Cambridge University Light Entertainment Society
Encyclopedia
The Cambridge University Light Entertainment Society (CULES) is a student drama society at Cambridge University
. Notable alumni include Douglas Adams
, John Cleese
, HRH The Prince Edward
, Tim Brooke-Taylor
and Graeme Garden
.
CULES is a non-profit society, and emphasises 'non-serious' theatre, comic pun
-filled scripts, and including those who do not wish to become 'serious' actors.
, it was considered a drama society on par with the legendary Footlights
. Performing revues and comic sketches, it could boast such future celebrities as John Cleese and Graeme Garden amongst its members (with Flanders and Swann
as honorary presidents of the society).
In the 1970s, the focus shifted to more music-hall shows, often performed in homes for the elderly. During this period, the likes of Andy Hamilton
and Douglas Adams
were members (the latter, having found Footlights "aloof and rather pleased with themselves", joined CULES instead). These were complemented by musical
s and revues in the 1980s, with members such as Sandi Toksvig
and HRH The Prince Edward
.
. After a brief lull in the early 2000s, when membership was down to just a handful of students, CULES was revived in 2002 after a successful pantomime of Little Red Riding Hood
. Since then, there have been two parallel productions for each term. 2003 saw the introduction of an Easter term production of four short plays around a common theme (for example, in 2003, Shakespeare was parodied in CULES productions of Othello
, Romeo and Juliet
, The Tempest
and Macbeth
).
The society has adapted Cinderella
and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
for pantomime, performed plays such as A Charming Little Murder Mystery and Diary of a Nobody
. It has even created entirely new pantomime scripts (for example Once Upon a Time).
(in the tradition of rivalry between the two universities). The two societies would perform a play jointly, with one performing the first act, the other the second, and the third being performed by a mixed cast, the winner being declared by a panel of judges, who would award points not only for acting, but also for improvisation, phony accents, and use of spurious words, amongst others. The first Varsity match, in 2003, was a tie (won by Oxford after a tiebreaking game of rock, paper, scissors
), and the tradition has continued since.
, comic plays, revue
s, and skit
s, but in the past the society has also shot a short film and put on a music talent competition, amongst others. All are invariably realised on a minimal budget to maximise the donations to charity. CULES performances can be demanding, with difficult audiences (for instance, disabled children, or hospital patients...) and highly improvised facilities (such as a school gymnasium).
The pantomimes performed are almost always written by members of the society, and include many parodies of popular songs (such songs by ABBA
or Queen
) with accompanying dance moves, while the comic plays may be original works or adaptations (such as the Jeeves and Wooster
plays by P. G. Wodehouse
, or a play by Oscar Wilde
), see below), through making full use of the members' (sometimes unusual) possessions and creative talents. Elaborate costumes and props are often created at great effort, with little more than cloth, cardboard and string — often adding to the humour in a production.
In Michaelmas and Lent terms, the productions are taken to special needs schools, homes for the elderly, homeless shelter
s, and hospital wards, for whose occupants these performances often represent a welcome departure from an otherwise monotonous daily routine. A final performance is organised for the students of the university. This final performance often entails script changes, usually through adding lewd or suggestive dialogue which would not have been appropriate for other audiences.
In Easter term, the schedule is compressed into the final week, before May Week
. The productions during Easter term tend to have much smaller casts and shorter running time to allow them to be rehearsed and performed in a week. In recent years a series of productions have been run in parallel, with a consistent theme (such as Greek myth
s or plays by Shakespeare). As usual, these plays are almost always written by members of the society, and often heavily lampoon their subject matter. The plays are dedicated to Emma Clements, a CULES member that was lost to cancer in 1996, and performed for a student audience in one of the college gardens of Cambridge.
or the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club
). It also aims to give them experience with roles such as writer
, director, producer
, technician
, choreographer and musical director to complement the acting.
Several well-known former members of CULES (see above) went on to successful careers in the entertainment business.
with their own version of The Three Musketeers
. With performances to over three hundred audience members, the show was a success.
A year later, Two Shades of Blue returned to the Fringe with their take on the Dracula
story. Performing at the Bedlam Theatre, they improved on their success from the previous year, attaining audience figures well above average for both the venue and the festival as a whole.
In 2005, Two Shades of Blue brought, for the first time, two shows to the Fringe, The Wind in the Willows
and The Dalmatian of Faust. Both played to positive reviews. The group returned to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2006 with a Science Fiction spoof, Paradox- Set Phasers to Pun! which smashed previous audience records. 2007 saw sell-out performances of "The Matrix: The Pantomime", and "Comedy and Cake: A teatime revue" at the Edinburgh Fringe.
2008 saw the group return with "Back to the Future: The Pantomime" and another slice of "Comedy and Cake", again to sell out audiences.
, cancer
support and children's hospices.
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. Notable alumni include Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
, John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
, HRH The Prince Edward
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex KG GCVO is the third son and fourth child of Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh...
, Tim Brooke-Taylor
Tim Brooke-Taylor
Timothy Julian Brooke-Taylor OBE is an English comic actor. He became active in performing in comedy sketches while at Cambridge University, and became President of the Footlights club, touring internationally with the Footlights revue in 1964...
and Graeme Garden
Graeme Garden
David Graeme Garden OBE is a Scottish author, actor, comedian, artist and television presenter, who first became known as a member of The Goodies.-Early life and beginnings in comedy:...
.
CULES is a non-profit society, and emphasises 'non-serious' theatre, comic pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
-filled scripts, and including those who do not wish to become 'serious' actors.
Early years
CULES was founded in 1958. In its heyday in the early sixties1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
, it was considered a drama society on par with the legendary Footlights
Footlights
Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, commonly referred to simply as the Footlights, is an amateur theatrical club in Cambridge, England, founded in 1883 and run by the students of Cambridge University....
. Performing revues and comic sketches, it could boast such future celebrities as John Cleese and Graeme Garden amongst its members (with Flanders and Swann
Flanders and Swann
The British duo Flanders and Swann were the actor and singer Michael Flanders and the composer, pianist and linguist Donald Swann , who collaborated in writing and performing comic songs....
as honorary presidents of the society).
In the 1970s, the focus shifted to more music-hall shows, often performed in homes for the elderly. During this period, the likes of Andy Hamilton
Andy Hamilton
Andrew Neil Hamilton is a British comedian, game show panellist, television director, comedy screenwriter and radio dramatist.-Early life:...
and Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
were members (the latter, having found Footlights "aloof and rather pleased with themselves", joined CULES instead). These were complemented by musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
s and revues in the 1980s, with members such as Sandi Toksvig
Sandi Toksvig
Sandra Brigitte “Sandi” Toksvig is a Danish comedian, author and presenter on British radio and television.-Career:...
and HRH The Prince Edward
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex KG GCVO is the third son and fourth child of Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh...
.
Recent history
The society returned to comedy and pantomime in the 1990s and 2000s, interpreting stories such as Dick Whittington, Wind in the Willows and Snow WhiteSnow White
"Snow White" is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm...
. After a brief lull in the early 2000s, when membership was down to just a handful of students, CULES was revived in 2002 after a successful pantomime of Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a French fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings....
. Since then, there have been two parallel productions for each term. 2003 saw the introduction of an Easter term production of four short plays around a common theme (for example, in 2003, Shakespeare was parodied in CULES productions of Othello
Othello
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
, Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
, The Tempest
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
and Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
).
The society has adapted Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis. Published in 1950 and set circa 1940, it is the first-published book of The Chronicles of Narnia and is the best known book of the series. Although it was written and published first, it is second in the series'...
for pantomime, performed plays such as A Charming Little Murder Mystery and Diary of a Nobody
Diary of a Nobody
The Diary of a Nobody, an English comic novel written by George Grossmith and his brother Weedon Grossmith with illustrations by Weedon, first appeared in the magazine Punch in 1888 – 89, and was first printed in book form in 1892...
. It has even created entirely new pantomime scripts (for example Once Upon a Time).
Links with Oxford
As the society grew, it reestablished links with its sister society at Oxford University, the Oxford University Light Entertainment Society (OULES), which had been re-founded by a former CULES member several years previously. Every summer, the two societies had organised a joint production in the form of VOLES (the Varsity Oxbridge Light Entertainment Society), which mostly performed for homes for the elderly in rural Britain. In addition to VOLES, the two societies organised an annual Varsity matchVarsity match
A varsity match is a sporting fixture between two university rivals; in its original and most common form, it is used to describe meetings between Oxford University and Cambridge University.-Popular British and Irish Varsity matches:*University of Oxford v...
(in the tradition of rivalry between the two universities). The two societies would perform a play jointly, with one performing the first act, the other the second, and the third being performed by a mixed cast, the winner being declared by a panel of judges, who would award points not only for acting, but also for improvisation, phony accents, and use of spurious words, amongst others. The first Varsity match, in 2003, was a tie (won by Oxford after a tiebreaking game of rock, paper, scissors
Rock, Paper, Scissors
Rock-paper-scissors is a hand game played by two people. The game is also known as roshambo, or another ordering of the three items ....
), and the tradition has continued since.
Activities
Each term, the society performs one or more pieces of (usually comic) theatre, with emphasis on low budget and high creativity. Staples include pantomimePantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
, comic plays, revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
s, and skit
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
s, but in the past the society has also shot a short film and put on a music talent competition, amongst others. All are invariably realised on a minimal budget to maximise the donations to charity. CULES performances can be demanding, with difficult audiences (for instance, disabled children, or hospital patients...) and highly improvised facilities (such as a school gymnasium).
The pantomimes performed are almost always written by members of the society, and include many parodies of popular songs (such songs by ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
or Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
) with accompanying dance moves, while the comic plays may be original works or adaptations (such as the Jeeves and Wooster
Jeeves and Wooster
-External links:*—An episode guide to the series, including information about which episodes were adapted from which Wodehouse stories.*—Episode guides, screenshots and quotes from the four series....
plays by P. G. Wodehouse
P. G. Wodehouse
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE was an English humorist, whose body of work includes novels, short stories, plays, poems, song lyrics, and numerous pieces of journalism. He enjoyed enormous popular success during a career that lasted more than seventy years and his many writings continue to be...
, or a play by Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
), see below), through making full use of the members' (sometimes unusual) possessions and creative talents. Elaborate costumes and props are often created at great effort, with little more than cloth, cardboard and string — often adding to the humour in a production.
In Michaelmas and Lent terms, the productions are taken to special needs schools, homes for the elderly, homeless shelter
Homeless shelter
Homeless shelters are temporary residences for homeless people which seek to protect vulnerable populations from the often devastating effects of homelessness while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact on the community...
s, and hospital wards, for whose occupants these performances often represent a welcome departure from an otherwise monotonous daily routine. A final performance is organised for the students of the university. This final performance often entails script changes, usually through adding lewd or suggestive dialogue which would not have been appropriate for other audiences.
In Easter term, the schedule is compressed into the final week, before May Week
May Week
May Week is the name used within the University of Cambridge to refer to a period of time at the end of the academic year. Originally May Week took place in the week during May before year-end exams began. Today, May Week takes place in June. The end of exams is a cause for heavy celebration...
. The productions during Easter term tend to have much smaller casts and shorter running time to allow them to be rehearsed and performed in a week. In recent years a series of productions have been run in parallel, with a consistent theme (such as Greek myth
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
s or plays by Shakespeare). As usual, these plays are almost always written by members of the society, and often heavily lampoon their subject matter. The plays are dedicated to Emma Clements, a CULES member that was lost to cancer in 1996, and performed for a student audience in one of the college gardens of Cambridge.
Membership
All members of CULES are students or former students at Cambridge University, and membership is free. It is unique amongst Cambridge drama societies in that it seeks to include students who have an interest in drama (particularly non-serious drama) but may lack the necessary ability or free time to join one of the other drama societies (such as FootlightsFootlights
Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, commonly referred to simply as the Footlights, is an amateur theatrical club in Cambridge, England, founded in 1883 and run by the students of Cambridge University....
or the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club
Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club
Founded in 1855, the Amateur Dramatic Club is the oldest University dramatic society in England - and the largest dramatic society in Cambridge....
). It also aims to give them experience with roles such as writer
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, director, producer
Theatrical producer
A theatrical producer is the person ultimately responsible for overseeing all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The independent producer will usually be the originator and finder of the script and starts the whole process...
, technician
Technician
A technician is a worker in a field of technology who is proficient in the relevant skills and techniques, with a relatively practical understanding of the theoretical principles. Experienced technicians in a specific tool domain typically have intermediate understanding of theory and expert...
, choreographer and musical director to complement the acting.
Several well-known former members of CULES (see above) went on to successful careers in the entertainment business.
Edinburgh Fringe
In 2003, CULES and OULES created the Two Shades of Blue theatre group to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe festivalEdinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
with their own version of The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, first serialized in March–July 1844. Set in the 17th century, it recounts the adventures of a young man named d'Artagnan after he leaves home to travel to Paris, to join the Musketeers of the Guard...
. With performances to over three hundred audience members, the show was a success.
A year later, Two Shades of Blue returned to the Fringe with their take on the Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
story. Performing at the Bedlam Theatre, they improved on their success from the previous year, attaining audience figures well above average for both the venue and the festival as a whole.
In 2005, Two Shades of Blue brought, for the first time, two shows to the Fringe, The Wind in the Willows
The Wind in the Willows
The Wind in the Willows is a classic of children's literature by Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. Alternately slow moving and fast paced, it focuses on four anthropomorphised animal characters in a pastoral version of England...
and The Dalmatian of Faust. Both played to positive reviews. The group returned to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2006 with a Science Fiction spoof, Paradox- Set Phasers to Pun! which smashed previous audience records. 2007 saw sell-out performances of "The Matrix: The Pantomime", and "Comedy and Cake: A teatime revue" at the Edinburgh Fringe.
2008 saw the group return with "Back to the Future: The Pantomime" and another slice of "Comedy and Cake", again to sell out audiences.
Charitable aims
CULES contributes almost all the revenue from its student productions to charity. In recent years, it has succeeded in raising several hundred pounds a term to support such causes as The SamaritansSamaritans (charity)
Samaritans is a registered charity aimed at providing emotional support to anyone in emotional distress or at risk of suicide throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, often through their telephone helpline. The name comes from the Biblical parable of the Good Samaritan, though the organisation...
, cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
support and children's hospices.