Update from NODA House

After another successful National Conference at the Peebles Hydro Hotel in September, NODA are delighted to confirm that the new President of the Association is Bert Lumsden. All NODA staff and Council members wish Bert every success in the year ahead as well as thanking out-going President, Mike Hinks for his work in the past year. The new Councillor for NODA Scotland is Gordon Blackburn.

The Annual Review and Accounts for 2007 were presented at Peebles. To download an electronic copy please click here.

There will be an article in the Winter edition of NODA National News addressing the questions raised at the Peebles AGM following presentation of the accounts for 2007.

For an update on ‘The Likes of Us’ by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, available exclusively to NODA members, please click here to go to ‘The Likes of Us’ section of the NODA web site.

Finally, following completion of the six month pilot at NODA Headquarters to extend opening hours, NODA Council have decided to revert to 9.00am – 5.00pm Monday – Friday with immediate effect due to lack of take-up from members of the extended hours.

                  The Mozart Singing Competition 2009

Deadline: 8 December 2008

The Mozart Singing Competition 2009 for singers under 35 is now open to entrants. With a prize fund of £6000 including at least £1500 reserved for singers under 25 and including special prizes for Sacred song or aria / 19th century opera aria / 19th-20th century art song, you can audition by CD until 8th December 2008

For more details go to www.nationalmozart.com

                      Grants to Support Small Local Groups

Area: South West

The Quartet Community Foundation has announced that it has launched a £1.3 Million Grant Funds for Local Groups on the 1st September 2008. The Grassroots Grants scheme will support local community groups with an annual turnover of less than £20,000 to develop and run projects that meet a range of local needs.

Grants of up to £5000 will be available to support activities that will make a difference in local neighbourhoods.

For further information, visit: www.quartetcf.org.uk

  ACE publishes its 2008-2011 plan: Great Art for Everyone

Great Art for Everyone, ACE’s plan for 2008-2011, was published yesterday. In it, ACE sets out its priorities for the next three years and the outcomes against which it will measure performance. The four priorities outlined are: the digital opportunity, visual arts, children and young people and London 2012. There are a range of key initiatives that ACE will undertake under each of the priority headings, which will be funded by an investment in the arts sector of over £1.6 billion between 2008 and 2011.

ACE will be judging the performance of the initiatives against the following criteria which have been agreed with the DCMS: excellence, reach, engagement, diversity and innovation.

The plan has been informed by the McMaster review and also by the Arts Debate, the first ever public value enquiry conducted by ACE.

To view the full text of Great Art for Everyone, click here

               NCA to respond to ACE Theatre Assessment

ACE has commissioned a study to identify the impact of recent investment in the theatre sector. This Assessment will cover a wide range of theatre practice and is seeking views from a wide cross-section of the theatre industry.

It asks the following five questions:
 
* What have been the major developments and changes in theatre in the last five years? Have they improved or worsened the situation?
* In what ways have relationships between theatre organisations and locally based companies/artists, and theatre organisations and their local communities, changed in the last five years?
* Has there been more engagement with diversity in the last five years and if so, what effect has this had on theatre and on audiences?
* In what ways have audiences and their expectations changed over the last five years?
* What effect have economic and political changes or any other external interventions had on theatre over the last five years?
 
In order that NCA can build this valuable 'bigger' picture of the sector they welcome views from voluntary arts groups to feed into the process.

If you have any questions call John Munro, National Campaign for the Arts on 020 7287 3777 or VAN on 02920 395 395

Be heard:  submit your answers to the above five questions to  nca@artscampaign.org.uk by Monday 13th October

                       LAUNCH OF DAW’S 2009 ONE ACT
                            PLAYWRITING COMPETITION

This week sees the launch of the DRAMA ASSOCIATION OF WALES’ One Act Playwriting Competition 2009.  The competition aims to encourage the writing of plays for amateur theatre in English and Welsh. In addition to cash awards, prize-winning plays will be considered for publication. Previous prizewinners have been published and performed as a result of promotion through our New Writing Scheme.

THE WINNING PLAY IN EACH CATEGORY
WILL RECEIVE A CASH PRIZE OF £200
AND WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR PUBLICATION

PLAYING TIME: 20-50 MINS
MINIMUM CAST OF TWO

An Adjudicating Panel appointed by the Drama Association of Wales will read and consider the plays entered into the Competition and will award the following prizes:

• Best Play for a Youth Cast (16-25 years) - £200
• Best Play in the Open Category - £200
• Best Play in the Welsh Language - £200
• plus commemorative Prizewinners Medals
• The above plays will be considered for publication by DAW Publications

• Also:

• The Best Play from a Wales Based Playwright will be awarded a bursary to Tŷ Newydd, the National Writers’ Centre for Wales

For application forms, please contact Teresa at the Drama Association of Wales (DAW) on Cardiff +44 (0) 29 2045 2200 or
email Teresa at: aled.daw@virgin.net

The competition is held to promote the writing of One Act plays in English and Welsh.  The closing date for entries to the competition is January 31st 2009.

THE COMPETITION IS OPEN TO EVERYONE.  DON'T BE DISCOURAGED FROM ENTERING IF YOU LIVE OUTSIDE WALES  THEY RECEIVE ENTRIES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.

SPONSORED BY TECHNOCOVER

                             Awards for All in England

Awards for All England is supported by the Arts Council England, the Big Lottery Fund, the Heritage Lottery Fund and Sport England. They award grants of between £300 and £10,000 for people to take part in art, sport, heritage and community activities, and projects that promote education, the environment and health in the local community.

• You can apply at any time
• The application form is short and simple
• You will be told if you are successful or not within eight weeks

www.awardsforall.org.uk/england/index.html

                            CSV Make a Difference Day

This is the largest single day of direct volunteering in the UK, with up to 120,000 volunteers taking part in a diverse range of voluntary activities.
 
"This autumn, people across the country will be organising activities for CSV Make a Difference Day, the largest single day of volunteering in the UK. The date this year is October 25th, although activities can take place from October 18th until November 2nd - it's a great opportunity you to make a positive impact in your community! To find out more, or to register an activity and receive free resources, visit www.csv.org.uk/difference."

Josef Weinberger are very proud to announce the immediate release to amateur organisations of Rent
 
Book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson 
 
Application forms and perusal materials are now available. 
 
To receive a set of application forms please email the following information to amateur@jwmail.co.uk
 
Name of organisation
Name and address of proposed venue
Proposed dates (these can be approximate)
Your name and postal address
 
   
JOSEF WEINBERGER LTD.
12 - 14 Mortimer Street
London
W1T 3JJ
T: 020 7580 2827    F: 020 7436 9616
E: amateur@jwmail.co.uk
W: www.josef-weinberger.com

                         TRANSPOSITIONS ON DEMAND
                            THEATRICAL RESOURCES

from
Josef Weinberger
 
It happens all the time: you hire the right actor for the role, but the right actor has the wrong vocal range for the character's songs.  So you decide to transpose the songs to a more suitable key.  That's a lot of work! Well now you can get almost any song from certain shows in virtually any key, printed in state-of-the-art, easy to read computer typeset. 
 
Here's how it works.  You must be in possession of a performing licence for the show in question and then establish a performance key and stick with it for a while. Once you are sure of the key, fill out the appropriate form (available from JW) and send it to us, the fee will be added your account.  We'll send you the transposed parts in about 2 weeks.  For each song you will receive either the piano/conductor score or piano/vocal score and the complete set of orchestral parts for £50 plus p&p.
 
The following shows are currently available:
 
Annie : Assassins : The Bakers Wife : Children of Eden : Copacabana : The Full Monty : High School Musical : Jekyll & Hyde : Les Miserables School Edition : Little Women : The Music Man : Pippin : The Producers : Seussical : Thoroughly Modern Millie : West Side Story
 
A Theatrical Resources brochure and application form with further information can be emailed to you on request.
 
Please direct enquiries to Ryan Macaulay in the JW Hire Library: ryanm@jwmail.co.uk
 
 
www.josef-weinberger.com