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Our next production
Red Hot and Cole
21-24 March 2012
The Great Barn, Ruislip
Directed by Ann Hertler-Smith
Musical Director Robert Wicks
About us
- Who we are
- History
- News
- Membership
- Committee
- Helping
- NODA
- Sponsors
- Views
- Who we are
- History
- News
- Membership
- Committee
- Helping
- NODA
- Sponsors
- Views
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ROS is a society full of lively, enthusiastic and talented people – but there’s always room for more…
As well as encouraging folk who want to sing, dance and act, we welcome those looking for a place to practise their set-designing, costume-making and tea-brewing skills.
Drop us a line, give us a call or come and see a show; a whole other world beckons.
If you’d like to get involved with the society and play some part in our future, onstage or off, give Membership Secretary Pam a call on 020 8954 5464.
Or go to the Contact Us page and send us an email. Tell us what you think of our shows or which ones you’d like to see. We’d love to hear from you.
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The Ruislip Musical Society came about as a result of a public meeting held on 17th December 1923. For many months the Society concentrated its efforts on rehearsals, building up a repertoire and adding willing volunteers to the list of members. The first public performance by the Society was a concert version of Merrie England given in April 1925. The handbills advertising the event politely stated that the Society “had spared no pains to do justice to the Opera and hopes it will be the first of many successes.” It was.
The Society decided to change its name to Ruislip Operatic Society in 1935.
In 1939, despite the outbreak of World War II, ROS made the decision to carry on – as far as possible – presenting at least one production each year. The Society is proud that it has maintained an unbroken run since 1925.
During the early war years the fear of imminent invasion led to the introduction of some imaginative schemes designed to confound an invading army. The Society played its part in the war effort by allowing the deletion of part of the word Ruislip from the front page of the programme for each show. Confusing enough for the locals, let alone an enemy force.
ROS continued to thrive in spite of the demands of the war. Tom Jones was performed in June to avoid as much of the blackout as possible and the 1943 show Blossom Time featured a male chorus chiefly comprised of Air Raid Wardens and Home Guards. On a more sinister note, the 1944 presentation of Katinka was performed to a finish despite the sound of the first “doodlebugs” passing overhead, during the finale of Act II.
The programme for the 1961 production of The Gypsy Baron observed that the show cost more than £500 to produce. Those were the days. The budget for each of today’s shows comes in at well over twenty thousand pounds and every seat must sell to make even a modest profit.
1972 was the year of the power crisis and the chorus regularly arrived at Thursday rehearsals for The Grand Duchess with candles and paraffin lamps, in case of power cuts.
ROS chose to celebrate its 75th anniversary in 1998 by presenting “the musical of the century”, My Fair Lady. Its appeal was confirmed when the show was sold out weeks before opening night. Since then, ROS has welcomed audiences to a range of productions; each designed to showcase the Society’s talents. From the swashbuckling fun of The Pirates of Penzance – Broadway Version to the dark complexities of Sweeney Todd, ROS does its best to make an impact on the audience.
NEWS 2012
- 21 Nov ROS Perform at Ruislip Manor Fun Day
- 11 Aug ROS Beetle Drive 17th September
- 31 May Summer School 2011 tickets
- 04 May 42nd Street Workshops.
- 27 Apr Musical Magic workshops
- 18 Apr Come and join us
21 November ROS Perform at Ruislip Manor Fun Day
It was a bright Saturday afternoon and ROS members, dressed in red and black, entertained the crowds with numbers from our hit show, ROS Presents Musical Magic in support of the Ruislip Manor Fun Day. Crowds stood and listened to such numbers as Razzle Dazzle and You’ll Never Walk Alone. Despite a hiccup when power to our keyboard failed, the members carried on singing until power was restored. We look forward to performing again soon.
11 August ROS Beetle Drive 17th September
Those who joined us for the annual ROS Beetle Drive on 17th September had a wonderful time. For those who have never played it is a fast moving entertaining game. It was an exciting and tense evening particularly at the end of the evening when it was announced there was a tie for first place and the winner would be decided by a “Beetle Off”. The eventual winner was Beckie Miles with a score of 287 points.
31 May Summer School 2011 tickets
StageWorks Summer School, comprising 26 boys and 30 girls aged between 8 and 18, will perform an 80 minute extract from Oklahoma!, after just seven days of workshops and rehearsals. The performances are on 30th July at Winston Churchill Theatre, Pinn Way, Ruislip, at 2.30pm and 5.00pm. Tickets are only £5.00 and can be ordered from the box office on 07990 885956.
04 May 42nd Street Workshops.
Workshops begin for on Sunday 8th May 2011 at Bishop Ramsey School, Ruislip for anyone interested in partipating in our performance of 42nd Street in 2012. They are an opportunity to find out about the show and learn/improve your tap dancing. Workshops are free to members but there will be a small fee for non members. Please contact Pam or Andrea if you are interested.
27 April Musical Magic workshops
Everyone is welcome at the workshops to prepare for ROS Presents Musical Magic.
Thursday May 5th at St Martin’s Church Hall, Eastcote Road, Ruislip at 7:30pm
Sunday May 8th at 2pm – Bishop Ramsey School, Ruislip.
Thursday May 26th at St Andrew’s Church, Malvern Avenue, South Harrow at 7:30pm.
18 April Come and join us
Make your way to Eastcote Methodist Church, Pamela Gardens, HA5 2QU this Thursday 21st April 2011, at 7:30pm, to hear about plans for our next production – ROS Presents Musical Magic. We’d be delighted to talk to you about joining in, on or offstage.
Join in
We like to include all sorts of folk in the ROS mix. If you’ve seen one or two of our productions and you’re thinking about joining us on stage, come along and show us what you can do – we’re always happy to welcome new performing members.
Equally, we’d love to have you around if you’re handy with a paintbrush or a sewing machine or have a burning desire to shift scenery. And if you can brew a decent cuppa, we’ll probably dust off the red carpet…
MORE DETAIL Contact UsSomething for everyone
For those with a little less time to spare, becoming a Friend of ROS lets you support local theatre (for a nominal sum of £15 a year), gives you priority booking facilities, regular copies of the ROS newsletter – Tempo - and a nice warm glow.
Click on the button to contact us, and we’ll send you more details about the various levels of Society membership.
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Chairman – Susan Maycraft
Vice Chairman – Jackie Quaif
Secretary – Eric Martin
Treasurer - Ian Green
Membership Secretary – Pam Bailey
Social Secretary – Andrea Bright
Publicity Manager – Naz Priedon
Business Manager - Oliver Spinks
Committee Members - Sue Brown, Beckie Miles and David Hampton
Friends of ROS Secretary – Sheila Rawles
Press Officer – Nazilia Priedon
Librarian - Sue Brown
Mailing List Secretary - Heather Darby
Helping
Please come and help us…
- Committee members
- Painting
- Set building
- Refreshments
- Chaperones
- Props
- Costumes
- Stage crew
- Publicity and leaflet distribution
Upcoming events to help with
Ruislip has talent…
Want to help with our next production? Do you have a flair for sewing? Would you like to make some costumes? Talent with a hammer? Help our set builders! Send us your details...
Get Involved!
Simply click the contact button below to get involved with Ruislip Operatic Society.
Noda
The National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA) was founded in 1899 ‘to protect and advance the interests of Operatic and Dramatic Art, and of Societies engaged therein’. ROS is an active and enthusiastic member, one of 2,500 amateur societies and 3000 individual members throughout the UK.
The aims are…
• To give a shared voice to the amateur theatre sector
• To help amateur societies and individuals achieve the highest standards of best practice and performance
• To provide leadership and advice to enable the amateur theatre sector to tackle the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century
Stockists of all leading makes of dancewear.
We stock all your
dancewear needs.
Pointe shoe fitting, Teletone taps fitted, Character skirts in stock or made to measure, costumes made to your design, Irish dance shoes and socks, ballroom shoes, wedding shoes and Holy Communion shoes.
16 Long Drive, South Ruislip. 020 8845 7270
Projecting a powerful message to the right audience
at the right time…
Business cards, brochures, logos, flyers, adverts, exhibitions, marketing, html emails, presentations
and much more…
+44 20 8868 3737
contact@kineticmcd.co.uk
www.kineticmcd.co.uk
New look for us!
Maybe a new haircut for you?
Have a complimentary cup of tea or coffee and enjoy one of our treatments!
Very friendly atmosphere -
all are welcome.
5 Black Horse Parade, High Road, Eastcote
T: 020 8868 0796
Joel Veterinary Clinic
Consultations by appointment.
Monday to Friday
9-11.30am • 3-4pm • 5-7pm
Joel Street Farm, Eastcote,
Pinner HA5 2PD
T: 020 8868 3311
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Dance Partners - Stockists of dancewear
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Nazilia - Professional makeup artist
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Kinetic - Design Consultancy
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First Impressions - Hair Stylists
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Joel Veterinary Clinic - Vets
Just a few things people have said...
Past Productions
- 2011 Hello Dolly
- 2010 Little Shop
- 2010 Blitz!
VIEW ARCHIVE »
- 2011 Hello Dolly
- 2010 Little Shop
- 2010 Blitz!
2011 Hello Dolly
Dolly Levi, professional matchmaker and incorrigible meddler, sets out to capture the heart and wallet of the well-known Yonkers half-a-millionaire, Horace Vandergelder.
One of Broadway’s best-loved shows, this sparkling musical comedy features a host of hit songs, including Put On Your Sunday Clothes, Elegance and Hello, Dolly!
2010 Little Shop
Seymour Krelborn works in Mushnik’s Flower Store on Skid Row, alongside Audrey, the girl he secretly adores. Business is so bad that Mr Mushnik agrees to showcase the plant that mysteriously appeared to Seymour. Customers start flocking to admire it and buy up all of Mushnik’s stock. Sales continue to improve but one night, Seymour discovers the dark secret behind the plant’s fantastic powers; it wants blood, the fresher the better, and lots of it.
2010 Blitz!
Full of feisty characters and appealing songs, Lionel Bart’s Blitz! tells the story of an East End community fighting the battle of the home front in between the air raids, early in WWII.
Sending soldiers off to war and evacuees to a safer life in the country, those who are left to face Hitler’s bombs struggle to maintain some sort of normality, day to day.
2009 ‘Farndale’ Mikado
The ladies of The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Operatic Society brought their own special brand of musical theatre to Ruislip. Their show featured all The Mikado’s best bits, including quite a few of its most famous songs, but added a certain something. In fact, those who saw it wonder why anyone still bothers with the traditional version…
2009 Chess
The World Chess Championships are taking place against a Cold War backdrop. American faces Russian and feelings run high. Rivals in love as in chess, who will win the game? Away from the spotlight, political intriguers add to the atmosphere of mistrust and manipulation. Chess – lyrics by Tim Rice, music by Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson – sets the eternal love-triangle to song in a classic rock opera.
2008 ‘Forum’
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, by Stephen Sondheim, tells the story of Pseudolus, a Roman slave obsessed with gaining his freedom. His romantic young master Hero promises to grant that freedom if Pseudolus will help him win the heart of the girl he loves. Unfortunately, she is a courtesan promised to a military hero. Comical misunderstandings abound. Songs include Comedy Tonight.
2008 The Gypsy Baron
Sandor Barinkay returns from political exile to find a band of gypsies camped on land near his ruined castle. Falling in love with the gypsy princess, Sandor incurs the wrath of the local mayor, who had hoped to marry his own daughter off to the returning hero and benefit from the fortune believed to be buried in the castle grounds. Laughter and skulduggery, with music by Johann Strauss.
2007 BOB 5
The 5th in our ‘Best of Broadway’ series – featuring a fabulous selection of solo, group and choral showstoppers from a wide variety of musicals – something for everyone.
2007 Half a Sixpence
Based on H.G. Wells novel Kipps, Half a Sixpence tells the story of a shop boy who inherits money and climbs the social ladder, almost losing his childhood sweetheart along the way. It takes the loss of his fortune to make him see that cash can’t buy you happiness. The show features many rousing numbers, like Money to Burn, Flash Bang Wallop and Party on the House.
2006 Oliver!
Lionel Bart set Charles Dickens’ tale of orphan boy Oliver Twist to song and produced one of the world’s best-loved musicals. “It’s a Fine Life”, “Food Glorious, Food”, “Who Will Buy?”, “Oom Pah Pah” and “As Long as He Needs Me” help to chart the progress of the innocent who fell among thieves but eventually found love and security with his long-lost family.
Gallery
- Shows
- Social
VIEW ARCHIVE »
- Shows
- Social
2011 Musical Magic
2011 Hello Dolly
2010 Little Shop
2008 A Funny Thing Happened…
2008 The Gypsy Baron
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ROS StageWorks / ROS StageWorks Summer School
Theatre workshops for young people
An introduction – for anyone aged 7 to 17 – to the art of performing. Learn to act, sing and dance, regardless of any previous experience, in a safe, supportive environment.
Meeting every Saturday morning in Ruislip, contact Malcolm Unwin on 020 8866 3110 or click on the link below for more details.
Summer School for young people
An opportunity for young performers to take part in a specially adapted (junior) version of a well known musical, after a week of rehearsals and workshops. Audition for the chance to play a leading role or be an all-important member of the chorus.
Click on the link below for more details.
Contact us
We would appreciate your comments
If you have a query, comment or enquiry, please contact the relevant person listed in the box to the right. If you are unsure who to contact please email the general address and your enquiry will be forwarded to the correct person.
Advertising
Oliver Spinks
publicity@ruislipos.org
07746 384899
Box Office
07905 932366
boxoffice@ruislipos.org
General Enquiries
Members
Pam Bailey
members@ruislipos.org
020 8954 5464
Production Secretary
Ali Coe
production@ruislipos.org
