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ERIC JONES
Thank You for visiting Eric Jones' web site.
Pictures most recently added to the Gallery are from productions by our Festival Players Group, including The Evesham Weekend Festival in 2021, Spider's Web in 2020 and Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None in 2019, as well as Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors in 2018 and Teens Tackle Shakespeare which was an open-air production in the beautiful Almonry Garden, Evesham, in July 2017; twenty teenagers performing excerpts from eight Shakespeare, and other, plays plus some music and song. Pictures show rehearsals and the torch-lit finale performing All The World's a Stage. THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, Shakespeare's shortest and funniest play - performed by the teenagers of The Festival Players in the spring of 2018.
Also, the outdoor Shopping Mall/garden Centre productions of Agatha Christie's Spider's Web in September 2020, as soon as outdoor theatre was allowed in that pandemic year.
Welcome to Our Site
​During the pandemic which began in March 2020 there was inevitably some curtailment of drama activities. The young people of The Festival Players were, however, determined to continue rehearsing (they were not allowed to go to school!) and did so by Zoom calls, keeping the script of Spider's Web alive. Come June 2020 limited rehearsals in gardens were allowed, and by September outdoor theatre was permitted. Having planned this production for July, we were already two months later than planned but determined not to lose it completely. A local shopping and garden centre allowed us to build a stage, light it and build a set. We had costumes, props and production all ready to go, so Spider's Web, by Agatha Christie was performed during the first few days in September to enthusiastic, but still quite socially distanced audiences, the local Mayor and MP.
Royal Garden Party
In 2019 Eric and Viv were invited by Her Majesty the late Queen Elizabeth II to a Garden Party in May, at Buckingham Palace, on a recommendation from The Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire in recognition of some of the things which had been achieved with young people in Evesham and in the county during recent years. It was delightful and an honour to be invited to what became the last ever Garden Party which Her Late Majesty attended.
SOME STUFF ABOUT ERIC AND THE FAMILY;
TEACHING
In addition to an interest in Amateur Theatre, Eric has been in education for almost his entire professional life, retiring finally in 2001 from Trinity School in Croydon where he was Head of Drama Productions, and a senior teacher in the middle school, also teaching Religious Studies. Since living in Evesham Eric has produced and/or directed several amateur theatre productions, including some outdoor theatre in the town. See elsewhere for details of drama productions.
FAMILY & HOME
Eric is married to Viv, with two grown up children, and five grandchildren. He has been a Governor of The Vale of Evesham Special Needs School in Evesham and Newbridge Short Stay Secondary School in Worcester, as well as being a member and Steward of Evesham Methodist Church. Eric, and his wife, also regularly record the local newspaper for Talking Newspapers and together have been judges for the BBC Radio 2 500 Words Short Story writing competition since 2012. In 2020 Eric wrote his first novel, Finding a Sovereign, available on Amazon and from Waterstones as well on e-books.
AWARDS
Eric was given one of the Mayor of Croydon’s Citizenship Awards in the late 1990’s and in the year 2000 was given an award at the brand new Millennium Dome in London, by the children’s charity Kidscape as one – amongst several others – who had improved the lives of children during the previous 25 years.
For productions in recent years we have been delighted to receive the following accolades from NODA, The National Operatic and Dramatic Association;
2008, Nominated as one of the best plays in West Midlands for Festival Players’ “The Canterbury Tales”, Directed by Eric Jones;
2010, Winner of the best pantomime in the West Midlands, “Aladdin” directed by Eric Jones for PODS;
2014, Nominated for Best Musical in the West Midlands, “Sweeney Todd” directed by Eric Jones, for EODS.
In 2019 Eric and his wife were invited to Buckingham Palace and to a Royal Garden Party attended by the Queen, Prince Harry and the princesses Eugene and Beatrice - and about 7,000 others!
In 2020 just before the pandemic struck, Eric was nominated by Wychavon District Council for an Arts Recognition award.
Now in retirement, apart from a bit of arthirits, Eric feels very lucky still to be able to do so much, and, of course, enjoys the theatre and amateur drama a lot !
THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, 2018; AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, JULY 2019; SPIDER'S WEB IN SEPTEMBER 2020 AND
THE EVESHAM WEEKEND FESTIVAL IN JULY 2021 including
KINGS, TEENS & TYRANTS.
Shakespeare's shortest and funniest play performed by fifteen of these talented young people in the spring of 2018. Two sets of identical twins appear in the same town at the same time and cause mayhem as nobody knows which one they're talking to and they don't even recognise each other! Performed at Broadway Lifford Hall, The De Montfort School, Evesham, The Crawford Memorial Hall, Bidford and at Number 8 Community Arts Centre theatre, in May/June 2018 to much acclaim and many congratulations from parents, friends and public. It was very much organised mayhem! In 2019, the group are planning a production of Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, in July at different venues, watch this space.
Connor Hill and
Harry Stanley as the Antipholus twins in Shakespeare's
The Comedy of Errors, 2018
Connor Hill performing at Evesham Weekend Festival 2021, the cast of Spider's Web in 2020
and the Jaz film orchestra at the Weekend Festival in July 2021.
THE MAGNIFICENT CAST OF 'PORRIDGE' 2015
Eric has always been involved with amateur drama productions, directing major musicals, Shakespeare and other plays at Trinity School. During four years at the start of his retirement Eric directed Copacabana and Oklahoma! at The Lyric Theatre in Carmarthen, as well as two productions of his own. A Christmas Carol (music and lyrics by Eric Jones, from Charles Dickens book) was at The Lyric in Carmarthen in 2004, and Robin Hood’s Christmas Story (book, music and lyrics by Eric Jones) was at the same theatre in December 2005.
Moving to Evesham in the West Midlands has created the opportunity for an involvement in Pershore Operatic and Dramatic Society for whom Eric has directed Dick Whittington in December 2007 at The Number 8 Community Arts Centre theatre, Pershore, and Aladdin in December 2010, receiving the award from NODA as the best pantomime in the West Midlands for that year. Eric also directed the iconic musical Singin’ In The Rain at Pershore’s Number 8 Community Centre Theatre for PODS in June 2012
In 2013 Eric and his wife, Viv, produced and directed their own production of Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy The Importance of Being Earnest which was performed in different venues in July 2013.
More recently, Eric has directed Sweeney Todd The Musical for the Evesham Operatic and Dramatic Society (EODS) in September 2014, to rave reviews from hundreds who saw it, from NODA and at least one other reviewer in print! It was indeed, quite a challenge but one to which the entire cast and crew rose with almost as much vengeance as Sweeney himself! Something of a challenge in staging (thanks to the magnificent crew and LX/FX technicians) and a minor miracle musically (Thanks to Rowan Williams, the MD) this production was a tour-de-force in acting and production by every person involved.
REHEARSALS AND PRODUCTIONS
The cast of 'Porridge' 2015
See later for details and reviews.
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See elsewhere for more pictures of this production, and other Festival Players events.
See elsewhere for details of Festival Players Monologue productions, (Whatever Next! and Porridge, 2015 and An Audience With Words, 2016) involving teenagers presenting extracts from Shakespeare and other plays as an entertainment, at The Other Place, part of The Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Also Teens Tackle Shakespeare, 4 July 2017 in The Almonry Garden, Evesham as part of The Evesham Festival of Words.
