last season, I paid the expenses out of my own pocket and it just about wiped me out. This season we had a few sponsors, but not nearly enough. If there is to be a next season, the entire cost of the season plus some to make up for this season's losses will have to be raised before the season starts. If you are a business or an individual who would like to see this program grow in strength and attendance and to keep the potential for live performances alive in Southampton, I suggest that you assist with financial support and or promotional activities. The entire season costs approximately four thousand dollars to produce total contributions for this season  have barely exceeded five hundred. The balance is out-of-pocket.

Sponsorship per film is is $250. The sponsor will get to run the concessions and pitch their business or service at the show and in all advertising for the season.

Needless to say, yet I will-  we are happy to accept sponsorship for the whole season and the cost is $3,750.  That does not take into account special costs for each program, and assumes that the bulk of the labor and talent will be volunteer.

Admission Fees

All of these programs are free to the public with a Free Will Contribution suggested.

In previous seasons we had one contribution box and people were expected to contribute. Many did but numerous others did not. We need to encourage more contributions.  So in the future we will be setting up two donation boxes- one for the operation and maintenance of the stage facilities and a second one to be given to the Stage Manager to be distributed to the talent who is onstage.

• Unless otherwise agreed to by the performers all money given to the performers will be equally divided between all persons who step foot on the stage, regardless as to their role in the performance

Further thoughts on Sponsorship

In addition to the free will contributions from the patrons of the stage, we will be seeking corporate sponsorship.  We need to make a more concerted effort to seek that sponsorship and invite assistance with that.   

The Shakespearean Journal

... is the booklet which is produced as a means to provide advertising and information in a printed form.  A new edition is in the works, so if you would like to be included as an advertiser, send me an email.  I do expect to put the specifications on-line and I think that will be the next step I will strive to achieve in the next month or so.

If you are interested in helping to assemble the proposal materials for the upcoming season, please do inquire.


Not-for-Profit Status

There are numerous funding opportunities available to us if we gain a not-for-profit status. In order to do that we also will need to be building a Board of Directors for The Shakespearean of Tamanend Park. If serving on the board is of interest to you then please make that known, because it is important that we do this in order to grow.

I've personally invested a huge amount of money in developing this facility, the programs, and publicizing the effort and I will not continue to do that.  So we need to have an organizational structure that has a solid foundation for ongoing operations and the responsibilities for that need to be governed by a group of people with a mutual commitment and goals. The search is on to find those people.

Continuation and Sponsorship of the film program

Presenting films in Tamanend Park is dependent upon sponsorship to succeed in paying the expenses of the program.  Therefore,  I must ask that those concerned individuals who join me in believing that this program is good for the community, also join me in paying for the program in the park.

To continue these programs is something that will establish the regularity, consistency and dependability of Cinema Under the Stars and this is the most critical element that needs to be in place to build an audience.  People must be confident that if they make the effort to come to the park, the films will be presented as advertised.

No matter how may people show up for the film, whether it is one person or thirty, it still must be paid for and other expenses incurred as well.  We have shown a film for one person more than once.  This cannot go on but the process of building an audience must be able to tolerate this lack of an audience from time to time.  The only way to do this is if we have partners who assist us in covering these expenses while we are creating something good for the community.  Certainly, in exchange for this help, we offer every effort to include those people & businesses in our publicity and thanks for a job well done.

 The information below was part of a previous posting which I am updating so please bear with any inconsistencies you may see.  I do need to include a number of new sponsors who have contributed in-kind supplies and services but it is very important that we receive funding to cover the expenses that cannot be satisfied any other way.  If you feel that helping in this way is something you are willing to do,  please contact me. This program costs nearly $4,000 to produce for the season.

Previously Posted

This section is dedicated to listing the folks who have chosen to help out financially.  Display advertising is being offered in The Shakespearean Journal as one way to assist with this and other programs.  Those ads are published in the hard copy of the Journal and made reference to in the on-line edition as well.  Sponsors who specifically assist with "Cinema Under The Stars" will receive credit here and in the Hard Copy of the Journal also.

Sponsors may assist in any degree and be listed as a supporter.  To become Sole Sponsor of film requires incurring the full cost of presenting the film $250.  Credit for sponsorship will be listed in order of the amount of the cost incurred by the sponsors.  Details in this regard will be posted here in the future.

All listings are included here for one year, after which time they are revised.

Our Growing list of Sponsors 
and other assisting in the programs

Please also see our flyers for a more extensive listing.

Image of the Mind Studios

Upper Southampton Township

   Upper Southampton Parks & Recreation Department,

   Upper Southampton Free Library
Swank Motion Picture Distributors

R.C. Kletzing Inc 

 CNC Machining Services

First Federal Bank of Bucks County
Detland Equipment of Silverdale
John McShane Auto Body
Frank Servicenter
Hampton Cleaners
Grow's Auto & Truck Service
Office Max of Feasterville

Numerous volunteers have assisted and their work is very much appreciated, 

I hope that as we progress, we will be able to thank those people here for their assistance as well.

Franco Zeferilli's "Romeo & Juliet

 Showing July 30th

in 

Tamanend Park's

The Meadow Amphitheatre

Join us for

"Spontaneous Shakespeare"

Between 6:00 pm & 8:30 pm

and enjoy reading from the script

  before the 

film showing

which takes place at dusk

(apporoximately 8:30 pm)

2011 Season Flyer, for print-out

Cancelled for Rain and other notes

"American Graffiti" got rained out. Unfortunately we still need to pay for the rights to the film. So remember this when you contribute to the effort.  We will have the right to show it again for the next year, so I am not certain how we will fit that into the schedule, since it is already posted and all the show dates are filled.

We had a number of folks show up hoping that the film was still on, so sadly they did not get to see the film, but gladly we are starting to build an audience. No Hot Rodders though, they woosed out because they are afraid to get their cars wet! Oh well.

We are going to stick to the schedule we have and we still want performers to avail themselves of the stage before the films.

We are planning a Gilbert & Sullivan event for August 27th and we have some Shakespeareans who are working on a few things.  We open Princess Ida in Bryn Athyn on the 13th of this month and HMS Pinafore in Buckingham on the 20th. So go to my Facebook page for details on that.

We may be having a picnic at the stage on the Forth of July, even if we do not walk in the parade.  If you care to help with that, let me know.  Check www.shakespeareanjournal.blogspot.com for more discussion on that.

We are planning showing a film that was produced and shot in Tamanend Park. I suggested that we show it on July 2nd before "The Patriot" with a question and answer period. So look for that.

As always, we need volunteers to help with things, it is a HUGE amount of effort to do this and assistance will assure that we can keep it going.