the fringe

the GMG English Drama Group

Programm des P-Seminars English Drama Group 2011/2013

the fringe at rehearsal, 30 September 2011

After fourteen years of successful productions, the GMG English Drama Group the fringe (founded 1996) is now an established group within the Bayreuth amateur theatres. Every year, the group presents a new long play by an English-speaking author in the weeks immediately before Easter. It is the only secondary school English Drama Group in Bavaria that does so annually and which takes its productions elsewhere, too. Since 1998, the fringe productions are also shown at the Willstätter-Gymnasium in Nürnberg (1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006), but there have also been excursions (four days in the Rhineland in 2004, three days in Augsburg and Munich in 2006, three days in Bamberg 2007, three days in Forcheim 2008) and presentations in Kulmbach (1998) , Fürth (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), and Bamberg (1999, 2003, 2008, 2009). The experience of packing up a whole production, transporting it to another, little known venue, presenting it in front of an unprejudiced and unknown audience, and finally transporting it back (and all this within 8 - 10 hours) is an unusual and teaching one for all our - students who profit ernormously in their personal development from it. They learn to take responsibility, to work together in a team, to depend on one another, and to be reliable (or quit the team). In 2006, the fringe also represented the Graf-Münster-Gymnasium at the first "Bayreuther Schultheatertage" on the 4th and 5th of May. It took part in the further "Bayreuth Schultheatertage" in 2007 and 2009, too.

The hard work and many hours of rehearsal (in 2008/2009 more than 200 hours of rehearsal) have been rewarded by growing numbers of spectators and donations by sponsors. The audiences have grown from 450 spectators in 1997 to more than 1,600 in 2009 (although 2009 is in many respects an exception). On average, around 1,000 people watch our plays in Bayreuth.

Sponsors that support the group's work have been the Deutsche Bank and the Sparkasse, but they changed their sponsoring politics in 2002. Special, also logistic support, is provided by Möbel Becher in Bayreuth, and BAT was one of the most regular sponsors until they ran into financial trouble. Financial and moral support is provided by Dr. Ulrike Scholz, the Kostümverleih Villa Kunterbunt in Bindlach (www.villa-kunterbunt-kostueme.de), Omnibus Rabenstein, Zapf Bau and the Juwelier Christ, but also from Fantasia Bayreuth, Metzgerei Gabler, BioBio, Fahrschule Adler, and the Markgrafen-Buchhandlung. In 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005, we received financial support by the Bayerischer Philologenverband, Sektion Mittelfranken, in 2003 from the Willstätter-Gymnasium Elternbeirat, and from the Helene-Lange-Gymnasium. They paid for the bus transfer from Bayreuth to Fürth and back.

In 2001, the group was officially nominated as Bavaria's contribution to the opening conference of the European Year of Languages and in 2003, we applied for place in the German school theatre competition in Berlin (around 250 schools apply for it annually, and around 10 are invited). In 2002, the radio station Bayern 1 and Oberfranken TV reported on it, and the procution was honoured by the presence of Mr Taylor, economic attaché to the British Consulate in Munich. The Deutsch-Englische Gesellschaft Bayreuth donated the sum of € 650,- in 2000, and the sum of € 250,-, apart from the gigantic moral support they give us. In 2004, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung published an article (8 May 2004) about the fringe as a good example for theatre full of enthusiasm and spirit. In 2006, rehearsing and advertising paid well. More than 1,100 viewers came to see the new production of Agatha Christie's mystery The Hollow - celebrating with us our tenth anniversary. In total, we had more than 1,400 guests - a new record. The British Consul General in Munich, Mr Steve Plater, took over the patronage over this production and was even present on the opening night, on which occasion he also gave a short speech. The group was furthermore honoured by a very helpful donation by the Deutsch-Englische Gesellschaft and the Bayerischer Philologenverband (Sektion Mittelfranken, Mr Thoma). Further highlights were the cooperation day with the drama groups from the Fürth Helene-Lange-Gymnasium, and the participation in the Erste Bayreuther Schultheatertage. The group learnt a lot. A very special experience was also the presentation of several scenes at the Oberfrankenausstellung in early May 2006.

Early in June 2004, the fringe spent five days together on an excursion to Krefeld, Neuss and Köln, attending theatre performances of Shakespeare's Romeo und Julia and Sean O'Casey's Purpurstaub, visiting a smaller copy of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in Neuss and the WDR-studios in Cologne, and having a workshop to prepare our own new production. Special thanks for the successful organisation of the expedition go to the director's father-in-law, Willi Esser, who unfortunately died in September 2004, a heavy loss in the support of the whole troupe. Since then, workshop training days have become a regular feature of our group nearly every autumn.

2007 witnessed a change of generations. Again, ten members left the group because of their Abitur, and again, younger talented members took over. We can be very thankful that talent isn't drying up. Since 2006, the group has formed new contacts with the Helene-Lange-Gymnasium in Fürth: on the day of our performances there, their drama groups do some exercises and training units with us. The New Woman in 2007 was an unexpected success - attracting large audiences with an unknown author is not easy, but attendance at the performances grew the longer the play ran, and donations reached an unexpected new record - well needed as we had the most expensive stage set yet, which was afterwards put on show in the school hall. Dracula in 2009 was an even greater success and surprise, but evidently good playing, a colourful production, a dramatized classic about the most famous undead, and a language that is more easily accessible than Shakespeare make a good combination for success. The group played it to four packed houses to great acclaim and celebrated its as yet greatest hit. It was quite a change from comedies to melodrama, but although many people had had their doubts during rehearsal, all these were gone by opening night.

2010, we wanted to do something totally new and put on the fantasy comedy Wyrd Sisters by British bestseller author Terry Pratchett. Moritz Hacker built a special turntable for this discworld story, and it proved to be another unexpected smash hit. Although we were not able to transport the set (the erecting of it alone took more than six hours) and had only four performances in Bayreuth for the 42 acting students, we had four full houses and the biggest turnover in Bayreuth ever - thanks to the stage design, a highly entertaining play, good acting and choreography, and wonderful costumes. In January 2011, we showed a production of Sherlock Holmes - inspired by four of Arthur Conan Doyle's timeless short stories. We hoped to catch the spirit of the great master detective while adding our very individual note and interpretation.

The fringe would like to thank all their spectators and guests for their coming and their continued support. We hope we can go on providing you with good quality entertainment. We aim to please.

We aim to please.

the fringe on the evening of 26 January, 2011