Upside-down world of The Addams Family comes to Stratford

What a full on few months Stratford on Stage has had.

It is some time since we last gave you all an update as to what has been happening at The Castle but cast, crew and committee members have been busy both with preparing for The Addams Family and with their lives outside the theatre.

Through the talent scouting ability of our choreographer Becky Walsh we
were finally able to finalise the cast. We have a fantastic cast of young people from all around the mountain and thank their parents for their support in getting them to rehearsals up to three times each week.

Rehearsals for The Addams Family are progressing really well with some top casting finds.

The development of individual cast members and the friendships which have grown among the cast of young people is just brilliant to see. Our goals in producing a show specifically cast by young people are certainly being fulfilled.

The time which director Helen Snook, the rest of the artistic team, cast and crew are putting into the show is phenomenal. Some are eating, sleeping and breathing the show.

You know when you wake up at 2am with the songs going through your head that a show has got you.

Bringing to life the upside-down world of The Addams Family is a both a delight and a privilege. It brings the deliriously enchanting world of Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Grandma, Wednesday, Pugsley and Lurch to spooky and spectacular life.

We have been so fortunate that Toni Bailey has taken on the job of sourcing grants and sponsorship. It is a time consuming task but we have been incredibly fortunate to have received grants from several sources.

The cost of producing this is in excess of $20,000. This is an extraordinary amount for a small theatre and cannot be covered by ticket sales alone. We are extremely grateful to those businesses which have provided sponsorship for this show and we thank them.

We are trying to obtain sponsorship for each cast member and at $50 each it is a fantastic opportunity for business and individuals to reinforce the efforts which these school children have gone to.

If you are interested in sponsoring a cast member or the show, there are packages ranging from the $50 for a cast member to $1000 for a full sponsorship.

It is not just actors and actresses that make a show happen. The Addams Family house and set is being built at The Kings Theatre by Garry Hann and Tony Gordon. It is huge.

Michelle Rowlands and her team will soon be in their overalls and bringing it to life with their artistic skills. Along with the set Tony has made several items to be used in the show.

Gomez Addams collects "items of persuasion" so he and Patsy Commerford had great fun designing and building these for the show.

The count down is on with Friday October 18 the opening night and the season running until Saturday, October 26.

There is still room for anyone who would like to be involved in helping stage this show, particularly on performance nights so if you are interested please contact us. Email us on stratfordonstagenz@gmail.com

Tickets are available now at Stratford i-Site or on-line at iTicket www.iticket.co.nz/events/2019/oct/the-addams-family.