Once again Ingatestone Musical and Operetta Group aced it! Lets call them IMOG for short. This group who started in 1970 in the village of Ingatestone have metamorphosised over the years as times have changed. Recently they have won not one but two NODA Regional Awards for best panto, one for Aladdin in 2019 and one for Sleeping Beauty in 2022, that is quite an achievement and well deserved.
I have been in a few productions since October 2017 with them, Sister Act and Nine to Five, Aladdin and Betty Blue Eyes. The group are friendly and welcoming and when you're involved in the rehearsals, there are often lots of laughs to be had. But I will say, although they are classified as an amateur dramatic group they are very serious about getting brilliant, memorable results.
In Spamalot there were several notable actors who did their parts brilliantly. King Arthur played by Mark Walker was excellent, he was also the king in Sleeping Beauty, a natural king. Patsy was played by Denyse Donnell and was of course great, she often plays leading lady and this part was different for her but she embraced it. Steve Critchell never fails to entertain us and he certainly did as Sir Lancelot, absolutely loved his coming out dance. Again, another brilliant actor was Will Trapp as Dennis then Sir Galahad. The Lady of the Lake was played by Sarah Dodsworth who did the part fabulously and has a beautiful voice. A new surprise for me was Ethan Gorsuch-Browne who played Sir Robin, such natural talent! Also, Deb Fisher played many parts but she was very notable as Not Dead Fred and Herbert, a very versatile and talented actress. How can you miss Jeremy Martin, who is well over 6ft anyway but was colossal as the leader of the Knights who say NI and brilliant as Dennis's Mother. Anne Horemans did the Black Knight brilliantly and pulled off the fighting scene with Arthur with flair. The one who actually made me laugh the most was Carly Ersser who played Concorde/Kevin/Bors, a natural comedian, she had me in stitches and slightly grossed out when as Kevin she was dealing with the dead, with all her personal itching and nose picking. Later on she cartwheeled across the stage, go Carly! All of the others in the group performed flawlessly and it came over very professionally. The audience responded brilliantly too. I was helping out Front of House on the Friday night and the audiences reaction was one of the best, they were even dancing in the aisles it was said.
Since my involvement in amdram I have noted that making a play is a work of art in itself. The end is never exactly as planned as the director and others add in their own creative input, an idea for this, an embellishment here and there. What would get more laughs? Although the end result is often light-hearted what is put in is a hell of a lot of work. An actor who has a lot of lines may be learning those lines every day over six months. Steve Critchell, when playing the part of Gilbert in Betty Blue Eyes went over his lines while driving from Burnham-on-Crouch to Basildon every week-day. These people are dedicated and not only are they doing this but they usually have full-time jobs too.
A big part of how a production turns out depends a lot on the Director and Musical Director. Lizzie and Allen Clark were the directors of Spamalot and all their hard work paid off. Allen even made the incredible scenery. Well done to the Musical Director, David Sherman too. After all your moulding the results to perfection you three now deserve a good rest!
If a young person (or an older person!) has serious aspirations to be on the stage they won't go far wrong by joining IMOG. The process for getting the songs right are intricate and professional. The same close eye is used when choosing the costumes. If you were looking for direction in acting there are many to talk to. These people are earnest and dedicated but also enjoy camaraderie and can relax and enjoy social activities together too. Recently there was a quiz night and before this we did a treasure hunt around Ingatestone.
The next show is Dick Whittington which will be performed at the end of January 2024. IMOG will start rehearsing in the middle of September 2023, they usually meet at the same place they perform, Ingatestone & Fryerning Community Theatre on a Tuesday evening and often on a Thursday evening for the principals.
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