THE
APOLLO
PLAYERS
MISSION STATEMENT
Our role remains clear, It has been and will continue to be:
THE RECOGNITION AND PROMOTION OF QUALITY AND EXCELLENCE
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THE STORY SO FAR ....
The One and Only DIXIE CARR, also known as my Mum, Margaret, and to family and friends Greta. Her Mum was known to all as Peggy and her Dad Robert Craig Carlyle. Having a horse and cart business Robert supported his family Peggy Greta and her younger sister Mary (know to all as" May". They lived in a top floor flat during the Second World War and subsequent years at 15 Palace Street, Parkhead Glasgow. Peggy also had an infant son John Carlyle who died in infancy and a sister Jessie Letham which was Peggy's maiden name.
My Grandfather Bob was a hard working man who worked for himself in transporting goods to different suppliers all over Glasgow and beyond. On one of the normal working days while making a delivery in Stockwell Street near Glasgow Cross he jumped up onto the cart to assist a fellow worker lift a large crate of goods down to ground level when he slipped and fell from the cart and hit the ground and his head struck the ground and was killed outright.
THE APOLLO PLAYERS was founded in 1966 by a handful of Talented
people - Dixie Carr, John Carlyle, Bill McGregor ad Ken Bamborough. They had a vision and with a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication they turned that vision into a reality and created one of the UK's leading amateur theatre companies - The Apollo Players.
In 1968, Half a Sixpence was released to the amateur theatre and the club secured the rights and presented the Scottish Premiere at the Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow. Word spread about a new and talented company and its founders like it audiences were delighted by the fresh, talented new faces smiling over the footlights.
Aiming higher, the club applied to Glasgow District Council to stage their next production Finian's Rainbow at the King's Theatre, they being the licensees at that time. They saw a performance of Half a Sixpence and the club received a unanimous thumbs up!
Over the years, The Apollo Players have presented many Rodgers and Hammerstein shows including Oklahoma! (4 times ), South Pacific (4 times), Carousel (2 times) and The Sound of Music (twice). Executive Director John Carlyle is convinced it is more difficult to revisit a show which has already been done and to find new production values for today's audiences. It is this reason why the club have presented more challenging shows in recent years such as Barnum, Fame and Copacabana.
Amongst the many shows which have been staged, the club are particularly proud to have presented the Scottish Amateur Premieres of Half a Sixpence (1968), Sweet Charity (1970), Gypsy (1979), Sugar (1986), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1989), A Chorus Line (1994), Singin' in the Rain (1997), Fame (1998) and Thoroughly Modern Millie (2006). World Amateur Premieres include High Society (1990) and Big - The Musical (1999).
People associated with The Apollo Players have gone on into the professional theatre and are currently enjoying success in London's West End in:
Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, Cats
We Will Rock You, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,
Blood Brothers, Love Never Dies, Oliver! Billy Elliot.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Light Seeker, Funny Girl
D I R E C T O R S
Founded in 1966
(Affiliated to the National Operatic and Dramatic Association)
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
John Carlyle
MANAGING DIRECTOR
John-Paul Liddle
FINANCE DIRECTOR
George Watt
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Pamela Beresford, Fiona Cochrane, Eve Kerrigan, John-Paul Liddle, George Watt
ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS
Jill Downie, Laurel Hume, Sam Poole, Karen Burns, Paula Watt
OFFICE BEARERS
John Carlyle [Chairman]
Pamela Beresford [President] Eve Kerrigan [Vice-President]
Jill Downie [Company Secretary] Sally Lesko [Ticket Administrator]
Jill Downie [Head Chaperone] Sam Poole [Child Protection Officer]
George Watt [Treasurer] Paula Watt [Treasurer]
APOLLO ANGELS: The following have attended our performances over the years, and given us support continually:
Johnny Beattie, Christian, Christopher Biggins, Vivienne Carlyle, Roland Curran, William Differ, David De Silva, Richard Maltby Jnr, Mary Lee, Steve Margoshes, Dorothy Paul, Sue Pollard, David Shire, Angus Simpson, Toyah Wilcox, Gary Wilmot, Victor Spinette
HONORARY MEMBERS: Karen Burns, Wilson Caggie, Evelyn Carlyle, Brien Denver, Kathleen Doyle, Jennifer Earl, Tony Flynn, Jim French, Martin Gillan, Myra Grant, Anne Hamilton, Walter Hinchliffe, Eileen Hogg, David Hughes, Graeme Hunter, J. Campbell Kerr, Barbara McDonald, Frank McGadey, May McGregor, Charlie McGrory, Robert McNaughton, Cameron Merriweather, Katherine Miller, Bill Morrison, Henry Mulholland Nancy Nelson, Norman Quirk, Anne Rae, Gerald Reynolds, Steve Rollo Anne Rose Bambourgh, Audrey Simpson, Margot Traynor, Victoria Ward Jane Waterfield.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD:
Alan Beattie, Pamela Beresford, Evelyn Carlyle, Ewan Campbell, Jeanette Connelly Robert Fyfe, Frank McGadey, John Paul Liddle, Anne-Marie Blair McCulloch,
Gary Mulvaney, Lisa-Jane Rattray, Stephen Feeley, Gary White
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
The Lifetime Achievement Award is given by the Executive Director in recognition of outstanding service to the company over a great many years
