2022-07-31-accounts

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Hertford Dramatic and Operatic Society

Trustees’ Report for 2022/2023 and

Accounts for the year ended 31[st] July 2022

2023 AGM Agenda
Minutes of the 2022 AGM
Reports by Trustees on Society Activities
Financial accounts for year ending 31[st] July 2022

Signed on behalf of the Trustees

Mrs P M Lay Honorary Secretary

Mr C Bell Chairman of Trustees

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THE 104[TH ] ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE HERTFORD DRAMATIC AND OPERATIC SOCIETY WILL BE HELD AT BENTLEY HOUSE ON TUESDAY 20[TH] JUNE 2023 at 8.00pm

AGENDA

To confirm and sign the minutes of the 103[rd] Annual General Meeting.
Matters Arising
To consider the report of the Trustees and sub-Committees
To consider the Treasurer’s report.
To elect a President
To elect Vice-Presidents
To elect the following Officers:-

Hon. Secretary

Hon. Treasurer

Hon. Membership Secretary

Hon. Librarian and Recorder

Hon. Independent Examiners (2)

To elect:-

The Trustees

Electrical Manager

Properties Manager

Wardrobe Manager

Workshop Manager

9. Any other business

NOTE In accordance with Rule 20(c), candidates for election must be nominated by two members of the Society and nominations in writing must reach the Secretary, Pat Lay, 33 Hollybush Lane, Datchworth, Knebworth, Herts. SG3 6RE, by the 13th June 2023. The consent of the candidate must be obtained before nomination and it is requested that such nominations should indicate the aspects of the Society in which the nominee is interested.

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HERTFORD DRAMATIC AND OPERATIC SOCIETY

PRESIDENT Lynne Warrilow

PAST PRESIDENTS

Mr.	P.	Longmore OBE	1919/40	1919/40	Mrs.	Z. Driver MBE	Z. Driver MBE	1971	Mr.	M. K. Grewcock	M. K. Grewcock	1996
Mr.	L.	Purkiss Ginn	1945/47		Mr.	H. A. Westmore		1972	Mrs.	J.	Crossley	1997
Mrs.	W. S. Hoare		1948		Mrs.	D. Clark		1973	Mr.	B.	Bates	1998
Mr.	P.H. Ilott		1949		Mr.	F. T. B. Wills DFM		1974	Mrs.	S.	Bennett	1999
Mrs.	D. Burgess		1950		Mrs.	P. Sledge		1975	Mr.	J.	Fennell	2000
Mr.	W. S. Hoare		1951		Mr.	G. V. Hale		1976	Mrs.	P.	Steadman	2001
Mrs.	P.	H. Ilott	1952		Mrs.	S. Tomlin		1977	Mr.	J.	Dore	2002
Mr.	T.	Barber	1953		Mr.	P. N. K. Wells		1978	Mrs.	P.	Coyston	2003
Mr.	W.A. L. Jackson		1954		Mrs.	B. P. Redwood		1979	Mr.	J.	W. Roberts	2004
Mrs.	J.	G. L. Evans	1955		Mr.	J. Goodland		1980	Mrs.	J.	A. Laidler	2005
Mr.	H. Wallis-Nichols		1956		Mrs.	A. Wells		1981	Mr.	K.	Morbey	2006
Mrs.	A.	G. Blakes	1957		Mr.	P. J. Keogh		1982	Mrs.	J.	Barton	2007
Mr.	E.	A. Williams	1958		Mrs.	D. Game		1983	Mr.	G. Crossley		2008
Mrs.	E.	Fullager	1959		Mr.	S. Onyon		1984	Ms.	M. J. Tomlin		2009
Mr.	E.	L. Porteus	1960		Mrs.	M. A. Archer		1985	Mr.	J.	Laidler	2010
Mrs.	E.	Purkiss-Ginn JP	1961		Mr.	R. G. Archer		1986	Ms.	S.	Hantke	2011
Mr.	E.	E. Ashman	1962		Mrs.	M. Hale		1987	Mr.	M. Budd		2012
Mr.	G. W. Brighten		1963		Mr.	L. Sledge		1988	Mrs.	C.	Nicholson	2013
Mrs.	A.	M. Tidd	1964		Miss.	J. Jolly		1989	Mr.	G. Lay		2014
Mr.	M. V. Puleston		1965		Mr.	R. Dapp		1990	Miss	K.	Ayres	2015
Mrs.	H. V. Mellows		1966		Mrs.	D. Keogh		1991	Mr	N.	Mayes	2016
Mrs.	B.	Wingate	1967		Mr.	N. Parry		1992	Mrs L.		Burnett	2017
Mr.	P.	G. Tomlin	1968		Miss.	D. Ison		1993	Mr	C.	Bell	2018
Mrs.	G. Wills		1969		Mr.	A. Coyston		1994	Mrs P	Lay		2019/
												2020
Mr.	N. A. Parker		1970		Ms.	S. Newland		1995	Mr N Mayes			2021
					VICE-PRESIDENTS
Mr		R G Archer	Mrs	P Coyston		Ms	S Hantke		Mr		S Onyon
Miss		K Ayres	Mr	G Crossley		Mrs	D Keogh		Mr		J W Roberts
Mrs		J Barton	Mrs	J Crossley		Mrs	J Laidler		Mrs		P Steadman
Mr		C Bell	Mr	J Dore		Mr	G Lay		Ms		M J Tomlin
Mrs		S Bennett	Mr	J Fennell		Mrs	P Lay		Mrs		S Tomlin
Mr		M Budd	Mrs	S Fennell		Mr	N Mayes		Mrs		A Wells
Mrs		L Burnett	Mrs	D Game		Mr	K Morbey
Mr		A Coyston				Mrs	C Nicholson
					LIFE MEMBERS
Mr		J W Roberts	Mrs	S	Tomlin	Mr	A Coyston		Mr		S Onyon
Mr		R G Archer	Mrs	A	Wells	Mrs	P Coyston		Mr		R Charvill
Mrs		D Game	Mrs	P	Steadman Mrs		J Laidler

MINUTES OF THE 103[rd] ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF HERTFORD DRAMATIC AND OPERATIC SOCIETY HELD ON WEDNESDAY 22[nd] JUNE 2022 AT BENTLEY HOUSE

Attendees were:

Ken Allford Andrew Coyston Sue Hantke Nik Mayes Julia Barton Penny Coyston Alan Hobbs Elaine Miller Clive Barton Gordon Crossley Brenda Hobbs Steve Onyon Clive Bell Joan Crossley Louise Kirtley Jenny Reynolds Sue Bennett Annie Gaudencio Graham Lay Pat Steadman Liane Burnett Pat Lay Bob Thomson Robert Charville Jim Markey Mary-Jane Tomlin Julie Markey Lynne Warrilow

Apologies were received from:

Malcolm Budd Sally Fennell Cheryl Nicholson Linda Budd Alan Hobbs David Ronco Carol Charville Joan Laidler Sally Tomlin Jerry Fennell Jackie Noble Ann Wells

The meeting was opened by the President, Nik Mayes, who welcomed everyone to the meeting – the first to be held back at Bentley House for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

1. Minutes of 102[nd] AGM

There were no amendments to the Minutes. Acceptance of the Minutes was proposed by MaryJane Tomlin, seconded by Julia Barton. The motion to adopt the minutes of the 102[nd] AGM was carried.

2. Matters Arising

The Secretary had not received any notice of matters arising prior to the meeting and none were raised.

3. Report of the Trustees

The activities of the Society were summarized in the reports from the Chairman of Trustees and the sub-committees which had been circulated to members with the Agenda.

Nik Mayes reported on his year as President. It had been a real honour to be nominated as HD&OS President for a second time and he had enjoyed his year despite the early part still being marred by the COVID restrictions.

His first responsibility had been to sit on the audition panel for Deckchairs , our first production since the COVID lockdowns and the closure of Hertford Theatre. This series of short plays had turned out to be a great choice and a delight to watch. He had entertained the Mayor at one of the performances and the Mayor had really enjoyed the evening and had been delighted to see HD&OS back up and running. Some of the plays had had further outings on the last night of Theatre Week, and as two entries in the Welwyn Drama Festival. The performances at Hertford Theatre Week had been non-competitive whilst at the Welwyn festival Pat Lay had been nominated for best actress and John Bain had won the adjudicator’s award for his sound and projections.

Following hot on the heels of Deckchairs had come the auditions and rehearsals for our first ever pantomime at Bentley House. Following a delayed start due to COVID this had turned out to be a real success with generally full houses and much fun and laughter. This production had proved a real credit to all involved and had ended up winning multiple NODA awards.

In March he had had the opportunity to represent HD&OS at the Mayor’s charity civic dinner, a very British event but very enjoyable. He and Rachel had been on a table with the head of Sele School who was keen to create some links with HD&OS, a subject which the Trustees were currently debating.

In a new social venture, a Murder Mystery night had been held in the middle of March. This had been a really enjoyable evening if slightly embarrassing in that he had been on the winning table. The organisation of social events like this takes a huge amount of effort and all involved deserved it to be such a success.

At the start of April, a further new social venture had been our first ‘open mic’ night. Due to other commitments, he had been unable to attend but understood that it had been a success and there were plans for another.

After waiting three years for his opportunity to once again be involved with Hertford Theatre Week, his plans had sadly been scuppered by COVID, which had caused him to miss all but the first getin day and the get-out. By all accounts the new venue and the week as a whole had been a huge success and credit again must go to all involved.

The end of April and start of May had been the time for the Entertaining Angels and Dangerous Daughters auditions. Sitting on an audition panel it was always interesting, and whilst we had not had the numbers we had hoped for, we had ultimately been able to find a strong cast for both productions.

The middle of May had been filled with Welwyn Drama Festival and our own Young Idea production, Class of 22 . As the two clashed, he had chosen to attend the technical rehearsal of Class of 22 . He could only say what a great pleasure it had been to see this group of young ladies perform, especially given that for many of them it had been their first time on stage. They were a credit to both themselves and the production team and he took his hat off to all of them.

Having the sound of young people back in Bentley House was a joy and whilst he understood numbers were currently small, Young Idea was back up and running on Sunday mornings.

His last civic duty as President had been attending the civic service and breakfast for our new Mayor, Sue Barber. Sue’s son Zach had performed in a number of Young Idea shows and she herself had assisted with some. As such she had chosen HD&OS as one of her charities for the year. Nik had been accompanied to this event by Mary-Jane Tomlin who earlier in the week had attended the Mayor-making ceremony on his behalf along with Sally Tomlin.

The year had been interspersed with many trustee and planning meetings, where we had endeavoured to keep the Society running and on an even keel. HD&OS had been a part of his life for over 20 years and he had treasured every minute so far and hoped for much more to come.

That concluded his remarks on the events of the year.

In advance of the meeting, the Secretary had not received any comments on the reports and none were raised.

The adoption of the Trustees’ report was proposed by Andrew Coyston, seconded by Penny Coyston. The motion to adopt the Trustees’ report was carried.

The President’s Award

As his final act as President, it was Nik’s pleasant duty to present the Zillah Driver President’s award to a person or group of his choosing. He had thought long and hard about possible candidates for

this award and several had come to mind. He felt that it would be unfair to pick out an individual this year as there had been so many individuals who had worked very hard to get the Society up and running again after the two difficult years of restrictions due the pandemic. Therefore, he was presenting the award this year to a group who had stepped up when he himself had tested positive for Covid at the beginning of Hertford Theatre Week. That group was, of course, the team who had taken over his duties running the lighting and sound for the week in his enforced absence: Ken Allford, Andy Pierce, Derek Palmer, Andy Lay and Graham Lay. Without their willingness to stand in and try to make sense of his plans, Hertford Theatre Week would not have been the success that it had been and he was very grateful to them for doing such an excellent job. Ken Allford received the award on behalf of the group.

4. Treasurer’s Report

The Secretary had not received any comments or questions on the accounts and Treasurer’s report in advance of the meeting. Graham Lay made a few comments on his report. This year he had adopted a slightly different format, as recommended by the Charities Commission, which had the addition of a summary sheet. He felt that some people may be surprised to note that there was so much activity on the accounts, given that the Society had not been doing much during the year to July 31[st] 2021, but much of the activity was due to the fact that during the previous year several shows had had to be cancelled due to Covid so the costs incurred on those had been carried forward. Many costs had had to be written off. He had managed to resolve all those issues by the closure of these accounts, so that we started this year with a clean slate. During the present financial year, he had managed to secure an insurance claim against abandoned shows, the payment for which had been received this year, but he had incorporated it into the accounts to July 31[st] 2021 as a prepayment. He had also managed to get the Gift Aid up-to-date, which had resulted in a receipt of approximately £4000. We continue to pay off capital items. The amount of our capitalised assets has been going down consistently over the past 10 years, so we are accumulating cash if we need to make more investments. Without the demands incurred by putting on big shows at the Hertford Theatre, the Trustees decided to put more into our investment portfolio (Schroders charity investment fund) which will generate both capital growth and an annual income. Capital growth has been in line with inflation. Although the finances look quite healthy at the moment, there will be a large impact from rising fuel costs in the coming year, which will be doubly worse for the Society as we are classed as a commercial customer and therefore cannot benefit from the price cap in the same way that domestic bills will be protected. Graham was expecting prices to rise by two or three times the current level, which would incur something in the order of an extra £8000 for us. Whilst we do have the resources to cope with that, it would prove a problem in – the long term the hope is that prices will settle, but next year’s accounts will reflect this substantial increase.

Alan Hobbs asked whether, when Trustees decided to put more money into the investment fund, the increases in fuel costs had been taken into account. Graham confirmed that they had.

Penny Coyston thanked Graham for his clear explanation of the situation and the accounts.

Adoption of the report and accounts was proposed by Joan Crossley; seconded by Robert Charville. The motion to adopt the accounts for the year ending 31[st] July 2021 was carried.

5. Election of President

At this point of the meeting, it was time for Nik to propose the next President. The person nominated as President for this year first came to the notice of Hertford Dramatic and Operatic society in 2009 whilst working on a production of Orpheus and the Underworld for Ware Operatic. During an interval she had been talking to Clive Barton and had mentioned the quality and friendliness of the Ware backstage team. She was soon told that they in fact were the Hertford Dramatic and Operatic Society backstage team, a group she was ashamed to say she had never heard of, but in her defence, she didn’t live in either Hertford or Ware and had only just become aware that there was even a local theatre, let alone theatre groups. She had been invited by Clive to have a look round and had come up to Bentley House where she had been given the grand tour. She had also been invited to the dress rehearsal of The Accused which had proved to be a very entertaining experience especially as she had got to see both endings. Unfortunately, life had then intervened, but in March 2011 she had again met the team at another Ware show and had been persuaded (gently) this time

by Malcolm Budd to lend a hand with Nunsense 2 . She must have done a good job because this had been followed by The Producers and Fawlty Towers the same year.

Since then, she has been a regular member of the backstage team at a variety of shows and has taken on other responsibilities within the Society including publicity (giving out flyers in the town), organising and running the bar for Theatre Week at Haileybury, first aid cover, foyer decoration, being a Trustee and generally being willing to help in any way she can unless it involves acting on stage. Her interest is in the backstage, particularly in sourcing and making the props needed for our productions. She is the current props manager for the Society.

Nik was pleased to propose Lynne Warrilow as President for the coming year, seconded by Steve Onyon. The motion to elect Lynne Warrilow as President for the coming year was carried.

Lynne began by saying that she had been very surprised and overawed to receive the telephone call from Nik, asking her to be the next President. As someone who shuns the limelight, her initial reaction had been to say that she couldn’t do it, but she acknowledged what a great honour it was to be nominated and to have one’s efforts recognised in that way, so she had soon found herself saying ‘Yes, thank you’. As a Trustee already, she was fully aware of all the challenges facing the Society at present, with the continued closure of the Hertford Theatre, but there was great hope for the future now that we could once again put on shows at our Studio Theatre. She had long been advocating that we should do more shows at Bentley House, so was very keen to use the space in a more experimental and creative way. The success of the recent shows had proved what could be done and she was intending to make it the focus of her year as President to encourage a sense of adventure and experimentation with what we could achieve. She also acknowledged the difficulties being faced by ourselves and other societies regarding the shortage of active members, especially younger ones, and was also intending to focus on recruiting and keeping new members, something which would be helped, she hoped, by our having been chosen as one of the Mayor’s charities for the year. Lynne concluded by thanking Nik for all his hard work during the previous year and expressed her need for a lot of support from everyone to help her in her role during the coming year.

6. Election of Vice Presidents

The election of the Vice Presidents as listed in the Report was proposed by Graham Lay, seconded by Steve Onyon. The motion to elect the Vice Presidents was carried.

7. Election of Officers

The following officers were willing to stand for re-election.

Hon. Secretary Pat Lay. Proposed by Liane Burnett, seconded by Nik Mayes. Duly elected. Hon. Treasurer Graham Lay. Proposed by Steve Onyon, seconded by Bob Thomson. Duly elected. Hon. Membership Secretary Joan Laidler had offered her resignation from this post after many years of service. Clive Barton had offered to take on the post. Proposed by Graham Lay, seconded by Pat Lay. Duly elected. Hon. Librarian & Recorder Penny Coyston. Proposed by Julie Markey, seconded by Lynne Warrilow. Duly elected. Hon. Independent Examiners Bill and Beverley Tapper. Proposed by Mary-Jane Tomlin, seconded by Sue Hantke. Duly elected.

8. Elections

8.1. Trustees

Election of Trustees :

Steve Onyon, Mary-Jane Tomlin, Liane Burnett and Julie Markey had been elected for 2 years in 2021 and were prepared to continue as Trustees.

A minimum of 2 and a maximum of 7 more Trustees were needed to complete the committee. The following members were standing for re-election: Clive Bell, Bob Thomson and Louise Kirtley. Proposed by Joan Laidler, seconded by Julie Markey. Two further members were standing for election: Nik Mayes, proposed by Clive Bell, seconded by Sue Hantke; Annie Godwin, proposed by Julie Markey, seconded by Mary-Jane Tomlin. All elected unanimously.

A vote needed to be taken as four of these 5 nominees were to be elected for 2 years. The following four people were elected to serve for 2 years: Clive Bell, Annie Godwin, Nik Mayes and Louise Kirtley. Bob Thomson was elected to serve for one year.

Nik welcomed them onto the committee.

8.2. Election of Hon Managers

The following people were willing to stand for re-election:

Hon. Electrical Manager Nik Mayes. Proposed by Steve Onyon, seconded by Pat Lay. Duly elected. Hon. Properties Manager Lynne Warrilow. Proposed by Sue Hantke, seconded by Liane Burnett. Duly elected. Hon. Wardrobe Manager Penny Coyston. Proposed by Graham Lay, seconded by Clive Bell. Duly elected. Hon. Workshop Manager Steve Onyon. Proposed by Nik Mayes, seconded by Louise Kirtley. Duly elected.

9. Statement on the Hertford Theatre Closure

Nik explained the current position on the closure of the Hertford Theatre. Trustees were continuing to discuss the matter at meetings and were continuing to debate the issue with the relevant parties. Clive Bell and Julie Markey had been maintaining contact with the theatre development team and the councillors associated with the development. The hoardings had been erected around the theatre, but there was, as yet, little obvious sign of much work taking place, though bulletins from Rhys Thomas had stated that work was underway on the interior. Following the submission of the original plans, we had raised our concerns with the development team and had been assured that these were being taken into consideration. Recently, following a statement made by Rhys regarding planned re-opening dates, he had allowed us to pencil in some dates for 2024, none of which were guaranteed and, indeed, we would probably need to revisit our planned schedule and reallocate some of the dates. In the meantime, Clive and Julie would continue to communicate with all relevant parties and to keep abreast of developments.

10. Any other business

The following items were raised:

10.1. Events in Castle grounds:

Pat had received an email from the Mayor’s office, inviting us, as one of the Mayor’s chosen charities, to field a presence at various events in the Castle grounds during the year. This would obviously be a good opportunity to raise the profile of the Society and to promote our shows, but it would require a lot of work to get a display together and find volunteers to man it. Pat had already spoken to Penny Coyston, who was going to get out some suitable promotion material for Pat to put a display together, and Steve Onyon had met with Pat and Graham to sort out some display boards. Pat requested that anyone who felt they could volunteer to help with setting up or manning the stall should contact her as soon as possible. Clive Bell and Elaine Miller offered to help at the first one on Sunday 10[th] July.

10.2. Marketing:

Louise Kirtley stressed the need to get a marketing strategy in place. It was all a bit piece-meal at the moment and needed a big effort to focus energy on it. Especially for big events, we needed to invest some time and money in order to reap the benefits of available promotional methods.

10.3. Social media:

Following on from 10.2 above, Julie Markey thanked Bob Thomson for his sterling work on Facebook since taking it over. He had been very pro-active in putting posts out on social media sites and had raised the profile of the Society. Our next move needed to be embracing Instagram to reach a wider audience. Julie stated that for his efforts to be successful, Bob was reliant on receiving copy and content from those responsible for shows and events. She offered a vote of thanks to Bob for his efforts.

10.4. 2022/23 Panto:

Julie explained that there had been a poor turn-out at the panto get-togethers and auditions and stressed the need for members to support the panto. She felt that there could be three possible reasons for the poor level of support shown so far this year: firstly, that there had been a lot of people involved last year who wanted to have more family time this year; secondly, that there had been concern expressed about the length of the run and the number of performances; thirdly that there was now a lot going on in the amateur dramatic world, including some interesting productions which were attracting some of our members to audition for those.

10.5. Digitising of archive:

Bob Thomson asked whether any consideration had been given to digitising the archive. Pat Lay explained that it had been discussed in Trustees and she had spoken with Penny about it. There was a huge amount of material which would make it a costly exercise, though plans had been made to digitise a small amount of it to see how it could work. Pat Steadman, previous archivist, stated that much of our old archive material had been given to the County Archives. Penny Coyston confirmed that, if people had need of specific material, she could always get it out for them.

10.6. Hertford Theatre Week:

Joan Crossley thanked Steve Onyon for all his work in bringing Hertford Theatre Week to fruition this year.

Nik reminded people of the following upcoming events and dates for the diary:

Second get-together for panto Dick Whittington would take place on Friday 24[th] June 5[th] at 7.30 pm with a final audition practice on Friday 1[st] July at 7.30 pm. Auditions would take place on Sunday 3[rd] July at 3.00pm, all at Bentley House. Performance dates TBC. Nik urged everyone to support this event and to encourage friends to come and audition.

Our next show would be our drama production of Entertaining Angels , running from Wednesday 21[st] September to Saturday 24[th] September at the Studio Theatre, Bentley House.

Following that, our musical this year would be Dangerous Daughters, running from Tuesday 18[th] October to Saturday 22[nd] October, 7.30 pm with matinee Saturday at 3.00 pm at the Studio Theatre, Bentley House.

Nik reiterated his thanks to everyone for their support and attendance and declared the meeting closed at 9.10 pm.

REPORTS FOR 2022-2023

Report from the Trustees for 2022-2023

The last year has seen HD&OS continue to perform shows at The Studio Theatre in Bentley House which have provided excellent entertainment for all of our audiences.

The main duties of the Trustees are:

Ensuring that HD&OS is managed appropriately and solvent. The Trustees continue to minimise expenditure where possible, yet remain consistent with the Society objectives for the quality of our shows. This year we had the pleasure of producing Class of 22 in May 2022, Entertaining Angels in September 2022, Dangerous Daughters in October 2022 and Wyrd Sisters in March 2023, all of which were performed at The Studio Theatre, Bentley House. Dangerous Daughters was nominated for two NODA awards (Best Technical and Best Musical) and won the Best Technical award. Unfortunately, HD&OS were unable to cast Dick Whittington, our traditional Pantomime, last year but hopefully we will have greater success with the Pantomime for January 2024.
Ensuring that the charity complies with its own rules. There have been no issues for the Trustees to deal with.
The Trustees have also addressed some specific areas of concern for the benefit of the society:
HD&OS have maintained regular contact with the Hertford Theatre Development Team over the past year who have stated that they are keen to support HD&OS and as a result HD&OS will be invited to visit the site this summer for a tour of the building. This should inform HD&OS of the progress made to date with the refurbishment works. The Hertford Theatre Development Team have informed HD&OS that the theatre should be opened for business in Autumn 2024.
The Hertford Theatre Week team had a very successful week at the Ayckbourn Theatre, Haileybury, in March/April 2023 for the 60[th] Hertford Theatre Week.
Communication between HD&OS and the Signature management team has been ongoing on a regular basis over the past twelve months.
A defibrillator has been purchased and installed in the building.

This year has been exceptional in that HD&OS was selected as one of the Mayor of Hertford’s chosen charities for the year. Mayor of Hertford Cllr Susan Barber has long-standing connections with the Society and, after a year of many and varied fund-raising activities, presented us with a very generous cheque, with further monies still to come in. Apart from the financial benefit to the Society, the year of close cooperation has given us many opportunities to raise the profile of the Society within the town, which is a much-needed bonus after the years of Covid-19 isolation.

I would also like to give a special mention to Clive Barton who has worked tirelessly in resolving issues with regards to Membership. Clive’s report is attached below.

On a more sombre note, it is my sad duty to report the death of Neville Parry, one of our long-standing members who used to perform regularly in the 1960s and ‘70s, especially in Old Time Music Hall shows at the Corn Exchange. He continued to be an enthusiastic supporter of HD&OS in his later years and was able to attend our Centenary Dinner at the Ware Priory. Our condolences are extended to his family, who generously asked for donations in his memory to be sent to HD&OS.

I would like to thank all the Trustees for their support and contribution during the year in fulfilling this essential role to maintain the Society’s smooth operation.

Clive Bell Chairman of Trustees

HD&OS Membership report for 2022-23

It has been a year of transition for the management of the HD&OS membership.

After many years of both on- and off-stage involvement in HD&OS, Joan Laidler retired as Membership Secretary. Clive Barton took over the role from the date of the 2022 AGM.

The management processes had been “paper based” with very neat and tidy ledger books and a card for each person, all geared for subscription payments made by cash or cheque.

These are interesting to look at as happy reminders of the many people that have been involved in HD&OS over the years, and of the subscription rates. From one card, we can see the subscription was £1 in 1966, written as 20 shillings, rising to £2 in 1972 and £4 in 1976.

As cash and cheque payments had dwindled in favour of bank transfers, work had started on computerising the membership management and tidying the membership list to those who had paid.

This was put on hold during Covid as it was felt important to support people during the pandemic by staying in touch with the newsletter.

As the impact of Covid was fading away, following the 2022 AGM work started on tidying the membership list in a sensitive way knowing that people were facing various issues as a result of the pandemic and the economic situation. Also starting to simplify all subscriptions to be paid annually from 1[st] September as there have been variations in payment dates in the past.

The challenges of then attracting new members and particularly restarting Young Idea arose from the postCovid and economic situations, as well as the temporary closure of Hertford Theatre for a major upgrade, meaning we could not put on the big productions with large casts. The latter have always encouraged new members.

As of 1[st] May 2023, HDOS has 108 paid members (36 Friends, 2 Juniors, 49 Members, 33 Seniors, 1 Member in Full-time education) plus 11 people who in respect of their previous contributions to HD&OS have been sent gentle reminders.

This compares to October 2022 when there were 210 names on the list, of whom 68 had paid.

The above figures exclude the 11 Life Members and the President who do not pay.

The good news is with the increased activities at Bentley House, we are getting new members and those who are now less active are continuing to support us as “Friends” and “Senior Members”.

For those enquiring about membership of HD&OS, it has been very helpful to invite them to Bentley House on a rehearsal night so that they can see for themselves what we have to offer and meet some of the people involved.

Clive Barton – HD&OS Membership Secretary

Report from Hertford Theatre Week Committee

Hertford Theatre Week 2023 took to the stage on Monday 27th March to Saturday 1st April at the Ayckbourn Theatre, Haileybury College.

The Mayor of Hertford, Councillor Sue Barber, presented the Awards to the following teams:

Roy Seammen Hart (Stage Presentation)

Constellations Barn Theatre Club

Tony Bentley Tankard (Adjudicator`s Award) Shakespeare in Hollywood The Company of Players for weathering the “kerfuffle”!

Ted Harden Rose Bowl (Runners-up)

The Lonesome West White Cobra Productions

Mercury Challenge Cup (Winner)

Constellations

Barn Theatre Club

Freston Salver (Audience Award)

Constellations Barn Theatre Club

This was our second year at Haileybury and it was generally felt the venue worked well for both audiences and competing teams. Audience feedback on the location was generally positive. The downside is that changing the auditorium seating between fit-up and performance and back again after the performance on a daily basis is labour-intensive. If we are lucky enough to return to the venue, a few more hands to help with this task would be much appreciated.

I would like to thank all the competing teams that took part in this year’s festival, and all the audience members that supported us at the smaller, but very pleasant, Ayckbourn Theatre on the Haileybury College campus. And indeed, thanks to all the staff at Haileybury that made the festival so welcome on their site. It was wonderful to have effectively full-houses all week which gave an extra buzz to the 60[th] anniversary of the festival.

Thanks also to all the Hertford Theatre Week committee and all the team of volunteers that manned the bar, managed front-of-house and crewed the week that made it all possible by giving their time and expertise.

I’m pleased to say there was a very varied week of productions of a high standard which seemed to be well received by all. Our adjudicator, Tristan Marshall, was both informative and entertaining with his adjudications of the competing performances, and very complimentary about the quality of the festival.The icing on the cake was it was also a financially successful week with, apart from six tickets on the Wednesday evening, a sell-out week.

Looking forward to 2024, the 61[st] Hertford Theatre Week, as yet we are unsure of both the venue and dates, but as soon as we know more, we will publish the details in Newsletter and update our website.

Steve Onyon

Chairman – Hertford Theatre Week committee

Report from Production Committee

In the last few years, the workload for our Trustees and sub-committees has at times been intense, particularly as the number of members involved in sub-committees dropped. We were also conscious of the need to create an exciting programme of activities post Covid but without the availability of Hertford Theatre, so we have formed a Production Committee. The members of this new Committee

were drawn from the sub-committees, Trustees and other members who have shown an interest in developing a programme. The Production Committee’s Objectives are:

Lead the co-ordination of scheduling performances and rehearsals.
Replace the current Committee structure which is proving difficult to operate.
Provide more support to people managing each Production.
Share knowledge and experience.
Report back to Trustees for final decision-making.

Current Production Committee members are drawn from the previous Sub-committees, Trustees, the Diary Secretary and other interested members. They are Gina Rogers, Pat Lay, Liane Burnett, Lynne Warrilow, Mary-Jane Tomlin, Nik Mayes, Anna Palmer, Lorraine Bottomley, Louise Kirtley and Julie Markey and we are grateful to them for all their efforts trialling this new way of running the Society. Some members lead on different areas as with the sub-committee structure, but they have the support of a wider team.

The Committee has met several times now and created a rolling Programme of performances and other events for the next 18 months. They are also beginning to think about the reopening of the Theatre although we do not yet have enough information to firm up these plans. The agendas also include the co-ordination and staffing of backstage and FOH roles for all our activities.

The operation of the Committee, including its membership, will be reviewed at the end of this year. Please let any member know if you have questions or comments.

Reports from the various sections are provided below.

Julie Markey

Drama

At the time of the last AGM, our Autumn play, Entertaining Angels by Richard Everett, was cast and into rehearsal. This lovely, warm and witty play was directed for us by Claudia McKelvey and represented an unusual departure from our normal schedule, in that we had decided on a September production, as opposed to our more usual November slot. Unfortunately, this production was beset by difficulties, not the least of which was the large number of absences due to holidays. It was almost September before we had had a full cast at rehearsal for the first time. Furthermore, one of the cast members was absent very close to the production date due to illness in the early stages of pregnancy – so much so that we had to enlist Hannah Sayer at the last moment to stand by to go on and read the script in case of need. Originally the plan was to do the performances without a prompt as Pat Steadman could do the rehearsals but not the week of the play. However, due to difficulties with linelearning, the cast decided at the last minute that they would like to have a prompt present, so Claudia and Liane Burnett had to share this duty. Despite all the difficulties, it was a very successful production, both financially and in terms of audience appreciation. However, the general consensus was that trying to put on a play in September was not a successful experiment (mainly due to all the holiday absences) and should not be attempted again. And indeed, it would be preferable in future to choose plays which do not require lawnmowers in any form!

Our next play was projected to be Terry Pratchett’s Wyrd Sisters , directed by Barny Shergold, in June. However, as we were unable to cast a panto, it left a long gap between productions, and it was decided to ask Barny if he could pull Wyrd Sisters forward to March. He agreed, and fortunately had much of the audition and promotional material already prepared, so we were able to hold get-togethers and auditions in November. The cast for this play is very large, so it was very pleasing to see that, in addition to some existing members, several people new to the Society came along to audition. Despite this, there were still not enough people to cast the entire play, but with a considerable amount of doubling (and trebling), together with some phoning round and arm-twisting, eventually the play was cast. A

problem ensued later when one of the cast had to drop out from a major role due to illness, and we were very grateful to Scott Welch for stepping in at very short notice. There were enormous challenges in this play with lighting, sound, costumes, make-up and props and we were very fortunate to have a terrific technical team on-board who delivered a visually stunning production. Fortunately, the set was very simple, but even then, we did not have anyone available to take charge of the set-build, so it became a team effort, and we are grateful to all the people who came forward to give of their time and expertise to build the elements of the set. We were delighted that, early on, everyone involved had agreed to take the play forward to Hertford Theatre Week and, whilst we didn’t carry off any silverware, everyone enjoyed the experience and had a wonderful day at Haileybury. Unfortunately, Andrew Coyston went down with Covid just as Theatre Week was starting which meant that he and Penny were unable to join us on the day. Thanks are due to Nik Mayes and Graham Lay who stepped in to do the lighting and to Sophie Bennett who took charge of the many costumes and changes.

Our next production is The Memory of Water by Shelagh Stephenson, directed by Nick Vause who is an experienced director, though new to the Society. This play has elements of black comedy and deep emotion and, once again, we are delighted and fortunate to be able to say that we have cast another new member to the Society in one of the roles. Rehearsals are progressing apace and the production, scheduled for 14[th] - 17[th] June, will be over just before the AGM.

Another new venture for us this year was to invite a visiting production to our Studio Theatre. Red Handed is a one-act play, forming part of a trilogy called Double Acts by John Finnemore. Several of us had been to see the play performed elsewhere and thoroughly enjoyed it. Julie Markey discussed with the director, Harry Harding, the possibility of bringing it to Bentley House and he was very happy to do so. It was a very successful experiment, with audiences very much enjoying this hilarious comedy and participating enthusiastically in the ‘Question and Answer’ session afterwards with the director and cast. We are currently discussing with Harry the possibility of bringing the Double Acts trilogy to Bentley House at some point.

Looking forward, our autumn production, directed by Gina Rogers, will be Natural Causes by Eric Chappell, a comedy about a man who has found a niche market in a very unusual and specific despatch business! Inevitably, misunderstandings ensue with farcical results. Look out for forthcoming information on auditions for this play and we hope to see you there – either at the auditions or at the performances. We are still always looking for people to help with backstage jobs and welcome any enquiries.

Monthly play readings, usually held on a Monday morning, have continued to prove popular and Julie Markey has found a wide range of interesting and unusual plays for us to read. During the summer, we read The Importance of Being Earnest while sitting in the sunshine in Pat Steadman’s garden which was a delightful change and one which we are hoping to repeat this summer (weather permitting and with a different play of course!). At Christmas we spent a convivial session at Julie and Jim’s house reading the spoof Bleak Expectations whilst enjoying Christmas delicacies. Do come along to these – monthly sessions they are very relaxed and very enjoyable.

Liane Burnett and Pat Lay

Operatic

Dangerous Daughters - 18th - 22nd October 2022

Dangerous Daughters proved to be a huge success and received excellent feedback from our audiences. The NODA review was first class, resulting in two award nominations for Best Musical production & Best Technical Achievement in our region. We won the award for Best Technical Achievement in a musical which was collected by HD&OS President Lynne Warrilow & Dangerous Daughters Production Manager Mary-Jane Tomlin at the NODA Awards presentation lunch on Sunday 16th April 2023.

Congratulations to director Lorraine Bottomley, choreographer Ella Louise Martin & MD Keith Willis and the cast and crew of this fabulous show. As in previous years, the cast themselves did a fantastic job promoting the show online and this paid off. All credit must go to our extremely hardworking technical and sound teams, all of whom worked tirelessly to make this production the success it was.

Mary-Jane Tomlin

Young Idea

The intention was to work towards getting external tutors in to run workshop sessions, but it has proved difficult to source anyone willing to take on the task of organising, promoting, staffing and running the sessions. Approaches were made to various individuals but without success so at the start of the Autumn term, Emma Morter and Louise Kirtley were still attempting to run the workshops. Numbers attending were still very low (six being the most at any one time) and requests for parental help were unsuccessful. Accordingly, on occasions when Louise was unable to attend sessions, members of Trustees had to step in to be the additional adult, and some sessions had to be cancelled. With mounting difficulties, all sessions were cancelled from November onwards. Further offers of help in running workshops have recently been received and will be investigated and processed in the immediate future.

The Class of 22 show, directed by Scott Welch in May 2022, was very successful. It was composed of original writing, put together by Scott and the cast, with well-known songs under the musical direction of Jo Pierce and choreography by Wendy Couldridge. The Mayor of Hertford, Cllr Susan Barber, attended and was photographed with the cast afterwards.

It was not possible to find a director to do a show in the Spring of 2023, but Lorraine Bottomley has obtained the licence to do Six – Teen Version for May 2024. Lorraine is putting together a production team for this exciting show, which, it is hoped, will attract young people to come and audition.

A Matilda -themed workshop has been arranged for the summer holidays in August 2023 and will be run by Sarah Comerford and helpers. This will run for a week (Monday to Friday) and it is hoped that it will generate local interest which will lead on to attendance at other activities such as workshops.

Pat Lay

Panto

Sadly we were not able to cast our 2023 Panto Dick Whittington and we reluctantly had to cancel it. Some of our usual Panto performers were keen to catch up with family and friends after the previous year's mega effort and the dates we chose for performances were of concern. Next year's Panto will therefore have playing dates firmly in January after the Christmas and New Year festivities.

Some of those who had intended to be involved, plus other members, did perform, joining superenergetic Hertford Mayor Sue Barber one cold Sunday in the run-up to Christmas, singing Carols and festive numbers in three care homes and at the opening of a Community garden in Sele Farm. Thanks again to Keith Willis for his MD and keyboard skills. We are discussing a similar event this year.

Julie Markey

Social Events and Social Media

Social Events

Whilst this is not strictly under the ‘Social Events’ heading, it would be remiss of me to fail to mention the increased activity this year due to our having been selected as one of the Mayor’s chosen charities. Mayor of Hertford for the year, Cllr Susan Barber, has been incredibly active during her year in office and we have tried to make representation at as many events as possible, as well as ensuring that she was invited to our own shows and events. Back in the summer, we were invited to have a presence at the events in the Castle grounds, beginning with the World Food festival. We put together display boards, and a big ‘Thank You’ goes to Clive Bell and Elaine Miler who sportingly agreed to dress in panto costumes to promote the Society. That proved popular among the public who were keen to be photographed with them. Thanks also to everyone who helped to set up, clear away and hand out flyers. Later events proved more difficult to staff, so at the Heritage Day we were only able to hand out flyers. Thank you to everyone who went along to do that and to promote the Society. Without a panto to promote, we decided not to have a stand at the Christmas markets. The many other events will doubtless be reported on elsewhere but included a Christmas wreath-making workshop, a garden party, a brunch cookery demonstration, the annual Quiz, gin-tasting, the Mayor’s charity dinner and talks on historical Hertford.

Our own first social event was the Backstage Darts match which was well attended and was immense fun, as usual. Much to his own amazement (he claimed!), the tournament was won in impressive style by Jerry Fennell. Supper was provided by Pat Lay. Congratulations to Jerry and thanks to all who took part and to all who helped set up, clear away and run the bar.

Next on the agenda was the Christmas social, which was a concert and supper, organised to coincide with another of the Mayor’s events. Sue had asked if we could get a group of singers together to go round and sing Christmas songs and carols at various locations, including a care home and the opening of a community garden on Sunday 27[th] November. Mary-Jane Tomlin and Julie Markey organised this, including a visit to the Bentley House Signature Care Home, and the singing was much appreciated at all the venues. An extended version was then put on as a concert at the Studio Theatre on Saturday 26[th] November, with a supper provided by Pat Lay. Sue Barber came along to the concert with bottles of Prosecco which she proceeded to serve to all present, as a thank-you. The concert was greatly enjoyed, and thanks are due to everyone who sang, set up, provided sound and lighting, music, food, bar and man-power for the clearing up afterwards.

On Saturday 21[st] January Lorraine Bottomley organised another Open Mic night, which was, once again, well-attended and greatly enjoyed. Sue Barber attended this, accompanied by Chris Lucas, who did an impromptu performance as part of one of the stand-up improvised comedy routines. As before, the range of talent displayed was truly amazing and made for a terrific evening’s entertainment. Many thanks to everyone who contributed ‘turns’ of whatever kind, to Keith Willis for his wonderful keyboard accompaniment, to the techies for sound and lighting, and to those who staffed the bar, helped set up and stayed to clear away.

Unfortunately, the Quiz planned for May had to be postponed until the Autumn (date TBC) as there were insufficient tickets sold to make it worthwhile. Do look out for this coming up and hopefully there will be more take-up as the dark nights encroach.

It remains only for me to thank everyone who has supported the Society at our various functions throughout the year, whether by attending and buying a ticket, or by helping with all the jobs essential to putting on events of all kinds. Social events make a useful contribution to Society finances, which is of increasing importance in these times of rising energy costs and cost-of-living increases. In addition, and of equal importance, the social events are vital for promoting links and fellowship within the Society. After the rigours and isolation of the pandemic, it is important that we value and take joy from social contact now that we can do so again. The events are always enjoyed by those who attend so please take the time to come along and support us during the coming year.

Social Media

Unfortunately, Bob Thomson had to resign from Trustees during the year due to a house move much further away, so we were without anyone to take over the Social Media role. Mary-Jane Tomlin has kindly taken on the promulgation of posts on Facebook, but is unable to provide the detailed statistics which Bob’s expertise in the field had been able to furnish. We have continued to use Facebook for promoting events, both on our own Society pages and on other local am-dram pages and local news pages when possible. The drip-feed of cast photos and information during the run-up to shows seems to be of benefit in promoting ticket sales, and Steve Onyon continues to put out an email promotion to the long list of people who have signed up to it, though that has been somewhat complicated this year due to changes in the way our email provider charges for services. Thanks to Steve for his on-going efforts to sort out a suitable and cost-effective solution to that valuable service. Macy-Leigh Birleson, who joined us for Wyrd Sisters , helped us to set up and administer an Instagram page which we are trying to get to grips with and hope to be able to use more widely during the coming year for sharing our shows and information. It is hoped that Instagram will help us reach a younger demographic. We have also been able to advertise our shows in local Hertford news magazines.

Before he left, Bob had made contact with two local Social media agencies who provided quotes and plans for promoting and developing the Society and our contact base, with a view to increasing membership and audience numbers. The quotes were expensive, and it is difficult to assess how costeffective such a large investment will be. Trustees decided to invite the companies in at some stage to do a presentation, but felt that, until we know more about how the Hertford Theatre redevelopment will affect us, we should hold off spending large amounts of money on promotion. In the meantime, we will continue to develop our Instagram page, to encourage members, especially cast members, to share posts on Facebook and to make use of as many free and cost-effective platforms as possible to promote our events and the Society as a whole. If anyone has particular skills in the field of Social Media and would like to take a more active role in promoting the Society, we would be delighted to hear from you!

Pat Lay.

Bentley House Bar Report 2022-23

Since September 2022 the bar has been open for in-house productions, social evenings, after-show parties and, when requested, rehearsals. The bar continues to make a small but steady profit. We have had to implement a small price increase on certain items, but the bar still offers very competitive prices.

Thank you to all the members and friends, who have helped behind the bar during the year, their help is much appreciated. If anyone is interested in helping on the bar for our forthcoming productions, please let me know.

– Sally Fennell Bar Manager

– Treasurer's report financial year 2021-2022

Our accounts for August 2021 to July 2022 (the financial year end) have been circulated to the membership for presentation at the AGM. The Society had an operating loss of £2.5k for the year and total funds reduced from £309k to £285k.

All expenditure was supported by an Expense form or similar documentation which the Society’s members have completed to confirm that they are valid and to ensure expenses are allocated correctly. Thanks are due to Beverley and Bill Tapper for reviewing the accounts and declaring them satisfactory.

Some residual impacts from Covid have been incorporated into the accounts. Donations are higher than usual, but this has arisen primarily from show fees that were not claimed and other prepayments relating to Covid-affected shows that are not required.

This year has seen us return to presenting productions and the accounts reflect the outturn from the shows that were possible post-Covid. Regrettably, the panto run was curtailed and so the income from that show was lower than anticipated and so, although all the shows made a profit, it was insufficient to cover the Society’s costs even with investment income running at pre-Covid levels.

The Trustees decided to transfer a further £20,000 to long term investments. This additional sum offsets a drop of about £18k in the existing investment’s capital value. This loss therefore appears in the balance sheet as a reduction in cash in our bank account. Fortunately, the income from these investments has been maintained.

These accounts do not contain the impact of the increases in utility costs that were taking place in the early part of 2022. As was anticipated at this time last year, our utility costs will double in the next financial year but in all other respects the Society’s funds are on a sound footing.

Graham Lay Treasurer, HD&OS

Hertford Dramatic and Operatic Society	Hertford Dramatic and Operatic Society	Hertford Dramatic and Operatic Society	271065
Annualaccountsforthe period
01/08/2021	To	Period end date	31/07/2022

Section A Statement of financial activities

Unrestricted funds Restricted income funds Endowment funds Total funds Prior year funds £ £ £ £ £ F01 F02 F03 F04 F04 5,858 - - 5,858 8,389 Includes membership subscriptions and converting residuals from cancelled show Rock of Ages to a donation 15,836 - - 15,836 12,187 See Note 1, Show Accounts 1,695 - - 1,695 - 9,817 - - 9,817 9,010 See Note 5, Investments - - - - - - - - 33,205 - - 33,205 29,586 - - - - 13,615 - - 13,615 8,027 See Note 1, Show Accounts 10,724 - - 10,724 6,254 Bentley House Costs 11,378 - - 11,378 6,689 35,717 - - 35,717 20,969 2,512 - - - 2,512 - 8,617 18,388 - - - 18,388 - 16,628 20,899 - - - 20,899 - 25,245 - - - - - - - - - - 3,824 - - - 3,824 - 3,820 - See Note 4, Fixed Assets 1,049 - - 1,049 - release Young Idea liability 23,675 - - - 23,675 - 21,424 308,878 - - 308,878 287,454 285,203 - - 285,203 308,878	Unrestricted funds Restricted income funds Endowment funds Total funds Prior year funds £ £ £ £ £ F01 F02 F03 F04 F04 5,858 - - 5,858 8,389 Includes membership subscriptions and converting residuals from cancelled show Rock of Ages to a donation 15,836 - - 15,836 12,187 See Note 1, Show Accounts 1,695 - - 1,695 - 9,817 - - 9,817 9,010 See Note 5, Investments - - - - - - - - 33,205 - - 33,205 29,586 - - - - 13,615 - - 13,615 8,027 See Note 1, Show Accounts 10,724 - - 10,724 6,254 Bentley House Costs 11,378 - - 11,378 6,689 35,717 - - 35,717 20,969 2,512 - - - 2,512 - 8,617 18,388 - - - 18,388 - 16,628 20,899 - - - 20,899 - 25,245 - - - - - - - - - - 3,824 - - - 3,824 - 3,820 - See Note 4, Fixed Assets 1,049 - - 1,049 - release Young Idea liability 23,675 - - - 23,675 - 21,424 308,878 - - 308,878 287,454 285,203 - - 285,203 308,878	Unrestricted funds Restricted income funds Endowment funds Total funds Prior year funds £ £ £ £ £ F01 F02 F03 F04 F04 5,858 - - 5,858 8,389 Includes membership subscriptions and converting residuals from cancelled show Rock of Ages to a donation 15,836 - - 15,836 12,187 See Note 1, Show Accounts 1,695 - - 1,695 - 9,817 - - 9,817 9,010 See Note 5, Investments - - - - - - - - 33,205 - - 33,205 29,586 - - - - 13,615 - - 13,615 8,027 See Note 1, Show Accounts 10,724 - - 10,724 6,254 Bentley House Costs 11,378 - - 11,378 6,689 35,717 - - 35,717 20,969 2,512 - - - 2,512 - 8,617 18,388 - - - 18,388 - 16,628 20,899 - - - 20,899 - 25,245 - - - - - - - - - - 3,824 - - - 3,824 - 3,820 - See Note 4, Fixed Assets 1,049 - - 1,049 - release Young Idea liability 23,675 - - - 23,675 - 21,424 308,878 - - 308,878 287,454 285,203 - - 285,203 308,878	Unrestricted funds Restricted income funds Endowment funds Total funds Prior year funds £ £ £ £ £ F01 F02 F03 F04 F04 5,858 - - 5,858 8,389 Includes membership subscriptions and converting residuals from cancelled show Rock of Ages to a donation 15,836 - - 15,836 12,187 See Note 1, Show Accounts 1,695 - - 1,695 - 9,817 - - 9,817 9,010 See Note 5, Investments - - - - - - - - 33,205 - - 33,205 29,586 - - - - 13,615 - - 13,615 8,027 See Note 1, Show Accounts 10,724 - - 10,724 6,254 Bentley House Costs 11,378 - - 11,378 6,689 35,717 - - 35,717 20,969 2,512 - - - 2,512 - 8,617 18,388 - - - 18,388 - 16,628 20,899 - - - 20,899 - 25,245 - - - - - - - - - - 3,824 - - - 3,824 - 3,820 - See Note 4, Fixed Assets 1,049 - - 1,049 - release Young Idea liability 23,675 - - - 23,675 - 21,424 308,878 - - 308,878 287,454 285,203 - - 285,203 308,878	Unrestricted funds Restricted income funds Endowment funds Total funds Prior year funds £ £ £ £ £ F01 F02 F03 F04 F04 5,858 - - 5,858 8,389 Includes membership subscriptions and converting residuals from cancelled show Rock of Ages to a donation 15,836 - - 15,836 12,187 See Note 1, Show Accounts 1,695 - - 1,695 - 9,817 - - 9,817 9,010 See Note 5, Investments - - - - - - - - 33,205 - - 33,205 29,586 - - - - 13,615 - - 13,615 8,027 See Note 1, Show Accounts 10,724 - - 10,724 6,254 Bentley House Costs 11,378 - - 11,378 6,689 35,717 - - 35,717 20,969 2,512 - - - 2,512 - 8,617 18,388 - - - 18,388 - 16,628 20,899 - - - 20,899 - 25,245 - - - - - - - - - - 3,824 - - - 3,824 - 3,820 - See Note 4, Fixed Assets 1,049 - - 1,049 - release Young Idea liability 23,675 - - - 23,675 - 21,424 308,878 - - 308,878 287,454 285,203 - - 285,203 308,878
3,824 -	-	-	3,824 -	3,820 -
1,049	-	-	1,049	-
23,675 -	-	-	23,675 -	21,424

308,878	-	-	308,878	287,454
285,203	-	-	285,203	308,878

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Section B Balance sheet

Unrestricted funds £ F01	Restricted income funds £ F02	Endowment funds £ F03	Total this year Total last year £ £ F04 F05	Total this year Total last year £ £ F04 F05
9,390	-	-	9,390	13,214
244,415	-	-	244,415	242,803
253,805	-	-	253,805	256,017

701			701	486
472			472	472
2,990	-	-	2,990	4,894
27,234	-	-	27,234	48,017
31,397	-	-	31,397	53,869

	-	-	-	-

31,397	-	-	31,397	53,869

285,202	-	-	285,202	309,886

-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	1,009

285,202	-	-	285,202	308,877

-			-	-
	-		-	-
285,202		-	285,202	308,877
			-	-
285,202	-	-	285,202	308,877

Signature		Print	Name
		Pat Lay
		Graham Lay

Notes

See Note 4, Fixed Assets See Note 5, Investments

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Section C Notes to the accounts Note 1 Analysis of Shows	Section C Notes to the accounts Note 1 Analysis of Shows	Section C Notes to the accounts Note 1 Analysis of Shows	Section C Notes to the accounts Note 1 Analysis of Shows	Section C Notes to the accounts Note 1 Analysis of Shows	Section C Notes to the accounts Note 1 Analysis of Shows	Section C Notes to the accounts Note 1 Analysis of Shows
Column1	Class of 22	Deckchairs	Hertford Theatre Week 2022	Jack and the IceQueen	MurderMystery	TOTAL
Income
4030 - Donation Received			250			250
4160 - Other Income					28	28
4205 - Ticket Sales	1770	1977	4339	6197	410	14693
4210 - Programme Sales			138	158		296
4230 - EntryFees			20			20
5140 - Bar Income			268			268
5140A Bar PayPal			309			309
Total 5140 - Bar Income	0	0	577	0	0	577
Services			0			0
Total Income	1770	1977	5324	6355	438	15864
Cost of Sales
6005 - Hire of Venue			1500			1500
6010 - Staging			97	145		243
6020 - Lighting				1237		1237
6023 - Effects				608		608
6025 - Sound				40		40
6030 - Properties		20		82		102
6035 - Wardrobe		23		541		564
6040 - Musical Director	500					1200
6043 - Music Arrangement				490		490
6045 - Orchestra	320			1290		1610
6049 - Choreographer	100			10		110
6050 - Director	150					150
6053 - Licenses	17	746	21	73	55	912
6060 - Posters,Flyers;Printing		31		120		151
6063 - Programme Design & Print	142	38	88	66		334
6070 - Advertising			12			12
6080 - Scripts & Scores		233				233
6085 - Photographs	99	65				164
6090 - Rehearsal Pianists	150			660		810
6095 - SundryShow Expenses	50		140	122	196	507
6100 - Adjudicator			1115			1115
6105 - Show - Secretarial			5			5
6125 - Team's Expenses			1458			1458
6130 - Awards			56			56
Cost of Sales		0		0		0
Total Cost of Sales	1528	1155	4492	5483	251	13609
Total	242	822	832	872	187	2255

Excludes £6 cost on FY20-21 show Going Green

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Section C Notes to the accounts (cont)

Note 2 Analysis of income

Analysis	Total funds Prior year £ £ 105167 4,094 3,795 3,295 330 2,818 - 361 3 5,858 8,389 20 14,693 296 827 12,187 Includes Theatre Week bar and waived team expense 15,83612,187 - - 30 1,665 1,695 - - 9,817 9,010 - - 9,8179,010 33,20529,586	Total funds Prior year £ £ 105167 4,094 3,795 3,295 330 2,818 - 361 3 5,858 8,389 20 14,693 296 827 12,187 Includes Theatre Week bar and waived team expense 15,83612,187 - - 30 1,665 1,695 - - 9,817 9,010 - - 9,8179,010 33,20529,586
Donations and gifts	105	167
GiftAid		4,094
Legacies
General grants provided by government/other charities		3,795
Membership subscriptions and sponsorships which are in substance donations	3,295	330
Donatedgoods,facilities and services	2,818
Other	- 361	3
Total	5,858	8,389
Canteen
EntryFees	20
Show Fees
Ticket sales	14,693
Programme Sales	296
Other	827	12,187
Total	15,836	12,187
	-	-
AssetHire	30
Bar Income	1,665
Other
Total	1,695	-
Interestincome		-
Dividendincome	9,817	9,010
Rentalandleasingincome		-
Other		-
Total ME	9,817	9,010
	33,205	29,586

CC17a (Excel)

24/10/2022

Section C Notes to the accounts (cont)

Note 3 Analysis of expenditure

Analysis	Analysis	Total funds £	Prior year £
Building Repairs & Maintenance		3,447	2,254
Cleaning and management		2,374	1,850
Council Tax
Electricity		1,116	-56
Gas		2,997	2,155
Telephone		362	251
Rates (Non - Domestic)		428	51
Water
Total		10,724	6,505

Archive Expenses		51	22
B.H. Refreshments		20
General Advertising		43
Bar Expenses		490	138
Insurances		2,403	2,338
Make Up		40
MiscellaneousExpenses		660	337
Newsletter
Postage	48
Stationery	3
Printing	-
Total Newsletter		51	165
Office/General AdministrativeExpenses		12	22
PayPal		11
Photocopying		1,944	1,670
President'sExpenses		100
Social EventsExpenses		134
Software (QuickBooks)		446	432
Sound/Lighting Repairs		2,236	641
Stationery
Subscriptions & Licences		383	399
Trustee Expenses		-	14
Training		1,223
Uncategorised Expenditure
Wardrobe Repairs		452	64
Website		467	120
Workshop Renewals
Workshop Repairs		169	76
Young Idea Payments		44
Total		11,378	6,438

CC17a (Excel)

24/10/2022

Section C Notes to the accounts (cont)

Note 4 Tangible fixed assets

Acquisition and Depreciation

Foyer	Furniture & Fittings	Lighting Bridge	Lighting Equipment	Muslim Drapes	Properties & Wardrobe	Tools & Plant	Total
42,513	40,893	10,561	60,355	344	6,595	37,016	198,277
							-
			-				-
33,763	40,893	7,503	59,056	344	6,681	36,910	185,149
2,751	-	533	433		-	-	3,717
36,514	40,893	8,036	59,489	344	6,681	37,016	188,973
8,750	-	3,058	1,299	-	-	-	13,107
5,999	-	2,525	866	-	-	-	9,390

CC17a (Excel)

24/10/2022

Section C Notes to the accounts (cont)

Note 5 Investment assets

Carrying (fair) value at start of year Add:additions to investments during period Less:disposals at carrying value Less: impairments Add: Reversal of impairments Investment income Gain/Loss on revaluation Carrying (fair) value at end of year*	Listed investments	Note 1 Note 2
	242,803
	20,000
	-
	-
	-
	-
	- 18,388
	244,415

Note 1: Charifund: 7361 units.

Blackrock Charities UK Bond Fund (income) 62735 units.

Note 2:

£20,000 invested in Schroder Charity Responsible Multi-Asset Fund, 18218.26 units.

CC17a (Excel)

24/10/2022

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner s Report Report to tho trustee members of Hertfoid Dramatic and Operatic Society On accounts for the year ended 31" Juty 2022 Charfty no (If any) 271C65 s on pages I repK)rt to the trusiees my examinatM)n of the accounts of the above tharity {Ihe Trusfi for the year ended 3110712022. R8sponslbllltles and basls of report As the ch5 Irustees, you are resp)nsible for the preparation of tr ac(>Junts in aLU))rdan with the requirements of the Chariiies Act 2011 (Ihe Arf). urKler sedion 145 ofthe 2011 Ad and in catrying out my exarninat, I have folkmed all the app4cable Diredi(Yis given by the Chity Comissic under sedion 145(5)(b) of the Ad. Independent I have completed my examinatnn. I confim that no material matters hwrfe examlneffs ststsment (j) to my attention in conne¢tKn ith the examwiats'on vthich gives me cajse to believe that in, any material respe¢t'. the accvunting reoyds re mt keo in 0rd with seCtn 130 of the Charsties Ad" or the accourrts dKI not accord with the accountiig records; or the accounts did not compty wilh the apble requIntS concemHig the fcffji and conterrt of ac¢))unts set trt in the Charities {Acrounts and ReFMJts) Regulations 2(Th dher than any requirement that the ac£ourrts give a Irue and fa¢ wew is not a matter considered as part of an independent eXnination. I have no 0cernS and have me acmss rK> matters in cx)nnectN th the examination to which attentIC should be drahn in this rep)rt in order to enable a woper understanding (Athe accounts to be reached. Slgned: Lol3 Name: - IQ {i¥eprn. Relevant professlonal quallflcatlon(s} or body (If any): Address: CLI A-A C.LoJC TO (AI +TG- IER Oct 2018

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGIAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of Hertford Dramatic and Operatic Society On a¢¢ounts for the year ended 31° July 2022 Charlty no (if any) 271065 Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examinatK)n of the a¢Unts of the al)ove tharity (the Trusf) for the year ended 3110712022. Responslbllllles and basis of report A$ the tharws trustees. you are resp)nsibTe forts preparation of Ihe acrnunts in ac£ordance with the requirerrthts of the Charities Act 2011 {Ihe A(f). under s8Cticffl 145 of the 2011 Ad and in carrying out my examination, I have folbd all the ar4)licable DirKs given by the Charity Commission urmder seclKJn 14515)(b) of the Acl. Independent I have ccynpleted examinai)n. l nf1M that no material matters have examlnefs statement come to my attenlion in connection ryth the examnation vthich gives me cause to beve that in. any material resFed". the a¢(ln11ng reS not keo in al with section 130 of the Charities Ad; or the accounts dNI not acoxd wbth the coUnti1g records; or the amrrts did not compty with the ap[Aable requirements oncerng the form arKI conterrt of aC(unts set cArt in the CharitEs (AUnts and ReKMJts) Reguk8tions 2008 other Ihan any requirement the accounts give a Irue and farf vW is not a matter considered as wt of an independent exinati(. I have no ccernS and have LX)me aLYOSS no other matters in connedion with the examinatw to vthich attention should be drawn in this report in enable a woper understarKling d the accounts to be re•ftd. Slgned: LOL Name: IlA11 Relevant professional quallflcatlonls) or body {tt any): Address: CLc>. A-0 Pfi *fc< IER Oct 2018

Hertford Dramatic and Operatic Society

Trustees’ Report for 2022/2023 and

Accounts for the year ended 31[st] July 2022

Contents

Signed on behalf of the Trustees

THE 104[TH ] ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE HERTFORD DRAMATIC AND OPERATIC SOCIETY WILL BE HELD AT BENTLEY HOUSE ON TUESDAY 20[TH] JUNE 2023 at 8.00pm

AGENDA

9. Any other business

HERTFORD DRAMATIC AND OPERATIC SOCIETY

PAST PRESIDENTS

MINUTES OF THE 103[rd] ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF HERTFORD DRAMATIC AND OPERATIC SOCIETY HELD ON WEDNESDAY 22[nd] JUNE 2022 AT BENTLEY HOUSE

1. Minutes of 102[nd] AGM

2. Matters Arising

3. Report of the Trustees

The President’s Award

4. Treasurer’s Report

5. Election of President

6. Election of Vice Presidents

7. Election of Officers

8. Elections

8.1. Trustees

Election of Trustees :

8.2. Election of Hon Managers

9. Statement on the Hertford Theatre Closure

10. Any other business

10.1. Events in Castle grounds:

10.2. Marketing:

10.3. Social media:

10.4. 2022/23 Panto:

10.5. Digitising of archive:

10.6. Hertford Theatre Week:

REPORTS FOR 2022-2023

Report from the Trustees for 2022-2023

HD&OS Membership report for 2022-23

Report from Hertford Theatre Week Committee

Report from Production Committee

Julie Markey

Drama

Operatic

Dangerous Daughters - 18th - 22nd October 2022

Mary-Jane Tomlin

Young Idea

Pat Lay

Panto

Julie Markey

Social Events and Social Media

Social Events

Social Media

Bentley House Bar Report 2022-23

– Treasurer's report financial year 2021-2022

Graham Lay Treasurer, HD&OS

Section A Statement of financial activities

Section B Balance sheet

Note 2 Analysis of income

Note 3 Analysis of expenditure

Section C Notes to the accounts (cont)

Note 4 Tangible fixed assets

Acquisition and Depreciation

Note 5 Investment assets

Note 2: