I originally joined the committee to provide insight into the lighting and sound aspects of proposed productions, thus helping the committee formulate seasons. Since then I have additionally strived to help the theatre progress in other aspects, notably health & safety, front of house team building and the modernisation of our premises.

I would be an excellent committee member for The Company of Players in Hertford, continuing in the role of managing our marketing campaigns, through the means of social media. With my strong communication skills, creativity, and experience in digital marketing, filming and video editing, I can help boost the visibility of our productions and engage with the existing membership and wider community.

The Little Theatre has a unique theatrical offering for Hertford and the neighbouring towns; excelling in the quality of acting and directing, that has the potential to be enjoyed by a far larger number of people.

We have always enjoyed a stable and loyal membership; and are more open to welcoming new members and friends in this community.

I believe that new audiences can be reached through the reach of social media channels and targeted campaigns.

Recruiting new members for the technical department and front of the house is also important; this goal could also be reached through awareness campaigns on social media.

My lifelong theatre knowledge, commitment to the Company of Players, my dedication to our overall success, and my direct involvement in several productions each year, will continue to add value to the theatre.

Together, we can showcase our talent, fill seats, and create memorable experiences for both performers and audiences.

I am a past chairman and have been an active committee member for many years – I am currently the Play Selection process lead and a member of the Theatre Development Sub Committee as well as setting up and maintaining TicketSource our online box office and producing publicity materials. As a director, my most recent production, The Hound of the Baskervilles won Hertford Theatre Week in 2022.

As editor of OBN for the past seven years my focus is on effective, engaging and consistent communication. If elected my first priority would be for the committee to build on the recent work on transforming the website by refreshing the Company’s overall communication strategy, with the aim of ensuring that:

• the membership is regularly kept up to date with the Company’s and the
  committee’s activities
• audiences, both existing and potential, are engaged and excited by upcoming productions in good time
• we raise our overall profile in the local area and actively seek out and appeal to new members
• we create mechanisms to hear the voices of audiences and members alike, and
• roles, responsibilities and processes are clearly set out to support members new to backstage or directorial roles to confidently try these out.

After more than thirty years of membership and experience of a variety of on- and off-stage roles across many productions, I would be delighted to serve the Company in a new capacity by joining the committee.

I have been off the committee for some time but have many years experience having served as Chairman and Secretary in the past. I have been a member of Cops since 1995 and have seen, and implemented, many changes to the Company and the theatre. It is difficult for any committee to maintain drive and focus without fresh ideas and energy once in a while. I believe I can bring both.

I am standing for election to the committee, bringing 40 years of knowledge of CoPs and the theatre, and whilst recognizing the devastating impact Covid has had on theatre and all our lives, I wish to concentrate on:

1. Productions.
   • Returning to the ethos of at least five main productions a season, being a mix of innovative and traditional theatre, investigate the possibility of One Act plays, rehearsed readings, plus guest performances.
   • Planning two seasons ahead, to avoid a ‘dark’ theatre.
2. Membership
   • Boosting membership by striving to market CoPs to the residents of the new housing in and around Hertford. We need more creatives, actors and supporters.
   • Encouraging the regeneration of a Youth Group.
   • Increasing membership of the 100 club.
   • More social events.
3. Communication
   Improvement of communication with the existing membership, to ensure regular and timely delivery of not only O.B.N. but also interim updates and the use of social media.
4. The theatre building.
   Whilst supporting the Theatre Development Plan and the need for services upgrades, I wish to also work on the here and now, for the production teams and our audiences, on the cleanliness and upkeep of the fabric of the building inside, outside and the environs.

Thank you for your support.

As a re-elected member of the COP’s Management Committee I would continue to run and organise FOH for the Company. Looking to the future – to continue to foster ways of making FOH to be seen and accepted as a very important part of the Company – enhancing the profile. Also I would look forward to promoting FOH in the community and in the Company. We are constantly looking for ways to reduce our use of plastics by buying reusables and this would obviously be continued . Housekeeping and Theatre cleaning are also part of the remit . We have a great Clean Team and this would be managed and promoted in the future.

As a relatively new (and young) member of the company (joining in August 2022), and having already been an active part in a number of productions, I can offer a fresh perspective to CoPs, and help to identify areas that may have been overlooked or dismissed as simply “well that’s how we’ve always done things”. My willingness to question and explore new possibilities can help us as a company adapt and thrive going forward.

I have already developed a deep, unwavering love and passion for CoPs and the people, and can very easily see myself being an active part of the company and community for a very long time. I am 100% committed to the long-term success of the theatre, as I want to be able to, as others have done for me, introduce this amazing community to a new generation one day. This passion and love will always drive me to do what is in the best interests of our ‘little’ theatre.

I can also bring a valuable skill set to the table, with my experience in website building and management being particularly relevant, especially with the departure of committee member Andy Paterson. I know how crucial it is to have an active and engaging online presence, especially in today’s world.

We all want as many people as possible to be able to experience the magic of CoPs, and that’s why I believe it is important that we start, more actively, promoting ourselves further than Bengeo. We have members that travel from far and wide to come and be a part of what we do, and it is a shame, considering our 60+ years of history, that still so few people in Hertford itself know we exist. A main focus of mine, if on committee, would be to make sure we make that name for ourselves in Hertford (and the surrounding areas), as we all know we can.