Maltbury

• Archive 2008
• Archive 2007

Loppington Staging History

18th Mar 2009 - 11:49:59

Over the years, the Loppington Players have put on pantomimes, pageants and plays originally with no stage at all, then with demountable chipboard staging bought second-hand as a catwalk from a nearby department store. This stage did sterling service but it was heavy, hard to erect and dismantle and had suffered from many years of being stored in a garage.

In December 2008 Loppington Players were successful in getting a grant from the ‘Grassroots Fund’ administered by the Community Council of Shropshire and this, together with a generous contribution from Loppington Village Hall, enabled them to buy new staging from Maltbury Staging. After visiting the Glasshouse Studios who already owned a substantial package of Metrodeck, Lally Cheeseman was sure that this was the ideal system and loved the idea of having carpet tops which enabled them to save weight with lightweight spruce plywood.

Members of Loppington Players have built wings and a proscenium arch for the staging and in just half a day a team of 3 or 4 volunteers can convert an empty village hall into a proper little theatre. When not in use, all the pieces pack conveniently onto a trolley - though they still have to be stored in the old garage! The first performance using the new staging will be a light-hearted look at history, from Adam and Eve to the Beatles via Henry VIII and Lord Nelson (all of whom, you’ll be surprised to learn, visited Loppington).

Mrs Lally Cheeseman, chairman of Loppington Players, said: ‘The new staging has made a huge difference to us. Putting up the old stage was a job everyone dreaded, but our new staging makes it so easy. We chose Maltbury Staging because their products were of high quality, but also very robust - this staging has got to last many years! As a community group, we must be a very small customer, but our contact at Maltbury couldn’t have been more helpful and encouraging’.

Quicklinks