Finally the minutes are here. Please accept this brief note as a formal apology to you all for the delay in completing these; the fault is entirely mine and is due to a period of severe upheaval in the workplace.

Nevertheless, no excuses exonerate me so I make a commitment to you all to ensure that this does not occur again. With that in mind I am already making arrangements for the 38th AGM so that notice can be sent as early as possible. If you have any questions though, please feel free to contact me by any method of communication.

Here’s to the remainder of 2012 and I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible over the coming months.

M Caffrey, RAFTA Secretary

Download RAFTA 37th AGM Minutes in Adobe .PDF format
Download RAFTA 37th AGM Minutes in Microsoft Word .DOCx format

Thank you for your patience.

RAFTA OAPF 2012 Calling Notice

What do a Maori Coriolanus, an all female Richard III and a performance that puts Shakespeare’s favourite characters in a public swimming pool in Penzance have in common? All are performing Shakespeare or Shakespeare inspired plays as part of the UK’s biggest amateur theatre project – Open Stages – the RSC’s ground-breaking initiative which sees amateur groups from across the UK perform their own productions with help and guidance from the RSC and nine other regional partner theatres. As part of this support, the participating groups can attend a ‘Skills Exchange’ workshop day hosted by each of the partner theatres and led by the RSC’s own team of theatre practitioners, so that expertise in areas such as acting, design, movement, voice and text as well as lighting, directing and stage management can be shared. RSC Open Stages has already run 17 of these Skills Exchange days across the UK from Cornwall to Manchester, running over one hundred workshops, working with over a thousand amateur theatre makers – with another 5 Skills Exchanges yet to come.

Just a few examples of the huge range of work being done by over 6,400 participants (the oldest being 90 and the youngest 6 years old), include a Tempest set and performed in a Tesco supermarket, the Royal Air Force Theatrical Association (RAFTA) staging Return to the Forbidden Planet with technical help from an Army officer, Much Ado About Nothing staged by members of the Royal Navy who have returned from active duty on their naval base in Portsmouth Harbour, and The First and Last Performance of the Titanic Shakespeare Society – an Edwardian concert party set on the Titanic’s voyage performed in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, where the great ship was built.

RSC Open Stages producer Ian Wainwright commented; “We are delighted that so many groups around the country are staging their own unique take on Shakespeare in a variety of theatres, town halls, castles, beaches and forests in a breathtaking variety of creative ways – in the Midlands this includes a torch lit performance of Macbeth in Coventry Cathedral and not forgetting the RSC’s own Front of House staff, who are bringing ‘interactive comedy mayhem to people’s summers’ with a performance on Stratford’s Bancroft Gardens outside the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. It is really positive to see the continued popularity of Shakespeare as an inspiration for live performance both for professionals and amateurs.”

The most popular of Shakespeare’s plays to be performed by the participants is Macbeth (19 productions) with A Midsummer Night’s Dream coming second (18 productions) and Twelfth Night third most popular (12 productions). The History plays are the least represented, with only Henry V and Richard III being performed.

For more information about the project and a short film from one of the recent Skills Exchanges workshops, please go to www.rsc.org.uk/openstages and for a map of the geographical spread of productions taking place around the country, please go to www.rsc.org.uk/explore/projects/open-stages/participant-map.aspx

This is an excellent opportunity for RAFTA and further details of the Open Stages project can be found by following the links on the Project 2011 page.

This year’s RAFTA One Act Play Festival will be held at RAF Cranwell 27-29 May 2011. You should have received by e-mail the calling notice and attendance form if you wish to attend but are not with a participating Club.

If you have not then please contact info@rafta.co.uk to be sent this information.

Full details and competition rules can be obtained by contacting Rich Bratley, the membership secretary (membership@rafta.co.uk).

The revised Constitution, a  requirement for the Association to apply for charitable status was ratified. The constitution will now be presented to the Charities’ Commission for scrutiny and approval.

This new website was also unveiled to the meeting and was well received. Suggestions and feedback were welcomed to help the website developer take the project forward.
Finally, the annual award ceremony concluded the meeting. This culminated in the award of a RAFTA Fellowship to Wg Cdr(Ret’d) Ellis Artus as recognition for his longstanding support for RAFTA and dedicated work on the Committee particularly as Adjudications Coordinator.

Read on for the results and photos of the awards being presented.

Award Ceremony: