Mojo


Most theatre groups have more female than male actors and are constantly looking for plays that offer good parts for women. I was intrigued therefore that Progress Youth Theatre have chosen to produce Mojo - a play with six males and no females at all.

photo by Richard Brown

 I asked youth theatre leader and director Ben Sandiford about the choice of play. He said that it is something he has wanted to stage for twenty years but had always hesitated because of the lack of female roles. This year because of the short gap between Noises Off and the Youth Theatre production they needed to find a play that could use the two level stage already constructed. Mojo needs an upstairs and downstairs area and so it seemed time was finally right.

photo by Richard Brown

Sometimes the Youth Theatre increase the number of roles for girls by changing the sex of a character, for example they have performed female versions of Julius Caesar and Lord of the Flies and even had a female count Dracula. Ben was clear that this was not an option with Mojo as the relationships between the characters and their masculinity is an important element of the play.

The gender balance has been restored off-stage as long-term Youth Theatre member Poppy Price has taken on the role of assistant director. Poppy said that she did question the choice of an all male play but feels that there doesn't necessarily need to be a balance in each production as long as there are good opportunities for both sexes across the season. The most recent production, Roses of Eyam had many more girls than boys in it.

The cast are just pleased that for once they can take over the larger dressing room normally used by the 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 roughly weekly so you won’t be swamped with emails. 

Progress Youth Theatre, Mojo by Jez Butterworth, 7.45 Monday 8th December – Saturday 13th December 2014

The Three Musketeers by Ken Ludwig from the novel by Alexandre Dumas 7.45 Thursday 15th January – Saturday 24th January 2015, matinees on the Saturday afternoons 2.30, Progress Theatre

Gaslight by Patrick Hamilton, 7.45pm Monday 23rd February – Saturday 28th February 2015 at Progress Theatre

Noises Off - life imitating art imitating life

Alex McCubbin is playing Lloyd Dallas, the director of the play-within-the-play in Noises Off. He  claims that he only agreed to be assistant director for Love's Labour's Lost...And Won last summer as a way of building up useful knowledge to help him audition for and play this character. He was diplomatically silent as to how much material he gathered. He did say he can sympathise with Lloyd's frustration when actors blame their mistakes on other people. Equally as an experienced stage manager and actor he can see what a monster Lloyd is putting his personal agenda ahead of the production (not that anything like that ever happens at Progress of course!)

Noises Off is a very fast farce with lots of doors opening and closing and people coming in and out in quick secession. Watching part of rehearsal I was amazed at how the actors could remember where they were supposed to be and what they were supposed to be doing. Alex said that it reminded him of his time on a performing arts course when he had to learn dance moves.

Noises off starts on Thursday and tickets are selling fast on popular nights. Don't forget we now have our own on-line booking system with a lower booking fee so it is worth booking in advance to make sure of seeing this very funny show, Click here to book.

 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 roughly weekly so you won’t be swamped with emails. 

Noises off by Michael Frayn, 7.45 Thursday 20th November – Saturday 29th November 2014, matinees on the Saturday afternoons 2.30, Progress Theatre

Progress Youth Theatre, Mojo by Jez Butterworth, 7.45 Monday 8th December – Saturday 13th December 2014

The Three Musketeers, by Ken Ludwig from the novel by Alexandre Dumas 7.45 Thursday 15th January – Saturday 24th January 2015, matinees on the Saturday afternoons 2.30, Progress TheatreProgress Theatre

Gas Light by Patrick Hamilton, 7.45pm Monday 23rd February – Saturday 28th February 2015 at Progress Theatre

Full details about out theatre and all our activities can be found on our website.

Noises off - constructing the set

Noises Off is a difficult play for small non-professional theatres to put on. There are three acts, the first one showing the stage set of the play within the play. The second act shows the backstage view of the same play and then back to the on-stage view in the final act. In the West End this is achieved by having a large revolving stage that can be quickly turned round during an interval. This is not an option in the more limited space available to Progress.

Aidan Moran and Martin Noble started designing the set about three years ago. They began with sketches on paper and then once the basics had been worked out Martin used modelling software to perfect the design and all the measurements. He even drew in sightlines from different parts of the auditorium to ensure that no-one in the audience misses any vital action.

The set is based on a metal structure for strength. It is built in modules that the stage management team can individually turn or flip to achieve the scene changes.

Other small theatres have shown an interest in how Progress is building the set for this popular play. Unfortunately we can't sell on the set because it has all been built in situ and won't fit through the doors.

There has been a huge amount of pre-planning and liaison with the other productions during this season. The staircases and platform were built before the start of the season and used for Darwin and Fitzroy. During WriteFest the constructed parts of the set were hidden behind a curtain at the back of the stage.

The Youth Theatre have the slot after Noises Off and were asked if they would select a play that could make use of the set. Director Ben jumped at the chance to stage Mojo, a play he had wanted to do for some time that needs different levels and staircases - perfect! Finally The Three Musketeers will use the staircases but the rest of the set will need to be dismantled to leave plenty of room for all those sword fights.

 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 roughly weekly so you won’t be swamped with emails. 

Noises off by Michael Frayn, 7.45 Thursday 20th November – Saturday 29th November 2014, Progress Theatre

Progress Youth Theatre, Mojo by Jez Butterworth, 7.45 Monday 8th December – Saturday 13th December 2014

 

The Three Musketeers, by Ken Ludwig from the novel by Alexandre Dumas 7.45 Thursday 15th January – Saturday 24th January 2015, Progress Theatre

Full details about out theatre and all our activities can be found on our website.

An abundance of scripts - 9th Annual Writefest

Our 9th annual Writefest starts tonight (15th October) and runs until Saturday 18th you can now buy tickets on-line using our new booking system here.

As you can imagine with seven separate plays on one night there is a lot for the backstage team to keep track of and they have to be very organised.  In this photo stage manager Emma is making a list of all the bits and pieces that have to be in a cardboard box on stage for The Deep Blue. Razor blades and pills were top of the list of essentials.

On the list of props to be set for The Flood is 'Liz Carroll'. Liz recently broke her ankle but in the true spirit of theatre "the show must go on". In The Flood she plays a hairdressing client so once the play starts she doesn't have to move about. She is now wheeled into position by the stage management team as part of the set up of the play. 

As all plays in Writefest are new unpublished works they are liable to change between being submitted and the first night. Some of these changes come from the writers and some are suggested by the directors and actors as they see what works and what doesn't during rehearsals. This is a common process and is why published scripts usually credit the director and cast of the first run. Of course at some point the changes have to stop and everyone needs to be working from the same script. Lighting designer Richard got some blank looks from the cast of Yawn when he read out what he thought were the cue lines for lighting changes, apparently they had been cut in a later version. After some quick checking and reprinting we are now confident that everyone has the same version of the scripts and everyone knows exactly what they are doing.

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 roughly weekly so you won’t be swamped with emails. 


Auditions for Gaslight by Patrick Hamilton, 7.30 Wednesday 22nd October 2014 or  2.30 Sunday 26th October 2014, Progress Theatre

Noises off by Michael Frayn, 7.45 Thursday 20th November – Saturday 29th November 2014, Progress Theatre

Progress Youth Theatre, Mojo by Jez Butterworth, 7.45 Monday 8th December – Saturday 13th December 2014

The Three Musketeers, by Ken Ludwig from the novel by Alexandre Dumas 7.45 Thursday 15th January – Saturday 24th January 2015, Progress Theatre
Full details about out theatre and all our activities can be found on our website.

Reaching Out

The first in a series of blog posts from our members comes from Shona Pepper, our Graduate Intern

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Welcome to my first blog post at the Progress Theatre! I’m Shona, the Progress Graduate Intern and I’m currently researching way in which the theatre can reach out to the older generation. I’ve recently graduated from the University of Reading with a BA in Film and Theatre and am very excited to have the opportunity to work in the industry so soon after graduating. Progress Theatre has begun to realise that there is ample opportunity to extend their services, in the way of workshops or performances to the older generation. I think this is a brilliant idea, as much of the research I have already done has shown that there is a limited number of activities in the Berkshire area, (particularly those who don’t drive or are confident using public transport on their own) and this is something I am very happy to try and change!

The project as it stands is very much in its early stages and I am currently doing as much research as I can to find out what ways that we, as a theatre, can create events, specifically catering for the tastes and need of those who are unable to get to the theatre independently. I am currently looking at a range of different activities, such as, creating play reading groups (perhaps also exploring scenes or plays either practically or verbally), workshops on different aspects of the theatre (for example – set design, costume, lighting, writing, or directing), giving the older generation the opportunity to write plays based on recollections or memories (potentially to be performed by the theatre), or for them to become a regular attendee at performances at a time suitable for the majority.

One factor that has become apparent is that the research and outputs from this project could have equal relevance to other groups, particularly adults with learning and other disabilities. As such, whilst my research is primarily focussed on the older community, I am also exploring the extent to which the kinds of things which are of interest to this group could also be tailored to other groups. While the research is currently very broad, we hope that once we have successfully trialled a few things with the older community, we can start to also look at trials with other groups too.

On behalf of the theatre I am also trying to emphasise the ways in which we can adapt and allow the potential activities to be sympathetic to disabilities, such as Dementia and Alzheimer’s, so that if possible we can incorporate practical activities for the less mobile attendees so that everyone can have the opportunity to get involved. (At this point I should really thank my Grandma Catherine, who has been the guinea-pig for most of the ideas, particularly the ones involved around memory. She has Dementia and none-the-less has enjoyed the opportunity to tell many stories about herself as she can, including many comical ones during her time running her own hotel on the seafront!)

Bearing in mind Progress is a charity with limited resources, I’m also looking into several funding avenues that could prove useful for either bringing people into the theatre for workshops etc, or for taking members of Progress out to groups. This can hopefully provide those who struggle with lack of transport the opportunity to engage with the theatre and not miss out on what will hopefully be a great opportunity!

The next part of my research is to conduct focus groups or one to one chats with potential attendees so that we can really look into exactly what our target audience are interesting in coming and getting involved in. In the next few weeks, I am aiming to come out and meet the residents in residential homes, library groups and other care facilities and find out who would be interested and what sort of things we can organise and Progress can offer.

After we have reviewed the research, we are hoping to arrange opportunities to trial different workshops/performances/events so that we can establish the best type of event to pursue. I am currently handing out surveys to collect this information, please email to request a copy if you are happy to fill one out.

If you are a member of a local church group, care home, local councils, or day centre etc., and would either like to get involved, offer advice or fill in a survey for the project, please contact us via Shona Pepper, 07732332337, outreach@progresstheatre.co.uk.

Keep an eye out for more information on news on our project development!

Love's Labour's Lost ...And Won, First Night Nerves

This year's open air Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost... And Won opened last Wednesday at Caversham Court Gardens. I was helping on the box-office that night so got a good view of the first night nerves - I'm talking about the production crew, I'm sure the actors were all fine.

Getting ready for the audience (photo Richard Brown)

For the first time this year we are able to take payment by card on the night. It is a mobile phone based app rather than the usual card machine so box office manager Heather was slightly anxious about using it for the first time. She was very relieved that the first customers were friends of hers and willing to act as card using guinea pigs.

There is a 'Bard's Bar' available for audience to buy drinks before the show or during the interval and bar managers Helen and Tony were busy trying to attach bunting advertising the availability of Pimms.

There are seven front of house stewards needed every night, in addition to the box office and bar volunteers. The steward slots are filled by a mixture of Progress members and Friends of Caversham Court Gardens. The job of training them all every night falls to front of house manager Stuart. He has to ensure that they are aware of all the safety procedures and are happy with selling programmes, hiring chairs and guiding the audience in the dark.

I don't know if site manager Laura had first night nerves as she was too busy rushing about ensuring everything was running smoothly for me to ask. I did hear the handheld radio's go off several times with the inevitable question "is Laura there?"

Love's Labour's Lost... And Won runs until next Saturday 26th July and has been getting good revues like this one from Get Reading here. You can enjoy the evening safe in the knowledge that you can buy your ticket by card, get a Pimms and hire a chair - everything is under control.

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. 

Reading Open Air Love's Labour's Lost... And Won by William Shakespeare Wednesday 16th July – Saturday 26th July 2014 at Caversham Court Gardens

Auditions for Noises Off by Michael Frayn Sunday 27th July 2.30pm or Monday 28th July 7.30pm 

Full details about out theatre and all our activities can be found on our website.

The Roses of Eyam backstage

During the dress rehearsal for Roses of Eyam I went backstage to talk to some of the young actors. I found Poppy going over her lines in the dressing room while waiting to go on stage.

The busy cluttered dressing room will be familiar to any reader who has performed at Progress (or any other theatre I'm sure). While there will be a tidy up session before the performance, with nineteen actors sharing the limited backstage space a certain amount of  chaos is inevitable. Performers have to be very disciplined about hanging up costumes and putting vital props somewhere safe. This can be difficult with quick changes and there will probably be several moments of panic during any show while an actor frantically searches for a missing shoe or cloak (and I'm not just talking about youth theatre productions!)

When putting on a show with anyone under sixteen there are legal restrictions on the number of rehearsals and performances. This meant that the Sunday had to be kept as a rest day before the first performance on Monday so there were two dress rehearsals planned for the Saturday.

During the first rehearsal the director noticed that the bottom of the large trunk recycled from God of Carnage still needed painting (it is going from cream to black). While there were willing hands to do the painting it was quickly realised that there wouldn't be time for it to dry before the second rehearsal. Luckily there are no laws about the number of hours adults spend at the theatre so no problem with them staying late to paint after the second rehearsal.

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. 

Progress Youth Theatre The Roses of Eyam by Don Taylor Monday 14th July - Saturday 19th July.

Reading Open Air Love's Labour's Lost... And Won by William Shakespeare Wednesday 16th July – Saturday 26th July 2014 at Caversham Court Gardens

Auditions for Noises Off by Michael Frayn Sunday 27th July 2.30pm or Monday 28th July 7.30pm 

Full details about out theatre and all our activities can be found on our website.

Shakespeare in the carpark

There are two Progress productions starting in mid-July. Next week I will find out what is happening with Progress Youth Theatre's The Rose's of Eyam but this week I caught up with the open air Love's Labour's Lost ... And Won.

I had been told they were rehearsing at the theatre but when I arrived the cast and crew were all in the car park. There was more to this than the fact it was a nice sunny day. As the performance will be in the open air it is important the actors get as much experience as possible performing outside. It is much harder to be heard without walls to bounce the sound off and they need to get a feel for this. They have been holding rehearsals outside since mid-May and so far have only been driven inside once by heavy rain.

Director Dan Clarke consulting with assistant director Alex McCubbin

From Saturday they will be rehearsing in the beautiful Caversham Court Gardens so keep an eye out if you are down by the Thames. As well as rehearsing the play the cast will be practising setting up and taking down all the backstage tents that are needed during the performance. Being an actor isn't all glamour!

I don't normally take photos of people's backs but this was a good opportunity to show off the Love's Labour's Lost ...And Won polo shirt.

Producing shirts for each Shakespeare production has become a tradition at Progress. Those involved keep them as a memento and it is a good promotional tool. You usually see a range going back several years at set building sessions. I've still got my favourite pink one from a Midsummer Nights Dream in 2007


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. 

Progress Youth Theatre The Roses of Eyam by Don Taylor Monday 14th July - Saturday 19th July.

Reading Open Air Love's Labour's Lost... And Won by William Shakespeare Wednesday 16th July – Saturday 26th July 2014 at Caversham Court Gardens

Auditions for Noises Off by Michael Frayn Sunday 27th July 2.30pm or Monday 28th July 7.30pm 

Full details about out theatre and all our activities can be found on our website.

Producing God of Carnage

Anna Jennings' real love is musical theatre and she joined Progress to take part in Little Shop of Horrors in 2013. She has become very involved in Progress since then, directing in this season's WriteFest, doing front of house and performing in Progress writers' plays on Radio Berkshire.

Anna (far right) in a scene from Little Shop of Horrors (2013)
Photo Richard Brown

Anna is known as the social secretary among her group of friends so had always thought that she would have the necessary skills to produce a show. She knew God of Carnage director Glynn Oram as he wrote Three Little Words, the play she directed for WriteFest. When Glynn sent out an email asking for people to help with the production she volunteered to be producer.

She has got on well with the standard tasks of finding people to fill backstage roles, keeping an eye on budgets and generally tracking progress and has had plenty of help and advice from long standing members.

Anna told me about some of the things she has learnt in the role. Perhaps the most important is that if you are asking people for a photo of an eleven year old boy then it is best to mention that it is for a play at the beginning of the conversation. She has also learnt that she is not very good with polyfiller (but it makes a great exfoliant) and when visiting the basement props store wellies are a better footwear option than stilettos.

Alan (Geoff Dallimore) and Michael (Richard Tripp) share a drink
Photo 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. 

God of Carnage by Yazmina Reza, adapted by Christoper Hampton Monday 23rd June – Saturday 28th June 2014

Progress Youth Theatre The Roses of Eyam by Don Taylor Monday 14th July - Saturday 19th July.

Reading Open Air Love's Labour's Lost... And Won by William Shakespeare Wednesday 16th July – Saturday 26th July 2014 at Caversham Court Gardens

Auditions for Noises Off by Michael Frayn Sunday 27th July 2.30pm or Monday 28th July 7.30pm 

Full details about out theatre and all our activities can be found on our website.

Gatecrashing a God of Carnage rehearsal

I timed my visit to a recent God of Carnage rehearsal just right and was able to watch almost a whole run through. Even with some stopping and starting to rework moves I still found myself gripped by the action and the ebb and flow of emotions and alliances.

The action takes place in a living room and the small coffee table on stage was well used for putting  down drinks, bowls of clafoutis, decanters and art books. For the actual run they will be using a much longer table that Geoff Dallimore (who plays Alan) is bringing from his house. Understandably he doesn't want to bring it in until the set has been built and painted so for the time being they are making do with a smaller one.

The actors were using some of the props for the first time in this rehearsal and having to work out things like when they should put down a glass. They didn't have all the props yet so some were being mimed. They did a good job of keeping track of it all and keeping in mind that they couldn't pick up the real coffee cup until they had put down the imaginary bowl of clafoutis. They also discovered that some things wouldn't work – those delicate brandy goblets really weren't going to stand up to being wrestled over.

For the run the clafoutis won't be imaginary, there is someone lined up to make it – in fact there are two volunteers so a bake-off is planned.

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. 

God of Carnage by Yazmina Reza, adapted by Christoper Hampton Monday 23rd June – Saturday 28th June 2014

Progress Youth Theatre The Roses of Eyam by Don Taylor Monday 14th - Saturday 19th July.

Reading Open Air Love's Labour's Lost... And Won by William Shakespeare Wednesday 16th July – Saturday 26th July 2014 at Caversham Court Gardens

Auditions for Noises Off by Michael Frayn Sunday 27th July 2.30pm or Monday 28th July 7.30pm 

Full details about out theatre and all our activities can be found on our website.

Not About Heroes get the chairs

This is a tale of two chairs (well three to be precise...) The first is for stage manager Heather Noble. There are only two cast members in Not About Heroes and not much for the stage manager to do once the performance starts. Heather agreed to stage manage the show on the condition that she could have an armchair and her special light back stage so that she could do her crochet and quilting.

This beautiful pair of chairs caused director Steph Dewar a great deal of grief.

They needed to represent a gentleman's club and not be too big in case they masked action going on at the back of the stage. (The ladder in the background is part of the war-time trench scenes.) She thought she had found a perfect pair on a website and ordered them, not being too concerned when they rang her to say those ones had gone but offering her an alternative. 

She was concerned when she noticed the money she'd paid for them had been refunded. Apparently while she'd been talking to one member of staff their manager had sold the chairs. Luckily she saw the pair pictured above advertised on Gumtree in Shepherds Bush. In London for work Steph was able to make a quick detour and pick them up. Nothing is ever plain sailing.

Not About Heroes  runs all week from Monday 26th May. The perfect break from exam revision, especially for those studying the First World War poets.

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 Darwin and Fitzroy by Juliet Ackroyd, Saturday 7^th June, 6pm at Progress Theatre

Not About Heroes by Stephen MacDonald, Monday 26th May – Saturday 31st May 2014

God of Carnage by Yazmina Reza, adapted by Christoper Hampton Monday 23rd June – Saturday 28th June 2014

Reading Open Air Love's Labour's Lost... And Won by William Shakespeare Wednesday 16th July – Saturday 26th July 2014 at Caversham Court Gardens

Full details about out theatre and all our activities can be found on our website.

'Not About Heroes' Help Mark the First World War 100th Anniversary

A few weeks ago the Friends of the University ran an event to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War and its impact on Reading and the University. Not About Heroes director, Steph Dewar works at the university and suggested that they include some extracts of the play.



Gareth Saunders playing Siegfried Sassoon at the University Heritage day (photo S. Dewar) 

Not About Heroes dramatises the true story of the relationship between the poets Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon. Owen studied botany at Reading University while working as the Vicar's assistant in nearby Dunsden  so performing extracts at the heritage event was particularly relevant.



Owen Goode who plays Wilfred Owen displaying his 'medal' during a break in rehearsals (photo S. Dewar)
 

Steph and the actors enjoyed their day at the university and discovered more background about Wilfred Owen and his time in Reading. Although he studied botany he was also urged by the head of the English department to take some English classes. Clearly someone who was able to spot talent.

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 Darwin & Fitzroy by Juliet Ackroyd Wednesday 14th May 7.30pm or Sunday 18th May 2014  4.30pm at Progress Theatre

 

Not About Heroes by Stephen MacDonald, Monday 26th May – Saturday 31st May 2014

God of Carnage by Yazmina Reza, adapted by Christoper Hampton Monday 23rd June – Saturday 28th June 2014

Reading Open Air Love's Labour's Lost... And Won by William Shakespeare Wednesday 16th July – Saturday 26th July 2014 at Caversham Court Gardens

Full details about out theatre and all our activities can be found on our website.

Costuming Lady Windermere's Fan

Elenor Porrill is in Reading doing a year's placement as part of her course at Bath University and is making the most of her time here to get involved in Progress Theatre. She is performing in and organising the costumes for Lady Windermere's Fan and has also been cast as Katherine in this summer's outdoor production of Love's Labour's Lost...And Won

Although the play was written in the 1890s this production is set slightly later than this so that elements of Art Deco can be introduced in the set. The costumes range from Victorian for the older characters to almost a flapper style for the younger characters.

Elenor (centre) in a scene from Lady Windermere's Fan
photo Richard Brown

The costumes all came from Progress's own wardrobe store and our huge collection of dinner jackets was invaluable for clothing the men who need day and evening suits. Elenor even found a box of vintage hair pieces for the women. The all important fans have come from producer Becky, who conveniently has quite a collection of them. The only items Elenor had to buy were accessories and she had fun hunting in charity shops to find appropriate pieces.

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. 

Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde, Thursday 24th April – Saturday 3rd May 2014

Jazz at Progress Louis Moholo-Moholo/Alexander Hawkins Quartet Friday 9th May 2014

Not About Heroes by Stephen MacDonald, Monday 26th May – Saturday 31st May 2014

God of Carnage by Yazmina Reza, adapted by Christoper Hampton Monday 23rd June – Saturday 28th June 2014

Reading Open Air Love's Labour's Lost... And Won by William Shakespeare Wednesday 16th July – Saturday 26th July 2014 at Caversham Court Gardens

Full details about out theatre and all our activities can be found on our website.

Lady Windermere's Fan do some recycling

The list of important jobs

 

As a small volunteer run theatre we like to find ways to save money -  without compromising on quality of course. In this spirit the platform from Trainspotting is being reused as part of the set for Lady Windermere's Fan. For Trainspotting the platform was split down its length and hinged so that it could be opened out for some scenes. The set building team for Lady Windermere's Fan have divided the platform so that they have two thin raised areas.

The platform will be in completely different settings for its second life. Instead of being part of a disused station, drug dealers flat and various bars it will be appearing in elegant drawing rooms and a ball. It will also witness less swearing and general abuse although no doubt still plenty of bad behaviour, just delivered with a polite smile.

As well as recycling pieces from previous sets the building team are making some elements from scratch. I saw the skeleton of what will become a chandelier complete with hanging crystals.

 The set is basically 'black box' with the interest coming from some beautiful pieces of furniture. Including this occasional table being treated to a good polish.

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. 

Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde, Thursday 24th April – Saturday 3rd May 2014

Jazz at Progress Louis Moholo-Moholo/Alexander Hawkins Quartet 

Friday 9th May 2014

Not About Heroes by Stephen MacDonald, Monday 26th May – Saturday 31st May 2014

God of Carnage by Yazmina Reza, adapted by Christoper Hampton Monday 23rd June – Saturday 28th June 2014

Reading Open Air Love's Labour's Lost... And Won by William Shakespeare Wednesday 16th July – Saturday 26th July 2014 at Caversham Court Gardens

Full details about out theatre and all our activities can be found on our website.

Portable Theatre

Progress Youth Theatre's next production is not at our own theatre but in the main hall at Bulmershe school on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd April. It is exciting performing in different venues and it gives us the opportunity to reach out to new audiences.

It does mean though that all the props and set has to be transported to Woodley. Director Ali Carrol was making good use of her car on Sunday afternoon.

Murmuring Judges is a fast moving play with seven actors playing 32 characters. That means 32 costumes also have to be transported to the school.

To keep down the costs of hiring a venue the technical set up and rehearsal will happen on the same day as the final dress rehearsal.

The hall at Bulmershe school is used as their main dining room so between performances everything will have to be stored in a small curtained area.

Ali told me that she is never doing another off-site production but I'm sure as the applause is running round the hall after a successful show she will change her mind.



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 God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza, Sunday 30th March 2014 2.30pm or Thursday 3rd April 2014 at 7pm, Progress Theatre

Progress Youth Theatre, Murmuring Judges by David Hare Tuesday 1st April – Wednesday 2nd April 2014, at Bulmershe School, Chequers Way, Woodley, RG5 3EL

Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde, Thursday 24th April – Saturday 3rd May 2014

Not About Heroes by Stephen MacDonald, Monday 26th May – Saturday 31st May 2014

God of Carnage by Yazmina Reza, adapted by Christoper Hampton  Monday 23rd June – Saturday 28th June 2014

Full details about out theatre and all our activities can be found on our website.

A new face in Trainspotting

Progress regulars will notice a few new faces in Trainspotting but in this post I am introducing Rachel Miller.

Rachel is a relative new comer to Reading, as well as the theatre. She moved here eighteen months ago to take up a post with Reading Voluntary Action where she works in community development and support for new community groups.

Rachel in the trainspotting publicity photos
photo by Mandy King

Trainspotting is set in Edinburgh and Rachel should have little concern about the accent as that is her home town. The rest of the cast have found it helpful to have a native speaker to check their pronunciation with, however Rachel went back to Scotland recently and her family and friends were less impressed with her speaking with, what they perceived as an English accent.

As well as working and rehearsing, Rachel found time to run in the recent Reading half marathon. She completed it in two hours three minutes and raised about £500 for Reading Mencap who work with adults and children with a learning disability.








 



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. 

Trainspotting by  Harry Gibson, adapted from the book by Irvine Welsh. Monday 17th – Saturday 22nd March 2014

Auditions for God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza, Sunday 30th March 2014 2.30pm or Thursday 3rd April 2014 at 7pm, Progress Theatre

Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde, Thursday 24th April – Saturday 3rd May 2014

Not About Heroes by Stephen MacDonald, Monday 26th May – Saturday 31st May 2014

God of Carnage by Yazmina Reza, adapted by Christoper Hampton  Monday 23rd June – Saturday 28th June 2014

Full details about out theatre and all our activities can be found on our website.

Trainspotting photos

An important aspect of any show is making sure people know a) it is on and b) want to come and see it. There are various aspects to this, among them printing and distributing leaflets and posters, using social media and putting up displays in public places.

Having interesting photos that give an impression of the production is an important part of the publicity drive and that is why progress member and photographer Mandy King found herself up a stepladder in the gents'.

Photo Mandy King

The next stop on the glamorous photo shoot was an empty garage for a shot of the whole cast.

Photo Mandy King



These and other shots from the day have now been displayed outside the theatre, at the Hexagon and Reading Library and will be popping up on various social media.


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. 

Trainspotting by  Harry Gibson, adapted from the book by Irvine Welsh. Monday 17th – Saturday 22nd March 2014

Auditions for God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza, Sunday 30th March 2014 2.30pm or Thursday 3rd April 2014 at 7pm, Progress Theatre

Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde, Thursday 24th April – Saturday 3rd May 2014

Not About Heroes by Stephen MacDonald, Monday 26th May – Saturday 31st May 2014

God of Carnage by Yazmina Reza, adapted by Christoper Hampton  Monday 23rd June – Saturday 28th June 2014

 

Full details about out theatre and all our activities can be found on our website.