NEWS

On 3rd December, we had the huge pleasure of performing THE FOSSIL LADY OF LYME at the Etches Collection in Kimmeridge, Dorset.

This was the first ever performance in the Clore Room, part of a brand new museum built to house a small selection of Steve Etches’ amazing collection of world-class fossils, found locally over a period of some 35 years.

The way the fossils are now displayed is great, and the fossils themselves are, of course, fantastic. This museum is highly recommended; well worth a visit.

The scenery around Kimmeridge is amazing, and even in early December there were a number of people passing the museum with very serious walking boots and rucksacks.

And the cafe over the road from the new Etches Collection is also very, very good!

Two more chances to see THE FOSSIL LADY OF LYME close to Mary Anning’s own town…

Chaffcombe on 2nd December,

and

Kimmeridge on 3rd December.

The performance in Kimmeridge is particularly apt, as it will be in the brand new Clore Room, which is part of the extraordinary new museum of….FOSSILS. This private collection of fossils collected from the Jurassic coast of Dorset is now open to the public.

Well worth a visit!

THE FOSSIL LADY OF LYME is set in….Lyme Regis!
Mary Anning spent her extraordinary life in the town, finding fossils on the coast and running her shop.

Now, Alison is delighted that the show is coming to LYME REGIS, as part of Lyme Regis Development Trust’s Earth Science Week:

7.30pm
15 October 2016

The Hub
Church Street
Lyme Regis
DORSET DT7 3BS

TICKETS: heather@lrdt.co.uk

The perfect venue for this show!

The last performance of THE SIXTH WIFE was at the Allendale Centre, Wimborne, Dorset on 15 July 2016. This performance was part of the Wimborne History Festival.

It is very sad to say goodbye to this show, which has been touring since 1992. However, Alison is now getting a bit old to play Katherine Parr, who died at the age of 36.

The show has had hundreds of performances, at all the usual types of venue, and also a few more surprising ones; Gloucester Cathedral, Berkeley Castle, and Bodellwyddan Castle (Welsh home of the National Portrait Gallery) to name a few.

The fabulous paintings on the set were done by Elizabeth Waghorn, and looked as good in 2016 as they did when they were first painted.

The “stained-glass” window is a photo-blowup of a window in Westminster Abbey, and contains a depiction of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. The photo-blowup came from an exhibition at Greenwich Maritime Museum, and was cut down to fit Alison’s set.

The Tudor music used in the show was from a recording by the City Waites.

…..

Alison was asked to portray Katherine Parr at a three-day event at Soudley Castle, Gloucestershire, back in the ’90s, for Past Pleasures Ltd. Worried that the costume might be damaged by wet grass, she encased the hem of the velvet gown in plastic bags, covered over with a layer of fur. So successful was this, that she never removed the fur, enjoying the discrete rustling of invisible Sainsbury bags every time she knelt down during a show!

…..

When she was originally writing the script, there was some problem in the news between the UK and the European Union. Henry VIII had his problems with France and Spain, and thinking that it might get a small chuckle from the audience, Alison included the phrase:

“It is folly for the English every to trust the people of Europe. For envy of our fair isle they will conspire against us, and behave without honour at the last.”

The line has got a laugh during every single performance of the show between 1992 and 2016, because there has ALWAYS been some problem going on between the UK and the EU…..!

……..

The script of THE SIXTH WIFE is now available to hire. For details, go to the ABOUT ALISON page, or contact Alison.

Another chance to see my show about the life and times of Charlotte Brontë, in this 200th anniversary year of her birth.

I am delighted and flattered to be asked back to this venue, in which I played “THE FOSSIL LADY OF LYME” in 2015.

TRULY YOURS, C.B.
8pm 8th September 2016
East and Botolph Claydon Village Hall
Buckinghamshire
MK18 2LR

This show is part of Theatre In The Villages rural touring scheme. For more information, contact:

theatreinthevillages@btconnect.com

and…some kind comments from an audience member following the recent performance and Theatr ffwrnes, Llanelli:

“Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed your Charlotte Bronte performance recently at Ffwrnes Llanelli. It was a beautiful, clever production and had the audience in thrall the whole time. It was both informative and entertaining in full measure – many of us remember little bits about the Bronte story, and the books read so long ago, so it was wonderful to have all of these memories brought to life, and perfectly staged. Many thanks for a lovely evening.“

DEAR EVERYONE……

Horrible problems with emails at this end – I DO apologise to anyone who has contacted me and not received a reply. So sorry – but I never got your email!

Please use:

alison@alisonneil.co.uk

and I will actually receive your email. I promise to respond!

Thanks.

2016 is bursting with bookings, up and down the country, from the north of North Yorkshire, to the western corner of Devon….

Alison is delighted that “MRS BEETON, MY SISTER” is proving popular with Women’s Institutes.

This show is only one hour long, and therefore suits clubs, societies and events requiring a shorter show.

The show can also fit into tiny spaces, so it is suitable for libraries and museums too.

Village Halls are booking “MRS BEETON, MY SISTER” to go with a supper or afternoon tea, to make a full-length event.

Alison is also happy to do a “Question and Answer” session after an interval – and this has proved very successful in village halls in Dorset, and a variety of other venues.

As well as plenty of bookings for “MRS BEETON, MY SISTER“, 2016 will see performances of:

THE SIXTH WIFE
TRULY YOURS, C.B.
THE SHAKESPEARE LADIES CLUB
and
THE FOSSIL LADY OF LYME

See the SHOW SCHEDULE page for details….

MRS BEETON, MY SISTER – going well!


Launched in September 2015, to mark the 150th anniversary of Mrs Beeton’s death,
MRS BEETON, MY SISTER has now been performed in theatres, schools, heritage centres, village halls, and for WI events.

The first performance as part of a Food Festival will take place at Merthyr Tydfil in July 2016.

This show was specially created for people who need a SHORTER, CHEAPER show.

This show can be performed in TINY spaces, without black-out. The lights and sound can be operated by the performer. Theatrical magic!

The running time is one hour and one minute.

For organisers who fancy this show, but would like a longer event, Alison is happy to do a “Question and Answer” session with the audience, after an interval. These have proved popular, and the questions posed by audience members have certainly been extremely varied and thought-provoking.

Come on libraries…..this show is for you!

SOME COMMENTS:

From Pewsey:
“Alison Neil’s one woman performance as Mrs Beeton’s sister was lively, humorous and engaging. She managed to convey not only the trials and tribulations of 19th centuray England but also gave us a good sense of Isabella Beeton’s character and the nature of her large colourful family…not to be missed!

…a perfect Sunday afternoon!”

From Backwell:
“We all enjoyed your show very much. I sat there watching very jealously just wishing that I had some of your expertise! Of course, without the years of training, the dedication and experience that you have, such thoughts should not enter my mind!

Thank you for coming to Backwell – you have a captive audience here wanting more! “

“Just to say how I enjoyed the evening at Backwell. I learnt so much about the Beetons and life then. “

“Just a quick note to say again how much we enjoyed Mrs Beeton’s Sister last week. Many congratulations to Alison for bringing her to life!”

WHY MRS BEETON AGAIN?
My original show, BELLA – THE STORY OF MRS BEETON was very successful, having hundreds of performances. The show closed in 2002, because I was getting too old to play Mrs Beeton convincingly. However, people still asked for the show…..

So when I decided to do a short, simple show at half the price of my others, to fit into tiny venues, and for smaller audiences, it seemed a good idea to tell the story of Mrs Beeton in a new way. But how? I re-read Kathryn Hughes’ definitive biography of Mrs Beeton, and the answer became clear. It had to be Isabella’s sister, the remarkable Bessie. By telling the story through her eyes, the same events appear quite different….

LIBRARIES AND MUSEUMS, FOOD FESTIVALS AND WI GROUPS – this show is for you!

2016 – ANNIVERSARY OF CHARLOTTE BRONTE’S BIRTH

A special year for Bronte fans. The perfect time to book “TRULY YOURS, C.B.”, the story of Charlotte Bronte.

Alison currently has two bookings for this show during this special year:

2 June 2016
7.30

Theatr Ffwrnes
Park Street
Llanelli
Dyfed SA15 3YE

TICKETS: EShaw@carmarthenshire.gov.uk

This event is a jointly hosted by Llanelli Distric Music and Drama Club and
Theatr Ffwrnes

1 October 2016
evening show – time tbc

Odell Village Hall
High Street, Odell
BEDS

TICKETS: contact Alison Neil

BRINGING SOME OLD SHOWS TO A CLOSE…..

Alison is considering bringing the final curtain down on two of her oldest shows. So if you are interested in having a performance of either

TRULY YOURS, C.B. or THE SIXTH WIFE

they are not going to be around for much longer!

PANGOLINS!!

…and on another subject entirely, pangolins are one of the most endangered species on the planet. The only mammal with scales, they eat ants, carry their young on their backs, and unfortunately roll into balls when attacked. This means that poachers simply pick them up and ship them off to be eaten in China and Africa. Their scales are also prized as medicine (it does not work), and their habitats are threatened.

Sir David Attenborough named the pangolin as one of the ten endangered creatures he would most like to save from extinction. “It is one of the most endearing animals I have ever met” he said.

You can help save the pangolin. You can send a donation to: www.savevietnamswildlife.org

OR

you can buy delightful greetings cards directly from me. The entire cost of the card goes to SAVE VIETNAM’S WILDLIFE to help with their work with pangolins.

The cards are A6 size, glossy, individually wrapped, with envelope, blank inside.
There is information about pangolins on the back.

This is the front of the card, showing a baby pangolin being carried on its mother’s tail:

CARDS: £1.20 each, plus postage and packing
(1 to 5 cards: add 99p postage and packing)

contact me: alison@alisonneil.co.uk for more details.

These cards are available to buy when you come to one of Alison’s shows.

AND……WOULD YOU LIKE A NEW LIFE IN THE SUN?

A fantastic chance to buy two houses with land, just ten minutes from the seaside town of Almuñecar in Southern Spain. Spectacular views, fresh produce from your land, perfect climate, and the potential to live on the rental from one of the houses…

Ridiculously cheap, compared to UK house prices!

For full details, go to

www.almunecar.se

and click on FINCA LA ESCONDRIJO

HOT NEWS……..
The two houses can now be bought separately. Each has lots of land, fruit trees, olives, and stunning views, of course. Unbelievably cheap!
Contact Alison for details.