SHOW ARCHIVE

It's hard to know where to start with this festive extravaganza of music, murder and merriment! Perhaps the best place is to celebrate our sell-out audience! With unprecedented ticket sales, this show proved to be a favourite of our audience's both old and new! Written and directed by our very own super talented Suzy Neal (Devey), Twas the Knife Before Christmas combined much-loved Christmas music hits with a murder mystery! Set backstage at a budding theatre company, the performance saw the cast thrust into the spotlight even more than usual as they became suspects of a gruesome murder.

What ensued was a hilarious production that had audience's laughing their socks off whilst trying to unravel the mystery and reveal the guilty party!

As the audience left each night they couldn't speak highly enough of this wonderful show and the fabulous cast, crew and front of house team which made it a night to remember for everyone involved!!

On Friday 16th and Saturday 17th June 2023 ETC performed the hugely popular musical Sweet Charity.  Inspired by Federico Fellini's Nights of Cabiria, Sweet Charity explores the turbulent love life of Charity Hope Valentine, a hopelessly romantic but comically unfortunate dance hall hostess in New York City. With a tuneful, groovy, mid-1960s score by Cy Coleman, sparkling lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and a hilarious book by Neil Simon, Sweet Charity captures all the energy, humor, and heartbreak of Life in the Big City for an unfortunate but irrepressible optimist. We proudly licensed the original 1966 Broadway version of Sweet Charity. Musical numbers included: “Big Spender,” “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” “Rhythm of Life” and “Baby, Dream Your Dream.” This was a big undertaking for our group with an incredibly talented cast of 12 covering a multitude of lines, harmonies dances and characters! And they did not disappoint! The show was incredible and the feedback was fantastic. The overriding comments were that it was an immensely professional performed by a wonderful and talented cast and supported by an exceptionally talented, experienced and dedicated direction and production team. Have a look through our pictures and a read of our wonderful review by Mike Davenport for the local Communicata paper.

This amateur Production of SWEET CHARITY was presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Tam-Witmark LLC. www.concordtheatricals.co.uk

On Friday 16th and Saturday 17th December 2022 we performed the hilarious and brilliant comic play 'The Flint Street Nativity' by Tim Firth. Adults played children in this fun, warm, witty play with music! Directed by Amy Vickerman, Produced by Fran Gould and assisted by Suzy Neal with Musical Direction by Daniel Neal it was a wonderful performance presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Samuel French Ltd.

Mizzis Horrocks' class of seven year olds are about to perform their nativity play at School for the proud mums and dads - and the occasional social worker. Squabbles arise and chaos ensues!

This was a very popular show - with unprecedented demand for tickets meaning increased capacity tickets being released and selling out each night. The feedback from audiences was overwhelming, with many taking to social media to comment on what a wonderful production it had been. The local reviewer stated it was "a wonderful evening had by all who attended" with others writing things such as it was "brilliant", "amazing" and"so funny I nearly cried".

On Saturday 2nd April 2022, following a global pandemic, we took to the stage to perform our first musical themed show in over 2 years. Thank you for the Musicals was a one night extravaganza which featured numbers from numerous popular West end and Broadway musicals. The wonderful cast performed songs from shows such as Cabaret, Six, Chorus Line, Oliver and many many more! The sell-out audience couldn't have been more supportive and complimentary and we were so pleased to come back with such a bang! Well done to all involved and thank you to our audience for the rave reviews!



An Elizabethan Execution, a Blackadder Spoof murder mystery, was our first live performance for two years, and what a wonderful show to return with.

Set in the late 1500’s, Queen Elizabeth I is in power, and boy does she make sure that everyone knows it! Whether it’s demanding to be entertained or ordering the heads to be removed from anyone who displeases her, Queen E’s loyal subjects are only too happy to oblige. So, when a royal celebration was interrupted by the discovery of a dead body, it was hard to know whether it was an order, an accident, or foul play.

Guests were welcomed to enter Queen Elizabeth’s Court, joining Her Royal Highness and her courtiers as they unveil a murderer, and enjoyed fabulous food alongside a brilliantly funny performance from the cast, who rose to the occasion, welcomed new members, and overcame their nerves to ensure the packed audiences had a night to remember. And as always with ETC, the front of house and backstage crew worked their magic to support Amy and Fran to ensure the smooth running of the evening, ensuring that guests sang praises about not only the performance, but also the atmosphere, which was undoubtedly down to their efforts to make sure all the little details were right.

Our final show of 2019 was a murder mystery extravaganza! The hall was transformed in to The Belfrey Hotel and from the moment the audience entered they were greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Bookin, who retain a small staff and strive for a family atmosphere (in other words, there’s lots of arguing).The Bookin’s welcomed local residents for a Christmas themed buffet! Unfortunately, at the start of the festivities, the man supposed to be playing Santa for the evening is discovered dead in his room. Ruling out food poisoning, it can only mean one thing: Santa has been murdered!

An absolutely brilliant evening where audience watched the hilarious faulty towers-esque scenes unfold and even have the opportunity to ask the suspects questions and guess who the murderer is! The cast were outstanding, and the feedback was wonderful. Directed by the talented Amy Vickerman; this show was a rousing success and a thoroughly enjoyable evening all round.

In October Ensemble Theatre Company produced a fabulous show with Act One showcasing popular musical theatre numbers and Act 2 including a Greatest Showman singalong. With only a 10 week rehearsal schedule it was a very busy time but as always the show was outstanding and the sell out audience thoroughly enjoyed the toe-tapping medley of songs. In the interval the audience were treated to a delicious cake buffet with all donations amounting to £120 given to the Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital. Thank you to the dynamic duo Suzy Neal and Matt Hilton for directing and producing this fabulous show which was then invited to be performed at St Catherines Church in Burbage- another fantastic evening!

In June Ensemble Theatre Company produced a fabulous dinner theatre experience which showcased popular musical numbers from family films and shows. Main meals were provided by the Fleckney Fish Bar and the audience were treated to a delicious second course of cake, courtesy of the talented Amy Vickerman. Directed and produced by Suzy Neal, the cast sang their way through huge numbers under the expert guidance of Musical Director Dan Neal. Dances were bigger, more complex and more ambitious than ever before and the talented and dedicated cast certainly rose to the challenge! It was a fun-filled fabulous show and the feedback from sell-out audiences was once again incredible! Congratulations to everyone involved... what a show!!

In December, by special arrangement with Samuel French, Ensemble Theatre Company performed Robert Harling's play Steel Magnolias. Under the expert direction of Dan Neal this enduring tale of love loss and friendship was brought to life by the talented 6 cast members. This production was incredibly successful and the wonderful reviews and feedback afterwards blew everyone away! It was an awful lot of lines to learn, with a tricky accent and it was a serious subject matter that needed to be handled and presented in the right way. And the cast and production team really did the play justice.

Here are some of the wonderful reviews the show received online in local social media groups...

“I wanted to compliment a production I have just seen at the village hall tonight. I wasn’t sure what I would think of it as I had no idea of the storyline or whether it would be my cup of tea, but I would highly recommend it. The acting was excellent, the set was very effective and there were a few emotional tears amongst the audience at the end. Im not sure if there are any tickets left but go and see it! You will not be disappointed”

“I have finally stopped crying! You were all amazingly fabulous... well done!”

“What an amazing play! Well done ensemble theatre company! It was amazing! Such a talented group, no prompts needed Just fantastic!”

“If people can make the effort to leave a warm home on a cold night it will be worth it! So many times we have been to

things and come away feeling mediocre feelings, even professional performances, but this... when we say it’s very good we mean it!”

"Totally agree with everything that’s been said- it is brilliant. The acting is stunning and if you can watch without

shedding a tear your better than me! Very moving yet funny and heart warming. A perfect evening out! Well done to all involved!"

In October 2018, 16 of Ensemble Theatre Company’s members took part in a charity Film and Tv themed concert with our dear friends at Sing Ladies Choir and Purple Pig Music. After performing solo, duet, group and chorus numbers and popular sketches from tv and film; ETC then came together with the choir to perform a beautiful rendition of ‘From Now On’ as our finale. The whole show was a lot of fun and a rousing success... raising £1175.00 in total in one evening! The money was divided between the Fleckney Village Hall and LOROS Hospice equally. As always we thoroughly enjoyed acting, singing and dancing alongside the wonderful choir led by the talented Katie Robertson! We look forward to many more events like this in the future and thank our sell-out audience for their generosity and support!



Ensemble Theatre Company's Summer show for 2018 was a tribute to the wonderful musical theatre of the West End. With fantastic singing, dancing and sketches, Encore showcased snippets of musicals both old and new including shows such as Little Shop of Horrors, Sweet Charity, Wicked, We Will Rock You, Chicago and Les Mis! With 17 different musical styles, 27 different songs or sketches, 141 costumes, 15 dances, 29 sound cues, over 70 lighting cues and various props and considerations; it was a lot of work but what a success it was!! The expectation of director Suzy was very high and the cast exceeded it! This hobby requires a great deal of dedication and passion and we are fortunate to have this ethos throughout our membership.

A special mention to Laura for her incredible effort with ticket sales and of course the talented Sue for her hours of effort and skill with set design and painting the stunning images on our stage. The feedback from our wonderful audience of over 200 people across the shows was incredibly positive with messages sent to us afterwards such as...

"Absolutely fantastic show tonight! I thoroughly enjoyed it and it's the best £8 I've spent in a while! Such a talented group! I want to watch it all over again! Well Done all! Great Job!"

"Encore... what a great show they just keep getting better and better!! Such a good show don't miss it!"

We were so sad to see this show over but incredibly proud of what a polished and professional production it was and will remember fondly as one of our best!!

Our Christmas extravaganza 'Finding Christmas' was a wonderful celebration of all things Christmassy and written by our very own Suzy Neal! With exciting dance numbers, outstanding solos and some truly hilarious sketches... this show was a cast and audience favourite!
Our Christmas Fairy Godmother, played by the wonderful Laura Stone opened the show but soon discovered that the rest of the cast were not feeling very Christmassy! Cue Eleanor, played by the enigmatic Emily Haycock who, with the help of the Fairy Godmother, took the audience on a journey to rediscover the joy of Christmas. From hilarious Nativity sketches and 12th day of Christmas parody... to wonderful chorus numbers such as Rocking Around the Christmas Tree and Scrooge... to stunning solos from various cast members, this show was an absolute delight and excellently put together by the wonderful ETC team.

The feedback from our sell-out audiences was exceptional and this show was even taken on a tour to Foxton Locks and performed an additional time to raise money for the Fleckney Village Hall Venue!! The reaction of audience and feedback verbally and in writing has been overwhelming and we're so pleased all our hard work was so well received. Here's a snippet of the audience feedback sent to us by some impressed audience members...

"Really great show. Very well thought out scenes that worked perfectly together"
"A great show with a talented cast. Loved it all. Well Done everyone, a super Christmas experience"

Ensemble Theatre Company were proud to present Red Herrings 'Death on the Prom', directed by the very talented Amy Vickerman (who was 38 weeks pregnant on show week!).
It was the roaring 20s; a time of hope, liberating fashion, jazz and family trips to the good old British seaside!
Keen to take in some of that 'bracing sea air', the Balderdash family joined the many other Britons that make the pilgrimage to the coast for the sun, unfortunately their stay coincided with a rather gruesome murder...question was, whodunnit?!

On arrival the audience entered the sideroom which was full of seaside games, music and an impressive raffle! After enjoying the makeshift 'promenade', the audience were then led into the hotel restaurant where they would meet some rather suspicious characters ...
During the course of the evening audience enjoyed a fabulous summer themed three course meal that included a fish and chip supper from Fleckney Fish Bar, whilst watching the scenes unfold between the tables, with the opportunity of course to question the suspects.

Yet again this was an extremely succesful event with wonderful feedback from audience and a local reviewer! The front of house team were exceptional at every show night and of course the cast were wonderful!
We were also invited to perform this show at Burbage and again we had a wonderful time performing and having a giggle with the lovely audience!

The following wonderful review from an audience member who had never seen an ETC production before sums up this fantastic show!!



"An amazing evening being entertained by etc. I laughed till I cried and had my brain fried and still got 2nd prize on the murder mystery! Everyone worked tirelessly to keep us entertained, fed, clean and watered.
Thank you for a fantastic evening"

Ensemble Theatre Company's Christmas show was a dinner theatre murder mystery experience at Foxton Locks Inn and The Waterfront restaurant in Market Harborough. Set in 1920's Chicago audience met our characters and witnessed a murder (or two!). Audience saw story-lines and secrets unfold with the opportunity to question the suspects, and at the end guess who the murderer/murderers are. All this whilst enjoying a delicious three-course Christmas meal followed by coffee. The show was a sell- out every night and feedback from our audience was that it was a brilliant evening with wonderful food and fun-filled entertainment. In fact it was so successful we have been asked to perform it once more in Burbage next year! Well done to

everyone involved and a big congratulations to Amy Vickerman for having such a hugely successful debut as a director!!

On October 1st 2016 for one night only Ensemble Theatre Company performed in collaboration with the Sing Ladies Choir. A one off concert themed around all things Bond... James Bond. We welcomed 6 new talented members for this show to join the existing 11 performers on stage and we were delighted to see various resting members in the audience supporting us! The choir as always were a pleasure to work with and produced stunning harmonies led by the brilliant Katie Robertson.

With only a 10 week rehearsal schedule and 16 different dance, singing and acting numbers to tackle we were lucky to be led by the experienced Fran Gould as our director and producer.
With various fantastic songs, dances and scenes the night was a fun-filled evening and the feedback from our sell-out audience was wonderful.

In December the ETC gang continued with their busy performance schedule by performing three Murder Mystery dinner theatre Nights at Foxton Locks Inn and the Waterfront restaurant. The sell-out audiences were treated to a night that saw an attempt at peace talks between MI6 and criminal organisation SPOOKTER! After witnessing two murders over the course of the evening and various hilarious and intriguing scenes the audience had the opportunity to question the suspects before guessing who the murderer was! All this excitement was interspersed with a delicious Christmas 3 course meal! As always the feedback from the shows was very positive and the cast had a lot of fun during rehearsals and performances! This was our first Murder Mystery as a company but with the huge success it will most definitely not be our last!!!

Ensemble Theatre Company's home over the last year has become the Fleckney Village Hall where we meet, drink copious amounts of tea, giggle and of course rehearse! It is a lovely venue that we really value so when we were asked to take part in a fundraiser for some hall renovation, of course we said yes! So alongside our busy rehearsals for Halloween we also rehearsed numbers for the fundraiser where we collaborated with the talented Sing! Ladies Choir and Duckpond Players. It was an extremely successful night where ETC performed sketches and music from Spamalot (the Monty Python musical), Sister Act, Rock of Ages, Miss Saigon and wrote and performed a ‘Cup Song’ that covered music from the 1940’s to now in 5 minutes accompanied only by the beat of cups! A total of £1120.00 was raised for the hall and we were excited to have been part of this project organised by Katie Robertson! Well done to all the performers and thank you to the sell-out audience that attended to support this evening.