## **TRUSTEE REPORT 24-25** 

## **PUPPETRY.THEATRE.WORKSHOPS.TRAINING.** 

**Creating and delivering innovative theatre experience for audiences and participants of all ages and abilities** 

## OBJECTIVES 

- Delivering unique exploratory products 

- Reaching wide audiences of differing age and outlook 

- Making skills demonstrated available to others via training 

- Making work relevant for people from ethnic minorities and areas of deprivation in our locality. 

- Offering our products to the widest range of the community including those with learning disabilities, special needs and seniors using work activity particularly suited to these groups. 

- Working in partnership alongside complementary bodies 

## **CONTINUING THE DINOSAUR TRAIL** 

**This was the year of MRS MANTELL’s TOOTH. Originally set to open at the end of May at the White Rock Theatre the performance was pushed to the end of June with the Lantern Magic ACTION! workshop rescheduled for a month later in August at The White Rock. The extensive rehearsal period took the best part of two months with Samuel Dutton putting in direction and with the extra days of rehearsal both the show and the workshop were well received. However, the publicity package required more and a trailer. A review with a spread of photos appeared in the OBSERVER and SUSSEX WORLD in August and a full throttle publicity offensive went ahead in the Autumn.** 

**GRANTS/DONATIONS RECEIVED: THE CURRY FUND  £1000** 



## **BIG LOTTERY GROUNDWORKS GRASSROOTS FUND** 

## **£2000** 

## **WORKSHOPS DELIVERED DURING THE YEAR** 

## Lantern Magic ACTION! 

## VOLCANO ISLAND 

## CRETACEOUS CREATURES 

K IN GS 

## K IN G **OVERVIEW** 

Julia Dunbar McLean as artistic company leader and Heather Leech as co-ordinator performer and educator, provided core stability with admin and programme design this year. Heather took the acting role of MARY ANN MANTELL as well as being a puppeteer and maker. Keith Leech took the role of Gideon Mantell  and other characters in MRS MANTELL’S TOOTH. Technical help came from Josh Jupp onlights and Julian Rumball on sound both longstanding members of the Rotto team. Photography and filming were important  for our record and evaluations. Keith Leech did some video making and editing as did Anna Helena McLean and Clive Tagg. Clive did another great session photographing the MRS MANTELL  rehearsals and in December creating a promo for publicity. 

## **OTHER NEWS** 

- **ARTICLES published in two Geology Magazines.** 

- **HASTINGS WISE :  We continued to hire storage space at Hastings Wise.** 

- **NEW VAN! At last a new van.  However, purchased from a rogue trader it seems as his tel number disappeared and he had not informed** 



## **DVLA of the change of owner so the vehicle was clamped for a considerable time with attendant fees and fines.** 

- No COMMISSIONS this year. 

## **PERSONNEL** 

The company led by **Julia Dunbar McLean** draws from a pool of performers involved at different times. 

**Heather Leech** co-ordination and performer/puppeteer. Heather is a professional actor and teacher and has had ties with the company since 2010. Her enthusiasm has continued to galvanise the company. Thank you Heather once again! 

**Julian Rumball** has provided lighting, technical and workshop support and set building. The triptych shadow set of screens he built and designed has continued to be in regular use for the workshop programmes. He also provided a toy theatre for MRS MANTELL and other scenery. 

**Keith Leech** offered invaluable support with  venue arrangement at the White Rock and as performer and sound engineer as well as photography. He also supported us through IT snags and operated the video intro for the  LANTERN MAGIC ACTION! workshop at the White Rock. 

**Elizabeth Hojlund** has  continued to provide  ongoing invaluable support during the year, updating the website and keeping us up to speed and donating her time.   She is a very valued trustee member now. 

**Clive Tagg** joined us as technician on TheatreRotto's first tour to Belarus in 1996, with PIGWORT! This year he created  photos for MRS MANTELL publicity. And a trailer. 

**Charlote Hailey Wats, artst** formed her own theatre outfit 

**Josh Jupp** theatre technician   Head honcho on MYSTERRASAUR - creating lighting and stage management for the showing and worked with us creating the lighting  design again on MRS MANTELL this year. He also made the major contribution of the doll’s house for the new show. 

**Hamah White** is a great backstop for directing and an able puppeteer.  She was an outside eye on our VOLCANO ISLAND preparations for Dover Castle this spring. 

**Peter Quinnell** also a long term member of our artistic team 

**Kerry Messenger** , **Anna Helena McLean** and **Charles Koning** are our volunteer team. 

**Samuel Duton** Puppeteer and Director offered directorial service and joined the company to direct MRS MANTELL'S TOOTH in May 24 and again in February25.. 

**John Andrews** our accountant has provided sterling support and input. He has been an ambassador for us in connection with The Brian Mitchell Foundation Trust as well as fronting our accounting requirement. 

**SCHEDULE 24/25** 



**Julia worked on a new script to feature, puppets, Victorian toy Theatre and Magic Lantern sequences titled: MRS MANTELL'S TOOTH planned to open in June 2024.** 

**This tells the story of the couple that originally discovered and named the iguanodon - the second dinosaur to be formally identified. It focuses on Gideon Mantell, a Lewes man, who worked tirelessly both as a doctor and as  geologist and palaeontologist in the early days of the development of both of the latter sciences, construing  from diverse bones the shape of these impressive creatures. We worked to raise funds to bring this to fruition and have been successful in attracting the attention of THE CURRY FUND.  This will be paid on completion of certain conditions: the printing of an educational pamphlet and the construction of a full size iguanodon skeleton, planned for June 2024.** 

- **Workshop 'ISLAND SHADOWS' at Lingfield School  May 24** 

- **Rehearsal May and June 24 MRS MANTELL'S TOOTH** 

- **WHITE ROCK THEATRE - MRS MANTELL'S TOOTH June/July '24** 

- **LANTERN MAGIC ACTION Workshop  AUGUST24** 

- **MRS MANTELL'S TOOTH Hastings Museum and Art Gallery** February 25 

- 

- **MRS MANTELL'S TOOTH** Folkestone Museum tbc 

**Scene from** _**FABULOUS FOOTPRINTS**_ **at the Greatest Tent on Earth, Camp Bestival** 


**FINANCE   30.4.24                £3235.50** 

## **ETHOS STRATEGY & POLICIES** 

Our charitable aim remains to deliver work with our local community in mind. Generally we continue to aspire to provide a service for people of all ages and ability using puppetry as a 



tool for expression and healing. The ethos is to disseminate enjoyment for the wider general public through artistic practice in tune with contemporary thinking. 

Our interest in the age of the dinosaurs that we are illustrating through the current raft of shows and sessions has importance in at this time - the 200[th] anniversary of the first dinosaur to be discovered and  formally recognised - as it happens in Sussex! 

**We are eternally grateful to our trustees for their time taken in following our business.  A special thanks to our Chair Dan Scott and Pat Scott who  have overseen important protocol in the past on our behalf. We look forward to holding face to face meetings in the forthcoming period and dealing with the business involved in running the Charity. The Trustees  are swearing Cindy Oswin in as a new additional trustee.** 

## **Charity Trustees** IDOLRICH THEATREROTTO      Board Members and Signatories 

Dan Scott,(Chair)   25a, Church Rd, St Leonards –on-Sea TN37 GHD 

Pat Scott (Treasurer cheque signatory)   25a, Church Rd, St Leonards –on-Sea TN37 GHD  DOB: 22.11.48 

Gina Feitelson  (Independent)     Flat 1, 26 Gondar Gardens , London NW6 DOB: 20.6.1947 

Maya Evans (cheque signatory)    31 Carisbrooke Road , St Leonards on Sea ,East Sussex TN38 0JN DOB: 18/12/1979 

Jonathan Altaras,  Flat 81, 30 Blandford St, London W1U 4BY  DOB: 5/8/1948 

Elizabeth Hojland Seagulls, Smeaton Lane, Winchelsea, East Sussex TN364LW 01797 2263 94 

Cindy Oswin  38, St Mary's Court, terrace Rd St Leonards on Sea TN376QL  DOB:25. 8/43 07977053237 

Julia McLean (cheque signatory and charity contact)     21 Lower Park Road , Hastings TN34 2LB 

## **Contact Details** IDOLRICHTHEATREROTTO Charity number: 115582 

21, Lower Park Rd, Hastings, East Sussex TN34 2LB tel: 01424 203944 email: info@theatrerotto.co.uk www.theatrerotto.co.uk 



## **24-25 IDOLRICTheatreRotto** 

## **INCOME** 

## **EXPENDITURE** 

|May-24|Grants|perfs||Merch|||May-24|ofce|catering|Van|PhoneInt touring/diePropsset|PhoneInt touring/diePropsset|PhoneInt touring/diePropsset|technician|storage|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||||||14.5|15.34|3.98|70.36|20.02|15||173.34|
|||||||||28.98|33|14||18.2|8.99|||
||||||||||7.07|84.25||14.14|10.39|||
||||||||||18.95|35||15.12||||
||||||||||26.18|||20.58||||
||||||||||11.5|||6.7||||
||||||||||6.25|||||||
||||||||||11.21|||||||
|||||||||**43.48**|**129.5**|**137.23**|**70.36**|**94.76**|**34.38**||**173.34**|
|Jun-24|Grants|Perfs||Merch|||Jun-24|personnel fees|Admin|Van|PhoneInt fuel||Propset|wshop refrOfce||
||||325|||||221.15||149.99|69.91|11.5|8.54|16.72|4.5|
|||||||||||||||8.87||
||||**325**|||**325**||**221.15**||**149.99**|**69.91**|**11.5**|**8.54**|**25.59**|**4.5**|
|Jul-24|Grants|||Perfs|||Jul-24|personnel fees|Admin|touring su|PhoneInt fuel||propset|publicity|van hire|
||1000||||400|||30|||71.08|14.05||10||
|||||||||110||||10.14||||
|||||||||170||||||||
|||||||||110||||||||
|||||||||121.7||||||||
|||||||||110||||||||





||1000|||400|**1400**||**651.7**|||**71.08**|**24.19**||**10**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Aug-24||Perfs|Merch|||Aug-24|Fees|Admin|Set|Phone Int|storage|Space hire|van|Fuel|
||||||||||100|78.85|173.34||35|18.72|
|||||||||||379.04|||||
||||||||||**100**|**457.89**|**173.34**||**35**|**18.72**|
|Sep-24|Credit|Perfs||||Sep-24|Fees|Admin|set|PhoneInt|van|touring|fuel|ofce|
||2500||||||||||48.6|||13.6|
||**2500**||||**2500**||||||**48.6**|||**13.6**|
|Oct-24|Grants|Perfs|sale||totals|Oct-24|technician|fees|set/props|Phone Int|van|refreshmentravel||ofce|
|||||108|||||||48.6|19.87|||
|||||250|||||||79.8|16.43|||
|||||**358**|**358**||||||**128.4**|**36.3**|||
|Nov-24||Perfs|||totals|Nov-24|Fees|Admin|publicity|Phone Int|web designpropsset||fuel|ofce|
||||||||||33.2||||20.12||
||||||||||||||24.1||
||||||||||||||20.1||
||||||||||||||10.02||
||||||||||**33.2**||||**74.34**||
|Dec-24|Grants|Perfs|Merch||totals|Dec-24|Fees|Admin|fuel|Phone Int|storage|vehicle|set|ofce|





|||||100||||||||0.5|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||||||||||7.85|||
|||||||||||||31.05|||
|||||||||||||**50**|||
|||||100|**100**|||||||**89.4**|||
|Jan-25|Grants|Perfs||Borrowingtotals||Jan-25|personnel fees|travel|Admin|Phone Int|parking|Set|vehicle|ofce|
||2000|||||||22.9|||5|30|7.85||
||||||||||||||30.74||
||2000||||**2000**|||22.9|||**5**|**30**|**38.59**||
|Feb-25|credit|Perfs||Merch|totals|Feb-25|Fees|storage|Fuel|van|refreshmenpublicity||Photo/videofce||
||2.43||||||150|173,34|20.01|7.85|32.96|10||8.39|
||||||||150||15.2|30.43||10||16.8|
||||||||||37.19|||23|||
||**2.43**||||**2.43**||**300**||**72.4**|**38.28**|**32.96**|**43**||**25.19**|
|Mar-25|grant|Perfs|||totals|Mar-25|Fees|van|publicity|volunteer|refreshmenprops/set||fuel|ofce|
||||420||||98|30.13|7.5|30|0.99||15.01|8.39|
||||||||150||||5.05|||68.07|
||||||||30||||13||||
||||||||90||||**19.32**||||
||||||||75||||||||
||||420||**420**||**443**|**30.13**|**7.5**|**30**|**38.36**||**15.01**|**76.46**|
|Apr-25|Grants|Perfs|||totals|Apr-25|Fees|Admin|publicity|Phone Int|touringexppropsset||fuel|storage|
||||600||||240||||||||





240 30 600 600 **510** 

INCOME 24-25 

**7705.5** 24-25 

EXPENDITURE 24-25 **9636.4** 24-25 



wshop matSpace hire fees publicity Bank chargMAY 56 70 28.15 106.42 49 90 19 8 49 120 120 220 

**154 620 47.15 114.42 1618.62** 

wshop matSpace HirePostage publicity BankchargJUNE 173.34 19 103.23 35 10 32.95 35 35 56 49 **383.34 29 136.18 1039.7** refreshmenMaterials storage space hire bankcharg Jul-24 173.34 100.13 13.76 



**173.34 113.89** 

**1044.2** 

wshop matoffice touring publicity bankcharg Aug-24 35.99 33 97.12 22.95 **35.99 33 120.07 974.01** wshop matstorage props roomhire bankchargSEPTEMBER 173.34 31.4 10 **173.34 41.4 276.94** wshop/mastorage accounts publicity bankchargOCTOBER 173.34 31.09 9 **173.34 40.09 378.13** worksho mstorage vehicle touring bankchargNOVEMBER 173.34 256.33 13.04 56.68 173.34 6.2 12 8 3 **346.68 265.53 25.04 64.68 809.47** 

publicity refreshme volunteer repaymentbankchargDECEMBER 



41.1 114.75 441.37 56.11 8 

**41.1 114.75 441.37 64.11 750.73** 

publicity postage research props bankcharge 13.6 60 12 8 **13.6 60 12** 8 **190** rehearsal materials space hire one0f eesbankcharge 5.65 6 170 65 51.13 17.19 15.62 59.5 400 25 5.9 20.99 **49.73 21.62 229.5 465 76.13 1353.81** wshop/matechnician space hire storage bankcharge 6.95 120 42 173.34 25.45 6 90 100 50.62 173.34 **66.5 12.95 210 381.84 173.34 76.07 1494.66** wshop/mavan space hire refreshme bankchargA 7.85 80 62.12 



29.83
15.45
37.68
80
77.57
705.25