October 30, 2018 9.00 am
This story is over 44 months old
Emily Norton: Oliver! – The chance of a lifetime
The chance of a lifetime
There are still plenty of opportunities to take part, whether it's to join the cast, the offer makeup skills, costume making, marketing or just joining the fun.
“Only in Lincoln”. It was my first thought as I watched streams of excited shadows dart across the lit cathedral and shrink into the Chapter House. Inside was the sound of a piano player warming their fingers and a loud hum of greetings, some familiar, some new and apprehensive.
This was the place where, in just a number of months, the nave of one of the most beautiful buildings in the world would melt into 19th century London, its towers becoming workhouses, smog-soaked streets and taverns. And the sounds I could hear were the heart of the vision. With a first rich blast of “Oom Pah Pah!” we were suddenly among heinous Fagins, tainted Nancys, lovably wicked Artful Dodgers and even, possibly, Oliver Twist himself.
“Only in Lincoln”. It’s a thought that’s stuck with me since I learned of The Starring Lincoln Theatre Company’s first sell-out cathedral production – Jesus Christ Superstar. Then when I took a seat in the audience of Jekyll and Hyde last year and watched the cast of hundreds of dedicated local volunteers it struck me just how special the opportunity was.
The Starring Lincoln Theatre Company brought acclaimed performances Jesus Christ Superstar and Jekyll & Hyde to Lincoln Cathedral. Photos: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The large-scale community project is produced by a creative collective with contributions from experienced artists and producers, led by Ben Poole, as well as support from groups such as Lincoln’s new arts hub Mansions of the Future. It’s made possible by makeup artists, costume and set designers, musicians, directors, technicians and choreographers to name a few.
The ensemble is a melting pot of Lincolnians. Some will become leading characters, some will discover a new talent, some will simply enjoy a new place to build friendships and for some, being involved may just be a way of getting through the cold and sometimes lonely winter nights, and who can blame them?
For me, I have to say, croaking the old singing voice back into action may need a bit of work, but it feels wonderful to be “one of the family”.
Right now, Oliver! Is still in its fledgling days and is open to absolutely everyone. No audition is necessary unless you’d like to try for a featured role.
Most importantly, the search is on for children to bring to life Dickens’ pickpocketing hooligans, workhouse orphans and Victorian street urchins. There’s no other city in the world that offers young people the chance to discover their talents by performing one of Britain’s most loved tales in such an iconic setting. Spread the word to your local schools!
The next public meeting/rehearsal is open to all on Wednesday, October 31 at Lincoln Carlton Academy, Carlton Boulevard LN2 4AG. 6.30pm arrival for a 7pm prompt start.
You can follow The Starring Lincoln Theatre company on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updates and announcements along the journey.
Emily Norton – Also known by my new Dickensian alter ego, Cecilia Tuddles
Emily Norton is the Associate Editor of The Lincolnite.
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The Lincolnshire Music Service is offering exciting summer music workshops completely FREE of charge to eight to 14 year olds thanks to short-term COVID recovery funding. This is a saving of around £30 per full-day workshop!
The full-day music workshops will give young people the chance to try out being in a rock band, or learn more about DJ skills, beatboxing and music production. If you have young members of your family, looking for some fun activities this summer, apply soon!
The Junior Rocks workshops are seeking drummers, guitarists, bass guitarists, vocals and keyboard players aged 8–13 years old. Grade 1 plus.
No experience is needed for the DJ skills, Beatboxing and Music Production workshops – just an enthusiasm for music, and a willingness to give it a try!
It’s advisable to book early to avoid disappointment as it’s expected that these workshops will soon be fully booked
All workshops are delivered by experienced DBS cleared industry experts and supported by Lincolnshire Music Service.
A major housing extension in Sleaford will no longer get a pub or nursery after developers struggled to find people to run them.
The 1450-home Handley Chase development was supposed to deliver facilities for its future residents.
However, plans for the pub and nursery have been abandoned for the time being after four years on the market without any interest.
18 additional houses will be built on the site off London Road instead.
Future applications could relocate the pub and nursery closer to the main road to make them more attractive to operators.
Councillors said that reallocating the land was better than ending up with an unused “barren wilderness” in the middle of the development.
However, they warned that they didn’t want the promised facilities to disappear.
Councillor Richard Wright told North Kesteven District Council’s planning committee: “We don’t just want an urban sprawl – we need infrastructure which makes the development a nice place to live.
“We can’t just leave the site on the open market forever, creating a desert in the middle of the homes. It will become a barren wilderness with anti-social behaviour.
“It would look a mess simply because we want to see the building according to our designs.”
Designs for some of the 18 new houses near London Road, Sleaford | Photo: T. Balfe Construction
However, other councillors were reluctant to amend the previous plans.
Councillor David Suiter said: “I am concerned that the local centre will start disappearing and we will end up with more houses.
“A lot of the four years in which it was marketed was during Covid, and many firms are looking at changing their business models. It’s too soon to say that developments which haven’t had interest yet are unviable. We should expect them to continue marketing it.”
The Handley Chase plans were originally passed in 2017.
It is a joint development between four firms, with T. Balfe Construction to deliver the new 18 homes.
Council officer Nick Feltham told the meeting that another location in the site could potentially be used for the pub and nursery at a later date.
“The public house offer has been marketed for four years, and no operator has come forward. We can grant permission and require it to be marketed, but we can’t require there to be an operator given the economic circumstances,” he said.
“Tentative queries have suggested that a frontage onto London Road would be preferable. The undeveloped opportunity could be retained in case the economic climate changes or the demand emerges.”
The planning committee approved it by eight votes to three.
The local centre has also promised a health centre, a community centre and four shops with offices above.
The Co-op shop is already open, and the shops are on the market.
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