New Season

We have reached the end of the 2009-10 season but there is lots to look forward to in the 2010-11 season. The first half of the new season has been published -

Breathing Corpses by Laura Wade 6th to 11th September 2010

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka 11th to 16th October 2010

5th Writefest 4th to 6th November 2010

Ajax by Sophocles 25th November to 4th December 2010

The Ash Girl by Timberlake Wertenbaker 10th to 16th January 2011

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 10th to 19th February 2011

Progress Blog will be back in mid August to catch up with preparations for Breathing Corpses.

If you are interested in what goes on at Progress Theatre then sign up to this blog. Enter your email in the box under ‘about us’ and click on subscribe. New postings are made weekly so you won’t be swamped with emails.

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

Ajax Auditions

Auditions for the third play of the 2010–11 season, Ajax by Sophocles are taking place this week. They are being held at Progress Theatre on Wednesday 28 July 7.30 pm and Sunday 1 August 2.30 pm. The production itself will be 25 November - 4 December 2010.

The play is being directed by Dan Clarke who was recently on stage at Progress playing Toby and Lionel in Intimate Exchanges. Ajax will be a very different production, it was written in 450 BC and is set in the Trojan war.  Dan sees parallels in the play with a current conflict like Afghanistan and is going to give the production a modern setting although it will still be the Trojan war with the heroes and Gods.

Dan has always been interested in Greek Mythology and came across Ajax for the first time when studying classics. He almost directed the play with another theatre group but decided not to as he didn't think he could find enough talented actors to do it justice. He is obviously confident this time so prove him right and come along to the auditions. Details of the characters and audition pieces are on the Progress Theatre website here. Remember you don't have to be a member of Progress to audition.

Traditionally in classical Greek plays much of the action happens off stage and is reported by the characters. Ajax is different in that more of the often horrific action happens on stage. This is more of a challenge for cast and crew but should make for a more exciting spectacle for the audience and Dan promises "there will be blood!"

If you are interested in what goes on at Progress Theatre then sign up to this blog. Enter your email in the box under ‘about us’ and click on subscribe. New postings are made weekly so you won’t be swamped with emails.

Coming up...

Auditions for Ajax by Sophocles, Progress Theatre Wednesday 28 July 7.30 pm and Sunday 1 August 2.30 pm
 
Breathing Corpses by Laura Wade 6th - 11th September 2010

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

 

Physical Theatre and Blood Wedding

Chris Farman has been leading a series of workshops for young people at the theatre combining physical theatre with British Sign Language (BSL). Chris is studying  for a degree in Theatre Arts, Education and Deaf Studies at Reading University. He is also a trainee BSL interpreter. He is interested in language and communication, particularly visual communication so BSL as a visual language is perfect for him.  

The workshops have been running for six weeks with seven young people, some from Progress Youth Theatre and some from outside. It has been an intensive six weeks as they have been learning some BSL and physical theatre skills as well as preparing for a performance to be shown with Blood Wedding.

Blood Wedding by Federico García Lorca, a tragedy about love and death is being performed by Progress Youth Theatre on 19th - 21st July 7.45  at Wycliffe Baptist Church, Kings Road (near Cemetery junction). The physical theatre group will be performing their piece immediately before. It will reflect the themes of the Blood Wedding without retelling the same story.

Chris has thrown himself into life at Progress, he worked on the set for Intimate Exchanges and did sound and make-up for Pillowman. Next season he is designing the costumes for Ajax as well as performing in and choreographing the physical theatre aspects of Metamorphosis...and still finding the time for his degree phew!

Chris is also going to be running a new Progress Youth Theatre group next season based on physical theatre. Those of us who can no longer be described as youths haven't been forgotten and there are plans to run some adult workshops as well.

If you are interested in what goes on at Progress Theatre then sign up to this blog. Enter your email in the box under ‘about us’ and click on subscribe. New postings are made weekly so you won’t be swamped with emails.

Coming up...
 
Blood Wedding by Federico Garcia Lorca 19, 20, 21 July 2010 7.45pm, Wycliffe Baptist Church

Breathing Corpses by Laura Wade 6th - 11th September 2010

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

Auditions for Metamorphosis

The final show of this season, Death and the Maiden, starts on Monday 5th July and runs through to Saturday 10th. This is a shorter run than normal so don't miss it.

We are now holding auditions for the second production of the 2010/11 season. Metamorphosis runs from 11th to 16th October and the auditions are being held on Tuesday, 6th July, 7:30 pm at United Reformed Church, Palmer Park and Sunday, 11th July, 2:30 at Progress Theatre.  

Following her successful production of A couple of poor English-speaking Poles by Dorota Maslowska in March, directory Joanna Rogowska has again turned to an East European writer. Franz Kafka's 1915 novel starts with the famous line "When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning, he found that he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug."

This stage production is a modern take on the adaptation by Steven Berkoff first performed in the Roundhouse in London in 1969. The part of Gregor Samsa was played  by Berkoff himself and over the years has also been taken by, among others, Roman Polanski and Tim Roth. The production includes plenty of Berkoff's trade mark physical theatre and will be a fun one to get involved in as well as one not be missed for the audience. 

Click here for more details about the auditions.

If you are interested in what goes on at Progress Theatre then sign up to this blog. Enter your email in the box under ‘about us’ and click on subscribe. New postings are made weekly so you won’t be swamped with emails.

Coming up...

Death and The Maiden by Ariel Dorfman 5 - 10 July 2010

Auditions for Metamorphosis adapted by Steven Berkoff from Franz Kafka’s novel. Tuesday, 6th July at 7:30 pm at Palmer Park (United Reformed Church, Palmer Park Avenue, Reading, RG6 1DN); Sunday, 11th July at 2:30 at Progress Theatre.


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