Chairman's Speech

When I became Chairman in July, I thought I ought to make members aware of my plans. But the night went funny, so I didn't get a chance. However, here's the speech for posterity, which roughly lays out what I'd like from my time.

(Future posts will be shorter, promise)

Hello. Some of you may be surprised to see me as CADOS Chairman - well, you're not the only one! Rest assured, I have no desire to act, sing, or direct. And I definitely won't be dancing.

For those who don't know me, I first started helping out CADOS about 20 years ago, when I operated the lighting desk, and did some set-painting and went on to design some programme covers. 10 years ago I joined the Chorley Film Society committee, and have been part of the expansion of that group, including getting funding. For a few years I've been doing the design work for CADOS, designing most of the posters and the new look. I have been involved with the CADOS 75th Anniversary Party, bookings, and marketing. I've only performed on our stage once (7 years ago) and that's how it will stay!

So while people are doing their thing on stage, I'm going to focus on getting the building up-and-running, and making it a great place for CADOS to get creative. I want a friendly, welcoming environment where people can get on with the thing they joined up for - and, hopefully, have fun at the same time. Sometime it seems like a second job, so I want to bring back some of the social elements so it becomes a great place for all of us to hang out.

The enforced closure of the building could have done us a world of good - when fully re-opened, it will be a brilliant place and I'm looking forward to seeing how the new space works out. We can rehearse 2 shows at once, or free up the stage for set-building without losing a rehearsal night. We're very privileged to have such a great venue at our disposal, so let's make sure we look after it (and the people in it). Let's respect each other and appreciate the work each of us does.

I know there have been concerns from members about feeling left out so we're looking at membership and ways for people to get more out of being here.

However, it's all give-and-take. I expect members to do their bit in helping run the place - whether that's telling people how brilliant we are, or helping us put up sets and working on the bar. The more that help, the more fun it becomes and the better it is for everyone. At the moment it's the same few people doing lots of things, so I'm not sure we can carry on with people who just want to be on stage. So, feel free to speak to any of us about helping out and we'll work things out together.

Some of you may be thinking I'll be showing more films or just filling the place with outside bookings. This is not going to happen, but it is necessary that we provide a wide-ranging service to the town and increase our income to pay for all the repairs and renovations. I want Chorley people to know they can get a good night out at Chorley Little Theatre, and for that message to spread to other towns so that people from Bolton, Preston, Wigan, etc. automatically think of us as a place to come. I hate it when people phone up asking what's on and all I can recommend is a play in 4 weeks. But I love it when new people discover us, and then keep coming back.

So there will be some comedy, some music, a few different shows, and regular films on a brand-new HD projector all to keep us ticking over and put us on the map. We receive a lot of goodwill from the people of Chorley and we must repay that by providing things they want, and making them welcome.

And right at the heart of this all will be CADOS - each show will be an event that I want the whole town talking about. We have such great people here, and I want to show them off. Everything we do is something to be proud of, so let's shout about it. We've got a great mix of old and new actors, fabulous singers, and lots of talent backstage too. Putting on a big production every 6 weeks or so is quite an achievement and the upcoming season will provide many different types of shows, and I can't wait to watch them all!

I'll be looking for funding so we can worry a bit less about leaking roofs and can just enjoy ourselves.

Lots of stuff has been going on lately, so a big thanks to the committee for working extra hard, and especially to Mike Taylor for overseeing the building work.

Thanks also to Malcolm for bearing with us, and local media for generously promoting our stuff. And, especially, thanks to all of you and our audiences for being so patient.

Don't forget to pick up a brochure seeing what's coming up - Stones In His Pockets and Rent tickets are available right now, everything else soon. Catch any of the great shows coming up, and I guarantee you'll have a brilliant night out.

Anyway, I think that's me done for now. Enjoy the shows!