Welcome to the Dereham Operatic Society Website

Box Office :

Tel: 01362 694222

Hallmark,
12 Nelson Pl
Dereham, NR19 1EA

Dereham Memorial Hall, where most of our productions are performed

Dereham Operatic Society is a charitable Trust and was formed in 1948 to offer the local community education and enlightenment in amateur dramatic arts. A very grand way of saying that DOS was formed to entertain the people of Dereham and Norfolk!

Our Shakespearian motto "Mere folk who give distraction are we" comes from Cole Porter's musical "Kiss Me Kate", which we first performed in 1970, and is based upon one of William Shakespeare's most famous plays "The Taming of the Shrew".

We at Dereham Operatic Society, or DOS as we are affectionately known, stage three productions a year including a major musical in the autumn, a pantomime over the Christmas period and a play in the spring. So, as you can see, there is something for everyone.

If you are looking to join one of the premier operatic and dramatic societies in Norfolk as either a performer (we actively encourage all whatever your ability or experience, whether you are a singer, an actor, dancer, or just enjoy being on stage), backstage helper, front of house staff or just looking to purchase some tickets for our next show ........ you need look no further than the Dereham Operatic Society.

Welcome to our website

Quick Contacts

Tickets: 01362 694222

Info: 01362 691667

Chairman
Martyn Rolfe

37 School Ln
Sprowston
Norwich NR7 8TG

martyn dot rolfe at ntlworld dot com
Tel : 01603 408017

Secretary

Julia Havis

email: julia dot havis at btinternet dot com
Tel : 07919 031598

Bookings
Hallmark,
12 Nelson Pl
Dereham, NR19 1EA
Tel : 01362 694222

Rehearsal Studio
The Studio
Rear of Dereham Memorial Hall
61 Norwich Street
East Dereham
Norfolk, NR19 1AD
Tel : 01362 693832

Dereham Operatic Society

Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Murder Mystery

Thu 12th March to Sat 14th March 2009
Dereham Memorial Hall

Director: Tim Cara

Review - James Farr, NODA

I’ve known about the “Farndales” for many years but this was my first. It was, without doubt, the finest performance of ineptitude that I have ever seen in all my years of supporting amateur dramatics. With so much going on, it would be almost impossible to spot genuine errors, fluffed lines or missed entrances, for they occurred at regular intervals throughout the script. This merciless comedy relies on precise timings of sound, lighting and special effects and Dereham’s technical team were excellent. The entire cast (plus the singer) all gave good strong performances, particularly Ian Sandell (Gordon aka Inspector) and Doug Hartley (Giles aka Pawn).

The ladies of the cast all had multiple roles to perform and to be honest, I lost track of who was who. I didn’t quite see the point of playing the Chairwoman in drag, despite Paul Gregory’s fine performance in this role.

Good direction ensured not a comedy trick was missed though I did find the chair moving loop sequence a bit tedious whereas the script loop I found painfully funny. Projection was good on the whole though some dialogue was lost due to audience reactions to the comedy. Yes another first-class production from Dereham.