East Hoathly

UBENDS: East Hoathly drama group, the Ubends, will be performing Sister Act the Musical in May and tickets are available now. Rehearsals began with workshops in the autumn and the show is now fully cast with Kate Horscraft starring as Deloris, a singer who pretends to be a nun when put on a hit list by a mob boss. The director and choreographer is Collette Goodwin and the producer is Jane Baigent. The show will be staged in East Hoathly Church from Wednesday May 4 to Saturday May 7, with evening performances at 7.30pm and a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm. The church will undergo a massive transformation for the occasion with a large stage being built, and lighting gantries and sound rig installed. The Ubends, United Benefice Dramatic Society, were formed with the aim of bringing the two parishes of Chiddingly and East Hoathly together. Originally performances took place over two weekends using both village churches in turn, but now, for logistical reasons, East Hoathly Church is the setting. A proportion of money raised through Ubends performances goes back to the churches. Previous performances by the society include: Joseph, Godspell, Sound of Music, Oliver, Anything Goes, Oklahoma, Crazy for You, 42nd Street, Jesus Christ superstar, Evita and Sweeps. In addition to the main show, pantomimes and reviews are staged, normally in Chiddingly village hall. The Ubends are in the process of setting up a youth section. Tickets for Sister Act the Musical are £12 each and available via the Ubends website at www.ubends.co.uk or by calling the box office, which is open 7pm to 9pm on 01825 872401. They can also be purchased at The Village Stores/Shop in East Hoathly and Chiddingly. The Ubends are offering tickets to other churches with priority booking for the Thursday night and Saturday matinee. If you would like to bulk book for a church group please contact Elly McKay-Smith on [email protected].