The Importance of Props

Progress Youth Theatre is performing The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde and Travesties by Tom Stoppard between 22nd and 27th March. The plays are on different nights during the week with a double bill on the Saturday. The Floodlights and Blinders are the theatre's older youth groups, 16 - 18 year olds, and recent productions have included Macbeth and Don Juan comes back from the war.

Progress blog crept into the back of the theatre during a rehearsal last week to be confronted by the smell of toast and a tempting plate of muffins. Settling down to watch part of a rehearsal of The Importance of Being Earnest it became clear these were part of the props. Rehearsals have got to the stage where the actors know what they are meant to be doing and saying and are now trying to do it while drinking a cup of tea and eating a piece of cake. In the scene we watched this is further complicated as the two girls - Imogen and Emily who play Cecily and Gwendolen - also have fans.

 These have to be opened and closed at appropriate moments and it is an acquired skill that modern woman don't have much opportunity to practise. At the end of the scene director Ali tentatively suggested that it would look better if they could use the fans in their left hands! Being true professionals they agreed to take the fans home for some intensive training.

Imogen and Emily also play versions of the characters Cecily and Gwendolen in Travesties. The plot revolves around memories of a production of The Importance of Being Earnest so the plays work well together as a double bill.

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Coming up ….

The Importance Of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde Mon 22nd & Weds 24th March 7.45 pm, Saturday 27th 5.30 and Travesties by Tom Stoppard Tues 23rd, Fri 26th March & Saturday 27th 7.45 pm 

Auditions for Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman. At Progress Theatre, Sunday 28th March 2.30 and Wednesday 31 March 7.30

Casting for a mystery cycle play Monday 5th April 7.30 Progress Theatre. To be performed 18th April contact Chris Bertrand at candjbertrand@uwclub.net for more details.

Intimate Exchanges by Alan Ayckbourn 14 - 24 April 2010

See www.progresstheatre.co.uk for details of all our productions and auditions.