Saints Alive
Company
www.saints_alive_company.htm
Updated on July 24, 2008 Contact us via Hazel on 01785 851259
Here's to the Saints Alive Company 2009
Rodney Bellamy, Hazel
Bradshaw, Anita Guest and Derek Aldred
toast the success of 2008 and look forward to 2009.
The Company has plans to stage 'Joseph and his amazing Technicolor dream coat' as their 2009 production.
Ambitious plans which will require additional men, ladies and children singers and musicians to fill the cast list.
The rehearsals are due to start late 2008 early 2009 and the Company appeal to anyone who would like to join them in the production to get in touch with any members of the committee.
If you would like to join our happy band please get in touch with Anita 01785 851430, Hazel on 01785 851259 or Rodney on 01785 850162 and let them know you are interested and they will keep you up to date on rehearsals etc.
WORLD TOUR 2008
Announced as a world tour the Saints Alive Company tour of the surrounding towns is hardly that
but when one usually does not venture out of Eccleshall it certainly felt like it. The group were used to
performing in the Holy Trinity Church in the town but this year they spread their wings further
afield.
The cast during rehearsals March 2008
when the church was cold!!
They still managed to smile.
The singers appeared in three churches in April and May 2008 presenting a mixed programme
of songs from their last four concerts of Roger Jones music and many from West End shows including,
West Side Story, Chess, Oliver and the King and I. The tour started in Stafford at the Trinity Church
on Saturday April 26. The second performance was at the St Lawrence Church in Gnosall on Friday
May 9th and the third and final concert was held at the St Mary’s Church in Market Drayton on
Saturday May 10.
The Saints Alive Company have been singing together now for five years with the guidance of musical
director Rodney Bellamy, drama queen Anita Guest, general dogsbody Hazel Bradshaw and music
coach Derek Aldred.
They rehearse each Sunday afternoon in the parish room. Each of their shows was opened
with the Company’s theme song also from a Roger Jones musical, ‘Saints Alive’.
Left to right Chris Howe, Sue Baker, Hazel Bradshaw,
Anita Guest, Joy Jones and Gill Pinney
at the piano Larraine Hunter.
The history of The
Saints Alive Company
A group of men, women and
children joined together in 2004 to perform a musical written by Roger Jones
on a religious theme and called Saints Alive. Many members of the company come
from the various local churches and beyond and rehearsed in the Parish Room and
the church and finally gave two performances in the Holy Trinity Church for the
Eccleshall Festival in 2004.
Roger Jones's 'Saints Alive'
Produced for the Eccleshall Festival of 2004 the musical drew crowds to its two performances including the Bishop of Lichfield.
The members of the group ranging in age from upper sixties down to lower tens and found that they enjoyed working together and performing together and decided to produce another musical the following year.
Led by musical director Rodney Bellamy and coerced by drama coach Anita Guest and producer Hazel Bradshaw using the 'whip and chair technique' put together Jerusalem Joy in 2005.
Roger
Jones's 'Jerusalem Joy'
Saturday 18th and Sunday
19th June 2005
Some of the female members of the cast of Jerusalem Joy
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Drama rehearsal |
King Herod - Tony Watson |
Rodney Bellamy at the podium |
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Wendy Jackson - our pianist when we started |
Derek Aldred seems to know where everything goes! |
Ron Burgess (Jesus in the performances) carrying out some running repairs on his cross. |
Roger
Jones's 'Jail break'
The third production of the Saints Alive Company Jail break
was performed during the
2006 Festival week. One on Friday 23rd starting at 6.30pm and the other on Sunday 25th June
2006 at 6.30pm replacing the usual Sunday evening service.
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Drama Queen Anita Guest with Colin Perry |
Leading man David Llewelyn |
Young Jail Breakers |
The entire cast of jail Break
The soloists: left to right back row Peter Jones, Colin
Perry, Hazel Bradshaw,
front row Jill Latos, David Llewellyn and Anita Guest complete with almost
invisible radio
microphones.
A Musical Evening
On Saturday 18th November 2006 the company produced a musical evening at Holy Trinity Church.
The Saints
Alive Company performed a selection of songs from the three Roger Jones
musicals which they have already produced; Saints Alive, Jerusalem Joy and Jail
break.
In addition members of the company performed hits from West End Musicals.
The Company itself
Around fifty people are involved in The Saints Alive Company not always appearing in each production. A sort of gypsy group with a hard core of regulars and others who perform in one then miss one then hopefully return for the next production.
The company includes musicians, electricians, lighting people, prompters, tea makers and general hangers-on all of whom go together to form The Saints Alive Company.
If you would like to join our happy band please get in touch with Anita 01785 851430, Hazel on 01785 851259 or Rodney on 01785 850162 and let them know you are interested and they will keep you up to date on rehearsals etc.