Join Adel Players

New members are always very welcome whether or not you have any previous experience of amateur theatre and whether or not you wish to act or join the backstage team. For those not interested in acting there are also many opportunities to help with backstage or front-of-house.
	So you'd like to join Adel Players but you don't want to be in any comedies, is that right?

If you're thinking of joining, why not arrange to come along to see the Adel Players in rehearsal or have a chat with our Secretary about membership.
Contact Bernard Riley on 0113 230 0312 or email membership@adel-players.org.uk

Most of our members choose to act in some of the productions and help backstage in other productions whilst some members prefer not to act but enjoy the teamwork of backstage and front-of-house. In fact many of our newer members choose to help out backstage or with front-of-house for their first taste of an Adel Players production before reading for an acting part. This is a great way to get to know other members of the group as well as a good confidence builder. Our membership is wide and varied, with our current youngest member aged 18 and our oldest member in his 80s with many ages inbetween! Some people come to us having acted before and some come to us with a brand new curiosity about amateur dramatics.

If you decide to try for a part in any of our plays, you will find it a fun and unthreatening experience. We have two casting evenings for each play. On a casting evening we read the whole play right through, changing the parts from person to person, so that eveyone who wants a part can have a go at reading for it. There are no 'auditions', no standing alone in front of the director and no criticism. The director and committee then decide who they want for each part. If you don't get an onstage role for one production it is a great opportunity to try out something backstage. With three productions each year, in October, January and April, everyone gets a chance to appear on the stage, should they wish to do so.

There is always plenty to do in an Adel Players production and we pride ourselves on a down-to-earth attitude; every role within Adel Players, whether onstage, backstage or front-of-house, is considered of equal importance to the production. There are no restrictions - anyone can have a go at any role and there is always someone on hand to help teach you new skills. Of the many different roles to try out here are a few:

Onstage - whether a small walk-on part or a larger role (rehearsals on Wednesday and Fridays in the eight week run up to the performances with an extra Tuesday and Sunday in the week approaching the performances)
Backstage - building sets, directing, lights, sound, preparing the hall for the audience, props, costumes, special effects, dressing the set, helping the actors backstage, prompting
Front-of-house - selling tickets, ushering, selling refreshments in the intervals, selling programmes

How to join Adel Players

If you would like to come along to watch a rehearsal or try out one of our just-for-fun readings (see our Trips & Readings page), you are very welcome to come along for a free trial evening. Our Secretary, Bernard, would love to hear from you and would meet you to give you a warm welcome, show you around, introduce you to some members and answer any questions that you may have. Don't forget, we were all new to the group at some stage and so we know it can feel a bit bewildering. Scroll down to read about one member's experience of joining Adel Players. We are a very friendly bunch and happy to see a new face.

All members of Adel Players must join the Adel War Memorial Association in order to use the facilities that the Adel War Memorial Association provides. The annual fee for an adult individual member for 2011-2012 is now £38 for adults or £20 for students. Members are entitled to use all the facilities of the Sports and Social Club, including the lounge bar, and to join any of the many other groups that form part of the Adel Association (squash, tennis, cricket, hockey, bowls, badminton, football, archery, snooker, lacrosse, running, and bridge). All of these groups have their own membership fees.

The small additional annual subscription to join the Adel Players drama group is £5. As we are a section of the Adel War Memorial Association we get our rehearsal and performance facilities free of hire charges, in lieu of which we donate the profits from our productions to the Association. This makes our position as a drama group much more secure than that of independent drama groups faced with constantly rising hire charges.

Joining Adel Players: Members' Accounts

At first I was a bit nervous to just show up to the group, but after a few lovely emails off Bernard and Pat I finally got there. It's been a great decision to join; the talent in the group is really impressive and the people are so nice and friendly that you can't help but feel at ease as soon as you start chatting to them. It's been a great experience for me, to get involved in the drama as well as making some fab friends! - Louise (member since 2009/10)

Really enjoying it. Been hard work but also great great fun. The Adel Players really seems to be a Family and manages to avoid the Luvvie cliches - Andy (member since 2010)

It is a delight to be part of such a friendly and fun group. There is a very relaxed though professional atmosphere and I have felt welcomed from the moment I joined. It really is a pleasure to be a member of Adel Players -Helen (member since 2009/10)

Right from the start I have been really impressed with the professionalism and friendliness of everyone I have come into contact with at Adel - (member since 2008)