THE GRAYSHOTT 24

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WE DID IT!!!

The Grayshott Stagers put on
Annie Get Your Gun

in just twenty four hours on the 26th & 27th of June 1998.

Self portrait of Peter Sillick on a horse

THE JOURNAL
Probably now complete
Friday 26th June 1998 (Day One)
24:00 hours to go (entry number 1)

The show "Annie Get Your Gun" is announced.
Heather panics as she admits she only has done a tiny extract before, compared with Grant who is laid back (well he appears this way!!). Heather retires to the small hall to cast while Grant leads the entire company through the music - beginning with the finale.

22:53 hours to go (entry number 2)

Heather assisted by Grant, read out the cast list. I'm sure there will be some very pleased and also those left disappointed but due to the circumstances I'm sure everyone understands.

Charlie Davenport	Huw Reynolds
Dolly Tate	Melanie Tyrrell
Mac	Brian Upstell
Foster Wilson	Ian Page
Frank Butler	Richard White
Annie Oakley	Alexandra Legat
Little Jake	Jeremy Legat
Nellie	Joanne Ostrom
Jessie	Jennie Ostrom
Minnie	Eleanor Bradbury
Buffalo Bill Cody	Barry Penny
Mrs Little Horse	Katy Hunt
Mrs Black Tooth	Jennifer Charters
Mrs Yellowfoot	Dilys Williamson
Major Gordon Lillie	Peter Dickinson
Chief Sitting Bull	Bob Fells
Schuyler Adams	Mike Lee
Mrs Schuyler Adams	Betty Penny
Mrs Henderson	Lianne Barrow
Mrs Potter-Porter	Toni Adnams
Other characters / Chorus	Anne Leggett
	Kay McGregor Teresa Marsh Margaret Hartwell Liz Dobson Thelma Robertson Sue Brewer Rachel Charters Ann Johnston Shirley Jellis

22:50 hours to go (entry number 3)

Latest Score: Columbia 0, England 1

Mad applause and wild cheering!!

22:45 hours to go (entry number 4)

Bedlam!! Grant teaching music to Huw and Melanie. Dave (Whittle!!) teaching various love duets with Alex and Richard. Lot of noise, Heather panics wondering why she took on such a task - too late now love!!

22:30 hours to go (entry number 5)

Heather still panics, asks for very strong cup of tea. "Kids" (huh!) given their parts!!

22:20 hours to go (entry number 6)

Latest Score:
Columbia 0, England 2.
The crowd goes bananas!!!! [huw] England! ENGLAND!!!!!!! FOOTBALL'S COMING HOME!

First scene and song "Colonel Buffalo Bill" being set on stage with Chorus, Huw and Melanie. Heather flailing and screeching in a vague attempt to get some sort of co-ordination from those on stage.

21:57 hours to go (entry number 7)

Award for first script down goes to Mr Huw Reynolds. First scene still going strong. Everyone strangely enthusiastic and looking like they are actually enjoying themselves - can this be allowed? Heather heard saying "Well done!" - blimey!!

21:40 hours to go (entry number 8)

Stand still for a few scary minutes there (ahhh) but back to learning "I'm A Bad, Bad Man" with Grant (phew!)

21:16 hours to go (entry number 9)

England have won and will play Argentina in the next round - YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Final score was
Columbia 0, England 2
Three Lions on the shirt!!
"I'm A Bad, Bad Man" being staged on stage. In the mean time, Jeremy's keyboard arrives for the purpose of "note bashing"

20:40 hours to go (entry number 10)

Everybody sings Happy Birthday to Dave Whittle.

20:37 hours to go (entry number 11)

Tea/smoke break.... Pockets of people dotted around and about, chatting, madly practising on keyboards, still rehearsing, though a strange quiet has gripped the hall, except for the Grant running through the ballet on the piano.

20:18 hours to go (entry number 12)

Sets have started to emerge from storage and are being brought out front to be painted. The cloth last seen in the opening scene of 1992's "The King and I" starts to get a lick of dark blue paint. By the looks of the starry cloth that is emerging, Judy Lee and Sue Ostrom are doing a fantastic job.

Saturday 27th June 1998 (Day Two)
19:00 hours to go (entry number 13)

"I Got The Sun In The Morning" now set with most of the cast on stage at once. Quite a number of the chorus numbers are now set and we can begin running odd scenes and complete songs. Scenery and bits and pieces of scenery begin to appear on stage behind the frantically rehearsing. Ladders go up as lights start to appear and be turned on...

18:43 hours to go (entry number 14)

Peter Dickinson writes....
Eyes are beginning to droop a little ... Producer Heather shows no sign of flagging...Frank's "I'm a Bad, Bad boy" looks as if it could be one of the Show's hits. Some of the chorus are being allowed to go home for a few hours "r & r". I am envious of Dolly when she talks about unpacking her sleeping bag; I forgot mine! The lighting boys have surfaced with ladder.....

17:05 hours to go (entry number 15)

Most people have gone home to catch as much as sleep as they can. Heather has said that people who have gone home have to be back to start again at 7.30 am. The only people to remain religiously awake and active have been Heather and Kate - though a noticeably endless supply of coke, coffee and tea has been quite amusing.
Jennifer and Rachel Charters, Peter Dickinson and Eleanor Bradbury are the lucky ones who have found a corner of hall and manage to catch forty winks while they can. It's raining (slightly!!). It's raining cats and dogs by the sound of it on the roof, hamsters rabbits and guinea pigs too!!

16:43 hours to go (entry number 16)

The shows biggest showstopper and most well known number "There's No Business Like Show Business" is now well under way and is gonna be excellent. Toni Adnams has helped with choreography for this one. Rain has carmed down a little, still noisy though.

Huw Reynolds writes....
Standing up on stage for the first time without the comfort of my script, I suddenly think "why am I here?" Humm.... Good question. We are all willing to expose ourselves to the biggest humiliation the stage can offer: lack of rehearsal time and the chance of forgetting our lines on stage. The way I see it, is as a challenge. Not to learn the lines in time, but to be able to stand up there, put a brave face on and enjoy it for what it is, not what the worse case scenario could be. The possibility that in 16hrs, 27mins and 30 secs, I might be improvising doesn't scare me that much, (LIAR!) but it will be interesting to see how we all feel at the appointed hour. I admire Alex as she has by far the biggest part, in the production I mean before a certain person makes comments. As I haven't seen, heard or sung any of the songs ever before, except for "There's no business like show business" of course! Anyway, I shall leave marvelling at the magnificence of our countdown device. The guy or gal who thought of that must be quite amazing!!!!!!!!!! Bye 4 now!

15:39 hours to go (entry number 17)

Tony Legat writes...
Just back from Sainsbury's, having purchased supplies for breakfast. We are going to cook bacon, eggs, sausages and beans for thirty people. Sainsbury's was very quiet at 3 am, Twonk & I were the only people there.
On to Twonk's flat to collect his bass guitar. The amp weighs a ton!
Raining!!

15:18 hours to go (entry number 18)

Richard (Batten) points out that while everyone was sleeping he was still keeping Heather going (with the cups of coffee I hasten to add!!!!). Just finished a very silly scene between Jeremy (Little Jake) and Alex (Annie Oakley), involving stupid and ridiculous language. We've decided that we're going to cheat and have this scene written in the book that we are both studying.

15:06 hours to go (entry number 19)

Well it is nearly 4.25 in the morning and Richard points out to me that the birds have started to sing in the trees outside.... dawn is breaking and it is not raining. [groan] Why are we here?
How did we get roped into this?
Are we completely and utterly mad?
are just a few of the questions that we daren't be answer.
Kate (Weir) was heard saying to Heather, last night, that it would be finished on time and would be OK!! Is she mad? Is she optimistic? In about 15 will know the answer!!

Sorry to embarrass him but Peter Dickinson is snoring!

14:41 hours to go (entry number 20)

DAY BREAK!!!!!!

14:00 hours to go (entry number 21)

Jeremy is asleep now, and it's raining again.

13:38 hours to go (entry number 22)

Huw; Woke up to the strains of "No biz like showbiz." Nooooooooo! So it wasn't some cruel dream!!!! Don't Jeremy look cute! And it's bloody cold.

13:05 hours to go (entry number 23)

Peter has woken up! Tony is still chirpy having been one of only two people in Sainsburys at 3am. Reliably informed that breakfast is scheduled for 7am. Jeremy still looks cute!!!! Dolly is practising her opening number while Heather is going through Act 1 Scene 4 minus Frank who has gone home to bed. Heather admits to feeling "a bit shattered" and intimates that she will go home for a couple of hours in bed. Kitchen is still on the boil with gallons (or is it litres?) of hot water. Is Big Chief Sitting Bull losing his voice... he sounds a little horse (hoarse geddit?) Groan!!

12:30 hrs to go (entry number 24)

7am outside time. Slow drift back- Sitting Bull admits to going home for a couple of hours. Kitchen is a hive of activity with Tony and Richard cooking breakfast of bacon , sausages, baked beans and eggs. Will Sleeping Beauty (Jeremy) wake up when the cooking aroma wafts through?

(later addition) Jeremy To the choking, burnt aroma perchance?

12:18 hours to go (entry number 25)

Huw GOOOOOOD MORNING GRAYSHOTT! Hey this is not a test, this is ANNIE GET YOUR BUTT IN GEAR (and fast!) it's oh-seven-fifteen what's the oh stand for? Oh my god it's early! In the words of one of the last musicals FEED ME Seymour!

12:14 hours to go (entry number 26)

Alex 12:14 to go. I'm quite scared and I'm fed up with being an Indian too!!! I want to sleep-Haven't had any at all yet! Hey-ho loads of time to go.

(poor baby!)

11:42 hours to go (entry number 27)

Huw passed the landmark, less than twelve hours to go! Alex is looking slightly dozy, Jem is looking sleepy, and I'm sure that we could find the rest of the dwarfs without too much trouble.

11:18 hours to go (entry number 28)

(Jeremy now back at the helm after a rude awakening!!) ( A much deserved kick in the ribs [HUW]) The whole of Scene One is being run. This is the biggest running of stuff yet, only two or three scripts visible on stage which is very impressive.

11:06 hours to go (entry number 29)

Tick, tock, tick, tock,..........
Light entertainment from Huw.
Hickory Dickory dock,
Three mice ran up the clock,
The clock struck one......
And the other two got away with minor injuries.

11:00 hours to go (entry number 30)

Huw useless information that gets in you head when you need sleep!
Just to remind you we have 660 mins left. That's 39600 seconds. (show off!!)

10:52 hours to go (entry number 31)

All change!! The technical beings. All cast start migrating up to the upstairs annexe, as the technical crew take over in the hall to finish off sets, lighting etc. etc.

9:50 hours to go (entry number 32)

Front of house boys turn up! Have we got cash floats for this evening? Er... no. So it's a quick trip for someone down to the post office for coins. Set is still in pieces.. or is it? Chorus takes a break from intensive (?) rehearsal in the upstairs room. Grant, our accompanist, is in fine fettle... Kim goes to sleep- no howling this time!!!!

9:39 hours to go (entry number 33)

Kate Weir writes
The set is looking rather spectacular, musical sounds are drifting down from upstairs and we haven't run out of coffee or tea yet so it is looking good. Not only that the rain seems to be holding off and there is more than the occasional peek of sunshine. We've definitely sold fifty tickets and probably sold some more.

9:22 hours to go (entry number 34)

Tony Legat writes
Half an hour ago I gave away two tickets on a "'phone-in" on Delta Radio. Liz Wilson correctly named the show after the track "Anything You Can Do..." was played on air. Heather and Jeremy have gone home for a sleep, will be back in about 2 hours for the duration of the Technical Rehearsal on stage.

8:45 hours to go (entry number 35)

Heather returns after an hour-and-a-half-long catnap to chaos of costume fittings, mad last minute rehearsing, set painting, set construction and so on and so on....
Relief as we return to hear that Sally Wooding and Jo Boughton have taken over the running of the kitchen.

8.15 hours to go (entry number 36)

The photographer from the Herald has just been. He took a large number of pictures of the cast rehearsing, as well as pictures of Judy & Sue painting a cloth.

8:00 hours to go (entry number 37)

Tony Legat writes
The reporter from the Herald has just been. She made a number of notes, and will interview Tony on Monday. Grant (and his cute little dog!!) lead renditions of "The Sun In The Morning" number on stage, with Sally and Jo singing in for Alex while Heather takes most of the principals for blocking and revising of dialogue in the small hall. It was quite going well, except someone forgot to tell Sally and Jo the cuts!!!

7:47 hours to go (entry number 38)

As I write, Toni Adnams is teaching the Wild West Ballet to the female chorus, and very good it looks too!!

7:26 hours to go (entry number 39)

An extraordinary quiet - no action, just light conversation. The Wild West Ballet c'est fini and looks great. Desk that computer is on is a mess of scripts, bits of paper, pens, briefcase, computer (obviously), cups, wires, empty wrappers from odds and ends, half empty 'Pringles' packet - thank God for 'Pringles'!!

7:20 hours to go (entry number 40)

We've lost the pianists!!!!!!!!!!!!

7:16 hours to go (entry number 41)

Pianists found! (safe and sound)
Alex appears in a sexy little red number with a black wrap complete with black trousers and tatty white trainers underneath - yummy!!

7:08 hours to go (entry number 42)

Enormous "Annie Get Your Gun" sign appears and rests outside the front of the village hall. Peter Sillick said he would have the programme here with us by 12 noon and still hasn't showed. Time is running out....

6:47 hours to go (entry number 43)

Huw Reynolds writes, (again!!!)
I'm absolutely elated at the fact that this production has avoided one of the main pitfalls that bugs me with am-dram in this area: A musical and I'm not the youngest person here!!!! WOW!!!!!!!!! Actually I feel quite old being twenty compared to Jeremy who's 16, and the other girls @ 13, 16 and 17.

6:29 hours to go (entry number 44)

Photo board and programme have arrived c/o Peter Sillick. And only 1 hour and 25 minutes until the dress rehearsal starts.
Tony has gone down to the 'Laughing Halibut' to get Kate a chip butty
Jennifer and Rachel Charters also wander down to take advantage of the discounts available to G24 participants.
Richard tells me that he is ****ing knackered!! (use your imagination)

7:47 hours to go (entry number 45)

Peter Budd writes...
Still can't believe we'll get there - oh you sceptic but I think I know what I'm doing. Just got the programmes printed and been home to record a couple of sound effects. Now just waiting for the Dress Rehearsal - feel better after that!

5:43 hours to go (entry number 46)

Huw Reynolds writes, yet again [sigh]
Chips need more salt and vinegar. Well the dress rehearsal is supposed to be @ 1430hrs in 43 mins! This combined with the fact that we still haven't got to the end of the show yet makes me a little queasy. We'll go onward like the bunch of Lemmings that we are. Brave ( and stupid) to the end! The bags under Alex's eyes are getting bigger as the poor girl didn't get any sleep last night at all. Anyway she's gone off home (I think) to shower and make herself pretty. If I tend to ramble on, as our self proclaimed editor- Jeremy seems to think, I apologise and beg forgiveness.

5:13 hours to go (entry number 47)

We're near the end of Act Two - nearly through!! At 2.30 they want to start some sort of Dress Rehearsal. Here we are, 15 minutes away from the beginning of the dress rehearsal and I still have absolutely no costume!!

4:30 hours to go (entry number 48)

The dress rehearsal starts. Opening scene and opening very good. For just 24 hours, costumes and scenery look very effective. Huw has his lines to the song "Colonel Buffalo Bill" concealed in his hat. You'd never guess that he was reading them (!!)

3:49 hours to go (entry number 49)

Dress rehearsal in full swing and only a few books and the odd prompt cards on stage, which is brilliant.

3:13 hours to go (entry number 50)

First act of dress rehearsal still under way. We have discovered a couple of scenes that people haven't done because they had been asleep.

2:58 hours to go (entry number 51)

In just under 3 hours and this thing goes live!!!! Act One has just come down at a time of 90 minutes. We found sections of songs that have not been rehearsed like the reprise "You Can't Get A Man With A Gun" and "I'm An Indian Too".

2:51 hours to go (entry number 52)

[Huw] seems that my 9mm (Beretta 92F) was a little too loud. Oh well, I agree. As in the confines of the stage wings I lost the hearing in my right ear. Meanwhile I have flash burns as I fired it a little close to the wall. What fun!!! Plus someone in the future is gonna find some spent shells, because I couldn't be bothered to find them. I don't think I'll try out the .357 it's even louder!

Monday June 29th (entry number 53)

Richard White writes...
One of the lasting memories I shall have of an extraordinary experience is that throughout all the time we were working together I cannot remember a single negative comment, moan, bicker or show of temperament by anyone involved. On the contrary, there was a fantastic level of commitment, mutual support and consideration for one another, and a recognition that everyone involved was totally absorbed and focused on the job in hand. That's a tribute to everyone, from teamaker sideways to director, but I think an enormous debt is due to Heather for setting that tone from the very first moment, being so focused herself, with brilliant support from Kate, and instilling confidence in us all by never betraying the tiniest apprehension about whether we would 'have a show' by Saturday at 7.30, even if she felt any(!?). Its something we should all remember whenever any of us are gathered to work on any other show - what heights might be achieved if we can bring that intensity of work and concentration into play for just a couple of hours at a time during weekly rehearsals and for a little bit of time between them. I wish I'd had a '24' opportunity years ago when I might have been able to learn words as fast as Alex, but it was really worth waiting for!
Love from Rich.

Thursday July 2nd (entry number 54)

The Haslemere Herald writes...
" Annie Get Your Gun" was the name of the game for the Grayshott Stagers on Saturday night as they pulled out all the stops to produce a show in the space of a day.
After 24 hours of shock, horror, despair, hope, joy, very little sleep and a lot of hard work, the Stagers came up trumps with their latest production on Saturday night.
The Stagers had arrived at Grayshott Village Hall on Friday night, armed and ready to take part in the first Grayshott 24 - a scheme dreamed up by Stagers' Vice Chairman, Tony Legat to cast, rehearse, and perform a musical show within 24 hours.
As it turned out, that show, the name of which had been kept secret from all but a select few, played to a sizeable audience on the Saturday night.
The musical extravaganza was directed by Heater Legat, with Grant Hossack the Musical Director
The title role of Annie was capably performed by Alexandra Legat, and Richard White took on the role of Frank Butler.
Many of the cast and crew had been on their feet for the whole of the previous night, kept going by regular transfusions of hot tea, and a cooked breakfast on Saturday morning.
As Saturday wore on, intense rehearsals took place on stage, while the artists created the scenery and backdrops on the hall floor, and there was concentrated learning of lines in the hall anterooms.
A paying audience of around 85 came to the hall at 7:30 on Saturday night to see the end result - and the venture was judged a success.
Mr Legat said the atmosphere at the hall during the day had been "wonderful - quite unlike anything we have experienced in a normal show".
The pressure of producing the show in such a short space of time had "concentrated the mind", he said, resulting in "complete and utter concentration throughout the rehearsal time".
The cast and crew had enjoyed producing the show, he said, adding that the experiment would probably be repeated in the future - perhaps in a couple of years.

Sunday July 12th (entry number 55)

Tony Legat writes...
Just remembered an entry that should have been written at four hours to go...
Huw Reynolds' parents have just arrived with various props that they have been 'instructed' to supply. Huw's Mother comments that they should be paying us for having Huw for twenty four hours!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Director	Heather Legat
Musical Director	Grant Hossack
Director's Assistant	Kate Weir
Stage Managers (all three of us!)	Peter Budd Malcolm Dobson Tony Legat
Lighting	Stephen Penny
Set Design and Construction	Peter Budd Stephen Penny Malcolm Dobson Nick Webb Judy Lee Sue Ostrom Marian Walker Jane Dawes Debbie Williamson
Sound Effects	Debbie Williamson
Properties	Gillian Chard Maggi Brown Doug Chard
Wardrobe	Shirley Jellis Liz Dobson Betty Penny (and most of the cast)
Front of House	Stephen Dorlay Alan Stone
Press Officers Publicity	Tony Legat Peter Budd
Programme Cast Photographs	Peter Sillick
Rehearsal Pianists	Grant Hossack Tony McIntee Dave Whittle
Business Manager	Stephen Penny
Cast Refreshments (24 hours)	Tony Legat Richard Batten Jo Boughton Sally Wooding Kate Weir Sue Ostrom
Make-up	Sally Wooding
Organising Committee	Tony Legat Stephen Penny Peter Budd

The Orchestra

Piano / Keyboards	Tony McIntee Grant Hossack
Bass Guitar	Richard Batten

The Grayshott Stagers would also like to thank their many friends and supporters who are not listed here, but without whom this unique event would not have been possible.

Pictured below are some of those who took part:
Heather Legat

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