Well, the last two weeks of Theatre by the Lake's summer season flew by in a blur of chesty coughs and as many activities we could squeeze in weather-permitting as well as making the most of our remaining shows. For some that meant a flurry of 'important' industry type people who came to see Roma & the Flanellettes which has gone down so well in the studio with all kinds of different audiences. I'm still baffled by the one night when we had at least a third of the audience bored and restive all through the show, culminating in us doing a curtain call to several utterly glum faces and zero clapping. Ok, on the other side of the space, another lot from the same college were whooping and screaming like they were at a Lady Gaga concert. Turns out they were all blown away by it- they were studying drama somewhere nearby and I guess were a little over excited.. You never can tell. It's a real lesson in not judging your audience. So many actors come beetling off from their first scene in front of the live audience and complain about it being bad; it's such nonsense! The idea that 80 never mind 380 strangers can all have agreed to be collectively uninspired by your work is tosh. 'Bad' usually just means quieter ( or just different) than last night's.. bad is when people start booing, throwing things and walking out!!
There are lots of useful things I learned from good actors when I was starting out and trying to understand the audience, one of which is that an audience is an audience is an audience; don't get all beside yourself just because Steven Spielberg is in the house. It shouldn't make any difference. Your performance should be for any one out there and sometimes the smallest audience can be one containing just one person who might offer you a job so the pressure to be your best should be the same every night. Once you take that on board, that's actually a liberating thing and you will have much more chance of turning in a focussed and living performance and of having fun with your fellow actors in each scene. I guess some of us are never happy; they have the belief perhaps that as an artist you can't ever be satisfied because you might get lazy or arrogant. Poo to that too! We have to be able to have some idea of giving ourselves our own positive feedback- it goes back to the idea of actors needing to be director-proof. Not a nice idea but a true fact that you will at times find yourself working with someone at the helm who doesn't seem bothered by the burning questions you've had about your part, so you must when necessary take care of yourself; take responsibility for yourself. Likewise with the other actors. We can't expect to hit it off with everyone we get paired up with so we can't expect that other actor to agree to play a scene the way we think it needs to go even if it seems blindingly obvious in the way it's written! So long as we then can drop the self-protection as soon as we realise that we can trust our colleagues, it's all good skills, baby!
On our final show, we lucky Dry Rotters got to meet the wonderful widow of the author John Chapman, Betty who had learned all our names on the train up and who told us all that we had restored her faith in the play. We also learned John had written Dry Rot so that they could make enough money to get married. Not a dry eye in the house that night!
Weather-wise, the mountain goats in the company were able to enjoy a couple more outings up them thar hills when the cold weather brought a generous dusting of snow on the tops, thus making those snowy caps the objective. It gave a tiny hint of the deeply harsh conditions that can strike in these parts above 700 metres. With warm sunshine in the valleys below, we struggled up a north-facing slope in knee-deep drifts that were starting to thaw, soaking our legs and creeping down into our boots. Looking up, we stared straight into the sun just peeping over the top ahead of us, making us quite blind to whatever we were walking into! The view at the top was totally worth it though and it reminded us that snow had still clung to the tops when we'd all arrived back in April. Eons ago.
Somebody dug out a photo taken of us all back on our first day and the sight of those innocent little faces all those months ago really brought home the experience quite literally in the flesh. Most of us back then sporting neat little hairstyles, now all bedraggled by nightly curling and wigging our hair into submission with sprays and mousses; several faces now several pounds lighter from the exercise of three different shows seven times a week and all of us looking sooo much younger before our marathon!! Signs that a holiday is much needed by all. Or a break to go and do another show for those with packed diaries!!
I think we must have had about four end of season parties one way or another, my excuse for not posting last week, with copious amounts of 'we must do this or that thing as it's the last time we'll get to (delete where appropriate): drink in Magnolia/ Toast marshmallows on an open fire at Nick's/ Go for a swim & spa at the Lodore/ climb Castle Crag/ go to Cottage in the Woods for lunch/ dance at the Loft/ kayak around Derwent Isle/ breakfast at the Filling Station/ skim stones on the Greta/ feed ducks/ ride horses/ spot red squirrels. The list is nauseatingly long I'm afraid as this has been an epic job when it comes to quantifying all the excellent things we got to do on and off stage.
To end, George insisted ( as a half Polish person) that we take part in a Polish toast on our final, final last night party. So for one last time in Magnolia, thanks to Phil of course for allowing us to take the place over once again, we all went round saying one thing to each other that we liked about them and one thing we wish for them in the future, followed by a shot of vodka. Needless to say it all got very messy very quickly, with people just standing about clinging to each other and mumbling 'I love you!' over and over again. This wasn't just the actors thank you very much, but Sam our wardrobe queen, Tara, Daisy, Jasmine, Robyn and Jo Jones our awesome stage management team. All blubbing away like troopers! Even those folks who had maintained rather distant demeanors throughout the seven months crumbled in the face of such warmth!
So on we go with our lives and careers with an experience under our belts and tucked in our hearts forever. I think it was Jess who said that if this job were to be the last one she ever had ( no way ) then she would always know that she had had the most amazing experience and done the best
work that she could be proud of.
I have some fantastic new friends and some of the most incredible memories as well as a fist full of great reviews to show anyone who might not have made it up to Keswick, unlike Chris Monks, David Thacker, Peter Rowe, Joe Sumption and other show biz folk who made the effort to see our work. Steven Spielberg was unavailable for comment.
To everyone who walked with me, swam, built fires, drank, sang, danced, shopped, ate and movie-d with me. You know who you are. Thank you.
It's quite an achievement to get along with so many people for so long and to do such good work too but we did it. Hats off to the whole Theatre by the Lake Summer Season 2012 team. I will miss posting this but it's exactly what I wanted it to be: an amazing record of a tremendous year. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard and to Ian, Stefan, Mary and Abigail who gave us the opportunity to do so.
Thanks for reading!
Tuesday 13 November 2012
Sunday 28 October 2012
Week 29: The Down-Hill Final Run.
The last couple of weeks beckon us on and the theatre bustles ever onward with its new projects. So we start seriously examining the weeks beyond and new projects for each of us. Some already with jobs to go to, others auditioning, the rest hunting around for gainful employ to take us back to our lives before Keswick or BK. The lucky few with jobs already in place are quietly getting on with learning their new parts and organising their personal lives in the short time they might have between contracts. Others are depending on partners to sort out house moves and improvements while their new jobs run straight on from this one without a break. That is lucky and quite rare in the grand scheme of things, but jobs can often be like buses. Then you can sit and twiddle your thumbs for six months and wonder what happened! It's times like that that really test the relationship an actor has with their agent. A good agent keeps you feeling positive despite the lack of meetings, doesn't leave you feeling that it is somehow your shortcomings as a human being that means no-one wants to cast you! Examples? " You're at a funny age" Gee thanks. That one is great for denting the ego! My favourite was when I had sat for too long watching bad tv. I kept seeing adverts with actors in who looked like me, so I phone the agent to discuss the question of why I hadn't even been to castings for these adverts. I was told that these actresses didn't actually look like me but were my perception of me.. Eh? Talk about messing with a girl's head! ( It wasn't long after that dear reader that I got rid of that one). The good agent buoys you up and cracks on with the job of breaking that hungry gap asap, but doesn't cajole you into taking a job ( any job just to get you off their backs) that you won't be happy doing. It's a very lucky actor who finds that agent and keeps that relationship going. Most settle for a slightly prickly relationship where the agent often tries to take on the role of bossy parent, treating the unemployed client like an ungrateful or unwanted child! I wish I was kidding! The trouble is, an agent is pretty essential in this game, unless you are born into show-biz and have an address book full of useful contacts and so we hang on often too long to a bad relationship, all too aware that a poor agent is better than none. We all forget that they work for us and not the other way round; it's just such a crowded market place, definitely the agents have the upper hand. Gone are the days of actors hanging around the Equity union offices first thing in the morning, waiting for a tip off about an audition. Someone would dash in and announce that they were casting down the road at the Strand and everyone would beetle down there to do their stuff! Now it gets harder to get that foot in the door, so you've got to want this job very much indeed. Accentuate the positive and save the terrible nightmare stories for those merry evenings with good friends who will help you laugh it all off. Once you've heard a few dozen of the ghastly stories that actors often find themselves in, you understand why we get a bit giddy when things go well. And go well things have very much done here at Theatre by the Lake. And continue to go well. No end of term ennui here amongst this bunch (mostly); everyone still jumps to the warm-up and the show to do with gusto and interest. Of course the other important matter here is organising the best end of Season parties we possibly can just so we mark this amazing time in the most excellent way, not missing a single significant moment.
You have two more weeks of lovely stuff to come and see; make sure you do!
You have two more weeks of lovely stuff to come and see; make sure you do!
Friday 19 October 2012
Four Weeks To Go & How Far We Reach!
This week has been a time to really consider the reach of this mighty little theatre in the region of Cumbria. Now maybe we are getting a bit carried away with the idea of great distances when talking about Carlisle, Cockermouth or the Old Man of Coniston, but it is very impressive to be wandering about in any of these far-flung places and to have someone suddenly pounce on you and say how much they enjoyed the show they saw you in at Theatre by the Lake. Some of the girls went shopping in Carlisle and met a large group of students who had seen Roma & the Flanelettes and who became quite hysterical at the sight of Brenda & Delie in the flesh. It also reminds you that you can never judge an audience by what you might see from the odd glimpse at them from the stage or even by listening to their reactions! The night those students came was a very unsettling one, as they sniggered and fidgeted about throughout or appeared to be lounging about in utter boredom with the whole thing. Turns out we blew their minds. Who'd have thought? Maybe they don't know how to behave when they enjoy something in a social situation? Should we create an app for that? Honestly! I have worked with a lovely man called Neil Bartlett who used to run the Lyric Hammersmith and when large numbers of school children arrived to see a show, he would invite them in to the theatre for a chat. Seriously, the man knew what he was doing; many young people have never been to the theatre and don't know the way to behave, don't understand that talking, walking about, texting & listening to music on your iphone isn't what you do once the play has started! He would be very kind but firm about it and I take my hat off to him.
The lady in Cockermouth almost fell of her chair because she'd seen the show only the night before and suddenly Delie and Jean were in her shop, but somewhat altered, in the wrong clothes. That disconnect is something you forget about; something can can easily confuse people. You need only to bear a passing resemblance to a fellow actor; same hair style & colour for instance, and you can be constantly mistaken for the other one. This can lead to all manner of paranoid thoughts if you're not careful, and you have to try to grab some perspective. For example, the theatre here often uses members of staff as models for the show posters, which actors have very mixed feelings about for obvious reasons, but it is a practical matter out of our hands. To then hear a man walking past the green room open windows say how much he thought that the young man in the poster was the best actor in the show makes you realise that these mistakes happen all the time. David Hockney is famously often confused with Alan Bennett and I believe now they both simply sign each others' autographs and don't even try to correct the erroneous autograph hunter. There are more important things in life to worry about I guess!
So we enter the last three weeks of this marathon and splendid experience at Theatre by the Lake. Come and see us while you still might have the chance! The trees around the lake are turning and some mornings the waters are like glass.. fires have been lit and the fine wines await. Pull on a fleece and sensible pair of boots and join us before winter closes in!
The lady in Cockermouth almost fell of her chair because she'd seen the show only the night before and suddenly Delie and Jean were in her shop, but somewhat altered, in the wrong clothes. That disconnect is something you forget about; something can can easily confuse people. You need only to bear a passing resemblance to a fellow actor; same hair style & colour for instance, and you can be constantly mistaken for the other one. This can lead to all manner of paranoid thoughts if you're not careful, and you have to try to grab some perspective. For example, the theatre here often uses members of staff as models for the show posters, which actors have very mixed feelings about for obvious reasons, but it is a practical matter out of our hands. To then hear a man walking past the green room open windows say how much he thought that the young man in the poster was the best actor in the show makes you realise that these mistakes happen all the time. David Hockney is famously often confused with Alan Bennett and I believe now they both simply sign each others' autographs and don't even try to correct the erroneous autograph hunter. There are more important things in life to worry about I guess!
So we enter the last three weeks of this marathon and splendid experience at Theatre by the Lake. Come and see us while you still might have the chance! The trees around the lake are turning and some mornings the waters are like glass.. fires have been lit and the fine wines await. Pull on a fleece and sensible pair of boots and join us before winter closes in!
Thursday 11 October 2012
Autumn Leaves..
Well, once more I'm sat writing this as the rain falls with unrelenting determination. I can't quite believe there's anything that can withstand this marathon of wet, and yet the fells stay stubbornly as high as they were 6 months ago, still clothed in ankle-deep mosses and ferns, not dissolving into tiny hummocks with all this precipitation. Nature. Blooming amazing. Only yesterday, it was brilliantly sunny and we were able to sit cat-like in the sun and dream of Spanish beaches and a healthy tan.
For four whole days folk have set their alarms and got up as many big hills as possible, thinking quite rightly that this might be our last chance to do it. So, Blencathra, Skiddaw and others were conquered. Now we resume searching for creative ways to fill our days indoors. I'm jesting. This bunch are super-creative what with all their writing projects and other such stuff and the theatre too is buzzing with activities; this time with an open day for school children who will find out all about the production team and the roles of everyone involved. Actors taking a back seat for a change. In the scene dock is a great spread of Blue Peter-like bits and bobs necessary to make a convincing wound or bruise and various members of the stage team will be on hand to describe what they do and get the kids to have a go. This kind of thing will help keep theatre staffed with people passionate about live performance. Hats off to them all.
The late posting of this here blog is partly because I've been gadding about enjoying all manner of treats courtesy of this gorgeous crowd, who made me birthday this weekend past go with a proper bang. In all my days I've only ever been able to celebrate my birthday when doing a theatre job twice. In 24 years. Says a lot for the frequency of jobs in this game.. Or just that October is a lousy month for theatre work..? Anyway, a bit of a 'do at the local winebar Magnolia, with tremendous gifts and a sinful chocolate cake with balloons and general quaffing of alcoholic beverages, then a fine walk up Castle Crag on the Sunday and a slap up meal with a movie at Zefirelli's in Ambleside. Castle Crag is one of our favourite walks, being kind of small in comparison to the fells around it but having all manner of delights, including one of the best views at the top of Derwentwater & Keswick with Skiddaw in the background.
I tackled Skiddaw on the Monday and thought at one point that maybe the mountain would win. That is a relentless climb with little cover around, making you feel very small and frail in whatever weather is all around. This time it was blazing if distant sun, making every slatey surface shine and every step upward pretty tricky, until it levelled out a little. The other 'treat' about Skiddaw if approached from Keswick is how you 'lose' the top behind other lower peaks which deceive you into thinking you've made it, only to see the trig point marking the highest peak sitting far off towards Scotland. Still, I did it and it feels great to look at the big old lump and know I've been there. THe views from the top are incredible and totally worth the effort!
So the few precious weekends remaining are now earmarked for more good walks followed by a movie night or big old cook up at someone's house.
Worst. Job. Ever.
For four whole days folk have set their alarms and got up as many big hills as possible, thinking quite rightly that this might be our last chance to do it. So, Blencathra, Skiddaw and others were conquered. Now we resume searching for creative ways to fill our days indoors. I'm jesting. This bunch are super-creative what with all their writing projects and other such stuff and the theatre too is buzzing with activities; this time with an open day for school children who will find out all about the production team and the roles of everyone involved. Actors taking a back seat for a change. In the scene dock is a great spread of Blue Peter-like bits and bobs necessary to make a convincing wound or bruise and various members of the stage team will be on hand to describe what they do and get the kids to have a go. This kind of thing will help keep theatre staffed with people passionate about live performance. Hats off to them all.
The late posting of this here blog is partly because I've been gadding about enjoying all manner of treats courtesy of this gorgeous crowd, who made me birthday this weekend past go with a proper bang. In all my days I've only ever been able to celebrate my birthday when doing a theatre job twice. In 24 years. Says a lot for the frequency of jobs in this game.. Or just that October is a lousy month for theatre work..? Anyway, a bit of a 'do at the local winebar Magnolia, with tremendous gifts and a sinful chocolate cake with balloons and general quaffing of alcoholic beverages, then a fine walk up Castle Crag on the Sunday and a slap up meal with a movie at Zefirelli's in Ambleside. Castle Crag is one of our favourite walks, being kind of small in comparison to the fells around it but having all manner of delights, including one of the best views at the top of Derwentwater & Keswick with Skiddaw in the background.
I tackled Skiddaw on the Monday and thought at one point that maybe the mountain would win. That is a relentless climb with little cover around, making you feel very small and frail in whatever weather is all around. This time it was blazing if distant sun, making every slatey surface shine and every step upward pretty tricky, until it levelled out a little. The other 'treat' about Skiddaw if approached from Keswick is how you 'lose' the top behind other lower peaks which deceive you into thinking you've made it, only to see the trig point marking the highest peak sitting far off towards Scotland. Still, I did it and it feels great to look at the big old lump and know I've been there. THe views from the top are incredible and totally worth the effort!
So the few precious weekends remaining are now earmarked for more good walks followed by a movie night or big old cook up at someone's house.
Worst. Job. Ever.
Wednesday 3 October 2012
Counting Down: 6 Weeks To Go.
So after a few months of running a show or shows, a person can get a bit comfortable. Ok. I admit it. It's reached that point where I was thinking about what to buy at the supermarket when I was tucked up in bed on stage as Susannah in Bedroom Farce. So sue me! Let he who is without sin cast the first stone etc etc..! We are all human and when lying still in semi darkness while everyone in the audience watches someone else doing the acting, the mind will wander. It's a bit of a challenge to stay focussed when listening to something so familiar, that like the shipping forecast, the repeated lines spoken by others send you off into a reverie, so you end up with a situation a bit like if you've ever tried meditation. The trick there is to empty your mind and to keep it empty, pushing thoughts away gently but firmly so that the mind can clear and peace settle upon you. It's becoming a popular antidote to our increasingly stressed lives and can be a handy mental skill. So onstage, you try to keep focussed on the scene going on around you and push away thoughts of tonight's dinner or tomorrow's shopping. The most heinous crime for anyone in a bed on stage is of course to fall asleep. Again, our frailty that makes us good interpreters of the human condition is just what can also make us suddenly snap to and realise that the last few moments have been a blur!
No one is going to admit to that here... The level of comfort that people settle into after a longish run can vary from person to person, but a lot of book reading goes on, puzzles get filled in and ideas and future projects get discussed while folk wait for their cue backstage. Stage management are not immune: where once they made use of any 'free' time backstage to catch up on little jobs for other shows- for example, many Great Expectations props were tended to during Dry Rot & Bedroom Farce runs, with little heaps of fake money & copies of letters cut out and hanging up on lines to dry- now the sudoku is out and a figure dressed in black can occasionally be seen sitting under a light quietly filling in numbers before having to get up and do a vital thing to push the play along, before settling back to continue the numbers game.
I've been creeping about during Dry Rot- where I have an hour or so before I have to go on stage- with my camera, attempting to catch the little moments before folk go on in the wings. I am trying to catch my favourite glimpses of Fred & Alf or Beth & Mrs. W as they wait behind timber flats that make up the magnificent set of the Bull & Cow. I might also tiptoe front of house to do the odd email. Many actors would choose to have a 'late call', meaning they can stroll into the theatre as their colleagues are already busy on stage. I don't feel comfortable with that idea; I like the feeling of being a part of a company and that means the preparation and beginners, regardless. Perhaps on a long run like in the West End of London I might change my mind after 6 months, but not here! People have too much fun in this company and I ain't going to miss out on that!
No one is going to admit to that here... The level of comfort that people settle into after a longish run can vary from person to person, but a lot of book reading goes on, puzzles get filled in and ideas and future projects get discussed while folk wait for their cue backstage. Stage management are not immune: where once they made use of any 'free' time backstage to catch up on little jobs for other shows- for example, many Great Expectations props were tended to during Dry Rot & Bedroom Farce runs, with little heaps of fake money & copies of letters cut out and hanging up on lines to dry- now the sudoku is out and a figure dressed in black can occasionally be seen sitting under a light quietly filling in numbers before having to get up and do a vital thing to push the play along, before settling back to continue the numbers game.
I've been creeping about during Dry Rot- where I have an hour or so before I have to go on stage- with my camera, attempting to catch the little moments before folk go on in the wings. I am trying to catch my favourite glimpses of Fred & Alf or Beth & Mrs. W as they wait behind timber flats that make up the magnificent set of the Bull & Cow. I might also tiptoe front of house to do the odd email. Many actors would choose to have a 'late call', meaning they can stroll into the theatre as their colleagues are already busy on stage. I don't feel comfortable with that idea; I like the feeling of being a part of a company and that means the preparation and beginners, regardless. Perhaps on a long run like in the West End of London I might change my mind after 6 months, but not here! People have too much fun in this company and I ain't going to miss out on that!
Monday 24 September 2012
Week Twenty Six: Pre-emptive Nostaglia
We are now getting into the habit of sitting about compiling lists of things we'll miss when this fantastic job is over. Terrible really, but we are all so aware of the speed with which the last few weeks are flying past us, as the time has shot past us since April the second, with barely a how do you do and things always speed up as the end draws near! Yet in an odd way, this job has become so massive in our lives, some folk speak of never having worked anywhere else- and I'm not talking about our baby debutante Jess, but old & almost middle-aged ( yes, you heard me ) folk like Mr Hannon who certainly had a full and busy career before heading to Keswick! I think he might even do rather well in future.. So to sum up, this job can do funny things to a person's brain and definitely messes up a person's grasp on time. Perhaps it's all the cheese consumed late at night, as Beth Barton so rightly points out in Dry Rot, "Shouldn't eat cheese last thing!" if you want to remain lucid. Then there's all that ale and fine wine, home made cakes and especially the addictive Hermans going round.
Hermans for the uninitiated are live culture sour-dough cakes that you share with others, passing the living gloop around in little tupperware boxes and feeding for days before dividing it up to pass on and baking one lot into a lovely cake. People have taken to customising their contributions with choc chips and goji berries ( healthy and bad for you at the same time), apples & cinnamon, blueberries & bananas. I tell you it's a good job we dash about like mad things on stage and up and down the odd mountain from time to time or we'd all be fat as a December turkey.
It turns out that there are some very talented people in this company when it comes to baking and all manner of cookery. How could we forget James Duke's breath-taking truffles and that lemon tart still warm from the oven? Then there are Jess's mighty chilli and baked sweet potato dinners, followed by Zoe's chocolate biscuit cake, also Chris' moreish fish pie, Jamie Oliver style and a cheeky lemon syllabub to follow? Ridiculous high living that conjures up an image of wildly overpaid thesps frolicking about mostly for their own delight.
I'm not about to be so vulgar as to mention our salaries here at TbtL but suffice to say it's better than many in the business. Nowhere near what someone might be paid to work in IT or retail, and we have to manage our own accounts and tax bills. That takes a bit of getting used to at the beginning of our careers, but you soon get the hang of filing away a chunk of your pay to give to the taxman after Christmas. Yes, nice seasonal timing that! Not only have you got to budget for Christmas but you have to put aside a big old chunk for HMRC. Boo. I can't believe I am talking about tax on this blog. I think the wet weather has started getting to my brain! If that's an Indian summer out there, it must mean Southern Indian style monsoon. Twelve hours of non-stop rain and counting. No flood warning in place yet, but my little spot by the river is looking closer to the churning brown waters than it did yesterday!
We've been diverted by the post-show discussions for all the shows, where the audience can talk with the cast and director about anything interesting about the production in question. It can also mean a few slightly cringe-worthy moments when an audience member plunges in with some clearly much thought out probing question, but without pausing to say that they enjoyed the show. For example, one man described a show as 'over the top' and wanted to know why everyone was 'o. t. t'.! This obviously sounds rather critical to an actor's ears. Some time later to clear up any confusion, one of the cast asked whether the man had enjoyed the performance and the poor chap fell over himself to express that he had. Honestly, we sometimes forget how nervous people can get when about to speak in front of strangers and how those nerves push good manners & propriety out of their minds!
An especially lively debate followed Roma & the Flanellettes, as the theatre's new play for the 2012 season; a good turn out of about 30 resulted in much discussion of the issues raised by the play and the writer was put through his paces to describe how he wrote the play. The response to this play has been incredible and houses nice and full. We've just got ourselves another great review to help sell what tickets remain. Will this show have a life beyond TbtL?
Things at least to keep us busy in the dry indoors include more new writing for some of us to read before a workshop day on Thursday; lots of books bought at some of the excellent charity shops in town; a matinee on Wednesday and 'gis a job' letters & emails to send out in the hope of landing something nice to follow on from this job. You never know in this business; jobs can appear from anywhere. I remember the first job I did, playing a little boy who finds a red balloon in the play of the same name, was the thing many people would mention when I met them several years after the job ended. We would all like to jog some producer's memory a little sooner than that, but most theatre jobs will be already cast for anything starting before December 2012 and so we're all hunting down other forms of gainful employment to keep busy and afloat. We're a resourceful bunch, most of us all with other strings to our bows, ranging from teaching, nannying, fitness coach tour guides & through to garden designer.
I can't go without a hushed mention of our end of season party, in which folk get up to all sorts of tribute high jinks and sketches sending up key people and plays.. what will it be and who will do what? Watch this space!
I see that the rain has changed direction, now heading from right to left, so at least that makes a nice change.. apparently strong winds are next. Indian summer my ****!
Hermans for the uninitiated are live culture sour-dough cakes that you share with others, passing the living gloop around in little tupperware boxes and feeding for days before dividing it up to pass on and baking one lot into a lovely cake. People have taken to customising their contributions with choc chips and goji berries ( healthy and bad for you at the same time), apples & cinnamon, blueberries & bananas. I tell you it's a good job we dash about like mad things on stage and up and down the odd mountain from time to time or we'd all be fat as a December turkey.
It turns out that there are some very talented people in this company when it comes to baking and all manner of cookery. How could we forget James Duke's breath-taking truffles and that lemon tart still warm from the oven? Then there are Jess's mighty chilli and baked sweet potato dinners, followed by Zoe's chocolate biscuit cake, also Chris' moreish fish pie, Jamie Oliver style and a cheeky lemon syllabub to follow? Ridiculous high living that conjures up an image of wildly overpaid thesps frolicking about mostly for their own delight.
I'm not about to be so vulgar as to mention our salaries here at TbtL but suffice to say it's better than many in the business. Nowhere near what someone might be paid to work in IT or retail, and we have to manage our own accounts and tax bills. That takes a bit of getting used to at the beginning of our careers, but you soon get the hang of filing away a chunk of your pay to give to the taxman after Christmas. Yes, nice seasonal timing that! Not only have you got to budget for Christmas but you have to put aside a big old chunk for HMRC. Boo. I can't believe I am talking about tax on this blog. I think the wet weather has started getting to my brain! If that's an Indian summer out there, it must mean Southern Indian style monsoon. Twelve hours of non-stop rain and counting. No flood warning in place yet, but my little spot by the river is looking closer to the churning brown waters than it did yesterday!
We've been diverted by the post-show discussions for all the shows, where the audience can talk with the cast and director about anything interesting about the production in question. It can also mean a few slightly cringe-worthy moments when an audience member plunges in with some clearly much thought out probing question, but without pausing to say that they enjoyed the show. For example, one man described a show as 'over the top' and wanted to know why everyone was 'o. t. t'.! This obviously sounds rather critical to an actor's ears. Some time later to clear up any confusion, one of the cast asked whether the man had enjoyed the performance and the poor chap fell over himself to express that he had. Honestly, we sometimes forget how nervous people can get when about to speak in front of strangers and how those nerves push good manners & propriety out of their minds!
An especially lively debate followed Roma & the Flanellettes, as the theatre's new play for the 2012 season; a good turn out of about 30 resulted in much discussion of the issues raised by the play and the writer was put through his paces to describe how he wrote the play. The response to this play has been incredible and houses nice and full. We've just got ourselves another great review to help sell what tickets remain. Will this show have a life beyond TbtL?
Things at least to keep us busy in the dry indoors include more new writing for some of us to read before a workshop day on Thursday; lots of books bought at some of the excellent charity shops in town; a matinee on Wednesday and 'gis a job' letters & emails to send out in the hope of landing something nice to follow on from this job. You never know in this business; jobs can appear from anywhere. I remember the first job I did, playing a little boy who finds a red balloon in the play of the same name, was the thing many people would mention when I met them several years after the job ended. We would all like to jog some producer's memory a little sooner than that, but most theatre jobs will be already cast for anything starting before December 2012 and so we're all hunting down other forms of gainful employment to keep busy and afloat. We're a resourceful bunch, most of us all with other strings to our bows, ranging from teaching, nannying, fitness coach tour guides & through to garden designer.
I can't go without a hushed mention of our end of season party, in which folk get up to all sorts of tribute high jinks and sketches sending up key people and plays.. what will it be and who will do what? Watch this space!
I see that the rain has changed direction, now heading from right to left, so at least that makes a nice change.. apparently strong winds are next. Indian summer my ****!
Tuesday 18 September 2012
Week Twenty-Five: Staying In the Present
A slightly late posting this week, as the weekend was spent exploring the jolly little burgh of Saltaire, courtesy of new chums living in the area. That involved the Saltaire Fest as well and plenty of good living. A good time was indeed had by all, and we hardly got rained on the whole time. Most odd...
This week things are speeding ever more towards The End as new projects drift in from the outside world to claim peoples' time post-Keswick or P.K. A touch of a nip in the air and a decided turn to the colour of the trees and we are reminded that Autumn comes briskly on in these elevated Northern parts. It's great to watch folk start getting work for the P.K. part of the diary ( otherwise known as the rest of our lives!!), but we still have a job of work to do here and now and shows have still to be done and done well. You know what it's like when you're sat next to a clock-watcher- ever so slightly annoying- so with actors, you have to remember to be present. You tend to get you leg pulled if you use phrases like 'being in the moment' but that is what it's all about. Sometimes you have to take a second to remind yourself to focus on that fact and quieten the thoughts bubbling round your brain about the next stage, or NEXT STAGE as it looms ever larger in the mind. All the usual worries about paying the bills of course as well as what plans you need to make to generate more work. We can't just sit about and wait for our agents to do all the leg work. It is a shameful indictment of the business we're in that most casting directors don't or won't come to see the shows here in Keswick. The old attitude reigns that if you're any good, you'd be working in London. That is such twisted logic I am not even sure I want to tackle it here! On the positive, all the good folk who do come and who have come this year will know the folly of that state of mind but that is how it is and show-business is all the worse for it. A cynical mind-set prevails which is deadly. So many people take other peoples' word for the quality of something ( or someone) instead of making up their own minds.. It is a problem affecting many businesses these days I am sure. People are feeling increasingly time poor in their jobs and so they become less and less willing to make any time for a trip to the Lakes- or even the other side of London. I kid you not! I know if I were a casting director I'd put this place on my list as the quality of shows is getting better and better, there are always new faces to see and you can throw in a few nice days out to boot! A no-brainer. In a good-sized company like this, there in much opportunity for actors to help each other out, tipping people off about good jobs or recommending each other for work that's on the way somewhere. A good reason to be cheerful.
So we are now vowing to make time slow down enough outside of the theatre for us to enjoy all those things still on that lengthy list of To-Do's, whilst fitting in a few more workshops for TbtL, visits to family & friends nearby for birthdays and those jobs that need attention, like servicing cars and sorting out problems with permanent homes wherever they may be. We also have the prospect of the new cast coming in at some point; the lucky lot who will be rehearsing The Railway Children for Christmas. Sorry, I dropped the C-bomb! You can't help it in a world where things have to be planned so far ahead. It's like all those lucky blighters filming Christmas Specials for TV at the moment. It's a funny old game and no mistake. I'll be honest, I've packed away the summer clothes and have the big woolly jumpers, socks & hats on standby. I love this place but I am a Southerner and soft through and through!
This week things are speeding ever more towards The End as new projects drift in from the outside world to claim peoples' time post-Keswick or P.K. A touch of a nip in the air and a decided turn to the colour of the trees and we are reminded that Autumn comes briskly on in these elevated Northern parts. It's great to watch folk start getting work for the P.K. part of the diary ( otherwise known as the rest of our lives!!), but we still have a job of work to do here and now and shows have still to be done and done well. You know what it's like when you're sat next to a clock-watcher- ever so slightly annoying- so with actors, you have to remember to be present. You tend to get you leg pulled if you use phrases like 'being in the moment' but that is what it's all about. Sometimes you have to take a second to remind yourself to focus on that fact and quieten the thoughts bubbling round your brain about the next stage, or NEXT STAGE as it looms ever larger in the mind. All the usual worries about paying the bills of course as well as what plans you need to make to generate more work. We can't just sit about and wait for our agents to do all the leg work. It is a shameful indictment of the business we're in that most casting directors don't or won't come to see the shows here in Keswick. The old attitude reigns that if you're any good, you'd be working in London. That is such twisted logic I am not even sure I want to tackle it here! On the positive, all the good folk who do come and who have come this year will know the folly of that state of mind but that is how it is and show-business is all the worse for it. A cynical mind-set prevails which is deadly. So many people take other peoples' word for the quality of something ( or someone) instead of making up their own minds.. It is a problem affecting many businesses these days I am sure. People are feeling increasingly time poor in their jobs and so they become less and less willing to make any time for a trip to the Lakes- or even the other side of London. I kid you not! I know if I were a casting director I'd put this place on my list as the quality of shows is getting better and better, there are always new faces to see and you can throw in a few nice days out to boot! A no-brainer. In a good-sized company like this, there in much opportunity for actors to help each other out, tipping people off about good jobs or recommending each other for work that's on the way somewhere. A good reason to be cheerful.
So we are now vowing to make time slow down enough outside of the theatre for us to enjoy all those things still on that lengthy list of To-Do's, whilst fitting in a few more workshops for TbtL, visits to family & friends nearby for birthdays and those jobs that need attention, like servicing cars and sorting out problems with permanent homes wherever they may be. We also have the prospect of the new cast coming in at some point; the lucky lot who will be rehearsing The Railway Children for Christmas. Sorry, I dropped the C-bomb! You can't help it in a world where things have to be planned so far ahead. It's like all those lucky blighters filming Christmas Specials for TV at the moment. It's a funny old game and no mistake. I'll be honest, I've packed away the summer clothes and have the big woolly jumpers, socks & hats on standby. I love this place but I am a Southerner and soft through and through!
Tuesday 11 September 2012
Week Twenty Four: Stop the World!
Ok this whole thing is going too fast! All of a sudden we feel a nip in the air, a few more leaves stuck to the rainy pavements and all the kids are slouching back from school in new ill-fitting uniforms. Why does time go faster when you're having fun? There's got to be a scientific equation stating as much. Professor Brian Cox should do a series about it. Yes, I know we still have two months left but the last five have flown by like very fast flying things and to add to that, with one day off a week, you start to see your remaining time here in terms of Sundays left for adventures. So we are down to single figures there. Eek! Fact: there are simply too many things to do here, even for 'normal' folk with proper jobs. Add to that a very happy bunch of folk who get along- a rare thing indeed as I may have said before- and there is already a sense of mild unrest bubbling under, as we all count the days and wonder if we will fit everything in. There are still the challenges of finding time to do the writing projects of Chris & George, major fell conquering- I feel things wouldn't be right without at least two of the highest peaks surmounted before we leave, Ruskin's Brantwood, trips to castles, steam trains and Saltaire Festival. Then there's still Scotland just over the border and all the treats that contains. Darn. A dream trip to Glasgow may have to wait for another time... Time to prioritise, as soon we will be running another show on the Saturday, making Sunday even more precious as a day of 'rest'.
I know, it's hard to believe, but we burn a lot of energy doing even a relatively un-energetic play. Nervous energy too, preparing to go on, as well as the actual clowning or fighting required! I suppose we should spend our Sundays tucked up on the sofa with cups of herbal tea but who in their right mind would do such a thing in a place like this? I love performing in the theatre, but my other side lives out doors in the world of garden design and to relax I've always loved a walk over hills & fields, ever since university in Sheffield, where the Peaks were a short David Blunkett bus ride away; in other words, it cost 15p to ride the seven or eight miles out to breath-taking countryside. How things- and people- change!
Our shows continue to roll on, with everyone keeping on top of the approach; no-one is complacent about yet another performance of show x or y and all think about keeping it fresh and new each time. Some actors by this stage in a contract can be a real drag to be around, grumbling about an audience that doesn't laugh as much as yesterday's, whining about being bored after 'so many' shows. It's a real mood killer all that moaning. Anyone who has had to hold down an office or shop job they didn't like to pay their bills will appreciate how hard it is to hear an actor complaining about their job in that way. I'm not saying we should never complain. If justified, complaining is a skill we all need to perfect to avoid poor service etc. But if you're moaning about having to do another show or three hundred people not being as loudly amused as the other three hundred last night, you're wasting valuable hot air! These jobs other people would sell their granny on eBay for, they're so rare. So counting your blessings is not only good for keeping the moaning at bay, but it ups the enjoyment factor all round! What a top year 2012 has turned out to be. And it's by no means over yet.
I know, it's hard to believe, but we burn a lot of energy doing even a relatively un-energetic play. Nervous energy too, preparing to go on, as well as the actual clowning or fighting required! I suppose we should spend our Sundays tucked up on the sofa with cups of herbal tea but who in their right mind would do such a thing in a place like this? I love performing in the theatre, but my other side lives out doors in the world of garden design and to relax I've always loved a walk over hills & fields, ever since university in Sheffield, where the Peaks were a short David Blunkett bus ride away; in other words, it cost 15p to ride the seven or eight miles out to breath-taking countryside. How things- and people- change!
Our shows continue to roll on, with everyone keeping on top of the approach; no-one is complacent about yet another performance of show x or y and all think about keeping it fresh and new each time. Some actors by this stage in a contract can be a real drag to be around, grumbling about an audience that doesn't laugh as much as yesterday's, whining about being bored after 'so many' shows. It's a real mood killer all that moaning. Anyone who has had to hold down an office or shop job they didn't like to pay their bills will appreciate how hard it is to hear an actor complaining about their job in that way. I'm not saying we should never complain. If justified, complaining is a skill we all need to perfect to avoid poor service etc. But if you're moaning about having to do another show or three hundred people not being as loudly amused as the other three hundred last night, you're wasting valuable hot air! These jobs other people would sell their granny on eBay for, they're so rare. So counting your blessings is not only good for keeping the moaning at bay, but it ups the enjoyment factor all round! What a top year 2012 has turned out to be. And it's by no means over yet.
Monday 3 September 2012
Week Twenty Two: meeting our public & exploring new possibilities
On Friday we went to lunch with a splendid bunch of people at Higham Hall, an impressive looking house in its own grounds near Bassenthwaite Lake that runs all kinds of residential courses for adults. Our hosts Jim & Eileen have been running their theatre appreciation course for 5 years; classically, they retired and wanted something to do. I think they've been overwhelmed with the interest and the amount of work that a course like this can bring and whilst looking a little exhausted by the Friday, that interest is all to their credit & the credit of Ian Forrest, who has allowed the delegates unprecedented access to the theatre, its productions and how it is all run. Volunteer actors were required to add their prespective to a week that had heard from casting directors, agents, front of house staff & the theatre's executive director as well as Ian himself, all talking about the unique way that TbtL is run. All but two of us stepped up; Maggie Tagney quite rightly had a date with her duvet after six shows in just three days and Mr James Duke was enjoying a visit from his family which understandably a person has to make the most of when up here for all this time.
The rest of us climbed aboard a little mini bus at the theatre and jollied off to take part in a general discussion about what it is we do. After a welcome coffee with homemade biscuits, we went in to the main room for the discussion only to see a large flip-chart on which the participants had rated each of the six shows they'd seen that week. Now, we are a proud lot; proud of how much we apply ourselves to a job and invest in a production to make it the best it possibly can be, so to see a show rated a 1 on a scale of 1 to 5 by most of the delegates is hard to take to say the least. I mean, we still have to do that show for quite a while longer and it's hard as anyone knows to forget unkind words. Our brains it would seem are more aware of negative things than positive and actors can have a hard time erasing these negativities like anyone else. Like I said about reviews..If anyone is reading this from Higham Hall, please, just cover that chart up before the actors wander in! You are obviously entitled to your opinions of course but there are ways of doing these things which are less harmful. Or, allow us to defend ourselves! Aside from that, you know that everyone there is passionate about theatre- many members of amateur companies across the North- and keen supporters of the Theatre by the Lake. Some seemed especially passionate about one George Banks who went home that day with a few more fans than he arrived with as it were! It was really interesting to sit around a hear what everyone had to say about their life as an actor, as something new is always said and also to have a good chat with the participants over a good lunch. Top score went to the creator of the rice pudding, complete with chestnut brown skin on top. Naughty.
Beyond Higham Hall , comments from the good public of Keswick have been entertaining to say the least. A kind lady recommended that one actress should alter her speech so that she said yes instead of yeah. Apparently if she did so, her career would take off! Another generous soul told the same lucky girl that she had loved the show in the studio, only to add that she hated all the main house shows, to which my colleague had to reply, "I'm in two of the main house shows!". The woman didn't seem bothered by that! A nice man in a local bar was impressed that Jess, playing Delie in Roma wasn't actually mentally disabled in real life... Otherwise it's amazing to note how you can be marching up a remote fell somewhere with your thoughts far from the world of theatre, only to be approached by a smiling stranger who wants to tell you what they thought of your performance in Dry Rot! Chris had to firmly explain to one well-wisher that he hadn't played Flash Harry as the stranger thought, only to have the stranger loudly correct themselves by saying,
" Oh no! You were the idiot!" All kindly meant I am sure...!
Sunday has passed brilliantly with a proper walk over many a fell top by a good number of us to Glaramara and down into Seatoller. Rounded off the perfect day with generous quantities of excellent chilli cooked by Jess & Zoe, fruit salad by Maggie Tags. And team 'Winner' won 'Who's in the Bag'. What more can we ask?
On now into workshop week and the possibility of an Indian Summer September... I won't hold my breath!
The rest of us climbed aboard a little mini bus at the theatre and jollied off to take part in a general discussion about what it is we do. After a welcome coffee with homemade biscuits, we went in to the main room for the discussion only to see a large flip-chart on which the participants had rated each of the six shows they'd seen that week. Now, we are a proud lot; proud of how much we apply ourselves to a job and invest in a production to make it the best it possibly can be, so to see a show rated a 1 on a scale of 1 to 5 by most of the delegates is hard to take to say the least. I mean, we still have to do that show for quite a while longer and it's hard as anyone knows to forget unkind words. Our brains it would seem are more aware of negative things than positive and actors can have a hard time erasing these negativities like anyone else. Like I said about reviews..If anyone is reading this from Higham Hall, please, just cover that chart up before the actors wander in! You are obviously entitled to your opinions of course but there are ways of doing these things which are less harmful. Or, allow us to defend ourselves! Aside from that, you know that everyone there is passionate about theatre- many members of amateur companies across the North- and keen supporters of the Theatre by the Lake. Some seemed especially passionate about one George Banks who went home that day with a few more fans than he arrived with as it were! It was really interesting to sit around a hear what everyone had to say about their life as an actor, as something new is always said and also to have a good chat with the participants over a good lunch. Top score went to the creator of the rice pudding, complete with chestnut brown skin on top. Naughty.
Beyond Higham Hall , comments from the good public of Keswick have been entertaining to say the least. A kind lady recommended that one actress should alter her speech so that she said yes instead of yeah. Apparently if she did so, her career would take off! Another generous soul told the same lucky girl that she had loved the show in the studio, only to add that she hated all the main house shows, to which my colleague had to reply, "I'm in two of the main house shows!". The woman didn't seem bothered by that! A nice man in a local bar was impressed that Jess, playing Delie in Roma wasn't actually mentally disabled in real life... Otherwise it's amazing to note how you can be marching up a remote fell somewhere with your thoughts far from the world of theatre, only to be approached by a smiling stranger who wants to tell you what they thought of your performance in Dry Rot! Chris had to firmly explain to one well-wisher that he hadn't played Flash Harry as the stranger thought, only to have the stranger loudly correct themselves by saying,
" Oh no! You were the idiot!" All kindly meant I am sure...!
Sunday has passed brilliantly with a proper walk over many a fell top by a good number of us to Glaramara and down into Seatoller. Rounded off the perfect day with generous quantities of excellent chilli cooked by Jess & Zoe, fruit salad by Maggie Tags. And team 'Winner' won 'Who's in the Bag'. What more can we ask?
On now into workshop week and the possibility of an Indian Summer September... I won't hold my breath!
Monday 27 August 2012
Nothing to Write About?
Quite a few people have thought that now the shows are all running along that I will have nothing to write about, which is an interesting viewpoint, especially when it comes from another actor! Nothing in live theatre ever really stays the same, it should never get samey, in that we all turn up and do our job still dragging behind us the day we've had. The warm-up is meant to dispel all that but we are all affected by things and some of those don't go away easily. Of course no-one can ever do scenes exactly as they did them yesterday (trying to do that is deadly, creating a very lopsided performance because the audience is never the same!). Obviously the lines are the same ( they should be of course but let's not forget human error; no-one's perfect!), the blocking and moves etc, but how you say them come out a little different every time- if you're doing it right- because you're hopefully in a state of 'finding' them for the first time. It's a bit like when we did art at school with Mrs. Rogers. She was a big fan of getting us to sit around a dispiriting pile of mouldering fruit, sad potted geraniums and assorted engine parts with pencil & paper in hand, our challenge to produce a colourful and life-like image of the still life in front of us. Uninspiring the first time to say the least. Once you realised that she would then set you further challenges using extracts of that same still life for the rest of the year, you began to really hate that sorry pile of detritus quite a lot. So, how to remain inspired by a shriveled apple, oily crankshaft or droopy geranium? Pretend that you've never seen it before. Ever. This also allows the mind to really go to work with the eye and you find yourself noticing things about everyday objects that you've never noticed before. So too with the notion of playing a part for the nth time. You play the game of, "I've never said this before or had this happen to me before" before you hit the stage and all being well, a freshness and liveliness comes across, making the audience sit forward and get involved. Of course you might trip over as you come on stage or, as one of my fine colleagues did the other night, bash yourself in the face with the door that you are opening yourself (stagecraft!) and that can throw all your 'alive freshness' preparation out of the window. At that point you're just grateful that the brain and the mouth keep working sufficiently to get your line out! It's great to be working with actors who are alive to the things that can go wrong and who leave room for the audience to be a part of some of those things and share in the whole silliness of pretending to be in the 1950's or Dickens' London. I tell you, you have to stay humble to be good in this game. You can eliminate all kinds of potential mistakes but at the end of the day, if you trip over your own feet when playing the king or president, you have to laugh!
Aside from all this theory is always the weirdness of the practice and how people in the audience will see things in a performance that you may never have intended or considered. That's another reason why I love this game; you really can't second-guess what an audience will think of something. We can get caught up in the macro-audience reaction of laughs; some actors get quite preoccupied with those- but a chance conversation in the cafe afterwards and you get all kinds of responses that remind you that there is always more than one point of view about the events witnessed. It's good to encounter people who are happy to tell you what they thought of your character or the play, and often they will not think that you have any feelings to be hurt or that they might be causing any offense... Here in a small community like Keswick everyone now is getting accosted in the supermarket or chemists by happy customers keen to pass on their enjoyment of the plays they've seen. Even some of my very experienced show-biz chums up from that-there London have really enjoyed the experience of seeing the same actors play different parts on consecutive nights in the same theatre. It is a rarity these days as I've said but it shouldn't be! Folk love it.
This week ahead holds a busier than usual turn-around for all as the theatre hosts a residential week at Higham Hall for theatre-lovers. We'll be doing more matinees than usual and the stage crew will be earning their keep, changing shows on the same day and then again for the next day, so that people can see as many plays in the shortest amount of time. Phew. A mini festival if you will. I don't know how they do it. I was recently visited by a friend who did the old-style weekly rep where it was described as 11 plays in 11 weeks... I need a lie down just thinking about that! That must surely be a consolation for the mighty Maggie Tagney who gets to play 9 shows this week to our humble 7. It's the luck of the draw in this rep system! At least we're not missing the sun while we're indoors for all that time...
Aside from all this theory is always the weirdness of the practice and how people in the audience will see things in a performance that you may never have intended or considered. That's another reason why I love this game; you really can't second-guess what an audience will think of something. We can get caught up in the macro-audience reaction of laughs; some actors get quite preoccupied with those- but a chance conversation in the cafe afterwards and you get all kinds of responses that remind you that there is always more than one point of view about the events witnessed. It's good to encounter people who are happy to tell you what they thought of your character or the play, and often they will not think that you have any feelings to be hurt or that they might be causing any offense... Here in a small community like Keswick everyone now is getting accosted in the supermarket or chemists by happy customers keen to pass on their enjoyment of the plays they've seen. Even some of my very experienced show-biz chums up from that-there London have really enjoyed the experience of seeing the same actors play different parts on consecutive nights in the same theatre. It is a rarity these days as I've said but it shouldn't be! Folk love it.
This week ahead holds a busier than usual turn-around for all as the theatre hosts a residential week at Higham Hall for theatre-lovers. We'll be doing more matinees than usual and the stage crew will be earning their keep, changing shows on the same day and then again for the next day, so that people can see as many plays in the shortest amount of time. Phew. A mini festival if you will. I don't know how they do it. I was recently visited by a friend who did the old-style weekly rep where it was described as 11 plays in 11 weeks... I need a lie down just thinking about that! That must surely be a consolation for the mighty Maggie Tagney who gets to play 9 shows this week to our humble 7. It's the luck of the draw in this rep system! At least we're not missing the sun while we're indoors for all that time...
Sunday 19 August 2012
Week Twenty: Back in the Rehearsal Room
Back in the rehearsal room but now a bit like sixth-form students who occupy the school's communal spaces very differently from the younger kids. I'm not saying we're all swanning about taking liberties with our feet up on desks and generally ignoring the teachers when they try to get us to vacate the assembly hall & go do something productive, but you remember the feeling when exams were over and there was that rather blissful period between that and the end of term when you were generally left to take it a little bit easier before moving on? No? Just me then...
Anyway, this time, we're in the rehearsal room rather cheekily doing Pilates classes. Owing to popular demand it's twice a week and an impressive amount of effort is being expended by all who attend. Regular updates then follow from folk feeling the ache the next day, all a sign that it's working. Expect all here to possess awesome abs by October! This desire to be in better shape unites all here, both those on-stage on off. Likewise there is a running group that is also getting together, meeting up to run several miles at 7.30 in the morning no less. Most unlike the generally perceived image of the typical British actor, always portrayed as being less fit than their American cousins! Then there are the keen bicyclers, kayakers, windsurfers and all the 'usual' walkers, striking out whenever the skies clear enough for it to be an enjoyable outing.
I suppose all this activity is somewhat offset by the many tempting varieties of ale, cheese, meat & cake on offer...
The fact that August is relatively quiet on the work front also means that many family visits are planned and each actor spends a fair bit of time canvassing their colleagues for good things to do with Mum & Dad, little sis or grandmas in tow. I reckon top vote must be riding on the launches around Derwent Water; possible and enjoyable in any weather. Unless there has been a 'heavy dew', rendering all the little wooden jetties unreachable. Friends are also emerging from the Penrith bus, having survived the train from London, to enjoy a little light theatre followed by in-depth analysis in the pub. Sometimes you really need to hear what an old show-biz chum thinks of a show. To then be able to show them round this fantastic part of the world is a great treat. Introducing them to the gang is also an essential undertaking, especially a very special bunch like this lot.
The term 'Heavy Dew' was first heard last week just South of Rydal Water in a very soggy field with a few hundred other fools. Quite a few of us in the cast are enjoying the tremendous number of dogs that are abound in these parts; so much so that several of us took ourselves to an international sheep-dog trial. I tell you, you haven't lived til you've seen a display of plain & carved shepherd's crooks! Seriously, the show was a delightful display of human kind, never mind the dogs on show. To add to all this excitement, who performed the best sheep-herding performance we saw? A shepherdess no less and all done in pouring rain. She managed to fetch, drive, gather and pen four reluctant sheep with the aid of trusty Meg. One-nil to the ladies.
Splendid sheep-related facts that we gleaned: don't try driving sheep through boggy or wet places; sheep that haven't been herded by dogs before are pretty useless; if you wish to applaud, please wait until the shepherd has finished.
Anyone who remembers watching One Man & His Dog would be fooled into thinking that sheep generally have some idea of what's needed of them. Many shepherds here were quite grumpy that the fell-sheep used were not fluent in Sheep Dog, resulting in quite a few stand-offs between hound and sheep and hardly a single successful penning. And that was in the experienced class! Crossing over to the novices and many contestants abandoned their attempts as they watched the dog disappear in the general direction of the sheep only to fail to reappear at all. Cue cries of, 'Fenton!!' Perhaps not. Most dogs had good solid names like Jess, Dot and Ted. I was greatly cheered to even see a Rover in the line up! You definitely do shepherding like you do acting- mostly for the love (allegedly!). The first prize for the experienced shepherd class? Forty quid. Barely covers the petrol driving there!
Back on to the subject of acting, everyone in the cast is also looking forward to the many writing projects that the theatre has picked from various sources for workshopping in September. These projects will include next year's premiere, to follow on the success of Roma & the Flanelettes.. a different author and secret title still to be officially unveiled so no more to be said about that here!
Right. It's another case of heavy dew out there. Time for a trip on our night off to the bright lights of Penrith and a bite to eat before a silly film. Then back to start another week and try not to think about how fast time is flying. Have I mentioned that I don't really want this to end??
Anyway, this time, we're in the rehearsal room rather cheekily doing Pilates classes. Owing to popular demand it's twice a week and an impressive amount of effort is being expended by all who attend. Regular updates then follow from folk feeling the ache the next day, all a sign that it's working. Expect all here to possess awesome abs by October! This desire to be in better shape unites all here, both those on-stage on off. Likewise there is a running group that is also getting together, meeting up to run several miles at 7.30 in the morning no less. Most unlike the generally perceived image of the typical British actor, always portrayed as being less fit than their American cousins! Then there are the keen bicyclers, kayakers, windsurfers and all the 'usual' walkers, striking out whenever the skies clear enough for it to be an enjoyable outing.
I suppose all this activity is somewhat offset by the many tempting varieties of ale, cheese, meat & cake on offer...
The fact that August is relatively quiet on the work front also means that many family visits are planned and each actor spends a fair bit of time canvassing their colleagues for good things to do with Mum & Dad, little sis or grandmas in tow. I reckon top vote must be riding on the launches around Derwent Water; possible and enjoyable in any weather. Unless there has been a 'heavy dew', rendering all the little wooden jetties unreachable. Friends are also emerging from the Penrith bus, having survived the train from London, to enjoy a little light theatre followed by in-depth analysis in the pub. Sometimes you really need to hear what an old show-biz chum thinks of a show. To then be able to show them round this fantastic part of the world is a great treat. Introducing them to the gang is also an essential undertaking, especially a very special bunch like this lot.
The term 'Heavy Dew' was first heard last week just South of Rydal Water in a very soggy field with a few hundred other fools. Quite a few of us in the cast are enjoying the tremendous number of dogs that are abound in these parts; so much so that several of us took ourselves to an international sheep-dog trial. I tell you, you haven't lived til you've seen a display of plain & carved shepherd's crooks! Seriously, the show was a delightful display of human kind, never mind the dogs on show. To add to all this excitement, who performed the best sheep-herding performance we saw? A shepherdess no less and all done in pouring rain. She managed to fetch, drive, gather and pen four reluctant sheep with the aid of trusty Meg. One-nil to the ladies.
Splendid sheep-related facts that we gleaned: don't try driving sheep through boggy or wet places; sheep that haven't been herded by dogs before are pretty useless; if you wish to applaud, please wait until the shepherd has finished.
Anyone who remembers watching One Man & His Dog would be fooled into thinking that sheep generally have some idea of what's needed of them. Many shepherds here were quite grumpy that the fell-sheep used were not fluent in Sheep Dog, resulting in quite a few stand-offs between hound and sheep and hardly a single successful penning. And that was in the experienced class! Crossing over to the novices and many contestants abandoned their attempts as they watched the dog disappear in the general direction of the sheep only to fail to reappear at all. Cue cries of, 'Fenton!!' Perhaps not. Most dogs had good solid names like Jess, Dot and Ted. I was greatly cheered to even see a Rover in the line up! You definitely do shepherding like you do acting- mostly for the love (allegedly!). The first prize for the experienced shepherd class? Forty quid. Barely covers the petrol driving there!
Back on to the subject of acting, everyone in the cast is also looking forward to the many writing projects that the theatre has picked from various sources for workshopping in September. These projects will include next year's premiere, to follow on the success of Roma & the Flanelettes.. a different author and secret title still to be officially unveiled so no more to be said about that here!
Right. It's another case of heavy dew out there. Time for a trip on our night off to the bright lights of Penrith and a bite to eat before a silly film. Then back to start another week and try not to think about how fast time is flying. Have I mentioned that I don't really want this to end??
Monday 13 August 2012
Week the Nineteenth: Something's Up.
Something odd happened here last week. The river dropped, the sky cleared, my laundry dried and everyone cheered up a lot. Yes indeed, the sun actually shone for several days, enabling the good ship TbtL and all who sail in her to jolly off to the seaside! We also discovered some of the most amazing wild swimming spots deep in the valleys of the Lakes.
The shows are starting to tick along, with only the occasional hiccup here and there; possibly a senior moment causes a line to come out a little oddly; perhaps a busier than usual social life leads an actor's mind astray mid-scene, causing a slight deviation from the script. From the outside of course, nothing seems awry, as the mind snaps back to attention and steers the slightly tired actor's brain back on to course. What always keeps live theatre alive for the true thespian is obviously the audience. Here in Keswick we get our fair share of lively folk coming to see our shows and their comments and reactions keep us well and truly on our toes and not thinking about how we'll spend our day off tomorrow. The majority are funny and delightful to share in the pub afterwards. For example in Bedroom Farce, the reappearance of my character Susannah at a crucially awful moment often incites cries of, "Oh crikey! She's back!" and "Uh-oh! Here's trouble!" as well as some audience members even finishing an actors' lines for them, which when it's a juicy punchline, can seem really harsh! I sense a strong need for a good old fashioned Pantomime here one Christmas.. In Dry Rot, a lovely sight gag was swiped from under an actor's feet as an audience member loudly told him what he was going to do next.. These things help keep us humble you know! You've got to love or at least accept this sort of thing is going to happen if you're in live performance. In the studio, where the audience sit opposite each other and where the lighting illuminates the two front rows, it can be quite challenging to keep on going when very vocal people come to a show; people for whom day to day reality has become a challenge. Who are we to question the motives of someone who wants to bring a family member to a show with for example, advanced Alzheimer's disease? The disturbance sometimes caused by someone with such a distressing condition getting loudly and visibly upset can be very pronounced, causing the audience around to get restless and actors to lose their way.. We still have to carry on and trust that somebody 'outside' of the performers is keeping an eye on proceedings. That can seem very callous, but that is how it is in the world of Show. The other things that can keep us on our toes in both spaces can also be exterior noise and that again is where we have to trust that the audience who can also hear the superfluous noise don't mind it. Little London fringe venues are typical in this case, where every night of the week audiences are paying to watch, for example a restoration drama whilst a loud pub quiz is conducted in the rooms below and police sirens are heard all around. These are times when the 'Fourth Wall' seems a flimsy little tissue indeed! I've done more than my fair share of jobs where the sound of people using the toilets in the pub below can be very clearly heard throughout the performance. Very clearly. I've said it before, it's a glamorous old game this business.
We have our matinee this week of Bedroom Farce and the weeks ahead bring visits from family and friends making the most of the August break. Needless to say, the weather is heading back to its default setting and it's time once more to put the summer frocks and sun cream away and on with the waterproofs. Bah humbug. An ideal time to get down to some serious reading of the books long neglected and even a read of the novel selected for next season's TbtL proposed world premiere..
The shows are starting to tick along, with only the occasional hiccup here and there; possibly a senior moment causes a line to come out a little oddly; perhaps a busier than usual social life leads an actor's mind astray mid-scene, causing a slight deviation from the script. From the outside of course, nothing seems awry, as the mind snaps back to attention and steers the slightly tired actor's brain back on to course. What always keeps live theatre alive for the true thespian is obviously the audience. Here in Keswick we get our fair share of lively folk coming to see our shows and their comments and reactions keep us well and truly on our toes and not thinking about how we'll spend our day off tomorrow. The majority are funny and delightful to share in the pub afterwards. For example in Bedroom Farce, the reappearance of my character Susannah at a crucially awful moment often incites cries of, "Oh crikey! She's back!" and "Uh-oh! Here's trouble!" as well as some audience members even finishing an actors' lines for them, which when it's a juicy punchline, can seem really harsh! I sense a strong need for a good old fashioned Pantomime here one Christmas.. In Dry Rot, a lovely sight gag was swiped from under an actor's feet as an audience member loudly told him what he was going to do next.. These things help keep us humble you know! You've got to love or at least accept this sort of thing is going to happen if you're in live performance. In the studio, where the audience sit opposite each other and where the lighting illuminates the two front rows, it can be quite challenging to keep on going when very vocal people come to a show; people for whom day to day reality has become a challenge. Who are we to question the motives of someone who wants to bring a family member to a show with for example, advanced Alzheimer's disease? The disturbance sometimes caused by someone with such a distressing condition getting loudly and visibly upset can be very pronounced, causing the audience around to get restless and actors to lose their way.. We still have to carry on and trust that somebody 'outside' of the performers is keeping an eye on proceedings. That can seem very callous, but that is how it is in the world of Show. The other things that can keep us on our toes in both spaces can also be exterior noise and that again is where we have to trust that the audience who can also hear the superfluous noise don't mind it. Little London fringe venues are typical in this case, where every night of the week audiences are paying to watch, for example a restoration drama whilst a loud pub quiz is conducted in the rooms below and police sirens are heard all around. These are times when the 'Fourth Wall' seems a flimsy little tissue indeed! I've done more than my fair share of jobs where the sound of people using the toilets in the pub below can be very clearly heard throughout the performance. Very clearly. I've said it before, it's a glamorous old game this business.
We have our matinee this week of Bedroom Farce and the weeks ahead bring visits from family and friends making the most of the August break. Needless to say, the weather is heading back to its default setting and it's time once more to put the summer frocks and sun cream away and on with the waterproofs. Bah humbug. An ideal time to get down to some serious reading of the books long neglected and even a read of the novel selected for next season's TbtL proposed world premiere..
Monday 6 August 2012
Week 18: Achieving a Work:Life Balance
It's here! It's time at last for all six shows and he actors in them to settle in to some kind of routine and for our days to be ours to do as we wish, with the punctuation of a matinee here and there on alternate Wednesdays. What to do? Aside from sitting in front of the telly and watching team GB land a load more medals that is. Jaded big city types are probably wondering how we'll stave off boredom in a small town tucked in to this creased and bumpy landscape soaked all too often by rain. Silence those cynical voices! Time will fly as we all try to squeeze in: ukulele lessons ( George Banks as tutor), play readings ( Chris Hannon, writer), walks ( there are over 200 Wainwright walks in the Lakes alone), Tai Chi ( Maggie Tagney leading) & Pilates classes ( me having a go), trips to the seaside, barbecues, World of Owls, which I think I may have mentioned before; the museums both of Pencils and Mining ( yes! both in Keswick town!), Trotters' World of Animals ( an actual petting zoo- Jess Ellis take note!), sheepdog trials, Scotland just over the way..Which to do first? There are also those with their own particular hobbies like wild swimming (Zoe Mills), horse riding (Nicky Goldie), zorbing and kayaking ( Company stage manager Jo and lighting technologist Sanne to name but a few) . Add to that a 'Herman' or friendship cake mix that's going round, which means time put aside for cake baking and sharing.. .Two members of the cast plan to learn to drive while here.. Looking out of the window I think they might be better off buying a boat.
Now before you start to wonder what has happened with the consummate professionalism that I have written about over the previous weeks and months, let me reassure you that the shows do not slip into the back seat become box-ticking exercises, oh no! Walk into the green room before the half, after the warm-up and you will find folk discussing how they can make new changes to find something exciting in a scene or get a new audience reaction. This is all about keeping it fresh in our minds and thus fresh for the audience. This bunch of people are a bit special like that. I don't care how many times I write this, it's true: Theatre by the Lake has put together a really top crowd for the 2012 summer season. Despite the venerable age of some of our party ( mentioning no names, ha ha ), jaded cynicism does not come into the building. Trust me there are a lot out there who by now would be grumbling about being bored etc. Not this lot. As a result our shows are, as one lady said to us the other night after a show, better than Chichester Festival Theatre no less! The mixed schedule keeps every show feeling new anyway; no rut can possibly be settled into when you have different plays on from week to week. By now, we have started to find the very particular way to prepare for each play that you need when doing two shows here, one show there. Initially here in repertory land you do crave the consistent burn of a single play's schedule, the luxury of exploring the same world night after night. This process however, actually frees you up in a different way once you pass the point of opening the last show and you find yourself discovering stuff each time because you are probably freer, having less time to worry over things.
So now to dash off to the theatre and see what thrilling leisure activities have been pinned up on the notice board in the green room where previously rehearsal schedules were scrutinised! Any chance it could stop raining so we can go outside?
Now before you start to wonder what has happened with the consummate professionalism that I have written about over the previous weeks and months, let me reassure you that the shows do not slip into the back seat become box-ticking exercises, oh no! Walk into the green room before the half, after the warm-up and you will find folk discussing how they can make new changes to find something exciting in a scene or get a new audience reaction. This is all about keeping it fresh in our minds and thus fresh for the audience. This bunch of people are a bit special like that. I don't care how many times I write this, it's true: Theatre by the Lake has put together a really top crowd for the 2012 summer season. Despite the venerable age of some of our party ( mentioning no names, ha ha ), jaded cynicism does not come into the building. Trust me there are a lot out there who by now would be grumbling about being bored etc. Not this lot. As a result our shows are, as one lady said to us the other night after a show, better than Chichester Festival Theatre no less! The mixed schedule keeps every show feeling new anyway; no rut can possibly be settled into when you have different plays on from week to week. By now, we have started to find the very particular way to prepare for each play that you need when doing two shows here, one show there. Initially here in repertory land you do crave the consistent burn of a single play's schedule, the luxury of exploring the same world night after night. This process however, actually frees you up in a different way once you pass the point of opening the last show and you find yourself discovering stuff each time because you are probably freer, having less time to worry over things.
So now to dash off to the theatre and see what thrilling leisure activities have been pinned up on the notice board in the green room where previously rehearsal schedules were scrutinised! Any chance it could stop raining so we can go outside?
Monday 30 July 2012
A World Premiere and Beyond..
Whew. What a week. A world premiere is a bit of a beast at times. Untested in front of an audience, the team often up the pressure to ensure that things do go as well as possible when all is finally unveiled. On this occasion, it meant running the play six times in three days which felt like cruel and unusual punishment at times but which meant that it was thoroughly in our memories by the time we reached Saturday night, at which point of course, we said goodbye to that play for almost a week! Our director knew that and knew how important it was to have the play run in as much as possible, so now we forgive him the harsh few days. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, eh?
The audiences so far seem to love the show which is all that matters at the end of the day & bookings are going thick & fast for the next few weeks. As word of mouth kicks in we should be doing great business for the Theatre by the Lake!
Now of course we actually begin the repertory in full flood. Three plays now all up and running and rotating in a merry whirl. Anyone actually know what's on when? I've taken to carrying a programme with me everywhere as trying to remember in my case just leads to much dithering & confusion.. Basically with three options to play with, we now have a schedule that runs in a three-weekly cycle, to allow most choice for visiting audiences, as the bulk of folk turn up from far afield for a week's holiday. The clever people at the theatre have thought this through, trust me folks.
This week, because of the past two weeks having been dedicated solely to the last plays in our cannon, we have refresher runs to remind us of the other worlds we left behind before tech weeks, as well as our first matinee on Wednesday. Today for example, we are performing Bedroom Farce in the morning then watching Doll's House do their refresher in costume this afternoon before performing Bedroom Farce to a live audience tonight. Then it's into Dry Rot country tomorrow.. so no rest for the wicked. We must have been really bad!
Watching Doll's House this afternoon will complete all the pieces in the jigsaw for me, filling in the gap of what exactly that cast has been up to creating that show while we were busy rehearsing Bedroom Farce. Great things have been said about it; I can't wait to see it. We had the Great Expectations crowd in watching one of our dress rehearsals and it was lovely to hear them chuckling away and then hearing their response afterwards. This bunch of people have become very important to all of us; we get along very well, something you can't guarantee and which doesn't happen that often in this funny old game. We are very lucky, very lucky indeed.
From here on the journey changes through August's relative calm towards the new projects to be explored and workshopped with the theatre's new writing team as well as personal projects that members of the cast have brought along to road test in readings.
Somewhere in all this, we are all promising to organise days out walking, rowing, sailing etc etc.
At this rate, November 10th will be here all too soon!
The audiences so far seem to love the show which is all that matters at the end of the day & bookings are going thick & fast for the next few weeks. As word of mouth kicks in we should be doing great business for the Theatre by the Lake!
Now of course we actually begin the repertory in full flood. Three plays now all up and running and rotating in a merry whirl. Anyone actually know what's on when? I've taken to carrying a programme with me everywhere as trying to remember in my case just leads to much dithering & confusion.. Basically with three options to play with, we now have a schedule that runs in a three-weekly cycle, to allow most choice for visiting audiences, as the bulk of folk turn up from far afield for a week's holiday. The clever people at the theatre have thought this through, trust me folks.
This week, because of the past two weeks having been dedicated solely to the last plays in our cannon, we have refresher runs to remind us of the other worlds we left behind before tech weeks, as well as our first matinee on Wednesday. Today for example, we are performing Bedroom Farce in the morning then watching Doll's House do their refresher in costume this afternoon before performing Bedroom Farce to a live audience tonight. Then it's into Dry Rot country tomorrow.. so no rest for the wicked. We must have been really bad!
Watching Doll's House this afternoon will complete all the pieces in the jigsaw for me, filling in the gap of what exactly that cast has been up to creating that show while we were busy rehearsing Bedroom Farce. Great things have been said about it; I can't wait to see it. We had the Great Expectations crowd in watching one of our dress rehearsals and it was lovely to hear them chuckling away and then hearing their response afterwards. This bunch of people have become very important to all of us; we get along very well, something you can't guarantee and which doesn't happen that often in this funny old game. We are very lucky, very lucky indeed.
From here on the journey changes through August's relative calm towards the new projects to be explored and workshopped with the theatre's new writing team as well as personal projects that members of the cast have brought along to road test in readings.
Somewhere in all this, we are all promising to organise days out walking, rowing, sailing etc etc.
At this rate, November 10th will be here all too soon!
Sunday 22 July 2012
The Final Push for the Studio and Beyond..
Sunday morning and the close of a week of final rehearsals for the new studio play. We have run it three times in quick succession and now can collect our thoughts for the tech week and the promise of real live audiences by the week's end. We've passed the writer's test, he seemed happy, crying like a good 'un through our first run! Of course we mustn't forget our special secret invited audience for our dress rehearsal comprising our colleagues from the land of Dickens. That is quite frightening to think about too much! In the studio, you are up close and personal with the audience; there's no getting away from who they are and where they are and as we all know each other really well by now, you will hear a familiar laugh or similar reaction and for a second you might get distracted from the task in hand! Roma & the Flanellettes asks a lot of the actors involved; there's a whole heap of tough subject matter and big emotional baggage to carry around- for some more than others - and the nature of the piece means that there's no relaxing even for a second inside that, because then the ball gets dropped as we say in the trade! There's quite a bit of vital body minerals to replace at the end of a run..and lots of strategically placed boxes of tissues behind the scenes. That all starts to sound a little off-colour. It's not meant to put anyone off, just paint a picture of how things are in this particular story. Of course it's a world premiere, so that might mean that those reviewers down there in that there London might actually get on their bikes and come and see the wonderful stuff we're turning out here in the Lakes. They tend to have all sorts of convenient excuses as to why they don't bother to come to see shows more than a stone's throw from Drury Lane..Still: what counts are the very happy folk in the audience and it seems that Keswick can thrive without worrying about what critic has written what about who, which is how it should be! I'm one of a growing number of actors who do not read reviews. Somebody clever once wrote about how a brilliant review can harm an actor's performance- it isn't just about being frightened of reading something awful that someone has written about you, oh no. If you are made too aware from an external point of view about a particular moment, because a reviewer has raved about it, you can end up trying to recreate that moment and of course, failing! The basic fact is that reviews are not written for us but for the theatre-goer, so another reason not to read them. Oh, and the fact that often the person writing them is a twerp who wouldn't know a decent bit of acting if it bit him on the bum. Bitter? Moi? Certainly not.
One other minor event to cover this week I suppose is the main house opening of Great Expectations, which we attended on Friday night. The theatre was packed and the show was beautiful. The actors 'up there' who we were all rooting for as you'd expect, didn't disappoint and for their second only public performance of an ambitious adaptation of a great novel, it was a splendid sight to see. What better thing in a summer rep company than to get your actors all playing different parts within the same play? Like the five-hander Shakespeare tours I've done where you each play four characters, some of whom must eventually meet, there are inevitably going to be times in Great Expectations when a particular actor is going to have to change in front of your eyes into someone else. On a sixpence. How will they do it? Suddenly it happens and the simple inventiveness delights everyone. You hear the collective intake of breath from 380 people. It can't be beat! Hats off to all who put it together and all who played. Read more about the creative team on TbtL's website!
Off now for a bit of r & r, or washing & cleaning the flat that has become a morass of filth. At least the sun's out and I can get my laundry dry in a day. Glamorous business this world of show. Ttfn.
One other minor event to cover this week I suppose is the main house opening of Great Expectations, which we attended on Friday night. The theatre was packed and the show was beautiful. The actors 'up there' who we were all rooting for as you'd expect, didn't disappoint and for their second only public performance of an ambitious adaptation of a great novel, it was a splendid sight to see. What better thing in a summer rep company than to get your actors all playing different parts within the same play? Like the five-hander Shakespeare tours I've done where you each play four characters, some of whom must eventually meet, there are inevitably going to be times in Great Expectations when a particular actor is going to have to change in front of your eyes into someone else. On a sixpence. How will they do it? Suddenly it happens and the simple inventiveness delights everyone. You hear the collective intake of breath from 380 people. It can't be beat! Hats off to all who put it together and all who played. Read more about the creative team on TbtL's website!
Off now for a bit of r & r, or washing & cleaning the flat that has become a morass of filth. At least the sun's out and I can get my laundry dry in a day. Glamorous business this world of show. Ttfn.
Monday 16 July 2012
Tech The Third Beckons...
Well, well, well. Here we are at the end of July and the cautionary words of our leader, Ian Forrest back in May rise up from the memory and smack us in the face. He said we'd be tired and he wasn't wrong. The thing is, anyone who has lived a bit, worked a bit and travelled a bit has experienced tiredness. So you think you know every kind of tiredness. Had to wait in an airport for a missing flight? Had to go without kip for a teething baby? Been kidnapped and chained to a radiator? ( too much?) Ok maybe I have gone too far using those metaphors, but relatively, the way everyone is feeling right now compared to three months ago, folk are pretty much at full stretch, even perhaps breaking point. If tempers are going to fray, my money is on them fraying sometime in the next ten days! We were warned about this tiredness and still we choose to go out for a beer or two, head off into those hills for a spot of fell-walking, go visit friends & family on our one day off. Strangely it would seem that we always have to find out for ourselves about the blooming obvious instead of taking someone's word for it even someone who knows from lengthy experience.. I don't know! Ian must despair of us lot at times!
Saturday night we bade farewell to Bedroom Farce and Doll's House for two weeks and settled in to the final technical phase of our Summer 2012 season.
The Great Expectations set has gone up and is now looming in the main house in all its Gothicky finery. I snuck in to have a peep and watched as the lighting effects were being added and played with. It looks incredible and I can't wait to see my talented chums get on it and bring Dickens' splendid story to life.
On a far more minimal but no less exciting platform, Roma & the Flanellettes is now being rehearsed for full 8 hour days this week. Suddenly in this marathon stint at TbtL, we in the studio show find ourselves with our evenings off, as the production team all focus on pulling the main house show together and we get to have a final week's work to fine-tune the new play that has yet to be tested in front of an audience. So, the plus side, we have some free evenings; on the downside, we're back to 10 o'clock starts. Swings and roundabouts ( Actors always have to have something to complain about!). We've recorded our Motown songs and they've been mixed beautifully by Matt Hall at the theatre. Young Jess Ellis as Delie would give any X-Factor finalist a run for their money singing A Love Like Yours and Nicky, Steven & I do a pretty decent job backing her up even if I say so myself. I have a whole new respect for backing vocalists after this experience. Unsung heroes and heroines of a good pop song!
Today we had our final costume fittings and finally got to see our Flanellettes group costumes. I think show-stopping is a fitting description...! Our designer Thomasin Marshall has done a great job plotting how each character looks throughout the play and has taken all our concerns and ideas on board gladly. Her inspiration for the karaoke costumes came from a group called the Marvellettes; check them out on Google images! We can now picture ourselves more fully in the world of Roma; costumes take on a new importance in traverse or theatre-in-the-round productions, where the three-dimensions of a proscenium arch is missing. For my character, as an outsider, I really wanted to feel that she would look like that and that her clothing would evolve as her story changed. I think we got that right today, which is just grand.
So two good full days ahead for us to go over the play in detail before our first run on Thursday. All will I am sure be well. Ever so slightly nervous of performing it in front of the writer and our colleagues before going into the studio space and our tech next week.
I keep thinking of that calming piece by Julian of Norwich; 'All shall be well and all shall be well & all manner of things shall be well'. Or words to that effect!
It'll be alright on the night.
To all my esteemed colleagues, toi toi toi.
Saturday night we bade farewell to Bedroom Farce and Doll's House for two weeks and settled in to the final technical phase of our Summer 2012 season.
The Great Expectations set has gone up and is now looming in the main house in all its Gothicky finery. I snuck in to have a peep and watched as the lighting effects were being added and played with. It looks incredible and I can't wait to see my talented chums get on it and bring Dickens' splendid story to life.
On a far more minimal but no less exciting platform, Roma & the Flanellettes is now being rehearsed for full 8 hour days this week. Suddenly in this marathon stint at TbtL, we in the studio show find ourselves with our evenings off, as the production team all focus on pulling the main house show together and we get to have a final week's work to fine-tune the new play that has yet to be tested in front of an audience. So, the plus side, we have some free evenings; on the downside, we're back to 10 o'clock starts. Swings and roundabouts ( Actors always have to have something to complain about!). We've recorded our Motown songs and they've been mixed beautifully by Matt Hall at the theatre. Young Jess Ellis as Delie would give any X-Factor finalist a run for their money singing A Love Like Yours and Nicky, Steven & I do a pretty decent job backing her up even if I say so myself. I have a whole new respect for backing vocalists after this experience. Unsung heroes and heroines of a good pop song!
Today we had our final costume fittings and finally got to see our Flanellettes group costumes. I think show-stopping is a fitting description...! Our designer Thomasin Marshall has done a great job plotting how each character looks throughout the play and has taken all our concerns and ideas on board gladly. Her inspiration for the karaoke costumes came from a group called the Marvellettes; check them out on Google images! We can now picture ourselves more fully in the world of Roma; costumes take on a new importance in traverse or theatre-in-the-round productions, where the three-dimensions of a proscenium arch is missing. For my character, as an outsider, I really wanted to feel that she would look like that and that her clothing would evolve as her story changed. I think we got that right today, which is just grand.
So two good full days ahead for us to go over the play in detail before our first run on Thursday. All will I am sure be well. Ever so slightly nervous of performing it in front of the writer and our colleagues before going into the studio space and our tech next week.
I keep thinking of that calming piece by Julian of Norwich; 'All shall be well and all shall be well & all manner of things shall be well'. Or words to that effect!
It'll be alright on the night.
To all my esteemed colleagues, toi toi toi.
Monday 9 July 2012
Stop Counting Already!
That's it. I can't keep counting the weeks now, it just makes me come over all peculiar and unnecessary; especially as I have started to get enquiries from the world outside about my availability in November which doesn't bear thinking about right now. This action-packed schedule has meant not only scrambled brains, but that also our token day of leisure can simply become a day of frantic 'enforced' enjoyment, as you think of the immersive week ahead and all that is still to be learned and remembered, as well as the acting that goes on top of those basics. You want to make the most of this lovely day of freedom, but what to do? Choices choices.
It's easy to feel torn between high-tailing it first thing on a Sunday morning, heading for a high hill somewhere for a long day's adventure and doing all the other things that 'normal' folk take for granted; go to the pictures, a country fair, watch the tennis/ alternative major sporting event of the day, get rained on up a hill, barbecue etc etc. I might be going on rather a lot about this, but we are very much in a hot-house kind of bubble in this summer season thingy and the edges can get a bit blurred. Reality can feel a long way off. It's a rarefied atmosphere without a doubt. I use the hot house term without a hint of irony, as we squelch our way through a truly soggy July, tussling with the vital sartorial question of what to wear when being rained on almost constantly, while inside any sensible rain garment, you heat up to about 24 degrees. Now that we have dressing rooms we do at least have somewhere to stash a change of clothing, dry off after another near-drowning and prepare to run about in a nice hot building, so a degree of composure can be restored.
The tunnel of play number three is proving long and a little tortuous in places, but again you find yourself checking off the plus points:
I am working.
In a beautiful part of the world.
With one of the best bunches of people I have ever worked with.
I'm loving performing in two fab shows.
My digs are glorious.
There are excellent tea shops everywhere.
Not that bad then really.
So into this fourth week of rehearsal for Roma & the Flanellettes and we are knuckling down to the final learn which is inevitable in a new play as rewrites pop back and forth between writer & cast. We have been really lucky to get into the studio space to rehearse and to feel the banks of seats on two sides, which is so easy to forget about when in the upstairs foyer! We are much more at home in the space now and are working to open the show out, while enjoying the intimacy that a small performance space can bring. This week we get to record some of the key Motown tracks featured in the show. A little light fun was had last week with a BBC Cumbria recording of excerpts from David Ward's book Noisy Owls & Dead Nuns about funny show reports from the theatre. If the powers-that-be like the article, it may end up on Radio 4 Today Programme no less! These show reports are brief summaries of every show intended for the director, including a summary of anything out of the ordinary or off-script that can sometimes occur- like the jammed door in Dry Rot, or an audience member getting involved in a show like last week in Bedroom Farce. Someone in the audience had clearly been in a production at some time and was to be heard quoting loudly at key moments and at one point uttered the punchline to a joke that Jessica Ellis should have said first. Much to her disgust! We have our own spy onstage in Bedroom Farce in the shape of Adrian Metcalfe who as Nick has the unenviable task of lying onstage all night. So he has to find ways to entertain himself! Many of the TbtL show reports seem to feature consummate professional Peter McQueen who appears to have got up to all sorts here over the years, a lot of it involving his trousers or undergarments. I'm saying nothing. Buy the book!
It's easy to feel torn between high-tailing it first thing on a Sunday morning, heading for a high hill somewhere for a long day's adventure and doing all the other things that 'normal' folk take for granted; go to the pictures, a country fair, watch the tennis/ alternative major sporting event of the day, get rained on up a hill, barbecue etc etc. I might be going on rather a lot about this, but we are very much in a hot-house kind of bubble in this summer season thingy and the edges can get a bit blurred. Reality can feel a long way off. It's a rarefied atmosphere without a doubt. I use the hot house term without a hint of irony, as we squelch our way through a truly soggy July, tussling with the vital sartorial question of what to wear when being rained on almost constantly, while inside any sensible rain garment, you heat up to about 24 degrees. Now that we have dressing rooms we do at least have somewhere to stash a change of clothing, dry off after another near-drowning and prepare to run about in a nice hot building, so a degree of composure can be restored.
The tunnel of play number three is proving long and a little tortuous in places, but again you find yourself checking off the plus points:
I am working.
In a beautiful part of the world.
With one of the best bunches of people I have ever worked with.
I'm loving performing in two fab shows.
My digs are glorious.
There are excellent tea shops everywhere.
Not that bad then really.
So into this fourth week of rehearsal for Roma & the Flanellettes and we are knuckling down to the final learn which is inevitable in a new play as rewrites pop back and forth between writer & cast. We have been really lucky to get into the studio space to rehearse and to feel the banks of seats on two sides, which is so easy to forget about when in the upstairs foyer! We are much more at home in the space now and are working to open the show out, while enjoying the intimacy that a small performance space can bring. This week we get to record some of the key Motown tracks featured in the show. A little light fun was had last week with a BBC Cumbria recording of excerpts from David Ward's book Noisy Owls & Dead Nuns about funny show reports from the theatre. If the powers-that-be like the article, it may end up on Radio 4 Today Programme no less! These show reports are brief summaries of every show intended for the director, including a summary of anything out of the ordinary or off-script that can sometimes occur- like the jammed door in Dry Rot, or an audience member getting involved in a show like last week in Bedroom Farce. Someone in the audience had clearly been in a production at some time and was to be heard quoting loudly at key moments and at one point uttered the punchline to a joke that Jessica Ellis should have said first. Much to her disgust! We have our own spy onstage in Bedroom Farce in the shape of Adrian Metcalfe who as Nick has the unenviable task of lying onstage all night. So he has to find ways to entertain himself! Many of the TbtL show reports seem to feature consummate professional Peter McQueen who appears to have got up to all sorts here over the years, a lot of it involving his trousers or undergarments. I'm saying nothing. Buy the book!
Monday 2 July 2012
Week Fourteen: Getting Off the Book
So week fourteen and we go into the big learn for the two remaining Summer 2012 shows, when everyone gets down once more to their own particular way of fixing their part into their heads. At the same time we also marvel at how the shows currently up & running can still seem surprising and/or scary to us depending on their place in the schedule. We know these parts full well and have the moves all set in our heads too, but the experience keeps changing, making you sometimes feel baffled with this thing you apparently know so well. These 'run in' plays are now at a stage where normally when doing just the one show, fresh ideas spring up during performance. Our rehearsal schedule means that you might not remember that fresh idea once you step off stage, because your head is whirling with lots of other things from that day's rehearsal of play three. Actors are a hungry bunch, we want to keep fine-tuning our scenes together, finding better or different ways to reach our characters' story, not get stale. To keep playing. We look forward to getting play number three up and having time to reflect on all three plays and the moments when we'd like to make a different choice.
On top of that, we're also finding our own way to reintroduce ourselves to whichever play we're doing for the first time in days. The performance that feels oddest for me is the Saturday night stand-alone of either Dry Rot or Bedroom Farce, when the memory of the other show performed over the past two days hangs on and leaves you feeling woefully underprepared! I find myself looking at my much-battered and written-on script for Bedroom Farce, something I haven't done in all my days as an actor at this stage in a show's life. Normally, the physical script is deliberately left aside as you go into running and running a play. In this bonkers schedule I find it helps me 'kick in' to the right place, although I'm still fine-tuning this process, the need differs from part to part. Weird.
The key differences between the Roma cast and the Great Expectations cast with learning parts is that the other guys are all talking diagrams and crib sheets. It seems that their world is much more 3-D than ours in Roma. No huge shock, it is a Neil Bartlett adaptation and he loves his physical theatre interactive stuff. In Great Expectations, the way the actors interact with their set is as much a part of the learning for them as their lines. In Roma which is much more naturalistic, I must admit to still struggling with how to note my place on the stage, as we are on a traverse stage, decorated with identical chairs at all four corners. It's not helped by the fact that every time my character is in a scene it says, 'Jean, (seated)'. Hmm. I've taken to giving either end of the space a name, but fear not, on the night and in the space, all will be much clearer than it is in the rehearsal room! We have the pleasure of rehearsing in the upper bar of the theatre, which we can't mark up as you would in the rehearsal room. The brilliant stage management heft all props & set into the bar and heft it all back out again every day. Amazing work.
As well as the particular demands of the different productions actors, like students sitting exams can have their own preferred way of fixing a part in their head. I have sometimes felt the need to see all my cues and lines on one piece of paper; either with the world's smallest hand-writing ( a labour of love in itself) or a massive sheet of A1. A task that might be terrifying you then can become manageable. You don't wander about with a massive sheet of paper in front of your face obviously; by this stage it has become a reinforcement that you do actually know what you're doing! A really handy bit of homework!
While all this is going on the Olympic torch came trotting through Keswick town centre, so of course we had our rehearsal time adjusted to allow us all to scamper across town to wave at it. It's good to be reminded of what's going on outside the bubble that is TbtL mid-rehearsal/run. Someone was overheard in the greenroom a few days ago saying that he felt like he'd only ever had this job; that somehow all this endeavor here had erased his entire cv out of his head.. it can do that to your brain this mullarkey. We were warned about this..
On top of that, we're also finding our own way to reintroduce ourselves to whichever play we're doing for the first time in days. The performance that feels oddest for me is the Saturday night stand-alone of either Dry Rot or Bedroom Farce, when the memory of the other show performed over the past two days hangs on and leaves you feeling woefully underprepared! I find myself looking at my much-battered and written-on script for Bedroom Farce, something I haven't done in all my days as an actor at this stage in a show's life. Normally, the physical script is deliberately left aside as you go into running and running a play. In this bonkers schedule I find it helps me 'kick in' to the right place, although I'm still fine-tuning this process, the need differs from part to part. Weird.
The key differences between the Roma cast and the Great Expectations cast with learning parts is that the other guys are all talking diagrams and crib sheets. It seems that their world is much more 3-D than ours in Roma. No huge shock, it is a Neil Bartlett adaptation and he loves his physical theatre interactive stuff. In Great Expectations, the way the actors interact with their set is as much a part of the learning for them as their lines. In Roma which is much more naturalistic, I must admit to still struggling with how to note my place on the stage, as we are on a traverse stage, decorated with identical chairs at all four corners. It's not helped by the fact that every time my character is in a scene it says, 'Jean, (seated)'. Hmm. I've taken to giving either end of the space a name, but fear not, on the night and in the space, all will be much clearer than it is in the rehearsal room! We have the pleasure of rehearsing in the upper bar of the theatre, which we can't mark up as you would in the rehearsal room. The brilliant stage management heft all props & set into the bar and heft it all back out again every day. Amazing work.
As well as the particular demands of the different productions actors, like students sitting exams can have their own preferred way of fixing a part in their head. I have sometimes felt the need to see all my cues and lines on one piece of paper; either with the world's smallest hand-writing ( a labour of love in itself) or a massive sheet of A1. A task that might be terrifying you then can become manageable. You don't wander about with a massive sheet of paper in front of your face obviously; by this stage it has become a reinforcement that you do actually know what you're doing! A really handy bit of homework!
While all this is going on the Olympic torch came trotting through Keswick town centre, so of course we had our rehearsal time adjusted to allow us all to scamper across town to wave at it. It's good to be reminded of what's going on outside the bubble that is TbtL mid-rehearsal/run. Someone was overheard in the greenroom a few days ago saying that he felt like he'd only ever had this job; that somehow all this endeavor here had erased his entire cv out of his head.. it can do that to your brain this mullarkey. We were warned about this..
Sunday 24 June 2012
Week Thirteen: Unlucky for some..?
Now there are those in this funny old business who believe firmly in never mentioning that Scottish play, or whistling backstage, or wearing green on a Wednesday or what have you, and those who think that all those funny foibles are just that. Foibles. This week however, perhaps even the most skeptical viewpoints were challenged, as in both Bedroom Farce and Dry Rot things went awry.. and in Dry Rot's case, not only in the thirteenth week but on the thirteenth show too..! I mentioned the Bedroom Farce upset last time, but bear with me if I repeat myself a bit here.
For Bedroom Farcers, we experienced collapse of the sound effects speaker at a crucial point where telephones need to ring, allowing characters to speak to one another. As it's live theatre, it means we're standing very close to one another and could quite easily wander over to have that conversation or simply shout. But we're not in reality, we're playing through walls and over distances. So, what to do? Does the actor 'dialling' decide to make a ringing noise? Or maybe the person at the other end where the actual ringing should be coming from? What if they both decide to and the whole stage erupts in bad telephone impressions? Panic starts to set in. Thankfully it all worked out just fine, with much quick thinking by our Stage Manager Daisy & George Banks who best placed to frantically make something up while the problem was solved! He figured out that only his character could feasibly go off to find out the problem, whilst covering his absence with convincing noises and the odd improvised line that made it all pretty 'normal' to the audience. As for Jessica Ellis suddenly left onstage without her 'hubby', clutching a phone that wouldn't ring, well, that's showbiz! Thankfully she could see the funny side of it all and also is a real professional, going with whatever George shouted from the wings and keeping calm... You can suddenly see where farces come from, especially ones like Noises Off and silly books like The Art of Coarse Acting. There are two kinds of actor when it comes to things like that too. Those who take themselves and this business far too seriously and who would never be seen dead reading a book like that. You have guessed I am not in that camp dear reader! Honestly if you don't laugh at these things that go on you will go bonkers crazy! So much is out of your control in live theatre, that it is best to trust it will all work out in the end!
The Dry Rot kerfuffle began early on in the play, when the beautiful front door of the Bull & Cow hotel, upstage and centre, failed to open. Stuck fast. A little crucial in a farce about lots of comings and goings, eh? In a farce, doors have to open & close and trousers have to come down on cue. That's not too much to ask is it? The splendid James Duke was onstage at the time, awaiting the arrival of Flash Harry played by the equally splendid Nicholas Goode, while the rollicking ( yes, and splendid) Chris Hannon was busy being 'drunk' on the floor. Nicholas dutifully tried to enter through the aforementioned door, failed, so knocked hard, only to have James shout, "It's locked!" Those immortal yet unscripted lines had us all backstage scuttling to the monitors to see what had happened. A ghastly silence ensued as realisation sank in all round. At this point, all the options open to an actor don't always appear as logically as they would in any other walk of life. The collision between a practical problem and the need to keep playing the fictional reality can result in interesting outcomes. The kitchen door was clearly not an option, nor the dining room door as both are interior. The garden door was a possibility, but if your character never uses it, it can fail to register on the radar. So, instead, the best idea settled on by all parties behind the scenes was the nearest- the secret panel,-which Flash is not supposed to have any idea of. Cue much confusion as lines had to be made up to explain the anomaly. Thankfully, Nick, James & Chris had great fun improvising cheeky little lines to one another ( and the bemused audience) to tie up loose ends as it became clear that the door was utterly jiggered and the show this time, couldn't go on. At this point, on comes the lovely Jo Jones, company stage manager, I hoped, to deliver the line, " Is there a joiner in the house?" but sadly not. She announced a pause in proceedings to attempt a repair. Having stopped the show, the doughty stage crew did their best to rectify the matter but had in the end to dismantle the latch mechanism, leaving the door swinging gently in the breeze. At least getting the door open did get a round of applause! Now it's bad not being able to get on stage in a farce, it's just as bad not being able to have the element of surprise provided by a solid object that opens on a hinge. Thankfully, the interval wasn't far away and in that time, new door latches were tracked down & the door back to its previous opening & closing glory. Following that, a few cheeky improvised lines from the boys and on we went back on track!
So if there are any deities or spirits out there presiding over the world of show and all who sail in her, please let us get through the next few with just the usual scripted chaos and mayhem? Thanks.
Next week, we continue building the world of Roma & the Flanellettes, having been taught our choreography & our harmonies.. now just to find those characters and learn those lines..
For Bedroom Farcers, we experienced collapse of the sound effects speaker at a crucial point where telephones need to ring, allowing characters to speak to one another. As it's live theatre, it means we're standing very close to one another and could quite easily wander over to have that conversation or simply shout. But we're not in reality, we're playing through walls and over distances. So, what to do? Does the actor 'dialling' decide to make a ringing noise? Or maybe the person at the other end where the actual ringing should be coming from? What if they both decide to and the whole stage erupts in bad telephone impressions? Panic starts to set in. Thankfully it all worked out just fine, with much quick thinking by our Stage Manager Daisy & George Banks who best placed to frantically make something up while the problem was solved! He figured out that only his character could feasibly go off to find out the problem, whilst covering his absence with convincing noises and the odd improvised line that made it all pretty 'normal' to the audience. As for Jessica Ellis suddenly left onstage without her 'hubby', clutching a phone that wouldn't ring, well, that's showbiz! Thankfully she could see the funny side of it all and also is a real professional, going with whatever George shouted from the wings and keeping calm... You can suddenly see where farces come from, especially ones like Noises Off and silly books like The Art of Coarse Acting. There are two kinds of actor when it comes to things like that too. Those who take themselves and this business far too seriously and who would never be seen dead reading a book like that. You have guessed I am not in that camp dear reader! Honestly if you don't laugh at these things that go on you will go bonkers crazy! So much is out of your control in live theatre, that it is best to trust it will all work out in the end!
The Dry Rot kerfuffle began early on in the play, when the beautiful front door of the Bull & Cow hotel, upstage and centre, failed to open. Stuck fast. A little crucial in a farce about lots of comings and goings, eh? In a farce, doors have to open & close and trousers have to come down on cue. That's not too much to ask is it? The splendid James Duke was onstage at the time, awaiting the arrival of Flash Harry played by the equally splendid Nicholas Goode, while the rollicking ( yes, and splendid) Chris Hannon was busy being 'drunk' on the floor. Nicholas dutifully tried to enter through the aforementioned door, failed, so knocked hard, only to have James shout, "It's locked!" Those immortal yet unscripted lines had us all backstage scuttling to the monitors to see what had happened. A ghastly silence ensued as realisation sank in all round. At this point, all the options open to an actor don't always appear as logically as they would in any other walk of life. The collision between a practical problem and the need to keep playing the fictional reality can result in interesting outcomes. The kitchen door was clearly not an option, nor the dining room door as both are interior. The garden door was a possibility, but if your character never uses it, it can fail to register on the radar. So, instead, the best idea settled on by all parties behind the scenes was the nearest- the secret panel,-which Flash is not supposed to have any idea of. Cue much confusion as lines had to be made up to explain the anomaly. Thankfully, Nick, James & Chris had great fun improvising cheeky little lines to one another ( and the bemused audience) to tie up loose ends as it became clear that the door was utterly jiggered and the show this time, couldn't go on. At this point, on comes the lovely Jo Jones, company stage manager, I hoped, to deliver the line, " Is there a joiner in the house?" but sadly not. She announced a pause in proceedings to attempt a repair. Having stopped the show, the doughty stage crew did their best to rectify the matter but had in the end to dismantle the latch mechanism, leaving the door swinging gently in the breeze. At least getting the door open did get a round of applause! Now it's bad not being able to get on stage in a farce, it's just as bad not being able to have the element of surprise provided by a solid object that opens on a hinge. Thankfully, the interval wasn't far away and in that time, new door latches were tracked down & the door back to its previous opening & closing glory. Following that, a few cheeky improvised lines from the boys and on we went back on track!
So if there are any deities or spirits out there presiding over the world of show and all who sail in her, please let us get through the next few with just the usual scripted chaos and mayhem? Thanks.
Next week, we continue building the world of Roma & the Flanellettes, having been taught our choreography & our harmonies.. now just to find those characters and learn those lines..
Monday 18 June 2012
Week Twelve: A Brave New World..?
Week Eleven and a brave new dawn for some here in the shape of a new play specially commissioned by Richard Cameron for Theatre by the Lake and also for the main house team, Great Expectations adapted by Neil Bartlett. For us in the new play which will be performed in the studio, we huddled round a table, pencils in hand in the upstairs bar area, while the physical-theatre-created-Dickens crew did dynamic stuff in the main rehearsal room with a movement director and everything. Roma & the Flanelettes is a play about a challenging subject; the survivors of domestic abuse. Don't let that put you off! Trust me. Set in a small community, the very different characters we meet all have tremendous obstacles to overcome, while relief from these challenges comes for them ( & us) in the shape of Motown classics, performed by us as a Karaoke group raising money for good causes. A new play is an exciting prospect and we jumped in, taking our first few steps through the set and beginning to figure out how each of us might dress, sit, react to all the things going on around us etc. My character is an outsider to the Northern village ( a Southerner no less ) and so my task is to explore that special position, as well as to try to get inside the life of a woman who stayed in a marriage for 15 years, despite her husband's cruelty. We are incredibly lucky to be offered such a great opportunity by Richard, as well as his presence in the rehearsal room for this first week, so we spent the round-table talks quizzing him about his creations, with Stefan ( director) making vital links between us and him, seeing how all the questions & answers will guide us towards the best outcome. All new plays are uncertain things by definition, but so exciting to be the first climing into something. Virgin turf. Heady & heavy stuff! A difficult subject that is already provoking strong feeling in us all as we try to get inside this world. Next week we'll have crucial input to help us flesh out back stories etc from key workers in this area; we'll be meeting refuge staff & police liason officers who know this world well. Meantime, we occasionally pass our colleagues from Bedroom Farce & Dry Rot in the corridor or Green Room and the different atmospheres of both worlds collide; us reeling from a tough scene dealing with Roma's story, them all fizzy and alive with having just been creating Dickens' world with only themselves and a few doors! I jest; they're all doing loads of wonderful things that luckily we will get to see early on for a change as they go into their tech a week before us. I can't wait to watch my friends & colleagues perform! These strange varying combinations of plays and people you experience when doing a job like this are fantastic and unique to rep.
And so to the strange combinations of the schedule! Just when we thought we were getting into the swing of switching shows, we realise that the schedule doesn't only change day by day but also week by week. As we rehearse play three, plays one & two take turns to be the Saturday night special, meaning another mental adjustment to the rhythm of shows. You now try to carry alternate weeks' programmes in your head. Coming back to Bedroom Farce after two weeks of Dry Rot felt scary initially, but once up & running, we enjoyed the new-found feeling of 'play' in the show. Mentally checked off the list of worries, we move merrily back to Dry Rot, only to bump into Bedroom Farce again on Saturday night. The relief is that we all felt odd; also relieved that the audience I think are none the wiser as to our slight paranoia! It might be something the director could spot, having seen the play so many times and knowing us well as performers, but this strange phenomenon doesn't reach the paying audience.
Finally, just a big shout out to George Banks whose quick thinking got us through a fairly major technical glitch in Bedroom Farce on Saturday. As I sat in the dark 'bathroom' waiting to go on, I heard lines never written by Mr. Ayckbourn and much additional carpentry offstage courtesy of George.. turns out a vital speaker had failed, leaving us without a pretty important telephone sound effect.. Didn't happen in the good old days, when stage management did everything manually!! Live theatre. You can't beat it. You don't get these thrills watching Corrie.
And so to the strange combinations of the schedule! Just when we thought we were getting into the swing of switching shows, we realise that the schedule doesn't only change day by day but also week by week. As we rehearse play three, plays one & two take turns to be the Saturday night special, meaning another mental adjustment to the rhythm of shows. You now try to carry alternate weeks' programmes in your head. Coming back to Bedroom Farce after two weeks of Dry Rot felt scary initially, but once up & running, we enjoyed the new-found feeling of 'play' in the show. Mentally checked off the list of worries, we move merrily back to Dry Rot, only to bump into Bedroom Farce again on Saturday night. The relief is that we all felt odd; also relieved that the audience I think are none the wiser as to our slight paranoia! It might be something the director could spot, having seen the play so many times and knowing us well as performers, but this strange phenomenon doesn't reach the paying audience.
Finally, just a big shout out to George Banks whose quick thinking got us through a fairly major technical glitch in Bedroom Farce on Saturday. As I sat in the dark 'bathroom' waiting to go on, I heard lines never written by Mr. Ayckbourn and much additional carpentry offstage courtesy of George.. turns out a vital speaker had failed, leaving us without a pretty important telephone sound effect.. Didn't happen in the good old days, when stage management did everything manually!! Live theatre. You can't beat it. You don't get these thrills watching Corrie.
Saturday 9 June 2012
Week Ten: Mixing it up
As the weeks whistle past ( Week ten!! Where's it all gone??), we find ourselves swimming in a soup of plays; costumes of various sorts hanging about to remind us of play one, conversations & preparations about play three, perhaps a script from the first knocking about like a talisman, all while performing play two. The lurking script is a bit like when you were doing exams at school, when you walked around with text books in your bag in some kind of faint hope that all the facts inside would leach through to your brain by osmosis. So with the script; if it's sitting there on my dressing table then the part will be in my head. Honestly. I should know better! Well, we'll find out on Monday whether it's still there when we do a Bedroom Farce run on the set before doing the show properly in front of an audience that night. Can I remember Susannah?
In the meantime, we still all share the same dressing room despite being in different plays and the lovely Maggie Tagney- a veteran of several seasons here at TbtL- has to prepare herself for her lead part in Colder Than Here, a very beautiful & moving story of a family coming to terms with terminal illness, while three of us, Jessica Ellis, Zoe Mills & myself all goof about in 'preparation' for Dry Rot. No we don't really, but the combination could be that odd if things had been different. Instead we get along really well, as Maggie is to us 'our' Delia from Bedroom Farce and her other character is something that ghost-like passes in & out of the dressing room. As she enters and leaves getting into character, she picks up odd snatches of Dry Rot over the show relay and has a little chuckle before heading off to join the other cast members of Colder Than Here in more somber mood. She also has to contend with me climbing into my Sergeant Fire costume, which must be a little off-putting. The studio cast also have the unique privilege of having to be taken to a holding room before their show begins, as access to and from the Studio is the same way in as the audience. Like condemned felons they get lead off by Stage Management and tucked away ready for lights up. Jess & I will be in that world when we get in with Roma & the Flanellettes in five weeks' time. It'll be great to be in such an intimate space. All of us in the Dry Rot cast watched the second dress of Colder Than Here on Thursday and it was fantastic, really moving stuff. Great to be invited in to a closed performance like that! It's just such a joy to be working in a theatre that has two such contrasting plays on in rep. Talk about from the sublime to the ridiculous! A rollicking farce and a moving, powerful drama.. take your pick. In a little over a month's time, the full Summer 2012 smorgasbord will be ready & waiting for you to taste! That's if we manage to keep all our actors in one piece. So far in Dry Rot just about everyone has head-butted someone else accidentally or been head-butted. Let's not think about all the cuts & bruises and near-falling off the stage moments. All part of the consummate professionalism that oozes from every pore here in the cast. I do actually mean that! We work hard to reduce actual risk, but live theatre always produces minor bumps and bruises, they're inevitable. I don't want you to go away thinking that we're crashing about like a herd of near-sighted elephants. Not all of us anyway..!
Meantime, I can't quite believe we've come so far already. All around in my lush digs the trees & flowers are bursting forth, birds are nesting like crazy & those hills & fells need to be climbed! Lots of plans are being made in the company for all sorts of adventures when we have a little free time again & fingers are being crossed for some more sunshine..please! Personal goals are being set. We have a trip to a petting zoo (don't ask), the seaside for obvious reasons, Ruskin's place, a whisky distillery (purely scientific research), World of Owls, etc etc. Sadly Cars of the Stars in Keswick closed down last year and cleared off to Florida.. Hey ho! There's still the Pencil Museum.
Typically, weather-wise the last few days have been wet to say the least so the hills have vanished beneath dense cloud; now I know why they talk of rain forest when they describe the vegetation in places here.. so glad I got my wellies! And waterproof trousers.. and waterproof jacket.. and central heating and fleece.. ( It's flaming June so why not?). The incestuous ospreys ( look it up! ) are busy raising their chick and I keep hoping an otter might pop its head up in the Greta at some point. Maybe next week I'll get up a bit early & see what's out there before heading in to rehearse Roma... maybe.
In the meantime, we still all share the same dressing room despite being in different plays and the lovely Maggie Tagney- a veteran of several seasons here at TbtL- has to prepare herself for her lead part in Colder Than Here, a very beautiful & moving story of a family coming to terms with terminal illness, while three of us, Jessica Ellis, Zoe Mills & myself all goof about in 'preparation' for Dry Rot. No we don't really, but the combination could be that odd if things had been different. Instead we get along really well, as Maggie is to us 'our' Delia from Bedroom Farce and her other character is something that ghost-like passes in & out of the dressing room. As she enters and leaves getting into character, she picks up odd snatches of Dry Rot over the show relay and has a little chuckle before heading off to join the other cast members of Colder Than Here in more somber mood. She also has to contend with me climbing into my Sergeant Fire costume, which must be a little off-putting. The studio cast also have the unique privilege of having to be taken to a holding room before their show begins, as access to and from the Studio is the same way in as the audience. Like condemned felons they get lead off by Stage Management and tucked away ready for lights up. Jess & I will be in that world when we get in with Roma & the Flanellettes in five weeks' time. It'll be great to be in such an intimate space. All of us in the Dry Rot cast watched the second dress of Colder Than Here on Thursday and it was fantastic, really moving stuff. Great to be invited in to a closed performance like that! It's just such a joy to be working in a theatre that has two such contrasting plays on in rep. Talk about from the sublime to the ridiculous! A rollicking farce and a moving, powerful drama.. take your pick. In a little over a month's time, the full Summer 2012 smorgasbord will be ready & waiting for you to taste! That's if we manage to keep all our actors in one piece. So far in Dry Rot just about everyone has head-butted someone else accidentally or been head-butted. Let's not think about all the cuts & bruises and near-falling off the stage moments. All part of the consummate professionalism that oozes from every pore here in the cast. I do actually mean that! We work hard to reduce actual risk, but live theatre always produces minor bumps and bruises, they're inevitable. I don't want you to go away thinking that we're crashing about like a herd of near-sighted elephants. Not all of us anyway..!
Meantime, I can't quite believe we've come so far already. All around in my lush digs the trees & flowers are bursting forth, birds are nesting like crazy & those hills & fells need to be climbed! Lots of plans are being made in the company for all sorts of adventures when we have a little free time again & fingers are being crossed for some more sunshine..please! Personal goals are being set. We have a trip to a petting zoo (don't ask), the seaside for obvious reasons, Ruskin's place, a whisky distillery (purely scientific research), World of Owls, etc etc. Sadly Cars of the Stars in Keswick closed down last year and cleared off to Florida.. Hey ho! There's still the Pencil Museum.
Typically, weather-wise the last few days have been wet to say the least so the hills have vanished beneath dense cloud; now I know why they talk of rain forest when they describe the vegetation in places here.. so glad I got my wellies! And waterproof trousers.. and waterproof jacket.. and central heating and fleece.. ( It's flaming June so why not?). The incestuous ospreys ( look it up! ) are busy raising their chick and I keep hoping an otter might pop its head up in the Greta at some point. Maybe next week I'll get up a bit early & see what's out there before heading in to rehearse Roma... maybe.
Sunday 3 June 2012
Week Nine: What's next?
At this stage, it's a little tempting to think that the back of our task here has been broken, with two shows now up and running in front of live audiences & just the one left to get on its feet in the rehearsal room (and learned! ). Tempting but not true. The interesting mental switch between the two running shows has to be achieved, performing the glorious romp of Dry Rot on a Saturday night for example, then adjusting your mind into the desperately funny but often bleakly comic Bedroom Farce world on the Monday. To add to that, rehearsals of the third play will sandwich in between those two events, adding another set of character thoughts and attitudes to the mix circling around your skull. Particular challenges again thrown up for us all, because to add to that melange, some parts come to us more easily than others and so not only can the preparation for a part differ from actor to actor, but the individual's own preparations can be wildly different as attitudes & behaviours far from his or her own have to be explored and found before setting foot on stage. That can mean that someone who is perfectly chatty backstage in one production can become reclusive and morose in another. Instead of merrily nattering between scenes, they can be found glowering in a corner. Or in my case, marching up and down obsessively going over & over the ghastly events that happened to my character in Bedroom Farce before we meet her on stage. Sergeant Fire in Dry Rot is mostly the uniform doing the work. All part of the strange magic of creating a character.
The oddness of rep can be brought home to you while waiting to go on stage. Standing backstage during Dry Rot, I can see the walls of Bedroom Farce all tucked up out of harm's way behind giant curtains. In the dressing room, rather unnervingly, Susannah's wig from Bedroom Farce sits expectantly on her stand as I climb into Sergeant Fire's regalia, leaving the 70's garments for their next outing in a week's time. Everyone is having a ball in Dry Rot, but the other character lovingly created weeks ago is very much a part of you and the costumes start to look rather sad, hanging aimlessly around. Occasionally, we might just have a word with our other characters, reassuring them that we'll be back. Have I mentioned the special kind of madness necessary in this business? All this while, we also hope that the words & moves are all very much in place and will spring back with very little effort- just a refresher run on Monday afternoon before galloping into that other world again.
The two plays still waiting to have life breathed into them are very different, reflecting Ian & Stefan's shrewd scheduling, giving audiences lots of choice and offering new writers valuable opportunity to be performed. Dickens' Great Expectations adapted by Neil Bartlett will be in the main house while Roma & the Flannelettes will be performed for the first time in the studio space. I will be getting stuck in to that play and working with yet another permutation of the summer season company. I think there's just one actor I don't get to work with over this season, although who knows what projects bubble up when we have a little time to ourselves? There is already talk of trying out writing projects by various members of the company, even a radio project; another reason why a rep company is such a good thing. It's a melting pot that can provoke all kinds of creative work between actors and trainee directors, anyone who has an idea.
So the week to come represents a little still water relatively speaking, with our days now to ourselves and Dry Rot to play with in the evenings.. what to do? Which hill to climb? Which much-neglected hobby to pursue? Of course, it's bound to rain...
The oddness of rep can be brought home to you while waiting to go on stage. Standing backstage during Dry Rot, I can see the walls of Bedroom Farce all tucked up out of harm's way behind giant curtains. In the dressing room, rather unnervingly, Susannah's wig from Bedroom Farce sits expectantly on her stand as I climb into Sergeant Fire's regalia, leaving the 70's garments for their next outing in a week's time. Everyone is having a ball in Dry Rot, but the other character lovingly created weeks ago is very much a part of you and the costumes start to look rather sad, hanging aimlessly around. Occasionally, we might just have a word with our other characters, reassuring them that we'll be back. Have I mentioned the special kind of madness necessary in this business? All this while, we also hope that the words & moves are all very much in place and will spring back with very little effort- just a refresher run on Monday afternoon before galloping into that other world again.
The two plays still waiting to have life breathed into them are very different, reflecting Ian & Stefan's shrewd scheduling, giving audiences lots of choice and offering new writers valuable opportunity to be performed. Dickens' Great Expectations adapted by Neil Bartlett will be in the main house while Roma & the Flannelettes will be performed for the first time in the studio space. I will be getting stuck in to that play and working with yet another permutation of the summer season company. I think there's just one actor I don't get to work with over this season, although who knows what projects bubble up when we have a little time to ourselves? There is already talk of trying out writing projects by various members of the company, even a radio project; another reason why a rep company is such a good thing. It's a melting pot that can provoke all kinds of creative work between actors and trainee directors, anyone who has an idea.
So the week to come represents a little still water relatively speaking, with our days now to ourselves and Dry Rot to play with in the evenings.. what to do? Which hill to climb? Which much-neglected hobby to pursue? Of course, it's bound to rain...
Monday 28 May 2012
Week Eight: The Spinning Plates on Sticks Trick
Wheeew. So here is a rather belated post for week 8 which seems now on Monday ancient history as we go jibbering into week 9 and the technical rehearsal of Dry Rot. Apologies for the lateness, but week 8 consisted of the collision of two shows in my head: Dry Rot by day & Bedroom Farce by night.
I definitely feel I know what it's like to be that guy spinning plates on sticks while 'hurry up' music plays frantically in the background! One play is as I've said before a ha ha comedy the other an oh-my-god comedy and the two are odd bedfellows ( no pun intended seriously), rendering this actor's brain more mush-like than usual and the default facial expression that of dazed bafflement. Yesterday I forgot where I'd parked my car. Again I feel compelled to acknowledge that this ain't rocket science or brain surgery- no lives are lost if an actor fluffs a line- but it is very, very special to experience this and to also remain calm. At times that 'special' means tired and emotional.. for some reason your brain takes a while to leave one show and get into the other, resulting in lots of cross-looking people cursing themselves for missing that line or 'dropping' that gag.
The effect of charging about in a rehearsal room for 6 hours can mean that the other show you thought was rock solid suddenly slips out of your grasp. Add to the mix the utterly extraordinary weather, resulting in temperatures up in the 30's in the rafters of TBTL or as we call it the rehearsal room and it's a wonder our amazing lead actors can remember their own names when it comes to 8 o'clock and curtain up! Again this is time to say what a champion job Stefan & Ian do casting people who can not only do the job but who get on with it and keep the off- stage dramas to a minimum. To say nothing of the production team who are also running several shows in their heads and having to deal with us lot.
Ok- I will admit that I should have been toiling over a hot computer yesterday but as a direct result of that aforementioned insane weather and the fact that my fellow actors are all such blastedly excellent company out of rehearsals and that Keswick is a little piece of heaven on earth, I spent all day eating & drinking by the lake and generally mucking about. Shoot me.!
Our first week of audiences for Bedroom Farce have been a great education, varying each night in their reactions, but always 'getting it'. It's a cheeky title for a play that contains so much anguish, but as we all know, often the funniest things happen to us all when life seems grimmest. Some characters are funny to listen to, some disasterous but their behaviour produces genuine situational comedy. We've had quite a few lovely comments as we've been busily acting away, from people all caught up in the action and excellent feedback from friendly folk in the bar. Whereas in Dry Rot, we are all busy finding funny things to do, in Bedroom Farce you sometimes have to resist any attempts at 'funny' or waving from the train as Stefan calls it. In Dry Rot we're all on that huge comedy train and waving for all we're worth. And in this instance it's just the thing to do! Buy a ticket and climb on board. You know you want to. We got to peek at the set today, which is absolutely perfect; a country house hotel of yesteryear. Now we get to climb into our lovely frocks and play on it and we can't wait!
I definitely feel I know what it's like to be that guy spinning plates on sticks while 'hurry up' music plays frantically in the background! One play is as I've said before a ha ha comedy the other an oh-my-god comedy and the two are odd bedfellows ( no pun intended seriously), rendering this actor's brain more mush-like than usual and the default facial expression that of dazed bafflement. Yesterday I forgot where I'd parked my car. Again I feel compelled to acknowledge that this ain't rocket science or brain surgery- no lives are lost if an actor fluffs a line- but it is very, very special to experience this and to also remain calm. At times that 'special' means tired and emotional.. for some reason your brain takes a while to leave one show and get into the other, resulting in lots of cross-looking people cursing themselves for missing that line or 'dropping' that gag.
The effect of charging about in a rehearsal room for 6 hours can mean that the other show you thought was rock solid suddenly slips out of your grasp. Add to the mix the utterly extraordinary weather, resulting in temperatures up in the 30's in the rafters of TBTL or as we call it the rehearsal room and it's a wonder our amazing lead actors can remember their own names when it comes to 8 o'clock and curtain up! Again this is time to say what a champion job Stefan & Ian do casting people who can not only do the job but who get on with it and keep the off- stage dramas to a minimum. To say nothing of the production team who are also running several shows in their heads and having to deal with us lot.
Ok- I will admit that I should have been toiling over a hot computer yesterday but as a direct result of that aforementioned insane weather and the fact that my fellow actors are all such blastedly excellent company out of rehearsals and that Keswick is a little piece of heaven on earth, I spent all day eating & drinking by the lake and generally mucking about. Shoot me.!
Our first week of audiences for Bedroom Farce have been a great education, varying each night in their reactions, but always 'getting it'. It's a cheeky title for a play that contains so much anguish, but as we all know, often the funniest things happen to us all when life seems grimmest. Some characters are funny to listen to, some disasterous but their behaviour produces genuine situational comedy. We've had quite a few lovely comments as we've been busily acting away, from people all caught up in the action and excellent feedback from friendly folk in the bar. Whereas in Dry Rot, we are all busy finding funny things to do, in Bedroom Farce you sometimes have to resist any attempts at 'funny' or waving from the train as Stefan calls it. In Dry Rot we're all on that huge comedy train and waving for all we're worth. And in this instance it's just the thing to do! Buy a ticket and climb on board. You know you want to. We got to peek at the set today, which is absolutely perfect; a country house hotel of yesteryear. Now we get to climb into our lovely frocks and play on it and we can't wait!
Sunday 20 May 2012
Week Seven: Through the Tech & Into a Live Audience
Oooh. Tech weeks really can divide people. Some love 'em, some not so much. Personally I really dig getting in to the space and having a good old bounce on the mattress and fettle with doors & light switches etc. Then a fair bit of time passes as things are done with the aforementioned bits & bobs by skilled folk dressed in black and you realise it's been a while since you did any acting or even thought about your lines. Then you get scared. It was even scarier on Monday to be told that as far as Stefan was concerned, we wouldn't benefit from another run through so we could have all of Tuesday off. A quick glance at our scared & blood drained little faces and he shrewdly suggested a line run, to keep us on our toes. Our Stage Manager Daisy kept a close eye on us to prevent us from larking about through this line run and picked us up on every little slip.
Our bedroom world on stage in the main house has been lovingly created by the devoted team at TBTL and resembles three bedrooms collided together. Those old enough to have been there will I am sure, enjoy the 70's references that are oozing out of the wallpaper & furnishings. Everyone needs to explore the newly created space to get a sense of sightlines for the audience and how vital things like the beds differ from those knocked up for use in the rehearsal room. This is especially important if fights take place in a space, where the material a bed is made of can change how a fight will work, or require change to the blocking to prevent an actor knocking themselves out on a metal bedstead.
One odd part of a tech is the way in which a close-knit bunch of people in rehearsal can become separated by moving into dressing rooms and the sudden addition of walls where none previously existed. You can feel distanced from people you've been sharing the same space with, especially in this set with all its walls, doors & black flats. I certainly missed being able to sit by & watch the other cast go through their scenes as I had done in the rehearsal room.
We have been relishing seeing each others' costumes and especially some of the wigs. Yes we're professionals, but we are human and so we too get a kick out of seeing each other all dressed up.. or down, depending on the desired finished look.. As for wigs, well a good wig just adds to the whole excitement. Needless to say, that coupled with the good spirit with which everyone seems to work here has resulted in us whizzing through a large chunk of the technical rehearsal in great time, allowing us to be let out a little early for a well-deserved glass of something refreshing-- I mean, for an early night. That is a first for me! Most techs can drag on day after day into the wee small hours. Here though, everything is done with great efficiency. So we got an extra 'last night' of freedom. The luxury of being able to wander home after having had a good feast in a local eatery with your fellow actors & crew is to be cherished wherever possible. Certainly, from here on, it'll be Sundays only that we can sit and watch the sun set over the lakes & mountains. I'm not complaining! Just making an observation..! Carpe Diem & all that.
So after our amazingly painless two days of technical rehearsal, with only minor interruptions to sort out amongst other things one broken bed, which went under an actor as he sat while uttering the immortal lines, '..a great, heavy weight' and a slightly bent door which sees a lot of action in this play,
Friday raced past in the shape of two more runs on the main stage, one a tech/dress, the other a dress rehearsal proper with photographer in action.. Then Saturday dawned and a second dress and the first paying audience in the evening, what we'd all been waiting for.
Now we have our first show under our belts- a preview by name but a show nonetheless- we can start to see how it will all 'work'. The audience in any live show is like the missing cast member; their presence changes how a comedy feels. Their reactions can be guessed at and anticipated in rehearsal but until they are all out there living & breathing and laughing when they feel like it, the actors have to wait. Saturday's audience were ready to have good evening; within minutes of curtain-up lovely warm chuckles and guffaws greeted the opening scene between Maggie Tagney & Steven Aintree. Standing & listening by the prompt corner, I felt that heartening feeling that everything would be just fine, which when you're playing a crazy person can sometimes feel all too far away!
Needless to say, from the inside we were all feeling a bit mixed about how we were doing, what we were doing, what might be tried the next night, all the usual worries and niggles of a new opening.
Bottom line, lots of happy smiling faces, especially from Stefan & Ian waiting for us in the bar.
So- roll on next week and lots more audiences to play with. Oh- and a return to the whacky world of Dry Rot... no pressure..!
Our bedroom world on stage in the main house has been lovingly created by the devoted team at TBTL and resembles three bedrooms collided together. Those old enough to have been there will I am sure, enjoy the 70's references that are oozing out of the wallpaper & furnishings. Everyone needs to explore the newly created space to get a sense of sightlines for the audience and how vital things like the beds differ from those knocked up for use in the rehearsal room. This is especially important if fights take place in a space, where the material a bed is made of can change how a fight will work, or require change to the blocking to prevent an actor knocking themselves out on a metal bedstead.
One odd part of a tech is the way in which a close-knit bunch of people in rehearsal can become separated by moving into dressing rooms and the sudden addition of walls where none previously existed. You can feel distanced from people you've been sharing the same space with, especially in this set with all its walls, doors & black flats. I certainly missed being able to sit by & watch the other cast go through their scenes as I had done in the rehearsal room.
We have been relishing seeing each others' costumes and especially some of the wigs. Yes we're professionals, but we are human and so we too get a kick out of seeing each other all dressed up.. or down, depending on the desired finished look.. As for wigs, well a good wig just adds to the whole excitement. Needless to say, that coupled with the good spirit with which everyone seems to work here has resulted in us whizzing through a large chunk of the technical rehearsal in great time, allowing us to be let out a little early for a well-deserved glass of something refreshing-- I mean, for an early night. That is a first for me! Most techs can drag on day after day into the wee small hours. Here though, everything is done with great efficiency. So we got an extra 'last night' of freedom. The luxury of being able to wander home after having had a good feast in a local eatery with your fellow actors & crew is to be cherished wherever possible. Certainly, from here on, it'll be Sundays only that we can sit and watch the sun set over the lakes & mountains. I'm not complaining! Just making an observation..! Carpe Diem & all that.
So after our amazingly painless two days of technical rehearsal, with only minor interruptions to sort out amongst other things one broken bed, which went under an actor as he sat while uttering the immortal lines, '..a great, heavy weight' and a slightly bent door which sees a lot of action in this play,
Friday raced past in the shape of two more runs on the main stage, one a tech/dress, the other a dress rehearsal proper with photographer in action.. Then Saturday dawned and a second dress and the first paying audience in the evening, what we'd all been waiting for.
Now we have our first show under our belts- a preview by name but a show nonetheless- we can start to see how it will all 'work'. The audience in any live show is like the missing cast member; their presence changes how a comedy feels. Their reactions can be guessed at and anticipated in rehearsal but until they are all out there living & breathing and laughing when they feel like it, the actors have to wait. Saturday's audience were ready to have good evening; within minutes of curtain-up lovely warm chuckles and guffaws greeted the opening scene between Maggie Tagney & Steven Aintree. Standing & listening by the prompt corner, I felt that heartening feeling that everything would be just fine, which when you're playing a crazy person can sometimes feel all too far away!
Needless to say, from the inside we were all feeling a bit mixed about how we were doing, what we were doing, what might be tried the next night, all the usual worries and niggles of a new opening.
Bottom line, lots of happy smiling faces, especially from Stefan & Ian waiting for us in the bar.
So- roll on next week and lots more audiences to play with. Oh- and a return to the whacky world of Dry Rot... no pressure..!
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