Productions Archive

On the right of the page is a list of all our productions since 1963. Browse through these and click on any  production to see photos and any other material we have been able to save.

News Archive

Tony Tomlinson

We are very sad to announce the recent death of Tony Tomlinson. Tony had been a member of the Bonos for almost 50 years and, until recently, served on the committee as the group's stage director.

He appeared in many productions, most notably as King Henry VIII in 'Catherine Howard’ (pictured here), Joe Keller in 'All My Sons', Bottom in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', when he won Best Actor in NANDA's Play of the Year competition, and he will always be remembered as a fruity, richly engaging and accomplished pantomime dame.

Tony was also known for his skills as a set designer and most recently received awards for 'I am a Camera" and 'The Foreigner’. His last set was the brilliant railway carriage he designed and built for ’The Lady Vanishes’.

We are going to miss him greatly.

 

NANDA Play of the Year Awards 2023

Another successful evening at the NANDA Play of the Year awards. Wayne Hill (below) received the Best Supporting Actor award for his performance of Jim Trott in The Vicar of Dibley and Tony Tomlinson won the award for Best Set Design for I am a Camera. There were Special Mentions for acting for Sheila Millington, Lindsey Hemingway, Chris Gardner, Adrian Bacon and Jenny Adams, and Adrian got another Mention for his costumes for Vicar of Dibley.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 2023

We were saddened, earlier this year, to learn of the death of Tony Tatton, a stalwart of the local amateur theatre scene. Tony began his acting career when he lived in Birmingham and later, when he moved to Nottingham, he became involved with the then Cooperative Arts Theatre. He appeared in a variety of parts, from pantomime to serious drama, and was awarded the NANDA Actor of the Year trophy for playing Elwood P Dowd in ‘Harvey’. He joined Bonington Players in 1992 making his debut playing the lead in ‘Whodunnit’. He directed and appeared in many more Bonington productions as well asappearing on several occasions for Prospect Players. In 2002, he received the NANDA Best Supporting Actor award for his portrayal of Ormanroyd in our production of ‘When We Are Married’. He will be sadly missed.

 

NANDA Play of the Year Awards 2022

The Bonos had a very good night at the NANDA Play of the Year awards this year. Jenny Chatten gained the Best Supporting Actress award for her role in Play On!, Laura Harding received the Best Newcomer award for her part in Play On! and Hanna Fletcher got the Outstanding Youth Performance award in the same play. There were special mentions for Chris Gardner who directed the play, Lindsey Hemingway and Gail Tomlinsonn for costumes and Tony Tomlinson for set design.

 

 

January 2021   Vic Roberts

We are very sad to announce the death of Vic Roberts after a short illness. Vic had a long career in amateur theatre in Nottingham as a talented, accomplished and versatile actor with an uncanny ability to quickly learn his lines. 

He had been a stalwart of the Bonington Players, and before that the Prospect Players, and had been rehearsing for a role in 'The Lady Vanishes' before it had to be cancelled last March. 

He had twice won the NANDA Actor of the Year award whilst with the Bonos. Firstly in 2002, playing Albert Parker in ‘When We Are Married', and in 2011, where he was a magnificent Willy 
Loman, pictured, in 'Death of a Salesman’.

He is going to be greatly missed

 

 

 

NANDA Play of the Year Awards 2020

No Awards Dinner this year because of Covid-19 but we were successful with our entry of ‘Ten Times Table”.
Josh Hayes was awarded Best Actor for his role of Eric. (That’s him in the pic, on the table.) There were Special Mentions for Howard Whitehurst, Director, Gennie Price, Best Newcomer, and also for costumes and technical presentation.

 

 

 

NANDA Play of the Year Awards June 2019

Fantastic night at the NANDA Awards Dinner! Play of the Year for The Foreigner along with Best Actor and Set Design. Best costumes for Lord Arthur Savile's Crime. All three productions' directors nominated for Best Director along with other members nominated for Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress etc, etc. 

 

 

 

June 2018  

NANDA Play of the Year Awards 2018

Another great night at NANDA’s Play of the Year Awards Dinner with Howard Whitehurst, Director of the Year, and Anna Hodkin, Set Design, picking up awards for ‘Move Over Mrs Markham’. Phil Chapman also got a Special Mention for Best Supporting Actor.
Our other entry, 'Murder on the Nile', got Special Mentions for Anna Hodkin, Director, Tony Tomlinson, Best Actor, Phil Chapman, Best Supporting Actor, Val Terry, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Set Design, Tony Tomlinson.

Congratulations
 to all!

 

 

 

 

 

June 2017

NANDA Play of the Year awards 2017

                                               

Another successful night at the annual awards ceremony.  Our production of Brief Encounter scooped four awards - Best Director for Anna Hodkin, Best Supporting Actress for Jo Thomas, Best Newcomer for Lauren Hodkin and Best Technical Presentation for David Goatham. In the picture, Anna is shown holding Jo’s award as, sadly for us, Jo has left the area for pastures new in Cumbria. 

 

 

June 2016 - NANDA Play of the Year awards

Another great night at the NANDA Play of the Year awards with Anna Hodkin winning Best Supporting Actress in Sitting Pretty.
Photo shows Anna with the brand new trophy.

August 2015: Forthcoming 2015-16 Season

We are pleased to announce the details of our forthcoming 2015-2016 season. We begin with Jeffrey Archer’s courtroom drama “Beyond Reasonable Doubt” which originally starred  Wendy Craig and Frank Finley.  The new year opens with “Tiptoe through the Tombstones” a comedy thriller by Norman Robbins, followed by the dramatic comedy “Sitting Pretty” by Amy Rosenthal and which originally starred her mother Maureen Lipman.

 

June 2015: NANDA Play of the Year awards

 

Successful night again at the NANDA Awards Dinner with trophies for Best Set Design, Kerry Williams, and Best Costumes, Christine Chapman, for “Blackadder Goes Forth".

 

July 2014: Forthcoming 2014-2015 season.

We are pleased to announce the details of our forthcoming 2014-2015 season. We begin with three episodes of the brilliant BBC comedy series "Blackadder Goes Forth" by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton. In the new year we will be presenting the famous TV comedy "Up Pompeii" by Miles Tredinnick and we will close with a staging of the classic Ealing comedy by Grahan Linehan"The Ladykillers".

June 2014: NANDA Play of the Year awards

Another great night at the NANDA Awards Dinner with trophies for Producer of the Year, Anna Hodkin for "The Rivals", Actress of the Year, Abi Hemmings jointly with Zoe Lander (who wasn't there!) for "The Memory of Water", and Best Set Design, Howard Whitehurst and his team for "Gaslight".

 

 

 

August 2013: Forthcoming 2013-2014 season.

We are pleased to announce the details of our forthcoming 2013-2014 season.  We begin with the famous Victorian thriller “Gaslight” by Patrick Hamilton.  In the new year we will be presenting the classic comedy “The Rivals” by John Brinsley Sheridan and we will close with a modern comedy by Shelagh Stephenson “The Memory of Water”.

June 2013: NANDA Play of the Year awards
Another great night at the NANDA Play of the Year awards last week with the Bonos winning two trophies.

Best All Round Play for “Brassed Off”

Actor of the Year for Steve Atkin in the role of Danny in Brassed Off”

A fantastic way to round off our 50th season. Congratulations to everyone.

 

 

 

August 2012: BONOS Golden Jubilee Season

We are proud to announce the details of our forthcoming 50th Anniversary season.  We begin with a revival of the very popular Alan Ayckbourn farce “Taking Steps”, and follow that with the stage version of the critically acclaimed film “Brassed Off”.  We are very pleased that Newstead Brass will be joining us on stage for this production.  We end the season with a stage version of the ever popular TV series “Hi De Hi”

 

June 2012: NANDA Play of the Year awards

Great night at the NANDA Play of the Year awards last week with the Bonos winning three trophies.
Best All Round Play for “Shakers Re-stirred”
Actress of the Year for Jo Thomas in “Shakers Re-stirred” (Photo to left shows Jo with the Jose Cooke Rosebowl)
Adjudicator's Special Award for Forward Looking Technology and Effects

Congratulations to everyone.

 

 

 

May 2012: Taking Steps

Our fiftieth anniversary season commences with Alan Ayckbourn's three floor farce and a night you will never forget.. The Bonington Theatre, Arnold Leisure Centre, Arnold, Nottingham
Wednesday 17th - Saturday 20th October 2012 ... More details

 

June 2011 - NANDA Awards

At the NANDA Play of the Year Awards last week, Vic Roberts picked up the Harry Penson Trophy for Actor of the Year for his portrayal of Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman". He is pictured, left, with director of the play, Howard Whitehurst. - Very well deserved Vic.

 

 

June 2010 - NANDA Awards

Congratulations everyone for another successful NANDA awards night - adjudicator's special award for Katherine Howard, best set design for Fawlty Towers and honourable acting mentions for Adam Guest (Manuel in Fawlty Towers) and Anna Hodkin (Katherine in Katherine Howard). Well done.

 

March 2010 - NANDA Awards

Bono actor takes prize at NANDA One Act Play Festival. Adam Guest scooped the Best Supporting Actor prize at this year's NANDA One Act Play Festival for his role as Manuel in our production of Fawlty Towers. The Bonington Players took one of the episodes from their recent sell-out run of Fawlty Towers to the festival.

 

 

 

 

April 2010 - John Edge

It was with great sadness that The Bonington Players recently announced the death of their President, John Edge. 
John joined the Bonington Players in 1973, appearing on stage in “Not Now Darling”.  He was to go on to play many diverse roles in over fifty productions during the next thirty years or so.  These included Ebenezer Scrooge, Professor Van Helsing, Archbishop Cranmer, sundry barons, squires and brokers’ men in pantomime and a selection of animals including Mr Badger in “The Wind in the Willows” and Owl in “Winnie the Pooh”.  One role he was to play with great effect on three separate occasions was that of an ancient crumbling family butler, most recently in “Ring Round the Moon”.  He was last on stage just three years ago in ”'Allo 'Allo” as the piano player in Cafe Rene.

John was a talented scenic artist and set designer and  produced numerous sets over the years, particularly period pieces which were his forte.  He loved sourcing appropriate furniture and items of décor to ensure that he had the detail just right. 
John will be sadly missed.