DUE TO COVID POSTPONED UNTIL 2021
Tonight Charlie Chaplin at the Pavilion ‘(TCCP) is a reviving and restaging of a multi -disciplinary theatrical piece, written by local international writer Gillian Plowman, and directed by Pamela Howard (OBE) There will be 6 performances to approximately 500 audience members staged in the Pavilion, with a number of outreach activities complementing the production .
ADS has advocated for the development of the Pavilion since 2012 and through our production that will attract a national audience, we are aiming to develop economic benefits to the Manhood Peninsular, whilst revitalising the Selsey night -time economy.
The production is used as a vehicle to engage a 21-26 year age group to work in a professional environment, with excellent International artists, developing their technical and performance skills. There will be 12 semi -professional paid young people in the project, and three other more mature actors. To enhance their skills and careers opportunities the young performers will use elements of the script to develop interdisciplinary workshop material and undertake school and community workshops with a professional Drama lecturer who will guide and support their efforts.
The Pavilion, is currently awaiting planning permission for restoration. Restoration will ensure its return to its original use for community, educational and social events whilst having a positive impact on the regeneration of Selsey High Street. This project illustrates how this could be achieved
Performance shots of Charlie all taken by Tony Tomlinson in 2015 !
Blimey Charlie – what a show!
For the second year in succession, Jeff Alan generously allowed Arts Dream Selsey to produce an original piece of work in the town’s iconic Pavilion theatre. Last year it became the trenches in the first world war. This year it became the props and costumes store of the Keystone film company circa 1915, for the production of Tonight in the Pavilion – Charlie Chaplin!
It was a sell-out run of nine performances, with many people coming from London and elsewhere to join the Selsey audience. The combination of an original new story and interest in the restoration of the Pavilion was a magic formula for success, as proved by the many comments aftterwards and Joan Fosters review
Review
Gillian Plowman’s stunning new play, was written to celebrate the centenary of Chaplin’s character the Little Tramp and uses film, music, dance, original film clips and two Charlie Chaplins to bring his story to life.
Chaplin aged 70 played superbly by David Flint, at times was the narrator of his story, but then in dialogue with his younger self, brings his story to life. Ryan Moss played the young Chaplin and is a huge talent, showing Chaplin’s journey from the workhouse in England to America and the creation of The Little Tramp.
The mixed cast of professional and local community performers was admirable, most doubling up in two or more roles and then singing and dancing songs of the time, to the piano accompaniment of Sylvia Rota.
The script received this endorsement from The Chaplin Office in Paris (responsible for the Chaplin archive and rights): "You've done a brilliant job. It's funny, fast moving, completely correct as far as the facts go. A lot better than many of the stage-show scripts I've read recently."
The Creative Team of Pamela Howard, Gillian Plowman, Chris Butler, Sylvia Rota and Becki Townsend are to be congratulated for their exceptional use of the space. Arts Dream Selsey’s second production following the success of the End of the Journey in 2014 leaves me wondering as to how they can possibly follow this next year!
Joan Foster
Joanfoster1@icloud.com
For the second year in succession, Jeff Alan generously allowed Arts Dream Selsey to produce an original piece of work in the town’s iconic Pavilion theatre. Last year it became the trenches in the first world war. This year it became the props and costumes store of the Keystone film company circa 1915, for the production of Tonight in the Pavilion – Charlie Chaplin!
It was a sell-out run of nine performances, with many people coming from London and elsewhere to join the Selsey audience. The combination of an original new story and interest in the restoration of the Pavilion was a magic formula for success, as proved by the many comments aftterwards and Joan Fosters review
Review
Gillian Plowman’s stunning new play, was written to celebrate the centenary of Chaplin’s character the Little Tramp and uses film, music, dance, original film clips and two Charlie Chaplins to bring his story to life.
Chaplin aged 70 played superbly by David Flint, at times was the narrator of his story, but then in dialogue with his younger self, brings his story to life. Ryan Moss played the young Chaplin and is a huge talent, showing Chaplin’s journey from the workhouse in England to America and the creation of The Little Tramp.
The mixed cast of professional and local community performers was admirable, most doubling up in two or more roles and then singing and dancing songs of the time, to the piano accompaniment of Sylvia Rota.
The script received this endorsement from The Chaplin Office in Paris (responsible for the Chaplin archive and rights): "You've done a brilliant job. It's funny, fast moving, completely correct as far as the facts go. A lot better than many of the stage-show scripts I've read recently."
The Creative Team of Pamela Howard, Gillian Plowman, Chris Butler, Sylvia Rota and Becki Townsend are to be congratulated for their exceptional use of the space. Arts Dream Selsey’s second production following the success of the End of the Journey in 2014 leaves me wondering as to how they can possibly follow this next year!
Joan Foster
Joanfoster1@icloud.com
London 2016!
Arts Dream Selsey
Taking Charlie to London
Check out all the fantastic photographs on our Face book page. Arts Dream
It was an exciting moment when London based Martin Humphries and Tobias Steed came to watch our production of Tonight in the Pavilion – Charlie Chaplin! in August 2015, and invited us to take the show to the Cinema Museum in Kennington in the borough of Lambeth.
Martin is a co-founder of the Cinema Museum, which is housed in the very same building that was once the Victorian workhouse where the poverty-stricken Charlie was sent at the age of five. It is an amazing place, full of books, memorabilia and artefacts from the world of cinema dating from the 1890’s, much of it paying tribute to the work of Chaplin. Tobias, an ardent supporter of the Museum, offered to finance and produce the show (which we renamed Tonight in the Museum – Charlie Chaplin!) over three weekends in September 2016 – a whole year later!
The cast committed to the dates and met for a week’s intensive rehearsal on familiar territory – the Pavilion in Selsey, by kind permission of Jeff Alan, before transporting props, costumes, lights and themselves to the Cinema Museum and to their London digs. There is no theatre at the museum so we had to make a performance space and hire a local technical crew – with whom we soon became firm friends. The cast and crew were paid, and what started out as an Arts Dream production in our own little town became a professional London production with the likes of Simon Callow, Jack Klaff, Jean Boht and Carl Davis in the audience. We were also thrilled to welcome Kate Guyonvarch from the Chaplin office in Paris and David Robinson, the definitive Chaplin biographer.
We loved performing Charlie in the locale where he grew up, finding that many local residents were discovering the delights of the Cinema Museum for the first time as well as applauding their local hero. And we were delighted by the reaction of the children at our schools matinees, being able to say to them - If Charlie can do it, so can you!
Chris Butler, Pamela Howard and I created this show together and we are immensely proud of our performers, the amazing standard of their singing and dancing, incredible costume changes and acting of a quality that brought laughter and tears to the faces in the audience. My script has now been published by Samuel French Ltd as Tonight … Charlie Chaplin.
All thanks to Arts Dream! Gillian Plowman
This review from the Southwark News:
“A great cast provide Music Hall standards and songs from the golden age of Hollywood in a fantastic and nostalgic look at the work of a true cinematic legend. Staged in the unusual performance space at the Cinema Museum near the Elephant, this is a must see. A real gem that I implore you to get along to when it comes to your town. A true great done justice by a flawless production.”
Matt Baker
Some other reviews:
“I heartily recommend the play” - Kate Guyonvarch, Chaplin Office, Paris
“Heartbreaking” - Jean Boht
"What an absolutely fantastic show in an incredible location.”
"I saw four shows this week, including two at The National, but tell you what? This was the most fun. I just love fringe when it is well done, and this was excellent.
