Production Notes for Gills Around The Green

Welcome to Gills Around the Green and another X-mas show from Julian and Pat to tickle the mirth glands and salute the gods of mayhem and ribaldry. And what better time to do it! Nowadays the X-mas show is an increasingly important part of our programme, not just in raising our spirits in a time of increasing gloom, but just as importantly making money that contributes to our other work. But...it's not enough.

You will notice in our programme and in the foyer that we are beginning a new fundraising campaign. Entitled The Copperfield Programme (TCP!), it is designed to help us find resources for creating, touring and developing our core work. The Government's call for arts organisations to Americanise our fundraising tactics and recruit our audiences and fans to dig into their own pockets is a clarion call we cannot ignore.

oHHomeI don't want to scare people but ...boo! Yes, behind you, outside the theatre where Eastern Angles' core work takes place (taking theatre with a regional flavour to market towns, villages and places of special interest) it's a completely different economy. Most people will say it's our performances in small village halls that they remember - the intimacy and the way our plays explore a little bit of local history, celebrate a forgotten industry or highlight a contemporary theme that TV companies ignore. But this is the expensive part of our work and it's getting more difficult to sustain. It's getting harder to find the commissioning money for the writer, to pay for five actors, to maintain an ageing tour bus, and to keep our prices at a level that villages can afford. And we still haven't reached the bottom yet, since we are now hit by a double whammy of cuts from both Arts Council England (ACE) and local authorities.

Now, in some ways Eastern Angles is in a good place at the moment - we have an excellent record of recent work, some reserves (largely from prudence and good audiences), a loyal audience and an exciting three-year plan which includes some old favourites like We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea, a new Bentwaters-style site-based show, a Dickens Xmas spoof to rival last year's Jane Austen and a play exploring the Resistance movement here had the Nazis invaded in 1940.

What I say is..."Don't get mad, get even". Gift aid is a wonderful way to get money back from the government to service your neck of the woods. And if you can afford to give just £2 a month to our new Peggotty fund you can help preserve the work we do here in East Anglia for many years to come. You could also leave a legacy to ensure that future generations of theatre goers relate to the place where they live. If Barkis is willin', are you?

At the moment I am writing our 2012 village hall play for just 4 actors. To make that five actors we need to find an extra £9,000. By signing-up to The Copperfield Programme, you can help us make it happen!

But first off all, along with everybody else, we have to reapply for our Arts Council Grant. Our recent Arts Council Annual Review categorised us as "strong" in three areas: artistic excellence, governance and management, and reach, which is our ability to reach out to audience members, which is where you come in. It's our reward for you buying tickets. So thank you for that! We were also classed "outstanding" in terms of engagement, largely due to our new work in Peterborough. This is an excellent base on which to build our campaign for continued funding and a tribute to everyone who has worked for the company, our volunteer Angels and anyone who has campaigned or put up a poster!

By the time this show finishes in late January we will be looking for the little shoots of new flowers. Go on, help us grow...pick up a form in the foyer, fill it in and put it in the box.

Best wishes,

Ivan Cutting

Artistic Director