Appeal launched to get audiences out of a sticky situation; Amateur Stage.

Byline: John Slim

THE Swan Theatre, Worcester, has embarked on the job of adding comfort to its visual appeal with a pounds 40,000 push to install air-conditioning.

On a hot summer evening, patrons are prone to perspire to the point of self-cooking.

Until now, there has not been enough power to accommodate air-conditioning because when a show is on all the available capacity is taken up. Now, however, Worcester City Council has set about boosting the supply - a project costing more than pounds 50,000 and involving digging up half a mile of road - so a much-needed facility is on its way.

But the theatre itself will have to pay for the air-conditioning system which is why it has sent out an appeal for donations, supported by many of the amateur theatre groups that use the Swan, and why the rattle of collection buckets is to become a familiar feature at the end of each performance.

Director Chris Jaeger says: "We are going to provide the air-conditioning system but the prospect of raising possibly pounds 100,000-plus to make it possible was too much for us so we're very grateful to the City Council for its generosity in paying to provide the extra power."

Forgive me if I take an unduly personal interest in air-conditioning in theatres: the unit in the studio at the Rose Theatre, Kidderminster, is called Mr Slim.

THERE was a time when Marc Camoletti's Boeing Boeing was among the more popular choices when amateur groups were wondering what to put in their season's programme, but times change and I have seen it only once in the last many years.

Arts directors who may like to catch up on what they're missing could do worse than go to Wolverhampton's Grand Theatre the week after next and see what the customarily excellent summer repertory company makes of it.

It runs from July 18-22 and will be the second production in the six-week repertory season.

I shall for ever be grateful to Camoletti, incidentally, for his Don't Dress for Dinner - and to Sutton Arts Theatre, which gave such a hilarious account of his tale of a two-timing husband, his wife, his friend and his cook a few years back.

YOU have to hand it to David and Liz Daly for their alliterative efforts to push the publicity for the Circle Players' production of A Tomb With a View at Aldridge Theatre.

They report that a sleazy solicitor reads father's will to a family consisting of mad Marcus, dotty Dora, loopy Lucien, envious Emily and man-mad Monica, with a not-so-nice nurse also hovering.

The comedy-thriller runs from Wednesday to Saturday next week.

THE cheek of Chekhov!

The Swan Theatre Amateur Company's excellent production of Uncle Vanya, a play I had not seen for many years, brought home to me how much hard work he expected of his audiences.

You expect words, rather than action, with Chekhov, and in Uncle Vanya you get them. What you don't get so readily, other than in the programme, are the names of the characters.

Sheer curiosity prompted me to time how long it was before anybody addressed anybody by name: it was 15 minutes - a quarter of an hour in which to wonder whether you are currently listening to Serebryakov, Maria Vasilyevna, Telegin, Vanya himself, or any of the other characters.

It's Russian roulette!