Hi Everyone,

Rose Bowl Awards Sparkling Summer Newsletter

This year has been an especially busy and encouraging one for the Rose Bowl Awards. We received 131 entries—more than ever before—which is a wonderful reflection of the strength, enthusiasm, and creativity within our local theatre, music, and performing arts community. We have had new entries from clubs who haven’t applied before and some of our established clubs are entering more shows for us to review. It definitely feels as if amateur theatre is alive and well and we are always amazed at the high standard that we witness on stage, sometimes in the most surprising settings!

However, this record number of entries has also placed greater pressure on our small team, particularly when it comes to securing adjudicators for every production. We are very sorry that, despite our best efforts, we were not able to attend all entered productions this season.

We are therefore looking to expand our team of adjudicators so that we can continue to support as many productions as possible in future seasons. If you have a background in drama, the arts, music, performance, education, or a related field, and would be interested in becoming involved, we would be delighted to hear from you. Our existing team of 12 adjudicators come from a wide range of backgrounds and we try to circulate them around our clubs so that you have the benefit of a different perspective. We have a robust induction process for new adjudicators that that our high standards can be maintained.

In response to the fact that can’t always send an adjudicator to your production, the Rose Bowl Committee has agreed that, with immediate effect, Clubs will only have to pay the application fee once an Adjudicator is confirmed for their production.

Can you help behind the scenes?

A great deal goes into keeping the Rose Bowl Awards active, relevant, and well organised. Like many voluntary organisations, we rely on the time, energy, and skills of people who care about celebrating the performing arts across our region.

We would very much like to grow our team and would welcome interest from anyone with website experience, communications skills, administrative experience, or simply a willingness to help. Even a small amount of support can make a real difference.

We are also looking for a new Secretary. This is an interesting and rewarding role at the heart of the organisation, acting as the main point of contact for clubs, groups, and schools, while also liaising with adjudicators, committee members, and applicants throughout the year.  This is not a hugely demanding role, but it would suit someone who is either retired or working part-time. There is a small monthly honorarium paid to our Secretary and so if you would like more details, please do get in touch with our current secretary or our Chairman and they can provide more details of what is involved.

Entry fee update for 2027/2028

As the cost of living continues to affect all areas of our work, we have decided to increase the entry fee to £100. This will take effect from the 2027/2028 season and will apply to all productions taking place on or after 1 September 2027.

This increase is necessary to ensure that the Rose Bowl Awards remain financially sustainable and able to continue celebrating and supporting the outstanding work of our participating groups in the years ahead. Our region is widespread and we need to cover the costs of adjudicators travelling to and from productions, as well as a small fee for the adjudication which takes several hours to produce. We often get feedback that the full review (usually around 2,000 words) is really valued by clubs, so we want to ensure that we can maintain what we offer to you.

2026 Awards Dinner

Our Awards Dinner will be on Sunday 15th November once again at the Bristol Delta Marriott hotel and promises to be another spectacular event. As soon as the Nominations for the 2025/26 are published on our web site on 20th September, we will email all nominated club secretaries with the details about the event and how they can apply for tickets for the dinner.

This year, we have a new look Rose Bowl to present, as we have had to change our suppliers for the coveted engraved bowls, so we are looking forward to seeing them awarded at the dinner.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support, enthusiasm, and commitment to the Rose Bowl Awards. If you would like to find out more about becoming an adjudicator, joining the committee, helping with the website, or taking on the Secretary role, please do get in touch.

Liz-Anne Hendy
The Rose Bowl Awards
www.rosebowlawards.org.uk

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