Dear Davey P & Madhatters,

Sorry about the Paris trip falling through - I was looking forward to seeing everyone again and catching up on the last 4 years! I hope we can get another trip away soon so that I can come along and catch up.

Anyway, what am I up to? Well I'm now doing a nine month drama course through Edge Hill University College and I've done a few bits of semi-professional work in Liverpool. I did a short piece called 'Maurice Dancers' for the Broutlaha International Street Theatre festival here in Liverpool which was a giggle! I was dressed up like a stereotypical French man doing a Sweeny Toddesque sketch involving a short Morris Dance hence the title of the piece. Then, with another five people on the course, we put together a half hour piece for a schools tour on bullying which performed around Liverpool, eleven in all over ten days which was great fun.

Most recently I have been in a short 10 minute film called 'Her Next Door' which will hopefully be shown at some film festivals and, fingers crossed, on the BBC 10x10 short film season, so keep your eyes peeled and I'll keep you informed!

I'm now also working for QVC - The Shopping Channel in Liverpool answering the phones which is a doddle but it pays well.

Anyway that's all for now, I'll send some photos of some of the stuff I've done for Madhatters when I get them. See you soon! Byeee!

Nick

Hi Davey

Well you'll never guess what! I have actually

completed my degree at Portsmouth Uni, and have graduated with a PASS.....!!!!!!

Thought I'd send this as we haven't 'spoken' in a long while....Say 'Hi' to everyone who knows me and maybe to those who don't, (just to see their puzzled reaction!)

Speak to you again soon... Oh yeah, I'm still looking for a job, if anyone has any suggestions!

Simon Randy BSc

Hiya All,

Long time no see. I have now moved to Central London and I'm now working at City of London and City of Westminster Conservative Associations as a researcher and have opened a furniture shop with my parents.

I spend most of my time writing newsletters and newspaper articles, but I will try to dream up an

article, for Madhatters 8 when I get time.

I hope everyone is OK.. Take care, luv ya.

Chris

PS When is Drama Soc 10 years old?

MH writes: Chris, consider the article dreamt up! Oh, in answer to your PS, the year 2000 would see the ten year anniversary of the Drama Society as we know it, that is to say when David Cowan had finally had enough as drama tutor and handed over the reins to an enthusiastic Drama Soc to stage One O'Clock From The House. However Steve Phipps, Si Smith and Mike Haver were involved in the

previous year's production of The Sea!

Dave,

I understand the Paris trip didn't work out quite as you planned it, i.e. it didn't happen. But hey, don't worry! I've heard about this great trip you can arrange and then cancel at the last moment - A month in Jamaica for five quid. You can't go wrong!

Private Jet, five star hotel, and more prostitutes than you can shake a stick at (get it?...'stick'). Oh yeah, don't forget to cancel 'cause it's all a lie!

More neat ideas in next the Madhatters.

Happy booking,

Brian

Dear Madhatters,

Hi, How's it going ? Thought I'd let you know what I'm doing at the moment. My Current Projects include: Channel 7 Productions - have just finished filming their latest project called 'Freedom'. A powerful drama about 3 people involved in a kidnapping. Premiere hopefully in April.

Eden 4 a live recording of Peppercorns Performing Arts 'The Byte'. The musical contains some stunning music and lighting effects including lasers. A cast of 170 children !

The Overlord - a music to the song by PPA. Next years video for the Nottingham film festival. Channel 7 hope to win for the 4th year in a row!

That's about it for now. Still working for Cambs County Council as a systems developer.

Say hi to one and all. Take Care, Darren (Lalonde)

darren@channel7.org.uk - www.channel7.org.uk.

Dear Dave & Madhatters,

How the gargantuan apology I send you now will fit down a tiny computer cable I don't know. I refer of course to your heartfelt plea for glowing, proof read page-ready copy for MadHatters which I so inexcusably ignored.

The reason is simply that in the face of the masterly literary construction of your letter, my fingers froze at the keyboard. You built a castle of words, a palatial folly with letters for bricks and wit their mortar. Any effort of mine would have been a squalid, ramshackle dog kennel by comparison.

Anyway, how's it going? How long before our dull lives are brightened once more with MH? Are you still bereft of copy, or was I the only one who failed to produce reams of it?

The only Drama Soc related thing I can think of to write about is the Reduced Shakespeare Company, who so many Drama Socians enjoyed back in 19something, and whose second coming I

witnessed a few weeks ago.

Back then, some may recall, a bald man and his two lunatic friends distilled raw laughter from Shakespeare's plays, adding their own savage satirical twist. The bard's stage work was turned inside out, dissected, juggled with and flung into the audience to screams of delight and howls of laughter.

All the comedies were dealt with at once, in about two minutes, the joke being that they're all the same. The rest of the plays were given similar cruel and hilarious treatment.

But a tragic thing has come to pass. When they presented their new show "The Bible: the Complete Word of God (abridged)" at Cambridge's Corn Exchange, the bald one had grown hair and all three had had plastic surgery.

What I mean, of course, is that three COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PEOPLE appeared on stage calling themselves the Reduced Shakespeare Company. And the impostors MISSED the point, the whole point, of the RSC's abridgement technique, which is to take the piss. These pious wankers treated an audience of grown men and women to an evening of Bible stories, such as you might expect if the show was on on a Sunday morning at the local Vicarage with free orange squash in the interval.

Some stories were told as twee little songs, with one gutless dickhead plonking away on a synthesiser. It was like Sesame Street, but without the bitter invective.

At other times a little scene ensued, requiring dressing up and acting, as in the Tower of Babel and Last Supper stories. But that was all they did - act them out.

We've seen the Bible abridged before, fools. Every Friday morning at our school assembly the Rev Scott Sanderson, vicar of Newport and ex pig farmer, told us Bible stories. They were better.

John Wyatt

Hello Dave.,

I keep trying to e mail you, but they just keep getting sent back. Sorry. I'm having a great time here at the Royal College but I have yet to experience hard work. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk.

Lots of love from Carrie

Caroline Green - Royal College of Art. c.green@rca.ac.uk.

Paul from Broadclyst wrote,

Herr P,

What is all this about a Mad Hatters badge ? Now you're talking ! How does one apply for the little gem ?

RSVP

Paul Evans (ex P4)

Dave replies: Madhatters - it's more of an institution for old HP (the poly not the sauce) persona's, their friends, lovers, pets and not forgetting Drama Society members.

To get a Madhatters badge one simply has to prove themselves worthy of the ancient order of the Hatter. Initiation is in the form of an article. Slightly humourous - yes. Grossly infactual - probably. Vaguely nostalgic - could be, but above all - reasonably mediocre will do.

Such features in the past have included Bloater's column, Harv's Hot Puds (Some of which are cold), Hanham's

happenings and Slinger's dingers.

How about a page 3 spread on, "Life in Broadclyst - it's not like Berlin you know". Or, "How I managed to get into most of Dave's photographs at the backstage party of the Boyfriend" - that sort of thing. Better still, how about you and Phil Hatherley getting together and doing a guide to investment casting procedures posing for photo's in front of a 1300c blast furnace.

Madhatters is an equal opportunity magazine etc...

CAPTION: Paul Evans and his picture of a crane - a great excuse for a Friday off work. Howmet Turbans, Devon.