REGISTER NOW FOR OUR ENSEMBLE OPEN AUDITIONS!
Find out how here >
27
MarOPEN AUDITIONS FOR PETER PAN!
Comments Off on OPEN AUDITIONS FOR PETER PAN!
All posts in Uncategorised
14
AprCAST ANNOUNCEMENT
Comments Off on CAST ANNOUNCEMENT
?CAST ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE HILARIOUS SHOW: HOUSEWIVES ON HOLIDAY ✈️
Starring ⭐️MAUREEN NOLAN⭐️ Welcoming back the wonderful JULIE COOMBE ?and JOSEPHINE PARTRIDGE ?from Hormonal Housewives. Directed by John MacIsaac.
25
JanCovid Update – as from 27th January 2022
Comments Off on Covid Update – as from 27th January 2022
As from Thursday 27th January 2022 the Covid rules will be eased. The following changes will be made within The Old Savoy:-
- Covid passports will no longer need to be shown on entrance to The Old Savoy (Home of The Deco Theatre) although we may do random checks
- Face masks will no longer be mandatory, although we strongly advise that these are worn whilst entering and moving around the venue. Staff will continue to wear face masks when in public areas of the theatre
- We advise that the sanitising stations located around the theatre are still regularly used during your visit.
15
DecIMPORTANT! COVID UPDATE 15th December 2021
Comments Off on IMPORTANT! COVID UPDATE 15th December 2021
Following the announcement from the government yesterday it is now law to prove that you are vaccination & covid status when entering the theatre.
Here is the list of rules in place at the theatre:-
• COVID PASSES – Over-18s in England must prove they are double vaccinated against Covid-19, had a negative PCR or lateral flow test result within the last 48 hours, or have an exemption, to enter large events and venues. Find out more here >
• MASKS – Face coverings MUST be worn in the theatre – they can ONLY be removed if you are eating, drinking or taking part. We have a duty of care to our staff & customers and reserve the right to refuse entry if you do not wear a face mask. If you are medically exempt from wearing a face covering proof WILL be required on entrance to the theatre.
• TEMPERATURE CHECKS – On arrival we will record your temperature with a non-invasive thermometer that records accurately in one second. This can be taken from your forehead or wrist.
• ILLNESS – If you are feeling unwell or have any symptoms please do not visit the theatre, and call us on 01604 491005.
15
JulOur covid policy – with effect from 11th December 2021
Comments Off on Our covid policy – with effect from 11th December 2021
COVID 19 Policy
Update with effect from 10th December2021
Following the update from the Prime Minister on 10th December 2021, we have revisited our policy in relation to COVID 19 guidance, to ensure the safety of all our customers and staff going forward. These requirements will remain in place until we receive any further guidance from the government:-
- Face coverings ARE required when visiting our venue and moving around in ‘shared’ areas, or evidence of exemption will be required to be shown/or be visible. – We retain the right to refuse admission if face coverings are not worn or exemption visible. Once seated these can be removed, or can be removed at the discretion of a tutor/group leader in a training/care situation.
- A non-invasive temperature check will continue to be taken and we will ask you to sanitise on arrival.
- We will continue to ensure that all areas of our venue are regularly disinfected with the ‘fogger’ and toilets regularly cleaned throughout any event.
- We will ensure that the venue is well ventilated.
- In line with government guidance there will be no limit on the number of people allowed to sit together as a party either as a family, extended family or households together. We have removed the rule of 6 from our online system which will mean up to 20 can now be booked in one transaction online, larger parties can book direct with the box office on 01604 491005.
- For the immediate future whilst infection rates remain high, we reserve the right to request sight your printed NHS COVID PASS which can obtained using the Government NHS app or sight of a negative lateral flow test. We will notify customers when these additional measures are required dependent on audience size.
We promise to provide you with a safe environment in which to enjoy live theatre, learn a new skill, meet friends, enjoy our coffee shop, celebrate your special occasion with us, simply come to work, whatever your reason to visit The Old Savoy, your safety, well-being and comfort is and always will be paramount.
We thank everyone for their support and very much look forward to the opportunity of welcoming you back soon.
Jill and Kev Roach and the team at The Old Savoy
15
FebCovid Update – 21st June 2021
Comments Off on Covid Update – 21st June 2021
COVID – 19 – UPDATE 21/06/21
Team Deco continue to work incredibly hard socially distancing & rescheduling shows. Where possible we have rescheduled the shows and your original tickets will automatically be valid for these future performances.
Please find below the details and status of upcoming shows:
IF YOU ARE HAVING PROBLEMS VIEWING THIS PAGE PLEASE DOWNLOAD THE LIST HERE >
Due to the unprecedented level of enquiries we continue to receive, we request that you do not call our Box Office regarding any existing bookings please email admin@thedeco.co.uk. However, if you do need to speak to us direct, our phone line will be manned between 10am and 4pm on a Friday and Saturday, please leave a message if we do not answer we will return your call.
For new bookings all shows can be accessed online at www.thedeco.co.uk.
We cannot begin to thank you enough for your understanding, patience and continued support during these challenging times, and will aim to keep you all regularly updated, as soon as information becomes available.
Take care & stay safe.
Team DECO
23
OctOur Dame ‘par excellence’ – and Colin’s delighted to be back at The Deco
Comments Off on Our Dame ‘par excellence’ – and Colin’s delighted to be back at The Deco
Just seven weeks today until the opening night of ‘Sleeping Beauty’, our socially distanced Christmas 2020 Panto. And at The Deco we are determined to bring some seasonal cheer to your lives after what has been a totally testing year in so many ways for all of us. So join us for a fantastic family treat!
‘Sleeping Beauty’ runs from Friday, December 11th until Christmas Eve, and taking into account current guidelines, and our absolute priority that your well-being while visiting our theatre is of paramount importance, our show will run for approximately 1-hour 20 minutes without an interval (for social distancing purposes).
We’ve another awesome cast, including some fantastic local talent, but also the return of some highly popular Deco Panto favourites, including Chris Wills, Lydia Lucy, and our regular ‘dame par excellence’, Colin Ridgewell.
Be it as an hilarious dame or a dastardly baddie, Colin’s always been hugely popular with our audiences, and we’re as delighted to hear he’s excited about coming back for his sixth Panto at The Deco, as we are having him on board once again.
“It’s absolutely fantastic that The Deco is going ahead with it’s Panto,” said Colin. “And it’s my privilege to be a part of it, and I can’t wait to be back at a theatre I love, and working with another absolutely brilliant group of performers, and being around the fantastic team behind the scenes who make The Deco so special.
“What is so important to me is putting on another brilliant Panto that families can come along and enjoy, and have a great time while they’re with us – and don’t we all deserve something to cheer us all up after what has been a shocking year for so many.
“Not just that, The Deco has worked so hard to make sure that all visitors, performers and staff are in a totally safe and secure environment – I know that no stone has been left unturned in terms of achieving that, and the staff deserve every credit for being as meticulous about it as they are.”
Colin, who lives across the border in Buckinghamshire, first made a name for himself as a teenager, when he was a regular in the legendary BBC children’s TV drama ‘Grange Hill’, and has loved acting and performing all his life – none more so than Panto.
“As you well know, I absolutely love Panto,” he told us. “It really is a privilege to be on stage being part of a performance that is giving so much fun to so many people, and I include us on stage as well as our audiences.
“So it won’t surprise you to know that I’m really excited about ‘Sleeping Beauty’, and as I say, nothing will make me happier than putting a smile of the faces of our audiences, and helping make Christmas 2020 as memorable as it can be – so come and see us, join in the fun, and have another great time at the wonderful theatre that is The Deco.”
For tickets, and for full details of our social distancing guidelines, go to www.thedeco.co.uk/event/sleeping-beauty-christmas-2020/
Make Christmas special at The Old Savoy, home of The Deco Theatre
02
OctDeco’s three Panto amigos all delighted to be heading back to Northampton
Comments Off on Deco’s three Panto amigos all delighted to be heading back to Northampton
Three popular Deco Panto regulars are returning to Northampton for another Christmas spectacular – and are all determined to spread some ‘extra special’ Christmas cheer to audiences this December.
Colin Ridgewell, who first made his name in the classic BBC children’s series ‘Grange Hill’, actor and entertainer Chris Wills, and singer-actor Lydia Lucy have all thrilled audiences in Deco Christmas Pantos over the past five years, and are all delighted to be heading back to appear in Sleeping Beauty at what all three call their favourite venue.
Said Colin, who has established his popularity with his performances as a Panto Dame: “Under all the circumstances, it’s brilliant that the Deco team are putting on their annual Christmas Panto, and I am determined to make ‘Sleeping Beauty’ as much a great night out for our audiences as all the others I’ve appeared in.
“I absolutely love The Deco, as I so the people of Northampton and all around the county, who make performing there in Panto such an enormous pleasure each year, and after the year so many have endured, the least I can do is help spread some extra special Christmas cheer.”
Lydia first appeared at The Deco four years ago, and captivated everyone with her fantastic singing voice. Indeed, weeks later, the whole nation was likewise, as she made it all the way through to the final of ITV’s The Voice. She returned to The Deco two years ago, and is delighted to be back.
“Life is never boring these days, and I’ve been very busy,” she said. “Lockdown was weird, but since we emerged from that I’ve rarely had a dull moment, and doing Panto again is a lovely way to round off the year – I love Christmas, and what would it be without Panto!
“As Colin says, we’re all in need of some Christmas cheer; mine will be appearing in another Deco Panto, and I hope that we as a cast, and a production team, can spread lots of goodwill, laughter and happiness throughout our audiences during the performances of ‘Sleeping Beauty’.”
Said Chris: “The Deco is an awesome theatre, and every year we have fantastic audiences, and it is a pleasure to be back in Northampton again – I love the place. Full credit to the management for working so hard to make The Deco a totally safe environment, and giving people something to look forward to this Christmas, and I can’t wait to be back on stage there.”
28
Sep‘Sleeping Beauty’ cast has a very local feel to it!
Comments Off on ‘Sleeping Beauty’ cast has a very local feel to it!
There’s very much a local feel to ‘Sleeping Beauty’, this year’s Deco Panto, thanks to singer and dancer Fern Roach, dancing specialist Andrzej Mialkowski, BBC Northampton presenter Wayne Bavin, and comedian and entertainer Mark Jones lining up in the cast.
Fern, who was born and bred in the town, has a senior role for the third year running, having previously appeared as a member of the support cast, while Andrezj, an accomplished dancer, is well known in and around Northampton as the owner of the Henry Street based Step by Step Dance Studio.
Wayne has established himself as a popular afternoon presenter on BBC Radio Northampton since joining the statin in 2018, and though Mark now lives in London, he has a big local connection, having previously lived in Northampton, and being a regular visitor to the town to visit relatives who still live in and around the county.
“We pride ourselves on supporting and encouraging local talent, and we’re very proud of our town, and our county, so we’re delighted with so many local connections in this year’s Panto,” said House Manager Jill Roach, who is also Fern’s mum.
“Fern has been outstanding in her two Panto performances so far, and I’m very proud of her – and she has won her parts on merit, auditioning like everyone else.
“I’m delighted she’s established herself as a Deco Panto regular, along with Chris Wills and Colin Ridgewell, who are also firm favourites with our audiences, and back again this year, as is Lydia Lucy, who previously appeared in 2016, and again two years ago.
“Andrzej has a huge personality, and every time we’ve met him we’ve felt he’s a natural for Panto, so when he told us he’d love the opportunity, and then put himself up for audition, we were delighted,” said Jill. “And we’re certain we’ve discovered another great local stage talent: he’ll be brilliant.
“Wayne and Mark are two highly experienced Panto performers, and great entertainers too, and we’re delighted that they’re making their Deco debuts this year – our audiences will love them, and they’re both really looking forward to being part of our show.”
The Deco Panto runs from December 11th to 24th, and tickets are now on sale. It will last approximately 1 hour 20 minutes, with no interval: just the right length for a festive family treat, but without the traditional break in between because it would make social distance planning a little tricky.
For tickets and full details: https://www.theoldsavoy.co.uk/event/sleeping-beauty-christmas-2020/
06
SepThe Every Brothers – a very local WW2 story and production about three tragic brothers
Comments Off on The Every Brothers – a very local WW2 story and production about three tragic brothers
The Deco is delighted to be hosting a performance of ‘The Every Brothers’ this November, a poignant story of the ultimate sacrifice made during World War Two by three brothers whose family moved to Roade during the conflict.
It has been written as a stage play by local writer Ron Johnson, and was first performed on the eve of Remembrance Sunday last year at Elizabeth Woodville School to much acclaim. We are delighted it is going to be performed at our theatre on Remembrance Sunday this year, November 8th.
Tom, Jack, and William Every are honoured on Roade’s War Memorial, and the play Ron wrote is based on a collection of documents, phots and letters that were donated to the Roade Local History Society by their family.
The three brothers were the sons of Thomas and Winifred Every, from Paddington, who also had two other boys – one who died in infancy, and their youngest, Frank, who passed away a few years ago.
Said Ron, a volunteer archivist for Roade Local History Society: “When Frank deposited some family papers and photos with us, I sifted through them and realised there was a great story to be told, even though I’d never written a play before.
“It was daunting, but I was convinced the story was well-worth telling so, based on – and utilising – some of the material, which included letters from a POW camp, Press cuttings, and other official letters, the play eventually came about.
“When it was first staged to a sell-out audience last year, we had a standing ovation, and what made it more special was that the cast and crew were all local – either Roade villagers, or from Northampton and Wellingborough.”
Set in Roade, with scenes in a POW camp, Monte Cassino, and the African desert around El Alamein, the play is interspersed with specially selected, and poignant, pieces of classical music, and one song by Bob Dylan.
“I was amazed at the professionalism of cast and crew, who were all volunteers,” said Ron. “The way they brought my words to life left me with a huge lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. In fact I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house.”
The Every Brothers will be performed at The Deco on Sunday, November 8th. For tickets, and more details, visit our website: https://www.theoldsavoy.co.uk/event/the-every-brothers/
As usual we will be following social distancing and COVID-19 safety guidelines. Your well-being is paramount at all times, but it’s also very important to us you have a great night out, and enjoy this fantastic production.
