Wednesday 12 December 2012

The Love of the Nightingale learning the ropes backstage

The Progress Youth theatre gives its members the opportunity to learn all aspects of theatre, not just acting. In the current production of The Love of The Nightingale, Josie Thompson is getting a taste of stage management.

Josie demonstrating one of the props

A major part of the role of stage manager is safety, particularly if there was an emergency, and for this reason there always has to be someone over 18 backstage. In this production Josie is benefitting from working with experienced stage manager, Fiona McNeil.

There are no complex set changes or special effects in The Love of The Nightingale but a good stage manager still has to keep on the ball as they have to be ready to help out if things go wrong backstage. Josie is by the stage left entrance throughout the play, a bit chilly in this frosty weather. She follows the action in the script, checking that the actors are ready to go on when they should be, or warn them if the actors on stage skip some of the script.

The most stressful thing she has to do is help with two costume changes in quick succession. She has learnt from experience that she needs to just throw the first dress on the floor and leave sorting it out until after the second costume change.

When she is not busy with Progress Josie plays ice-hockey for Bracknell Ice-bees, is a drummer and in her spare time is studying for GCSEs this summer.

The Love of the Nightingale runs until Saturday 17th 2012.

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Progress Youth Theatre presents For the Love of a Nightingale by Timberlake Wertenbaker 10th -15th December 2012, Progress Theatre

The Fifth Elephant by Stephen Briggs based on the book by Terry Pratchett 17th - 26th January 2013, Progress Theatre

Thursday 29 November 2012

The Love Of The Nightingale

Before dropping in on a rehearsal I didn't know much about The Love of the Nightingale except that it is based on a Greek legend and is written by Timberlake Wertenbaker who wrote Our Country's Good.


I discovered that the play tells the story of Philomela who following, a violent assault, uses life size dolls to act out what happened to her. This explained the slightly scary rag doll sitting in an empty chair in the auditorium. In the story Philomela spends many years making the dolls but the props team have had only a few weeks to make their own versions.

The production is being staged in traditional Greek costume so the costumes will be relatively easy to make. Although the way producer Liz Carroll was explaining the 'simple' way the the cast will have to drape and tie their robes I hope they haven't got too many quick changes.

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.

Auditions for New Directors' Double Bill Wednesday 5th December, 7.30pm or Sunday 9th December 2pm, Progress Theatre

Progress Youth Theatre presents For the Love of a Nightingale by Timberlake Wertenbaker 10th -15th December 2012, Progress Theatre

The Fifth Elephant by Stephen Briggs based on the book by Terry Pratchett 17th - 26th January 2013, Progress Theatre

Details of all our productions and auditions can be found on our website.

Wednesday 21 November 2012

Meet the marketing manager

This week's post is the first in an occasional series looking at the people who run Progress Theatre -  the management committee. Progress has charitable status and is entirely managed by a team of volunteers elected annually by the members.

Abby Salter sits on the management committee as the marketing manager and I met up with her over a cup of coffee to discuss her role. She originally joined the theatre to get involved with the writers' group but after agreeing to look after the marketing for The Women of Lockerbie she has not looked back and this is now her fifth year as marketing manager. She has even gone on to get a level 4 qualification from the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Abby relaxing during a break from the theatre
 
The role of the marketing manager is to look at the marketing and branding of the theatre as a whole but Abby also co-ordinates the marketing activities of each show. Each production has its own dedicated marketing person (also a volunteer of course!) but Abby handles the press contacts to maintain consistency over the season. There is a marketing schedule for each production to make sure that nothing is forgotten. There is also a small team of people who do regular marketing jobs across the season like putting up displays in the library and  maintaining the website.

Selling a show is much easier if it is something people want to see anyway (or it is on the school curriculum and they have to see it!). As marketing manager Abby doesn't have a direct say on what plays are put on in a season but the management committee takes an overall view on the plays put forward by the play production committee. The ideal is to have a mixture of well-known popular pieces combined with some more challenging works.

Abby is clearly excited by all aspects of marketing and gets a real buzz from watching people coming out after a show they've enjoyed and feeling that they came along as a result of marketing. She is proud of increasing average seat sales form 59.8% to 67% over her time in office.

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.

Auditions for Little Shop of Horrors by Howard Ashman. Wednesday 21st November 7.30 to 10.30 pm plus Saturday 24 November 2 to 5pm (Main characters and call-backs)

Auditions for New Directors' Double Bill Wednesday 5th December, 7.30pm or Sunday 9th December 2pm, Progress Theatre

Progress Youth Theatre presents For the Love of a Nightingale by Timberlake Wertenbaker 10th -15th December 2012, Progress Theatre

The Fifth Elephant by Stephen Briggs based on the book by Terry Pratchett 17th - 26th January 2013, Progress Theatre

Details of all our productions and auditions can be found on our website.

Tuesday 13 November 2012

WriteFest - a Writer's View

In last week's post I described the process of choosing the plays to be perforned and I thought  this week it would be interesting to talk to one of the writers.

I contacted Owen Goode as I'd heard that his play Skimming Stones had been the most popular choice among the potential directors. I was therefore surprised to learn that it was the first play he's written. It features a man who returns to his family home for a funeral after a prolonged absence and is about the different ways people deal with loss, and the subtle way relationships change. A lot to pack into a short piece and that was Owen's original challenge to himself in writing the play, to see if he could squeeze a complete drama with a lot of backstory into ten minutes.

Although this is the first play he has written Owen has had plenty of experience in performing other people's work. At Progress he played Richard Hannay in The 39 Steps and was the Angel Islington in Neverwhere. He also appeared in a play called My Voices(s) which was originally performed at the very first WriteFest in 2006 and then went to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2007.


Owen as Richard Hannay in The 39 Steps (although he claims this is how he always dresses to write)
 
So how does it feel to be on the other side of the fence? Some writers find it very difficult to let go and allow a director and cast a free rein with their work. Owen did admitt that it can be difficult to put your trust in other people to handle something you've made but, while willing to rewrite or clarify if requested, he was able to keep in the background. He has now seen a run through at the technical rehearsal and is very happy with the end result. He can see another layer of creativity spread thickly on top of  his script and even  some very nice moments coming out that he's sure he didn't put there.

He doesn't think first night nerves will compare to going on stage as an actor - after all it is out of his control now - but there may still be a slight jitter in the background wondering what the audiences will think...

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.

7th Annual WriteFest 14th - 17th November 2012, Progress Theatre

Auditions for Little Shop of Horrors by Howard Ashman. Saturday 17 November 2 to 5pm or
Wednesday 21st November 7.30 to 10.30 pm plus Saturday 24 November 2 to 5pm (Main characters and call-backs)

Auditions for New Directors' Double Bill Wednesday 5th December, 7.30pm or Sunday 9th December 2pm, Progress Theatre

Progress Youth Theatre presents For the Love of a Nightingale by Timberlake Wertenbaker 10th -15th December 2012, Progress Theatre

The Fifth Elephant by Stephen Briggs based on the book by Terry Pratchett 17th - 26th January 2013, Progress Theatre

Details of all our productions and auditions can be found on our website.



Tuesday 6 November 2012

7th Annual WriteFest

I couldnt resist this photo of WriteFest director Stuart Merrall painting some stage urinals for his play Toilet. I should start a new series 'Things you never thought you'd find yourself doing'.
 
 

There were other directors busy making props - reupholstering chairs with sheets, installing a lifebuoy and creating a gameshow host's podium from a dream. As you can see quite a varied range of plays at this years WriteFest and co-producer Matt Drury explained to me the process of whittling down the 74 submitted plays to the final 7 chosen for performance.

Submissions are sent to Matt who skim reads them all to check they meet the entry requirements particularly that they shouldn't be longer than 20 minutes in performance. He also runs some Internet searches on key phrases to check the plays are all original work. He then removes the author's name from the scripts and sends them to Progress Play Production Committee for assessment.

Everyone on the committee reads every play and gives them a ranking based on 'gut feeling' and also ones on more specific technical aspects like the strength of the opening, characters and plot. These individual rankings are then fed into the WriteFest Web System created by Progress member Chris Hoult which gives each play an overall score. The top 12 plays are then considered as a shortlist and from this plays are chosen to create a balanced evening's entertainment finishing between 10 and 10.15pm.

Once the plays are chosen anyone who has expressed an interest in directing for WriteFest is sent all the scripts and asked to submit a proposal outlining their ideas for up to three of the plays. Matt and his co-producer Emily Goode make the final decision about who will direct what. Then the fun starts trying to co-ordinate rehearsal space, props and set designs.


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7th Annual WriteFest 14th - 17th November 2012, Progress Theatre

Auditions for Little Shop of Horrors by Howard Ashman. Saturday 17 November 2 to 5pm or
Wednesday 21st November 7.30 to 10.30 pm plus Saturday 24 November 2 to 5pm (Main characters and call-backs)

Auditions for New Directors' Double Bill Wednesday 5th December, 7.30pm or Sunday 9th December 2pm, Progress Theatre

Progress Youth Theatre presents For the Love of a Nightingale by Timberlake Wertenbaker 10th -15th December 2012, Progress Theatre

The Fifth Elephant by Stephen Briggs based on the book by Terry Pratchett 17th - 26th January 2013, Progress Theatre

Details of all our productions and auditions can be found on our website.

Tuesday 16 October 2012

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern First Night

The first night of any production is always nerve wracking for the director and actors. Particularly the director as their 'baby' is finely going to be sent before a paying audience. There is nothing they can do any more, too late to change anything, it is all down to the actors and luck.





The other worry of course is will anyone actually come and pay money to see the play you've worked so hard on over the last few months. A good number of seats have been pre-booked for this run but you never now how many people will turn up on the door.

While waiting to open the doors to the public the front of house volunteers could hear the faint strains of 'what to do with a drunken sailor' wafting through from the back stage area. The cast sounded in good voice and spirits.




The Progress Youth Theatre normally have their sessions on a Monday at the theatre and when there is a production on this is replaced with a talk from the director and an opportunity to watch the production. Once the talk was over and Glynn had answered all their questions like what is your favourite line in the play, ("Pirates could happen to anyone") we opened the doors to the public.



By 7.45pm there were only a handful of seats left unsold, front of house reminded everyone to turn off their phones and it was time for the magic to begin.

All photos by Richard Brown.

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.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead by Tom Stoppard 15th - 20th October 2012, Progress Theatre

Auditions for Rumours by Neil Simon, Thursday 1st November, 7pm or Sunday 4th November, 2pm Progress Theatre

7th Annual WriteFest 14 - 17 November 2012, Progress Theatre

Auditions for New Directors’ Double Bill Wednesday 5 December, 7.30pm or Sunday 9 December, 2pm, Progress Theatre

Progress Youth Theatre presents For the Love of a Nightingale by Timberlake Wertenbaker 10-15 December 2012, Progress Theatre

Details of all our productions and auditions can be found on our website.





Monday 8 October 2012

Lighting Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

Lighting is one aspect of theatre that doesn't always get much attention, people generally only notice it during a play if it goes wrong. Designing the lighting for a production is however an important creative part of the overall experience enjoyed by the audience. On Sunday I found Jon Churchill in a familiar position, up a ladder adjusting the lights at Progress Theatre. Jon has lit many shows over the years at Progress his but his most recent ones have been Mindgame and Whats Wrong with Angry.

There are technical challenges common to all productions like avoiding 'black holes', a dim patch where part of the stage is not lit properly. In addition to these each production brings very different tests for the lighting designer. Whats Wrong with Angry was perhaps more challenging for the lighting operator than the designer as there were hundreds of cues when the lighting had to be changed but the lighting itself was relatively straightforward with generally only small parts of the stage having to be lit at a time.

Mindgame was completely different in that there were only two changes but the lighting had to change very slowly from portraying a country hospital to a more industrial office.


Jon described the lighting for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead as more subtle. The whole stage has to be lit (so important to avoid those black holes) and there are also the different doors mentioned in last week's post to light. The set is minimal so different states have to be portrayed by the lighting like sunset, dusk, outdoors and different indoor settings,  there is even a call for an 'ethereal' effect.

If you would like to find out more about theatre lighting and even have a go yourself Jon is running a workshop at Progress Theatre on Sunday 28th October (10am-4pm)  You will learn how to work with the script, the set designer, the director and cast. Learn a little about colours, moods and special effects then pull everything together on the Progress stage. If you'd like to attend the workshop then email pantofool@hotmail.com. It is intended for Progress members but you always join if you are not already a member!

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.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead by Tom Stoppard 15th - 20th October 2012, Progress Theatre

Auditions for Rumours by Neil Simon, Thursday 1st November, 7pm or Sunday 4th November, 2pm Progress Theatre

7th Annual WriteFest 14 - 17 November 2012, Progress Theatre

Auditions for New Directors’ Double Bill Wednesday 5 December, 7.30pm or Sunday 9 December, 2pm, Progress Theatre

Progress Youth Theatre presents For the Love of a Nightingale by Timberlake Wertenbaker 10-15 December 2012, Progress Theatre

Details of all our productions and auditions can be found on our website.

Monday 1 October 2012

Exits in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

"...look on every exit being an entrance somewhere else"

Exits and entrances are important in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. The two protagonists are stuck on stage for the entire play while other characters come and go at will. Director Glynn Oram is highlighting this by using doors in the set design. There are going to be several doors of different types some of which open and are working exits/entrances and some of which don't. The set is going to be black with all the doors painted in a variety of colours.

The set build team contemplating where to put the next door

Glynn also wanted some of the characters to have knives - but wooden ones. Ellie Spencer was working on them in the foyer on Sunday afternoon. She had found some wooden knives in the Progress props store but they were covered in silver tape - presumably from a previous production where they wanted them to look more realistic. In this production they need to look like wooden knives. Ellie has stripped the knives back to the wood and painted the blades.



Talking of recycling props I was pleased to see that the Progress beer crates are getting another outing. These have been in use at the theatre for over 40 years and in this production get used as steps and as boxes to transport things for the infamous voyage to England.

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.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead by Tom Stoppard 15th - 20th October 2012, Progress Theatre

Auditions for Rumours by Neil Simon, Thursday 1st November, 7pm or Sunday 4th November, 2pm Progress Theatre

7th Annual WriteFest 14 - 17 November 2012, Progress Theatre

Auditions for New Directors’ Double Bill Wednesday 5 December, 7.30pm or Sunday 9 December, 2pm, Progress Theatre

Progress Youth Theatre presents For the Love of a Nightingale by Timberlake Wertenbaker 10-15 December 2012, Progress Theatre
 
Details of all our productions and auditions can be found on our website.

Monday 17 September 2012

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead - Reprising a Double Act


Calendar Girls is still running until next Saturday although it is almost sold out. A batch of tickets has been released for Thursday 20th September and they are available from the Reading Arts website or by phoning the Hexagon box office on 0118 9606060. If you haven't got a ticket and want to come on another night it may be worth turning up at the theatre on the night of the performance to see if there are any returns. You can also join the Progress Theatre group on facebook as people with spare tickets sometimes post them there.

The next show is Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard. The lead roles of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are played by Chris Hoult and Craig Daniels who were last seen together on the Progress stage in 39 Steps where they played dozens of different characters. Chris and Craig first appeared on stage together in Hook in the Hook Players production of Murder to Death in 2010.
Chris and Craig as they appear on the flyers for the production
 
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are minor characters from Shakespeare's Hamlet and during this play various characters from Hamlet appear and interact with them. The characters are all played by a small troupe of players and to help with switching between characters director Glynn Oram has bought a selection of interesting masks.







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Coming up -

Calendar Girls by Tim Firth, 13th - 22nd September 2012, Progress Theatre
(Woodley Theatre's production runs 24th - 29th September)

Auditions for Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett Thursday 27th September at 7.30pm and Sunday 30th September at 6pm, Progress Theatre

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead by Tom Stoppard 15th - 20th October 2012, Progress Theatre

7th Annual WriteFest 14 - 17 November 2012, Progress Theatre

Details of all our productions and auditions can be found on our website.

Monday 10 September 2012

Calendar Girls - the Big Bake-off

The casts of Calendar Girls from Progress and Woodley theatres held a WI style bake-off on Sunday. There was a huge range of cakes and visitors were asked to vote for the lightest, moistest, most tasty, best iced, most unusual and best overall. In order to be strictly fair to all the entrants it was important to sample all the offerings! Of course there was plenty of tea to wash down all that cake.


This is just half of the cakes.

In the midst of the cake eating there was also a mini badminton tournament where the actors playing the same characters were pitched against each other. I'm afraid I have to report that Woodley Theatre won by 4 games to 3.



John Goodman and Jim McGuigan who play Rod in Progress and Woodley Productions

 
The stars stayed in character for the event including two very grand Lady Cavendishes giving out the prizes. As well as being great fun and promoting the two productions the aim of the afternoon was fundraising and a total of £210 was raised for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research

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 -

Calendar Girls by Tim Firth, 13th - 22nd September 2012, Progress Theatre
(Woodley Theatre's production runs 24th - 29th September)

Auditions for 7th WriteFest, Sunday 16th September at 2.30pm, Progress Theatre

Auditions for Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett Thursday 27th September at 7.30pm and Sunday 30th September at 6pm, Progress Theatre

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead by Tom Stoppard 15th - 20th October 2012, Progress Theatre

7th Annual Write Fest 14 - 17 November 2012, Progress Theatre

Details of all our productions and auditions can be found on our website.


Monday 27 August 2012

Calender Girls - Fabulous Concealment



I think the painting activity was really to keep the cast quiet but the stated aim was to produce some Sunday school style pictures to decorate the church hall set of Calender Girls.

The other craft activity the cast and crew have been involved in is varnishing sticky buns. The play calls for a big pile of buns and buying real ones could prove expensive. Instead they bought some cheap bread buns, varnished them so they keep better and then covered them with icing, using a glue gun for the shiny sugar look.

Good enough to eat?
The pile of buns is used for 'fabulous concealment' the phrase used to describe the scenes depicting the photo shoot for the calender. Although all the ladies are naked, various items are used to ensure that their modesty is maintained at all times.

Director Aidan Moran described how he built up the confidence of the cast in playing these scenes by starting off with them fully clothed, moving on to dressing gowns and then underwear before being fully undressed. Stage manger Emma Walsh protects the actors privacy during rehearsals by ensuring that doors are not left open and no stray men accidentally wander in. Assistant director Shi Sur took on the job of checking from various points of the auditorium that nothing could be seen that shouldn't be.

The amateur rights to perform Calender Girls have been released for the first time this year in an attempt to establish the record for the highest number of productions of one play in a single year. A percentage of the performance fees paid by each theatre is going to Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research. To raise more money Aidan has photographed and had printed calenders showing members of the cast in various theatre situations employing the same fabulous concealment technique used in the WI calender. This calendar had been made jointly with the cast of Woodley Theatre who are performing Calender Girls later in September. Copies of the  calendar will be available for sale.

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 -

Calendar Girls by Tim Firth, 13th - 22nd September 2012, Progress Theatre

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead by Tom Stoppard 15th - 20th October 2012, Progress Theatre

7th Annual Write Fest 14 - 17 November 2012, Progress Theatre

Details of all our productions and auditions can be found on our website.

Thursday 9 August 2012

Calender Girls, Sunflowers and Pianos

The question I wanted to ask when I went to a Calendar Girls rehearsal was 'what is it with the sunflowers?' The poster features a sunflower and I'd heard that the rehearsals had started in June with a party where sunflowers seeds were planted outside the theatre.
Chris Moran, who is one of the calendar girls in the play, took me to see the sunflowers they planted and explained the significance of them. The plot of Calendar Girls centres around a WI member raising money for Leukaemia research by creating a nude calendar following the death of her husband. The husband's favourite flowers were sunflowers and he writes a talk for the WI about sunflowers where he compares them to Yorkshire women.



 The first read through of Calendar Girls doubled as a WI style tea party (yes there was cake!) and the cast and crew all planted a sunflower at the back of the carpark.




As you can see from the photo the sunflowers have come on a long way since June and fingers crossed they will be in full bloom in time for opening night. Look out for them when you come to see the show.

Tickets are selling fast, more than half are sold already so if you want to come and see this popular play then book your seats soon - there are unlikely to be any for sale on the door.

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 -

Calendar Girls by Tim Firth, 13th - 22nd September 2012, Progress Theatre

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead by Tom Stoppard 15th - 20th October 2012, Progress Theatre

Details of all our productions and auditions can be found on our website.

Monday 30 July 2012

Marketing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

The preparation for a show starts well before the first audition. The work may start over a year before when the director has to put their vision of the production to the Play Production Committee who decide the proposed season for final approval by the members. At this stage the director will also put together the basis of their production team, including production manager, lighting and sound, costumes and stage manager.

One of the earliest areas that needs to be put into place is the marketing plan. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard is being performed 15th - 20th October 2012 but the design for the flyers has to be finalised in the next few weeks so that posters and flyers can be printed ready for distribution and display. The first marketing meeting was held last week with the director, theatre marketing manager and the show's production and marketing managers.


Glynn, Abby and Liz studying the marketing schedule
Some things have to happen for every show like printing flyers and updating 'whats on' websites, other things will be different for different shows. For example Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead are planning to hold an open rehearsal to generate some publicity. The show is very funny and is running during the Reading Comedy Festival so we are hoping there may be some opportunities to market to their audiences.

Marketing meetings and schedules may not be what you expect to be doing when you join a local theatre but there is no point in putting on the most fantastic show if no-one turns up to see it.

If you want to be in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead there is still time to audition. The second audition is this Tuesday 1st August 7.30pm

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 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead by Tom Stoppard Tuesday 31st July 7.30pm at Progress Theatre

Calendar Girls by Tim Firth, 13th - 22nd September 2012, Progress Theatre

Details of all our productions and auditions can be found on our website.

Tuesday 17 July 2012

Henry IV - the show goes on

You may have noticed that we haven't been having great weather this summer but in the best British tradition the show will go on - whatever the weather.

The first night of Henry IV part One in the Caversham Court Gardens was particularly wet but the hardy souls who had pre-booked all turned up dressed for the rain. We decided to give them some shelter by moving the box-office gazebo down to the stage area.


The cast all donned transparent ponchos to protect their costumes and performed a 'wet weather' version of the show with some of the more risky sword fights cut. Unfortunately the weather got even worse and they weren't able to carry on after the interval.



There have been some much better evenings and some performances the sun has even put in an appearance. Everyone who has seen the show has been enthusiastic - even when the weather was bad. The weather forecast is looking good for tomorrow evening (Wednesday 18th July) and we have decided to run a special promotion. Anyone who pre-books for Wednesday night will get £5 off their ticket price. You can still come on the door but the discount won't apply.

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 -

Henry IV Part One by William Shakespeare, 12th - 21st July 2012, Caversham Court Gardens

Auditions for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead by Tom Stoppard Sunday 29th July 2012, 1pm and Tuesday 31st July 7.30pm, both at Progress Theatre

Calendar Girls by Tim Firth, 13th - 22nd September 2012, Progress Theatre

Details of all our productions and auditions can be found on our website.

Tuesday 10 July 2012

Henry IV Dress rehearsal

Henry IV Part One, this year's out-door Shakespeare production, starts this Thursday 12th July and runs until Saturday 21st at Caversham Court Gardens. Monday night was a dress rehearsal and press night so I had a bit of a sneak preview of what it will all look like. The stage remains in position during the whole run but everything else like the tents needed for actors and props has to be put up and taken down each night.


Caversham Gardens are a beautiful setting for productions; the stage sits next to the river and among the mature trees. The trees are put to more than decorative use as they are used to hold the lights that enable the audience to get a good view of the dramatic battle scenes in the second half as darkness starts to fall.

As well as the actors and stage crew there is an army of willing workers who take on the less glamorous but vital roles like selling tickets, running the bar and selling programmes. Dress rehearsals are an opportunity for them to run through their procedures and make sure they have everything in place.
Production team checking what they need in the box office

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 -

Henry IV Part One by William Shakespeare, 12th - 21st July 2012, Caversham Court Gardens

Auditions for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead by Tom Stoppard Sunday 29th July 2012, 1pm and Tuesday 31st July 7.30pm, both at Progress Theatre

Calendar Girls by Tim Firth, 13th - 22nd September 2012, Progress Theatre

Details of all our productions and auditions can be found on our website.

Monday 2 July 2012

Trying on Henry IV costumes

What’s Wrong With Angry? By Patrick Wilde starts today and runs until Saturday 7th July. See last week's blog for details.


Shi being laced into her lady in waiting costume


The theatre is very busy getting ready for our annual Shakespeare production in the beautiful Caversham Court Gardens. This year we are presenting Henry IV, Part One in full period costume. Most of the costumes have been hired from a company called History in the Making who have a treasure trove of a warehouse near Portsmouth full of weapons, army vehicles, obsure props and of course a whole range of costumes.








Matt Tully showing off his Henry IV costume





The costumes arrived at the theatre on Saturday and were sorted out by the wardrobe team headed by Liz Paulo and Louise Butland. They were all ready for the actors to try on Sunday afternoon when a team of volunteers were ready with needle and thread to make any alterations.










We even have chain mail for the battle scenes. These can't really be altered easily and trying them on a couple of the chain mail tunics proved to be too short and would leave the wearers vulnerable in a battle. Liz and Louise will have to try and get some longer ones from the costume company of see if the National Theatre, who are supplying some additional costumes, have any available. We can't have leave our brave knights exposed on stage!


Matt Dury trying on his chain mail


 
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 -

What’s Wrong With Angry? By Patrick Wilde, 2nd - 7th July 2012, Progress Theatre

Henry IV Part One by William Shakespeare, 12th - 21st July 2012, Caversham Court Gardens

Calendar Girls by Tim Firth, 13th - 22nd September 2012, Progress Theatre

Friday 22 June 2012

What's wrong with Angry?

Progress Youth Theatre are well into rehearsals for their next production What's wrong with Angry? I sat in on part of one of them. This is a hard hitting play about a gay school boy in the early 1990s, a time when it was still illegal for 16 year old homosexuals to have sex. What struck me about the play was the believability of the teenage interactions. The desperation to be part of the group; to find someone, anyone, for that all important final slow dance; the boys who think you'll be happy to  go with them because 'you're not exactly an oil painting'.

An action scene from 'What's wrong with Angry'

The cast were managing in this rehearsal without one of the main characters. They had to make do with either someone standing in for him and reading his lines or talking to the space where he should be while the director read in the lines. In fact the director himself was standing in for Ali Carroll who couldn't make this rehearsal. They did however have their stage-manager, Fiona McNeil, who was watching the action and working out what props and furniture need to be bought on and off, and more importantly, who is going to do it.
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 -

What’s Wrong With Angry? By Patrick Wilde, 2nd - 7th July 2012, Progress Theatre

Henry IV Part One by William Shakespeare, 12th - 21st July 2012, Caversham Court Gardens

Tuesday 12 June 2012

Mine backstage

I was backstage for the first night of Mine on Monday night. There was a general buzz of nervous energy and activity. People busy getting dressed, putting on make-up and, very considerately, going into the corridor to put on hairspray.

I asked about first night nerves and the main response seemed to be variations of  "I hate this bit I wish I could just go" and  "I hate standing in the wings". Deep breathing was suggested as a way of calming nerves and preparing to go on stage. I also asked if anyone had any superstitions that they always had to follow. No-one had any in particular but Evelyn said she likes to develop and stick to a routine so whatever she does on the first night she has to continue for the rest of the run.

Another first night tradition is cards and even flowers and presents from family and friends. As the only man in a cast of ten Peter gallantly brought a basket of fruit and a card "to the women of Mine from the man"

Most casts like to do a warm-up on stage before the audience comes in. Mine's warm-up included each member saying one of their lines which was then repeated by all the cast, a game of 'zip zap boing' and a final sports team style cheer.


All the preparations paid off and the first night was successful, all nerves forgotten as soon as they stepped on stage. 

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 -

Mine by Polly Teale 11th - 16th June 2012, Progress Theatre

What’s Wrong With Angry? By Patrick Wilde, 2nd - 7th July 2012, Progress Theatre

Henry IV Part One by William Shakespeare, 12th  - 21st July 2012, Caversham Court Gardens

Sunday 3 June 2012

Catching up with a 'Mine' rehearsal

Rehearsals for Mine are at the point where the set is built but not complete. The actors can start to get a feel for going in and out of the right exits using the different levels and steps but not everything is ready. Sometimes they have to make do with substitutes, for example a row of foyer chairs instead of a window seat and a hole in the wall where there will eventually be a dolls' house to crawl into.


Tallulah and Sam on the half finished set

The play is about adoption and there needs to be a baby. It is harder than you think to handle a doll in a way that allows the audience to suspend their disbelief and accept that it is a real baby. Part of the problem is that the weight is not right and there was some discussion about filling the doll with sand or tying a weight around it to make it a more realistic weight. All new parents will have struggled with holding a baby with one hand and doing something else like answering the phone with the other -  even more difficult when you are trying to act as well!

Director Chris teaching the cast how to hold a baby and answer the phone.

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 -

Mine by Polly Teale 11th - 16th June 2012, Progress Theatre

What’s Wrong With Angry? By Patrick Wilde, 2nd - 7th July 2012, Progress Theatre

Henry IV Part One by William Shakespeare, 12th  - 21st July 2012, Caversham Court Gardens

Tuesday 22 May 2012

A Special Night

The next main production at Progress Theatre is Mine by Polly Teale starting on the 11th June. Director Chris Moran has given herself the additional challenges of training to run in the Race for Life on 20th June and helping to organise a one-off evening at the theatre on 25th May, both to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

The theatre evening on Friday is open to all and is by  donation (min £5) on the door. The evening is a tribute to two Progress Members, Val Patchett and Anne McCubbin who lost their lives to cancer. Both women were very creative and the evening will be a celebration of this.

Val was a founder member of the Progress writers group and would be very proud of the many successful plays and writers that have come out of the group over the years. Her one-act play Way Out was first performed at Progress in 1999 and went on to win three awards at the Kenton drama festival. It will be performed again on Friday as part of this special evening. As well as writing Val was always busy behind the scenes with marketing or stage management, she even appeared on-stage as the dormouse in her own adaptation of Alice in Wonderland.

The (incomplete) set for Friday's performance of 'Way Out'

Anne was also a writer and there will be readings of her short stories and poems during the evening as well as a sale of her beautiful hand-made jewellery. Anne was a very supportive member of the theatre and could often be found working in the box-office. Her two children, Alex and Laura came through the theatre's youth groups and are both still active members along with her husband Stuart.

If you need any more incentive to come along on Friday there will be a cake raffle! If you are able to bring a cake to contribute to the raffle prizes you will be even more welcome.... Doors open 7.15 for 7.45pm start.

All proceeds will be going to Cancer Research UK, via the Race for Life which Laura Mills, Abby Salter and Chris are running on 20th June. If you can't make the evening but would still like to donate please go to www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/progress-girls.

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 -

Mine by Polly Teale 11th - 16th June 2012, Progress Theatre

Henry IV Part One by William Shakespeare, 12 Jul - 21 Jul 2012, Caversham Court Gardens

Friday 11 May 2012

Mindgame running up against a brick wall

Instead of being shown on consecutive nights like other Progress productions, Mindgame is running Thursday - Saturday over two weekends with a break in between. Producer Steph Weller explained a bit about the thinking behind this change. Most productions at Progress run for either six or nine nights. The nine night runs are used for plays that are expected to be very popular and therefore justify the expense of paying the rights for the extra nights. The advantage of a nine night run is that people who come on the first weekend and enjoy it can tell other people, giving time for a buzz to build up about the production encouraging more people to come on the second weekend (weekends being the better selling performances). Six night runs normally start on a Monday, and if the earlier nights don't sell out there is less opportunity for word of mouth to build.
The other advantage of the split performance dates is that cast and crew get a longer break during the run, although the potential downside is that they could forget their lines or just lose a bit of the spark built up during the previous performances. Director Christopher Hoult has therefore decided to have an extra rehearsal for the actors without the lighting and sound on the Tuesday. He will though resist the temptation to make any mid-run changes to the performances!



When I met her on Sunday, Steph also made the slightly bizarre statement that she now detests brick walls. What she meant was she detests having to paint them. The brick wall seen through the window on the right of this photo has been painted in, and because of the window frame in front any deviation from a straight line would be obvious. It therefore had to be painted very carefully with the aid of a long piece of wood and a spirit level. 

Everything is ready for the opening night on Thursday apart from one last effect for which the production crew are awaiting materials. All Steph would say was thank goodness for the bank-holiday!

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 -
Mindgame by Anthony Horowitz 10th-12th May and 17th-19th May 2012, Progress Theatre

Auditions for Calendar Girls, by Tim Firth, Sunday 13th (2:30pm) and Wednesday 16th May (7:30pm), Progress Theatre

Mine by Polly Teale 11th - 16th June 2012, Progress Theatre

Henry IV Part One by William Shakespeare, 12 Jul - 21 Jul 2012, Caversham Court Gardens

Monday 30 April 2012

Getting in the Mind Set

I got a bit of a shock when I walked into the back door of the theatre and was confronted by a full size skeleton. Sigmund, as he has been named, appears on stage in Mindgame in the corner of the doctor's office. He came from a props company and the production team were saved the two hour round trip when the local artist using him was more than happy to drop him off.  He had been taken apart for transportation and it was lucky that when producer Steph Weller was putting him back together there was a doctor in the house. Dr. Alison Hill was in the theatre rehearsing for Mine: “Er Steph I think you’ve got those legs the wrong way round…”

The set building is progressing well and I was given a working tour but sworn to secrecy about the unexpected elements. Aidan, the designer, says "it's great to work on a set which is so disconcertingly realistic". As a regular Progress set designer, he enjoys the challenge of providing environments that he hopes will be seen as an extra character in the show. "The diversity of plays we do here allows for real creative freedom, as actors and production team. That's why we keep coming back for more!" I was most impressed by the way the space has been deepened by extending the set walls in to the off stage areas. This heightens the impression that characters leaving the stage are going into another part of the hospital.

The author of Mindgame, Anthony Horowitz, is perhaps best known as a children's writer, penning the Alex Rider series. However he also writes for adults, most recently Sherlock Holmes: House of Silk.  If you or the children in your family are fans then make your way to Waterstones in Reading, Broad St during May and show your Mindgame ticket to get 10% off any Horowitz book. This applies any time between 1st-31st May, so buy your ticket in advance to start saving now, otherwise don't forget to keep your ticket once you've seen the show!

Just for fun a video of Sigmund singing.



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 -

Mindgame by Anthony Horowitz 10th-12th May and 17th-19th May 2012, Progress Theatre

Auditions for Calendar Girls, by Tim Firth, Sunday 13th (2:30pm) and Wednesday 16th May (7:30pm). There is also a pre-audition evening Thursday 3rd May 7.45pm, a chance to hear the directors vision and ask any questions you may have.

Mine by Polly Teale 11th - 16th June 2012, Progress Theatre

Henry IV Part One by William Shakespeare, 12 Jul - 21 Jul 2012, Caversham Court Gardens

Saturday 21 April 2012

Fun and Mindgames


Palmer Park church hall was full of Progress actors last Sunday. I rang the bell for the hall I was expecting Mindgame rehearsals to be in but was let in by someone rehearsing Henry IV who told me Mindgame was upstairs. I then found a room of people I recognised but quickly realised they were rehearsing Mine not Mindgame. It seemed a bit rude to walk out saying "sorry I didn't want to see you" so I stayed to watch a scene. It is early days and the actors were rehearsing the scene for the first time but even though they were reading from their scripts the scene was still full of emotional tension (I'm not just saying this because they bribed me with cake honest).

I finally made it to the Mindgame rehearsal and they were part way through a run of the first act. There was a lot going on, in the twenty minutes or so I watched I saw a fight, someone murdered and someone being put in a straitjacket and threatened with torture. I also found myself laughing in places and I did check with director Chris Hoult later if I was supposed to be laughing. He reassured me that there was some black comedy and it was ok to laugh.

I also asked Chris about the the fighting as it looked very realistic.He told me that they hired Stevie Peart a professional actor specialising in stage fighting to run a workshop with the cast. The video shows an extract from the workshop.The production team and actors had already worked out the basic choreography and Steve advised them on techniques to make it look more realistic like following through properly after a punch. He also gave them some tips on how to use breakaway bottles for a scene where someone is hit with a wine bottle. Breakaway bottles are made with resin and look like a real wine bottle but shatter easily when smashed over someones head. The production crew have just collected 18 of these bottles from Sheperton Studios where Breakaway Effects Limited is based. They drove very carefully on the way home and are hoping that the 18 will be enough for 6 performances and rehearsals. So far they haven't dared take them out of the box!

I really enjoyed the bit of Mindgame I saw but I wasn't allowed to stay and watch the second half in case I gave away any of the twists and turns. I'll just have to buy my ticket like everyone else!


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 -

Mindgame by Anthony Horowitz 10th-12th May and 17th-19th May 2012, Progress Theatre

Auditions for Calendar Girls, by Tim Firth, Sunday 13th (2:30pm) and Wednesday 16th May (7:30pm). There is also a pre-audition evening Thursday 3rd May 7.45pm, a chance to hear the directors vision and ask any questions you may have.

Mine by Polly Teale 11th - 16th June 2012, Progress Theatre

Henry IV Part One by William Shakespeare, 12 Jul - 21 Jul 2012, Caversham Court Gardens

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

Tuesday 3 April 2012

Double Bill, Upholstery and Making Beds

Handbagged by Moira Buffini is set in Buckingham Palace so some decent chairs were a must. Assistant director Shi managed to find an old matching pair in the Autistic charity shop on Whitley Street for £10.They needed a bit of work and Shi had to quickly teach herself upholstery skills. She found some red velvet in the one of the theatre fabric boxes and with the help of a staple gun and some nails she's done a pretty good job of creating chairs fit for a queen.


 
The other half of the double bill is Gaggle of Saints by Neil LaBute. This calls for a double bed that can represent both the characters bedroom and a hotel room. Ease of movement is more important than comfort and this one is on wheels and covered with two thin old mattresses. We don't want the actors falling asleep on stage.

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 -

Classic Writing - Double Bill, Gaggle of Saints, by Neil LaBute and Handbagged, by Moira Buffini, 10 Apr - 14 Apr 2012, Progress Theatre

Mindgame by Anthony Horowitz 10th-12th May and 17th-19th May 2012, Progress Theatre

Auditions for Calendar Girls, by Tim Firth, Sunday 13th (2:30pm) and Wednesday 16th May (7:30pm). There is also a pre-audition evening Thursday 3rd May 7.45pm, a chance to hear the directors vision and ask any questions you may have.

Mine by Polly Teale 11th - 16th June 2012, Progress Theatre

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

Saturday 10 March 2012

Lord of the Flies and Pigs' Heads



The Lord of the Flies set depicting a tropical island is taking shape. One of the set builders, Alex McCubbin, let slip that he was once in a production of the play at Henley College that used a real pig's head. There is a scene that calls for a pig's head to be carried around on a stick and they manged to get a local butcher to supply a new one every night. The actor who had to put the pig's head on the stick was a vegetarian and really didn't enjoy the experience.

Liz Carrol is responsible for props in Progress's production and she decided against the butchers option. At one point she did consider using a pig's head to get the skull and did some research on the internet. She gave up on the idea  after discovering that it takes weeks and involves insects to get the last of the brains out!

What she did in the end she describes as an interesting process involving a mask and expanding foam. She mysteriously added that during the creation there was a mistake which was eventually turned into gristle and bone. As you can see from this photo it looks gruesomely realistic - I should have started this blog with one of those "some views may find this upsetting" warnings.




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 -

You can still auditions for Reading Open Air 2012 Henry IV Part 1 on Wednesday 14th March 7.30pm or Sunday 18th March 12pm at Progress Theatre

Auditions for Mine by Polly Teale, Sunday 11th March 2.30 or Tuesday 13th March 7.30pm at Progress Theatre

Progress Youth Theatre Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Monday 19th March to Saturday 24th March 2012, Progress Theatre

Classic Writing - Double Bill, Gaggle of Saints, by Neil LaBute and Handbagged, by Moira Buffini, 10 Apr - 14 Apr 2012, Progress Theatre

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