October 2005

KISS ME KATE!

Sponsored by Simon Dutton Associates Ltd

The Imperial College Operatic Society (ICOS) has been coming to Budleigh Salterton every summer for thirty eight years, and is now an established local tradition. Each year, around sixty cast and crew members descend upon Budleigh Salterton, giving ten excellent performances and a charity concert.

The ICOS productions bring lively, enthusiastic young people to Budleigh and are good for local businesses - particularly The Feathers Tavern! Although ICOS have had some problems with the local council recently, the tour is warmly welcomed by all who reside in Budleigh.

This year’s tour was no exception, with a cracking rendition of Cole Porter’s Kiss Me Kate, of which Paritor was a major sponsor. Kiss Me Kate is a musical adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew; a twisted story of love and crossed wires, taking place both behind the scenes and on stage. The actors are unable to put their backstage tiffs behind them once performing, resulting in an ironic yet hilarious situation.

Unfortunately, many of the songs were taken too slowly and all repeats were observed, resulting in the performance being longer than was really necessary. However, ICOS featured some truly brilliant performers and voices this year, with Delea Shand ( Kate)’s performance rendering her the definite star of the show.

Paritor very much hopes to sponsor the ICOS tour in future years, as our sponsorship is a mutually beneficial arrangement. Corporate Social Responsibility and free tickets aside, ICOS are a well-known society with a high standard of performance, of which many members are music teachers.

Paritor’s connections with local government music services are heavily reliant on music teachers, and with our plans to offer Ensemble-style services to individual teachers in future, any such connections will be valuable.