And so it goes on.

Fabulous weather, light nights and pretty much all of us off work and underlockdown at home!

The good news is that we seem to be nearer the end of this madness than thebeginning. However, it's pretty clear that theatres are going to be one of the lastbusinesses to be released from lockdown and even then, we won't be able to sitnext to each other in an audience for many weeks.

The LDS Trustees have been hard at work during May.

Several virtual "Zoom" meetings have taken place to explore the way forward in thelight of the latest news and reports as to what other theatres are planning. Sadly,some theatres have decided to close permanently, some have decided to close fora full calendar year and have made their staff redundant, others have furloughedtheir staff, hunkered down and are trying to ride out the storm.

As I reported in the May edition of Scene, we were in receipt of a £25,000 smallbusiness grant which was excellent news and, as I write, Jenny Harding, ourDevelopment Programme Director, is writing a bid for funding from the NationalLottery Community Fund. We got through the first round and now have to submitin more detail our funding need and what we would do with the grant if it wasawarded. Charles Moss and Rob Thirlby have produced the financials which Jennyis working into a further submission. Time is of the essence as it's a first come, firstserved process.

We are so fortunate to have a member of the board whose day job involveswriting funding bids. Keep everything crossed as the outcome of the bid is crucialto what we can do and when going forward.

The Trustees had further useful discussions at their May Trustees' meeting on 31May. Our first duty, by Law, is to act in the best interests of the Society at all timesso discussions ranged far and wide over the best possible way forward.

Our staff are our major asset and thus remain at the fore of our thoughts as weattempt to find a solution that enables us to prosper in the years to come.

We think we have a plan for our immediate future that acts in the best interests ofboth the Society and our staff.

Our future in the medium to long term will depend greatly on the outcome of ourgrant application to the National Lottery Community Fund. • CH

SceneThe Newsletter of the Leicester Drama Society

June 2020

Inside

Editorial • Please renewyour Membership 2Do I need a wig? 3The Queen's Award forVoluntary Service 4

Dover StreetCar ParkMembers may have seen aproposal in a recent report toLeicester City Council (LCC) to buildon the Dover Street Car Park.(LeicestershireLive 26 April 2020)

The report, commisioned by LCCfrom consultants GL Hearn, soughtto identify areas in the city thatmight be developed. The DoverStreet Car Park as an open,undeveloped site in the city centre,close to the railway station, was onesuch area identified.

The consultants' report forms part ofLCC draft Local Plan which seeks toshape the city's growth over the next16 years.

The plan is currently out forconsultation, however theconsultation is currently suspendeddue to the CV19 pandemic.

Trustees have worked up a responseto the proposal and that will besubmitted via the Mayor andPlanning Office. Members may alsowish to voice their opposition to theloss of this, to us, vital amenity.

The Little TheatreDover Street. Leicester. LE1 6PW.

Theatre ManagerPhillip Royleyt: 0116 254 2266e: admin@lds-mail.net

Leicester Drama Society LimitedBoard of Trustees(elected unless otherwise stated)

Chairman & Technical TrusteeAndy Crooks

TreasurerCharles Moss

Honorary SecretaryMary Jones

Trustee for ProductionsJohn Ghent

Trustee for FacilitiesJeremy Thompson

Trustee for Front of HouseFrances Harris

Trustee for the StudioRussell Hughes

Marketing TrusteeDavid Kimmins

Trustee for OutreachColin Hide

Trustee without specific responsibilitySimon Dickens

Other Board Attendees

Company SecretaryRob Thirlby (Appointed)

Development Programme DirectorJenny Harding (Co-opted)

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EditorialApologises for a rather thin edition of Scene this month.

We have many requests for articles out there in the theatrical community, butwith most staff throughout the sector furloughed we are mainly hearing backfrom "Out of Office" assistants. This, coupled with our own closure, has meantcontent is in short supply.

Emma has written a synopisis of each of the plays we have planned for the newseason, but until what we can deliver has become clearer we have held thoseback for a future edition.

Never-the-less the genius that is Tim Hogarth-Jones has stepped up andproduced a fascinating article on wigmaking for the theatre.

Colin & Emma

PLEASE

RENEW YOUR

MEMBERSHIP

Income from membership fees is the only income that we currently have.

And it's vital. Not only for the income that it brings us.

When we bid for funding we are always asked: -

"How many members do you have?"

Clearly, the higher that number the better.

So, please renew your membership.

You can do it online or by calling Rob Thirlby, on 01509 267295.

And please do it now!

Tim Hogarth-Jones was, until very recently, the Trustee for Membership with LDS. After many years of sterling service hestood down in March. He continues with his day job as a Wig Maker and reveals to us the process of wig making.

"Do I need a wig?" is an often-asked question by actors and costume departments; the answer is, will it add to the validityof a character or help an actor to portray a more believable interpretation. I have spent thelast 50 years supporting all kinds of theatre with these decisions, by dressing, making andaltering wigs for both stage and outdoor productions.

There are various types of wigs and hairpieces, from the ready made wig of synthetic fibre,to the finest handmade wig with a lace front where each hair is hand knotted into a netbase. Although I was trained to make wigs from measurement to finishing and dressing,the cost of hand making a wig for stage has now become economically less viable. Theaverage cost of a handmade wig is between £1500 and £2000.

When the London production of Sunset Boulevard was rewiged after a cast change thebudget was £125000. I now spend most of my time putting lace fronts on commerciallymade wigs to give a more realistic finish to the front of the wig. This is done by knottinghairs into a piece of lace which looks like a wedding veil with a venting hook, very like acrochet hook, but many times smaller.

As you can imagine this is an exactingand labour-intensive process,although it has been a calmingpastime during lockdown. The processbegins by making a pattern either ofthe hairline or the piece of facial hair,beard, moustache or side boards, youintend to make and pinning this to amalleable block. You then cover thispattern with the lace base you aregoing to knot the hair into, securing itwith a tape called galloon to givetension to the lace.

You then knot the area of the pattern,checking that the hair is falling in therequired direction. The finished lacefront is attached to the wig anddressed to the required style, beforebeing fitted to the actor and last-minute adjustments made.

Facial hair is attached in the same way as the front of the wig, byapplying spirit gum to the skin and allowing it to go tacky andthen applying the lace. The fixing is removed by loosening withacetone on a cotton bud. It is often surprising to see how a wigcan transform the look of an actor, by the period of the play theyare performing, or by the age they are playing. The majority offemale actors are horrified how like their mothers they look. Wigscan be fun and I still enjoy being involved in theatre through wigs,and look forward to all the theatres opening again. • THJ

3

Do I need a wig?

•

All photos - Tim Hogarth-Jones

4

The Queen's Award for Voluntary ServiceA friend of the theatre suggested that we should submit a nomination for The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service.John Ghent, Chairman of LDS at the time of application, takes up the story and the outcome is revealed in the letter,reproduced here.

I was first approached by DaveAndrews of Radio Leicester, whowondered whether we had everthought of applying for theaward. We hadn’t.

Dave considered the LDS was anideal candidate for the awardand thought we should getourselves nominated.

We would need to give detailedinformation on the theatre andits work, a supporting letter froma proposer and two letters ofsupport for the nomination frompeople who hadbenefitted/enjoyed/experiencedthe work of the society, but whowere not actual members.

If we wanted to enter it wasnecessary to get a move on asthe closing date was but a fewdays away.

Lisa (Thirlby) and I buckled toand managed to get it completedjust in time.

I asked Richard Cadell if hewould be the proposer and hereadily agreed.

John Orme wrote a splendid letter of support, as did ValerieGale, a lady who has supported our shows with partybookings for many years.

After our nomination went in and was accepted, I received aphone call from the award’s local representative inLeicestershire, who wanted to meet with me. We arranged ameeting at the theatre when we talked for some considerabletime and I showed him around the theatre building andNo. 52. During the perambulation he questioned everyonewe met, showing a real interest in our activities, who we wereand what we did. • JDG

The handwritten text on the letterreads:-

"Particulary in these difficult timeswhen your great community work isneeded more than ever!"