KATS
KATS – you may have already heard the name KATS but what does that anachronym actually stand for? As with many good things, there’s more to KATS than meets the eye!
K A
ingsbridge – actually not just Kingsbridge - members and audiences come from far and wide; Dartmouth, Plymouth, Newton Abbot,
Torquay, Totnes and all areas in between and beyond.
mateur – that dreaded word with the negative associations of “amdram”. However, the great work going on in the
world of amateur theatre means there’s increasingly a blurring of the boundaries between amateurs and professionals. The word amateur no longer implies a low standard – it simply means the actors and crew don’t get paid and have to fit the production around a day-job, studies and/or other commitments. KATS hold open auditions for their productions and sometimes people with professional acting or dance training are attracted to join. This gives other members a chance to shine by working alongside them and, of course, gives the audience a first-rate experience. KATS often use professionally trained directors, musical directors, musicians, technicians and choreographers, all of whom bring a wealth of talent and many years of expertise to the productions. As professionals they are proud to work alongside KATS. KATS have won many highly respected NODA (Nation-
al Operatic and Dramatic Association) awards over the years. Fiddler on the Roof in 2018, Oliver! in 2015 and Chess in 2011 are the most recent. Previous productions of Fiddler, Sweet Charity and The Music Man also won gongs which feature proudly in the KATS archives.
T
heatrical – the joy of LIVE entertainment is that it’s exciting, immersive and thought-provoking. Staging a piece of live theatre requires a mas-
sive creative effort and raises many practical challeng- es. Apart from deciding how to tell the story there’s working out the budget, organising front of house, planning the publicity, designing and building the set, sorting the box office arrangements, accumulating props and sourcing and making costumes, etc, etc. It takes huge dedication to pull all this together and a lot of time. In fact, about 6 months for the cast to rehearse a musical, 3 months to rehearse a play. And before rehearsals can begin there’s anything from 6 months to a year of research and planning to allow ideas and creative processes to gel. The monetary cost of all this is considerable. In the
region of £14,000 for a musical and around £5,000 for a play. These relatively modest budgets are carefully managed yet often KATS only just covers the cost of these productions. Major fixed expenses include license fees, hall hire
and frequently the cost of paying our musicians, albeit at a relatively modest rate. Ticket prices aim to cover the costs whilst being mindful of what our audiences are willing to pay. KATS naturally want to encourage everyone to support their local live theatre group and can guarantee to deliver value for money. KATS present a wide range of plays, musicals, revues and original work each year with a musical in the
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
