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

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…

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.

'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)