My Stage Highlights!

I hate posts that start with "I've not blogged for a while...", however in this case it is very true, and I shamefully admit that in terms of my drama, I've had an awful lot to blog about and have just been too lazy!

Since October of last year, my amateur dramatics antics have been non-stop, and I'm currently enjoying the longest break (1 week, to be precise) between finishing one show and starting the next.  In September, I was accosted in the middle of Kenilworth high street and bribed with the opportunity of playing the baddie into doing yet another pantomime.  The role itself was a small, rather half-heartedly written 'immortal' called Alsatia who seemed to flit between insinuating that the bad luck befalling the main protagonist was all her doing, to sitting on her laurels in the dressing room for the greater proportion of the final act of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.  It took me a while to get into this character, but true to form the conjuring of a hideously generic foreign accent reminiscent of a B-Movie Dracula seemed to cement Alsatia in my head (if not my heart!).

Post panto, and after a brief break I was back at rehearsals, this time for Top Girls, by Caryl Churchill.  Much fun was had with the spelling of Caryl and after various blips we managed to get the referencing right!  My part was initially a small scene involving an interview with the main character, Marlene, however after a slight change in circumstances I landed not one, not two, but three roles in Top Girls in the end; the waitress, Kit, and Shona.  To summarise, I spent Top Girls trying not to drop plates and cutlery in the first act, lying my way (unsuccessfully) through an interview at the Top Girls Agency, and finally donning various sorts of denim (well, this play is set in the 80's) as a rather moody 12 year old!

And this brings me neatly to the play I've just finished, Hay Fever by Noel Coward.  This play was not without irony, for myself and at least one other cast member suffered hay fever during the course of rehearsals, and more than one of the show's performances should have been sponsored by Kleenex and some brand of antihistamines!  I adored this show, not least because I got to ditch the denim in favour of cloche hats and sparkly costumes, but also it was a fantastically bad-mannered comedy in typical Coward style which meant the cast and I had a brilliant time, even if my character, Jackie, was treated most appallingly throughout.

So ends the summary of my absence, and I hope to be blogging more frequently in future.  My next outing is Pygmalion, which is showing in July, and as rehearsals will start this coming Sunday I expect I shall have a few thoughts to jot down!

Break a leg!

Colder Than Here - The Things I'll Miss...

Finally, I can sit back and relax!  Our last performance of Laura Wade's play, Colder Than Here, took place on Saturday, and most of the following day was spend relaxing - no lines to learn, no script to pore over, no rehearsals to get to...

If I'm honest, I was a little bored!

After a rocky start for this production (which was almost pulled completely) it was great to see the fruits of our labour finally pay off.  We had a great review in the Leamington Courier (even if they couldn't decide whether my name is Staton or Stanton!) http://www.leamingtoncourier.co.uk/ColderThanHere, which I think summed up how we all perceived this play - even if it had taken us a while to reach this conclusion!

I have to admit, I am surprised

'Colder Than Here' - Opening Night!

Finally opening night descended upon us.  As we sat behind stage, trying desperately not to clock-watch (well I was, anyway!) thoughts such as "will we get an audience?", "will they like it?", "will any of them walk out during the interval?" were discussed

As it turns out, our worries were unfounded.  We had a great turn out for our first performance, and the audience seemed to get really involved in the play - laughing in the right (and even sometimes the wrong) places, shocked gasps at the use of some of the more extreme expletives (yes, my character's), and sniffles during the more poignant scenes.

Technically things went OK, other than a few hiccups with the set-changes - these were done by the cast members in low lighting between each scene - having to remember the sequence on top of what scene is next, all your lines, and trying to get round to the front for your next entrance is no mean feat believe me!  The only real problem we had was that the projector overheated and turned off during the penultimate scene, which was a shame, but thankfully the projection wasn't crucial at this stage.  Had this happened during Myra's presentation scene then we would have been in trouble!  This technical malfunction, although possibly due to first-night nerves, was probably due to the weather being warmer than of late, the projector itself being situated in the hottest part of the stage, and of course the fact there were audience members there for the first time that were adding to the heat.

Two of the cast members managed to work through coughing fits on stage, Myra was one, I believe during one of the more sensitive scenes with Alec.  Mine was the other, caused by the most fashionable of things, choking on a Fry's chocolate bar (you know, as you do!)

So, other than a few minor glitches, and the attempted manslaughter by a Peppermint Cream, the first night of Colder Than Here went really well.  The only criticism we had (and if you read this, you know who you are!) was that there wasn't a funeral at the end... there's no pleasing some people, is there!?

2 more to go!

ST! 

Bad Dress Rehearsal, Good Opening Night...?

Both our technical and dress rehearsals are now out of the way, and with only a few short days to go before our opening night on Thursday, things are now getting to the stage (no pun intended) where the nightmares usually start and I begin to panic!

I'm not sure if there's any truth to the old saying "Bad dress rehearsal, good opening night" - I guess that, if it is, we might be in for a rocky start as both the tech and dress have run relatively smoothly!  For myself personally, after Sunday, I was just glad of a relatively sneeze/snot free rehearsal, with the use of tissues solely reserved for scripted purposes - thank goodness for antihistamines.

As for the rest of the cast...

Stealth photography aside, you can see that it's all a mad panic of line reviewing, clothes changes, acquiring props and rushing about...

No really, it is!

ST

Coffin dodger...? Not me!

Some of you may notice a slightly worrying trend of pictures of me in a coffin, don't worry, I'm perfectly fine, it's actually because it's less than a week to go until the opening night of Colder Than Here, a play by Laura Wade.  Rehearsals are in full swing, we've finally got a workable set, and I am getting quite scarily used to popping in and out of the cardboard "green burial" coffin on stage.

As you can see, I am grinning in this picture, and yes, I've had a few comments saying that I am more than a little morbid for doing so!  Maybe it's because it's not my coffin, maybe

Colder Than Here by Laura Wade

After rather a shaky start, I find myself back in rehearsal mode for a play that has caused some divided opinions within my local drama group.

On the face of it Laura Wade's play, Colder Than Here, is a modern day piece (set in 2005) about a dysfunctional family of four struggling to find common ground and ways to communicate with each other.
We have two sisters, Harriet and Jenna, as

Grandma's Wardrobe Crisis - The Wedding Singer

Sweat bands - Check.

Trainers - Check.

What next!?

For those of you unfamiliar with the film or the musical, there is a short scene in The Wedding Singer involving Grandma doing her excercises.  Now, these aren't just any ordinary excercises, these are excercises 80s style, and it's because of this I need your help!

With the power of google, I have narrowed my outfit down to four possible looks:

1/ Shorts and Leggings, legwarmers etc...

2/ Leotard and leggings, legwarmers etc... (there's a theme here, isn't there!)

3/ Sweatpants, and (yes, you guessed it) legwarmers etc...
4/ Shell suit

And no, before you ask, I am not going all 'Green Goddess' and wearing head-to-toe green lycra!

The only other consideration I really have is the colour, although for some reason I have my heart set on pink and grey which is odd, because as many of you know, I have an allergy to pink!  I swear, this is one of the shortest scenes I am in, yet the costume is causing me the most problems!

I've had a few great suggestions from twitter so far from @nikkicross (the shell suit) @Bobbybeebee (shiny shorts!) and have my ears and eyes open for a few more... come on guys, help us out a little!!!
Grandma!

4 Weeks 'til Curtain Up! - The Wedding Singer

I genuinely cannot believe how close it is until opening night.  Ok, so 4 weeks might not sound an awfully short time, but when you look at your outlook calendar month, and can see show-week without scrolling down, it does dawn on you how close things are getting.
Rehearsals have gone from flat out dancing, to scene-blocking, and back to the hard dance practice, except for one difference - that being that we have now blocked all the numbers in the show, so instead of just one dance we are now going through all of them!
I am also sporting a huge bruise on my right knee because the choreographer is trying to kill me.  We have now blocked Grandma's Rap, which now involves something akin to break-dancing (I kid you not, though thankfully a very watered down version!) and my knee has taken a serious battering with one particular move.  I swear, as the weeks go on, I feel more and more like my character, and after the show I doubt if I'll be able to walk without the walking stick!  I wonder if my Grandma, Grandpa or Great Grandmother (I only say this as my mum was unable to tell me exactly whose stick it was I borrowed) ever thought that their walking stick would be used by their descendant at the tender age of 29!  I hope they are looking down with some pride on my endeavours, or at least having a laugh at my expense!
Anyway, I've realised that I've meandered through this post without a clear goal in mind, so I shall sign off here.
Next post will be about the costumes... Ahhh the 80s, the decade that fashion forgot...

Auditions! - Thoroughly Modern Millie

Well, after the bravery, or stupidity (I haven't decided which) of auditioning for the part of Grandma in The Wedding Singer, I decided to set my sights a little more realistically for TMM when the auditions came around on Sunday, and aimed for the Chorus line.
This was a very last minute thing as I made the decision to take part in the audition a week before the final one - very little time to prepare, and with no knowledge (bar the 10minute opening of the film that I'd seen) of TMM, I arrived feeling very nervous.  I noticed after a few more arrivals that I recognised some of the other hopefuls from Rent, a production that I'd seen a few years back with the folks at the Talisman in Kenilworth.  They were good - and I knew this, so I started a little mantra of "You're only here for the chorus, you're only here for the chorus" and started to feel a little better.
Nerves aside, I expected the dance to be relatively easy as I'd been rehearsing twice a week for the WS for quite a while.  I was so wrong!  By the 4th run through of the first sequence I was drenched with sweat, and felt like my body temerature had risen by 100 degrees!  On the flip side, it was so much fun, with a few Charleston steps thrown in and the general feel of the 1920s I was soon getting to grips with the choreography (well... apart from a few little hiccups!)
Next up was the tap routine. Now I didn't necessarily have to do this one as I wasnt 100% sure if I wanted to audition as a 'dancer' only, however as I'd not done tap since I was about 13, I thought I'd give it a go just to see what I could pick up - minus the tap shoes!  Now that might sound a little silly, however as one of the girls that I spoke to there suggested - at least the choreographer wouldn't be able to tell when I was making mistakes, a very good point. It took me 24 hours after the rehearsals finished before I managed to get the moves straight in my head!
All-in-all it was a good morning though, and I'm glad to say that my efforts landed me a part in the chorus line.  Can't wait to swap the 1980s for the 1920s!

The Wedding Singer - 2nd Rehearsal

Well, I was a bit miffed on Friday to say the least that my dance-sneakers hadn’t arrived in time for my first dance rehearsal, but having pulled out a pair of character shoes that were around 15 years old, checked that they were still in usable condition and still fit (yes!) I packed them in my bag and headed off to rehearsal number 2.

The ‘Acting’

I had to get there a bit earlier than most of the cast, due to being one of the (eek) principal characters, although having said that I was conscious I was late having decided to have a last minute practice of the opening number in front of my mum’s piano.  I signed in and went upstairs to be greeted by a few of the other cast members who had already started their scene rehearsal.  Sitting down patiently to watch I cringed at the cheesiness of the lines, but thankfully the director’s vision made less of the cheese and more of the humour

The Wedding Singer - First Rehearsal Nerves!

Well, I admit that I was a bit nervous in the run up to our first rehearsal on Friday, as I was unsure what to expect - A new drama company, a new venue, and a style of theatre I hadn’t had performance experience with since the tender age of 15(ish). 

After half an hour of milling around, getting reacquainted with some of the cast I’d met at the final auditions, and sorting out some of the paperwork involved in starting with a new company, most of my worries seemed to have disappeared by the time we made our way up into the hall.  It is strange to think that this room was within 200-300 yards of where I had learnt ballet as a five year old, I’d practically come full circle!

The rehearsal itself was, I believe, a good one – especially considering that it was Friday 13^th!  We went through the opening number, one which we had some experience of from the auditions themselves, trying to gain an idea of which pitch we should be singing at – I fitted in quite nicely with the Lower Sopranos, a part which fits my range quite well, but thankfully doesn’t give me any of the scary notes.  After we’d settled into our group places, we focused on getting the harmonies right for parts where the whole company sang, and before we knew it, we were throwing out some very coherent cords and becoming more and more confident with each attempt – by far the best part is when the whole company shouts ‘Bang Your Head’ at the top of their lungs, it always makes me smile!

So, as first rehearsals go, we were eased in to The Wedding Singer quite gently, which was a good thing as we were told that next week we will be starting to block the dance moves.  

Oh well, I have been saying for the last six months that I need to get myself fit again…

"You broke the Rules"

A little song I penned (or typed would be more accurate) yesterday.

At first you were a distant hope,

a sparkle in my eye,

I was content just to observe you

As you wandered idly by

But then you moved the goal posts

And changed the way the game is played

You broke the rules

You broke the rules.

And now I don’t know what to do

You broke the rules

Now you’re acting oh-so normal

like it never crossed your mind

My head is overloading lately

And it seems that you are blind

To what happened on that night when

You brashly threw the book away

You broke the rules

You broke the rules

And now I don’t know what to do

You broke the rules

And now the game is over and

It seems like you have won

And now the game is over and

It seems like you have won

And now I’m sat here thinking

That you disobeyed the rules

I’ve tried not to make it show that

Now I feel like such a fool

You should’ve known you weren’t supposed to be

More than just a silly crush to me

You broke the rules

You broke the rules

And now I don’t know what to do

You broke the rules

Cinderfella - The Casting

With both readings scheduled well and truly out of the way, we are now beginning to deliberate casting - this is not the fun task that I envisaged it to be - in fact, it's bloody hard work.

Having been a member of CP for just over a year now, and seeing/being part of 2 plays and a panto already - I would say that I know a fair bit about what a some of the members are capable of, and somehow I think that this has gone against me.  I'm trying hard not to typecast anyone, but then again, at the same time I do have to consider who has really shone in certain parts whilst reading - is it really my fault if they shine in the same type of roles they've done before?  Luckily I've got my co-producer to ground me as she's only been with the group since the last performance which not everyone was involved in - I'm hoping that she'll stop me ignoring someone who should be given a chance in favour of someone else.

The other problem appears to be the lack of women.  Everyone has said to me that CP has a problem with a lack of young men, but during the readings I noticed that a lot of the women there were not interested in a part, and even though some read extremely well I found we were unable to cast them.  After much deliberation, we have decided to have a third reading on Monday for the as yet un-cast female parts - I don't mind this, however I don't want to come across as indecisive (which, unfortunately, I am!) but as my friend used to say "needs must when the devil sh**s in your boots".

Hopefully by next Wednesday, we'll have finalised the full cast (and not just the men!) but like any good woman, I have a back-up plan!

ST

The Coach and Horses - Shrewsbury

It's not unusual for me to wake up on a Sunday morning with the idea of going for a carvery somewhere for lunch.  In fact, it's a rather regular occurrence when I'm with friends, and this weekend was no exception.  As I was in Shrewsbury at the weekend, I thought it an ideal opportunity to indulge in this little habit of mine, and suggested to Ange and Steve (who had kindly consented to have me to stay) that it might be an idea to go for lunch before I headed home.  Having asked if they knew anywhere local that would do a nice carvery, we settled on the Coach and Horses and headed there.

The pub itself is a little away from the centre, so I thought that it would be fairly quiet at 12.30pm, but obviously its reputation had preceded it, and we arrived to be told it was fully booked, however instead of turning us away the bar manager was very accommodating and advised us (as we had arrived fairly early) that, if we were willing to wait half an hour, then we could have a table.  This was fine by us, and we took great delight in watching other people come in, only to be told that there wouldn't be a table for them for quite some time, and settled at the bar for a few pre-dinner drinks.

As we waited, my friend informed me that the Head Chef who was cooking that day, John Barton, had been a quarter-finalist in Master Chef - so naturally my expectations were set rather highly for the food, and I wasn't disappointed.  The meat was lovely and tender (I had the Turkey, and my companions the Lamb) and all the accompanying elements of a good carvery were well up to standard.
However... the pudding... well the pudding was something else!  Both myself and Ange had the Chocolate Torte, and the only words I can use to describe it are 'melt-in-the-mouth chocolaty goodness'.  It was light, fluffy, and did indeed melt in the mouth and was served with a choice of cream or ice cream - although I think that the dish would have been perfect served on its own.

I would definitely recommend this pub to others visiting/living in the Shrewsbury area, and even if you're not looking for a place to eat - this pub has a lovely atmosphere for a few drinks.  We found the staff really helpful and accommodating, and they were fantastic at getting us a table even though the restaurant was packed.
ST.

The Coach and Horses
Swan Hill, Shrewsbury SY1 1NF
01743 365 661
@Shrewscoach (twitter!)

The Panto that nobody wanted...

It took 3 people, and 4 'consultants' to write, it took 3 months and numerous re-writes to complete - yet no one wanted to produce it.

What am I referring to?  My local amateur dramatics group's 2011 panto, Cinderfella, of course!

After numerous hints by our committee chairman for me to cajole someone else into producing the panto, it became apparent that no one wanted to take on the responsibility, and it was then that I began to feel a little sorry for it.  Cinderfella had been lovingly prepared (excuse the flowery sentiment, but we are talking about a panto here) by a group of writers - one of whom had been responsible for last year's very successful outing, Robin Hood, and not one of them was willing, or able, to commit to producing Cinderfella.  Everyone I turned to said variations on a theme of 'No', and with the umpteenth hint being thrown in my direction, it was at this point I took leave of my senses and agreed to do it myself.
Actually that isn't strictly true, I didn't agree to do it myself, I said I would agree to it on the condition that I had a co-producer, and no sooner were the words out of my mouth, when Ms. Chairman literally grabbed the person standing next to me, and said 'You'll help Fay produce the panto, won't you?'
Thankfully, the person standing between myself and the chairman was full of joyful optimism at the thought of doing the panto, and thus my partner in crime (or should that be producer in crime) was born, either way Donna shall henceforth be known as a god-send.

ST.

Parlez-vous Français?

Rows of tables, whiteboard, overhead projector, whitewashed walls... yes, I was definitely back in a classroom!

Having worked for a French company for the last year, I finally decided that I was sick of listening to my colleagues speaking in french and not being able to make sense of at least half of what they were saying, so I enrolled for one of Warwick University's Lifelong Language Learning french courses.
I don't technically need to speak french for my job as most of the people I work with speak extremely good English, even those based over in our company's head office over in France, however I still got this nagging feeling that I was expecting my colleagues to fit in and speak English all the time, and yet as over half of our office based employees are French, I wasn't making much of an effort to fit in with with them. 
Finally though, I enrolled in a uni course, and when I went along to an assessment (what seems like an age ago now) I was surprised to learn I came under the category of 'lower intermediate' - showing that I hadn't quite forgotten as much of my GCSE french as I thought, either that or I'd been picked up more from my colleagues than I'd originally realised!

'Keep Calm' - Opening Night

I confess I'm a little nervous, as tonight is the opening night of our play - one of two that Cubbington Players are putting on this October.  I feel a little out of practice as the panto was 9 months ago now, and although I was involved in the May production I wasn't actually on stage.  What seems to be making me feel worse is that I've got 2 friends coming along to see this one as well - no pressure then!
Luckily I have one of the smaller roles in 'Keep Calm', as this is technically my first production as an adult, or at least one that doesn't involve either custard pies or generally acting the fool.  I play the part of Mary Grant - a not dissimilar character to Sybil Fawlty, who leaves her husband in charge of looking after the household and baby while she goes out for lunch. 
Apart from the fretting and fidgeting before my exit, in contrast to my character when I do finally leave 'for lunch' I can quietly relax back stage while all hell breaks loose, and prepare for my emotional outburst at the end... it promises to be quite something.

ST

http://www.cubbingtonplayers.com/
14th, 15th & 16th October - Keep Calm (Louis Goodrich) & Babysitting Calvin (John H Newmeir)

Bloggers are what!?

As someone who has tweeted (twittered... I'm actually unsure of the past-tense of the verb 'to tweet' now I come to think of it) profusely for some time now, there is one thing I've noticed - twittering and blogging are, in more instances than not, things that go hand-in-hand - it is a shame then, that someone I had come to admire on the BBC has branded blogging as the "spewings and rantings of very drunk people late at night".

I'm sure that Andrew Marr did not mean all bloggers, but it is unfortunate that he did not seem to make much of a distinction in his statement. 

Ristorante Etna

We walked into Etna on a Friday evening and I could immediately see why this particular restaurant had mixed reviews from the people who had eaten there over the years.  Although I had read that this was one of the first restaurants in Coventry's Restaurant Quarter, it seemed to lack the sort of atmosphere that I would have expected for an eatery that has been around for more than twenty years.  The interior had been redecorated in recent history, but unfortunately it has left the venue with a certain clinical air to it, everywhere was clean but it seemed lacking in any particular personality (the decorations for example seemed a little disjointed) and lacked the friendliness of other Italian restaurants that I have visited.

The menu itself was large and varied, and along with the specials board catered for most tastes whilst

My First Football Match

Pretty much anyone who knows me would vouch for the fact that I'm a bit of a tomboy and have been from an early age.  I've never been one for wearing skirts, I have a severe aversion to pink, I've always liked cars and Top Gear, so it's a bit surprising that I've never found myself overly interested in football - having said that, I am fully aware of what the off-side rule is!
It isn't even as if I've never watched a match, it's just that I'd never been to one, even though I had pestered my dad at least once a year to take me to a live game, any game... even a Port Vale one.
My dad, uncle and cousin have been supporters of 'The Vale' for quite some time having lived in Stoke-on-Trent for a large proportion of their lives, and in my dad and uncles case having lived within 10 minutes walk of their home ground.  I admit that over the last 20 years I've gently ribbed them on a regular basis about the state of Vale's reputation, feeling that as I was brought up in Leamington/Shropshire that I was as far away as possible from having any connection with a team that had such a big propensity to lose... a lot.
As we got out of the car I felt rather excited, giddy even