Wednesday 26 February 2014

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.

Tuesday 11 February 2014

Bold Girls come out of the dark

When I arrived at the theatre to catch up with Bold Girls I had to feel my way to a seat. The auditorium was in darkness as they were going through the lighting and sound cues making sure everything was just right.

During the tech rehearsal the techies are allowed out of their box at the back the auditorium and sit near the stage so that they can hear and respond to the director's comments. The actors spend their time frozen at particular points to check they are "in the circle of light" or moving from one point to another to make sure there is no "harsh line of light".


Richard Saunders and Martin Noble

The main set for the production is a fully equipped kitchen but some of the action takes place in other venues. For these scenes a black curtain is pulled across the kitchen set and the action takes place in front of that. When it is not being used it is ingeniously hidden down the side of the set.


One of the outside scenes is a pub so a bar table and stools are required. There was a suitable table in the theatre's props store but the stools were proving difficult - local pubs needed their stools for customers! In the end the answer turned out to be a social enterprise in High Wycombe called Out of the Dark. They train and  employ young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to revamp salvaged furniture. They produce some beautiful pieces and their website is well worth a look.  The Bold Girls team were more interested in their unpainted stock where they managed to find some bar stools for £5 each. We hope to have an on-going relationship with Out of the Dark - a great project.




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 Not about Heroes  by Stephen MacDonaldWednesday 12th February at 7:00pm, Progress Theatre

Bold Girls by Rona Munro. Monday 17th February – Saturday 22nd February 2014

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