Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between amateur drama and professional drama?
Amateur drama groups consist mainly of people who have a day job - teachers, lawyers, doctors, builders, clerical workers, secretaries, IT consultants, in fact just about any job you can imagine plus of course students, people who are between jobs and people who are retired - who like to develop their acting skills and other theatre-related skills in their spare time. They do not get paid for their work in amateur drama. Professional drama is done by people who want to earn a living from acting or working in the theatre. Pinner Players Theatre Company is an amateur drama group.
Do I need to audition if I want to join Pinner Players as an actor?
We only audition when casting plays, not for membership. We have three casting readings a year, which are advertised on our website and in our newsletters. Everyone, including non-members, is welcome to come to the castings and to read for a part or simply to watch. At those casting readings we sit in a circle, taking it in turns to read parts from the play that we intend to perform. If you sound right for the part, you have a good chance of being cast. You need not join and pay us a subscription to enable you to read for a part - non-members can read for parts and join later.
Where does Pinner Players perform, and where are the casting readings and rehearsals held?
Pinner Village Hall, Chapel Lane, Pinner HA5 1AA. It's very close to Pinner tube station on the Metropolitan Line. Our casting readings and rehearsals are usually held in the lounge (where the bar is usually open!) and the performances are in the main hall.
How many shows and performances do you do?
We do three plays a year: our season starts with a casting reading in late August or early September for our November play, then we go straight into a casting reading for our February production, then our final production takes place in May. During the summer we hold play readings on Friday evenings. Each plays has three performances, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
On what days do you rehearse?
Tuesdays (except for one Monday at the beginning of every month) and Fridays, and usually a few Sundays when we get closer to the performance dates. In performance week we have a technical and dress run on Tuesday and Wednesday before the opening night on Thursday. Members of the cast are expected to attend as many rehearsals as they can but there is some flexibility for those who have holidays or work commitments. It is essential that all the actors are able to attend the dress rehearsals and, of course, all the performances.
Do you have social activities?
We do: our annual events include a summer barbecue, a quiz night and a Christmas party and we often have theatre trips and lunches.
How can I get involved in Pinner Players?
There are various ways. If we are casting a production, come and read for a part. If we have already cast the next production, come along to one of our rehearsals at the Village Hall and watch us rehearse, have a drink with us (there's a well stocked Village Hall bar), and maybe discuss whether there are any backstage roles you could help with - set build, set design, finding props, costume design or altering, assistant stage manager, etc. Or if our summer play readings are coming up, just come along to any of those (no entrance fee) and drink some wine with us: we take turns to read parts from the play we are reading that evening but you don't have to read if you don't want to. You need not join our club and pay us a subscription until you are involved in a production or in one of our social activities.
What are the subscription fees for Pinner Players?
Full membership is £20 per annum. Student membership is £10. Payment of subs can be made by BACS (electronic banking) using sort code 20-73-53 account number 60717398.
If I want to join Pinner Players, do I need past experience or references?
No references or experience needed, just get in touch. We welcome everyone including those with no experience at all. We particularly need people who are willing to help with costumes, props, set-building and set takedown. DIY skills are quite useful but not essential. Most of our actors help with those other vital tasks. There are plenty of people to show you what to do, and you can acquire new skills as well as making use of skills you already have.
Do you have understudies for your roles?
No. Consequently if you are cast in one of our productions it is absolutely essential that you will be available to perform on all three nights (not just one or two of the performance nights) and that you will be able to be present at most of our rehearsals.
Do you have a prompt?
Yes, and you can volunteer to be prompt if you like. We generally vary the different tasks, so that a person who acts in one production can be prompt or stage manager or front of house manager in a subsequent production.
Can I do work experience at Pinner Players, or put it on my CV?
We do not have interns, nor do we have people on work experience. You cannot tell the Job Centre that you have been "working" at Pinner Players but if you want to put it on your CV as an example of a hobby, then of course feel free to do so.
Is Pinner Players a drama school or a place where actors are trained?
No. You would be welcome to join us and read for a part in one of our productions to gain some experience, but we don't offer any training and please do not assume it will lead to a career in professional theatre.
Do some of your members become professional actors?
Occasionally. In general, amateur actors do not yearn to become professional actors.
Why do people get involved in amateur drama?
People have various reasons for doing so: the love of acting and directing, the love of drama, the social life, to improve confidence and public speaking skills, and to learn backstage skills. You will work as part of a team, with each person playing their part in creating a successful performance - it gives you a "natural high" by the time you go to the after-show party! You may also find that you gain more enjoyment from plays and develop a deeper appreciation of the skills of professional actors. You can find other amateur theatre groups on the Amdram website and support them by going to see their performances.
How do you learn all those lines?
It can be daunting, but it's enormously satisfying when you manage it! Your fellow actors can suggest various techniques they have found useful.
Are there any books that you can recommend about how to develop my acting skills?
Try some of these: The Art of Coarse Acting (Green), What's My Motivation? (Simkins), About Acting (Barkworth). But actually the best way to develop your acting skills is to be in a production and to see what you can make of the role in which you have been cast, with the help and advice of your director and fellow cast members.
I've written a play - might Pinner Players be interested in performing it? Can I send you a copy?
Sorry. We choose only plays which have been published by mainstream publishers and have been performed on the professional stage.
We are a production company looking for extras to take part in a play or a film - is that the sort of thing that members of Pinner Players might find interesting?
Yes! Send an email and we'll circulate the information to all our members.
We are a production company trying to find members of the public willing to take part in a new zany quiz show or fashion makeover or reality TV show where people get humiliated in exchange for their fifteen minutes of fame - is this the sort of thing that would interest members of amateur drama groups?
No. But the emails keep coming....
What is the difference between amateur drama and professional drama?
Amateur drama groups consist mainly of people who have a day job - teachers, lawyers, doctors, builders, clerical workers, secretaries, IT consultants, in fact just about any job you can imagine plus of course students, people who are between jobs and people who are retired - who like to develop their acting skills and other theatre-related skills in their spare time. They do not get paid for their work in amateur drama. Professional drama is done by people who want to earn a living from acting or working in the theatre. Pinner Players Theatre Company is an amateur drama group.
Do I need to audition if I want to join Pinner Players as an actor?
We only audition when casting plays, not for membership. We have three casting readings a year, which are advertised on our website and in our newsletters. Everyone, including non-members, is welcome to come to the castings and to read for a part or simply to watch. At those casting readings we sit in a circle, taking it in turns to read parts from the play that we intend to perform. If you sound right for the part, you have a good chance of being cast. You need not join and pay us a subscription to enable you to read for a part - non-members can read for parts and join later.
Where does Pinner Players perform, and where are the casting readings and rehearsals held?
Pinner Village Hall, Chapel Lane, Pinner HA5 1AA. It's very close to Pinner tube station on the Metropolitan Line. Our casting readings and rehearsals are usually held in the lounge (where the bar is usually open!) and the performances are in the main hall.
How many shows and performances do you do?
We do three plays a year: our season starts with a casting reading in late August or early September for our November play, then we go straight into a casting reading for our February production, then our final production takes place in May. During the summer we hold play readings on Friday evenings. Each plays has three performances, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
On what days do you rehearse?
Tuesdays (except for one Monday at the beginning of every month) and Fridays, and usually a few Sundays when we get closer to the performance dates. In performance week we have a technical and dress run on Tuesday and Wednesday before the opening night on Thursday. Members of the cast are expected to attend as many rehearsals as they can but there is some flexibility for those who have holidays or work commitments. It is essential that all the actors are able to attend the dress rehearsals and, of course, all the performances.
Do you have social activities?
We do: our annual events include a summer barbecue, a quiz night and a Christmas party and we often have theatre trips and lunches.
How can I get involved in Pinner Players?
There are various ways. If we are casting a production, come and read for a part. If we have already cast the next production, come along to one of our rehearsals at the Village Hall and watch us rehearse, have a drink with us (there's a well stocked Village Hall bar), and maybe discuss whether there are any backstage roles you could help with - set build, set design, finding props, costume design or altering, assistant stage manager, etc. Or if our summer play readings are coming up, just come along to any of those (no entrance fee) and drink some wine with us: we take turns to read parts from the play we are reading that evening but you don't have to read if you don't want to. You need not join our club and pay us a subscription until you are involved in a production or in one of our social activities.
What are the subscription fees for Pinner Players?
Full membership is £20 per annum. Student membership is £10. Payment of subs can be made by BACS (electronic banking) using sort code 20-73-53 account number 60717398.
If I want to join Pinner Players, do I need past experience or references?
No references or experience needed, just get in touch. We welcome everyone including those with no experience at all. We particularly need people who are willing to help with costumes, props, set-building and set takedown. DIY skills are quite useful but not essential. Most of our actors help with those other vital tasks. There are plenty of people to show you what to do, and you can acquire new skills as well as making use of skills you already have.
Do you have understudies for your roles?
No. Consequently if you are cast in one of our productions it is absolutely essential that you will be available to perform on all three nights (not just one or two of the performance nights) and that you will be able to be present at most of our rehearsals.
Do you have a prompt?
Yes, and you can volunteer to be prompt if you like. We generally vary the different tasks, so that a person who acts in one production can be prompt or stage manager or front of house manager in a subsequent production.
Can I do work experience at Pinner Players, or put it on my CV?
We do not have interns, nor do we have people on work experience. You cannot tell the Job Centre that you have been "working" at Pinner Players but if you want to put it on your CV as an example of a hobby, then of course feel free to do so.
Is Pinner Players a drama school or a place where actors are trained?
No. You would be welcome to join us and read for a part in one of our productions to gain some experience, but we don't offer any training and please do not assume it will lead to a career in professional theatre.
Do some of your members become professional actors?
Occasionally. In general, amateur actors do not yearn to become professional actors.
Why do people get involved in amateur drama?
People have various reasons for doing so: the love of acting and directing, the love of drama, the social life, to improve confidence and public speaking skills, and to learn backstage skills. You will work as part of a team, with each person playing their part in creating a successful performance - it gives you a "natural high" by the time you go to the after-show party! You may also find that you gain more enjoyment from plays and develop a deeper appreciation of the skills of professional actors. You can find other amateur theatre groups on the Amdram website and support them by going to see their performances.
How do you learn all those lines?
It can be daunting, but it's enormously satisfying when you manage it! Your fellow actors can suggest various techniques they have found useful.
Are there any books that you can recommend about how to develop my acting skills?
Try some of these: The Art of Coarse Acting (Green), What's My Motivation? (Simkins), About Acting (Barkworth). But actually the best way to develop your acting skills is to be in a production and to see what you can make of the role in which you have been cast, with the help and advice of your director and fellow cast members.
I've written a play - might Pinner Players be interested in performing it? Can I send you a copy?
Sorry. We choose only plays which have been published by mainstream publishers and have been performed on the professional stage.
We are a production company looking for extras to take part in a play or a film - is that the sort of thing that members of Pinner Players might find interesting?
Yes! Send an email and we'll circulate the information to all our members.
We are a production company trying to find members of the public willing to take part in a new zany quiz show or fashion makeover or reality TV show where people get humiliated in exchange for their fifteen minutes of fame - is this the sort of thing that would interest members of amateur drama groups?
No. But the emails keep coming....
