Ajax and the incredible folding tent

The first half of Ajax is set during the siege of Troy and features Ajax's tent as part of the set. The tent was designed by Aidan Moran who explained that for it to look good on stage it has to be set at a strange angle which makes it harder to construct. Before passing the design on to the construction team he also casually mentioned that as it is not needed in the second half of the play it also needs to be easy to collapse and take off stage.

Chris Rothwell has done an amazing job of creating a folding frame for the tent and Alice Mulford bought her sewing machine on stage to run up the fabric cover. The audience will be busy at the bar while the tent is deconstructed each night so here's a series photos showing the incredible folding tent.

The Full tent

Going

Going

Gone

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Coming up...

Ajax by Sophocles 25th November to 4th December 2010

Auditions for Teechers by John Godber Sun 12th December at 2.30pm &Tues 14th December at 7.30pm

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

See Progress Theatre website for details of all our productions and auditions.

Ajax masks

If you happened to be in town on Sunday afternoon you may have noticed a sword fight going on. This was part of the publicity drive for Ajax and certainly caught the passing public's attention - giving us the opportunity to hand them a flyer. 

The chorus in Ajax (see last week's post) will be wearing full head masks. These represent ancient Greek armour but have a modern twist in keeping with the costumes and setting of the play. 

The masks have been made by Chris Farman who specialised in masks and millinery (hats) at art college. The masks are made of plaster of paris and are individually fitted to each person - that is what is going on in the photo! They were then strengthened and covered in faux leather.

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...

Ajax by Sophocles 25th November to 4th December 2010

Auditions for Teechers by John Godber Sun 12th December at 2.30pm &Tues 14th December at 7.30pm

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

See Progress Theatre website for details of all our productions and auditions.

Ajax Chorus

In classic Greek theatre the chorus is an important part of the action. They help to explain the plot and give insights the other characters don't have. Ajax is no exception and this production has six actors in the chorus who represent the army. Director Dan Clarke has given each of the chorus members a distinct character, for example the rookie, the battle hardened warrior and the clever but clumsy one.


I met up with five of the six chorus members getting ready for a rehearsal on Sunday evening. Most of the faces will be familiar to regular Progress audiences but Ellie Kent is a new member and as well as being in the chorus plays the goddess Athena.



Matt Dury signed up as production manager for the show but stepped into his place in the chorus when the actor originally cast had to drop out. He explained to me that the setting of the play will be a mixture of ancient Greek and modern military. They will be using masks and cloaks but also modern weapons and army boots.



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...

Ajax by Sophocles 25th November to 4th December 2010

Auditions for Teechers by John Godber Sun 12th December at 2.30pm &Tues 14th December at 7.30pm

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

See Progress Theatre website for details of all our productions and auditions.

Fifth Writefest

The fifth Writefest starts on Thursday and last weekend was a busy one for all those involved. With seven separate plays the final technical weekend is more complicated than for a single production. When Progress Blog arrived on Sunday afternoon they were just finishing setting the lights for the final play. Stage managers Emma Walsh and Sian Davies were busy glueing felt to the bottom of two black boxes used in several of the plays. The boxes get moved around a lot and were scrapping the stage floor.

Sian is a new member and as well as helping back stage for Writefest she is playing one of the nasty (not ugly!) sisters in The Ash Girl. Her previous theatre experience has included producing Cinderella in Georgia. It was a production that started as a casual idea among friends "wouldn't it be fun to .." and ended with a budget of thousands, a 300+ seater theatre, two ambassadors in the cast and the Georgian defence minister in the audience.

Sian was in Georgia during the war with Russia in 2008. She became something of a media celebrity as her blog was seen as one of the few sources of reliable information to the outside world. I asked her if being in Reading was a bit dull after the excitement  of Georgia but she said she is enjoying herself at Progress and at least she doesn't have to worry about Russian tanks.

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...

Writefest 4th to 6th November 2010

Ajax by Sophocles 25th November to 4th December 2010

Auditions for for Teechers by John Godber Sun 12th December at 2.30pm &Tues 14th December at 7.30pm

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

See Progress Theatre website for details of all our productions and auditions.