Progress Theatre

Lord of the Flies

2012-02-29T20:45:00.000Z

Progress Youth Theatre are producing an innovative take on Lord of the Flies adapted by Nigel Williams from the William Golding novel. They are playing it with an all female cast. The play has been done before with girls playing boys but has never been done with all the genders switched. They had to get permission from the rights holders which took a while but was eventually granted.

Some of the cast rehearsing last Sunday

This production has given me a chance to clear some clutter from my house. A call went out for any donations of old school shirts and it was stressed that they should be ones not needed any more as they would not be returned. I managed to find about ten hanging in my children's cupboards that no longer fit them. For those of you who don't know, the play is set on a dessert island and follows a group of children who survive a plane crash and then have to live without adult supervision. There are about 15 girls in the cast and all need at least two, possibly three shirts each so that they can start of reasonably smart when they first arrive on the island and then get progressively dirtier as the play progresses. Producer Liz Carrol collected the shirts, rubbed them in dirt and then hung them on her washing line. What on earth did the neighbours 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.

Coming up -

Auditions for Reading Open Air 2012 Henry IV Part 1 Wednesday 7th March 7.30pm or 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 Progress Theatre

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

Art, art and crash test drama

2012-02-14T21:33:00.000Z

Progress regulars will know that we always have an art exhibition in the bar area and try to make it appropriate to the show. As the theme of the next play is art then the display takes on a whole new relevance. The artist exhibiting this time is Michael Zavialov who makes modern abstract works so there will be plenty of opportunity to continue the questions about 'what is art' raised during the performance over a drink in the bar.

Art director Glynn Oram has performed in, directed and written many plays for Progress. He took a few years out from the Reading theatre scene when he was working in Australia. He was based in Sydney and got involved in Crash Test Drama, when he came back to Reading he bought the idea with him and set up Crash Test Drama UK.

Glynn - director of Art

At a Crash Test Drama event a series of 10 minute plays are rehearsed and performed on the night, they are voted on and two winners share the door takings. The evening goes as follows: meet up at 6pm on a Sunday. Actors have a police line up style audition. Directors, having received and chosen their scripts a few days earlier, try to cast their plays.Once cast there is a little over an hour to rehearse, with (on-book) performances from 7.30. Plays are voted for by the cast and the audience. The winner goes through to the final. In Reading Crash Test Drama takes place at The Rising Sun Arts Centre, Silver Street usually on the last Sunday of the month. See their facebook page for more details.

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 -

Art by Yasmina Reza 20th - 25th February 2012, 7.45pm Progress Theatre

Auditions for Reading Open Air 2012 Henry IV Part 1 Wednesday 7th March 7.30pm or Wednesday 14th March 7.30pm or Sunday 18th March 12pm at Progress Theatre

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

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

Art

2012-02-07T10:08:00.000Z

It was another busy Sunday at Progress Theatre in spite of the weekend's snow fall. In the foyer they were holding auditions for Mindgame by Anthony Horowitz.

In the theatre itself the set build team were busy scraping paint off some flats. They had painted them earlier in the day but then realised the old paint layers underneath gave it an uneven finish. For many sets this wouldn't matter but Art is set in a world where people buy expensive art and probably don't have peeling paint on their walls. Preparation is key as any DIYer knows!

I also spoke to director Glynn Oram who showed me the first attempt at creating the art work central to the plot of Art. The play is about the controversy caused by a piece of art described in the script as "a canvas about 5 foot by 4, with a white background, completely white in fact, with fine white diagonal stripes." They have recreated this by painting the back of a piece of hardboard white. By using the back you get the textured effect of a canvas. When I saw it they hadn't yet added the "fine white diagonal stripes'. It also may not end up being the full 5 foot by 4, Progress stage is quite small and it may just look too big. Also a piece of hardboard that size is very heavy!

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 A Kind of Alaska, by Harold Pinter and Handbagged, by Moira Buffini Wednesday 8th February, 7.45 pm or Saturday 11th February, 2.30pm at Progress Theatre

Art by Yasmina Reza 20th - 25th February 2012, 7.45pm Progress Theatre

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

Blood in Neverwhere

2012-01-19T21:00:00.000Z

There is a lot of blood in Neverwhere, a lot of blood. Ian Belcher, who plays the Marquis de Carabas, volunteered to supervise making all the blood needed. He experimented with different recipes and consistencies to create the perfect blood for different circumstances.

The one used for 'background gore' as Ian charmingly put it, is made from cornflour, water, food colouring and a dash of washing up liquid. While it is cheap the disadvantage of this recipe is that it needs to be cooked for a couple of hours.

Ian cooking up a cauldron of blood.

If more liquid blood is needed, for example if it needs to drip off a freshly used knife, then a different recipe with golden syrup, water and food colouring is used. Ian discovered that different brands of golden syrup give different blood qualities. The best was a generic brand, Tate & Lyle wasn't thick enough.

The final type of blood is used in one scene that is lit with a red light so the red bloods wouldn't show. This one is made with black molasses and water. This blood has to be spat out by one of the characters. One of the stage management team injects a shot of the dark blood into her mouth using a turkey baster.

Testing the finished product

All the blood makes work for for the stage managers. The floor ends up covered in sticky syrup and part of the set wall will have to be repainted every night.

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 -

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, Adapted by Robert Kauzlaric 19th - 28th January 2012

Auditions for Mindgame by Anthony Horowitz at Progress Theatre Tuesday 2nd February 2012 7.30pm or Sunday 5th February 2pm

Art by Yasmina Reza 20th - 25th February 2012

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

Neverwhere and shopping Trolleys

2012-01-11T06:52:00.000Z

Neverwhere is mostly based in a world under the London we know called 'London below'. This is a world populated by people with special powers, strange beasts, rat speakers and people who make a living out of things they find in the sewers. One place they all come together is the floating market - held in different venues where goods and services can be traded and a truce between warring factions is upheld.

There are traders selling dreams and nightmares, rubbish, various weapons, birds and information. The rubbish vendor has a trolley to sell her goods from and this has been lent to the theatre by local community Co-op, True Food.

True Food has a shop in Emmer Green, as well as running markets three evenings a week in other parts of Reading. They sell groceries, loose foods like nuts and seeds, fruit and vegetables - locally produced where possible and eco-friendly cleaning products. True Food recently won a BBC Food and Farming award 'Best Retail Initiative'.

The trolley full of tasty food but look out for it during Neverwhere full of rubbish.

Following the success with 39 Steps the first night of Neverwhere is going to be a Jelly Third Thursday event. For £10 (with no booking fee) you will get a ticket, pre-show drink and talk. See the Jelly website for details.

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 -

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, Adapted by Robert Kauzlaric 19th - 28th January 2012
(There has been a lot of interest in this production from Neil Gaiman fans, tickets are selling fast so if you want to be sure of one then book soon.)

Auditions for Mindgame by Anthony Horowitz at Progress Theatre Tuesday 2nd February 2012 7.30pm or Sunday 5th February 2pm

Art by Yasmina Reza 20th - 25th February 2012

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

Neverwhere gets on stage

2011-12-31T14:15:00.000Z

The set for Neverwhere is quite complex, there are two different height raised platforms, a curved staircase and several entrances. Before WriteFest finished most rehearsals were either in the theatre foyer or in the Palmer Park Church Hall. It is always difficult trying to block scenes (work out where everyone needs to be) before you are in the actual space but it is even more difficult with a set like this. It leads to instructions like 'stand behind them but actually you'll be above them' or 'they are actually coming down stairs while you exit under them'. It takes a lot of imagination when you are actually in an empty room with a few chairs.

Before Christmas the cast were finally able to see the skeleton structure of the set and start to see what director Rik Eke had been talking about.

The technical crew have been very busy over the Christmas break and the whole set is now really coming together and looking great - I'll include a photo in next week's blog.

Following the success with 39 Steps the first night of Neverwhere is going to be a Jelly Third Thursday event. For £10 (with no booking fee) you will get a ticket, pre-show drink and talk. See the Jelly website for details.

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 -

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, Adapted by Robert Kauzlaric 19th - 28th January 2012
(There has been a lot of interest in this production from Neil Gaiman fans, tickets are now on sale and selling fast so if you want to be sure of one then book soon.)

Auditions for Mindgame by Anthony Horowitz at Progress Theatre Tuesday 2nd February 2012 7.30pm or Sunday 5th February 2pm

Art by Yasmina Reza 20th - 25th February 2012

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

WriteFest Tech and Cataloguing Costumes

2011-12-06T15:28:00.000Z

Last Sunday was technical rehearsal day for WriteFest. With eight sets of sound and lighting requirements, making sure everyone has the right settings and props in the right place at the right time this was a long day for the technicians and stage management.

Also going on in the foyer was the latest day of cataloguing the costumes. Progress has a huge collection of costumes, some of them valuable period pieces, many handmade beautiful costumes and some moth eaten and falling apart. The problem is that there are so many it is very hard to know what we have and where to find it.

Chris Moran has taken on the job of sorting through all the costumes, throwing away the rubbish and creating a database of every single piece. The idea is that it will then be much easier for productions to find what they need and we will be able to hire out costumes to earn some revenue for the theatre. Luckily Chris has lots of willing helpers for this mammoth task including the invaluable Barbara Bentley.

Barbara showing her costume 'bible'
(not that she ever needed to refer to it!)

Barbara was in charge of the wardrobe at Progress for many years and has a wealth of knowledge. She can tell at a glance what period a piece is as well as usually telling us what plays it has been used in, where it came from and who wore it. She made many of the costumes herself including seventeen togas and tunics for the Abbey Ruins production of Julius Caesar.

Cataloguing involves assigning each piece a unique number and a code to indicate what type of costume it is. A photo is then taken showing the number and code, details are entered into a database and a laminated label showing its number is pinned to the costume.

This is the third costume cataloguing Sunday and so far over 100 have been done. There are still many more to do and more days are being planned for the new year. If you would like to get involved then email Chris at cmoran@ntlworld.com

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 -

6th Annual WriteFest 8th - 10th December 2011

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, Adapted by Robert Kauzlaric 19th - 28th Jan 2012
(There has been a lot of interest in this production from Neil Gaiman fans, tickets are now on sale and selling fast so if you want to be sure of one then book soon.)

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

WriteFest 2011

2011-11-29T09:09:00.000Z

After the outstanding success of The 39 Steps we move on to our 6th annual WriteFest. This is an evening of short plays of between 5 and 20 minutes written by local writers. It is a popular evening and with eight plays there is bound to be something that appeals to you (and if one doesn't at least you know it won't last too long!)

With so many plays there is plenty of opportunities for actors, WriteFest often appeals to those who don't have the time to commit to a full length play with a longer run. It is also a good way for new members to get on the Progress stage and show everyone what they can do. I met two new members Libby and Shi at the set building session, busy making a giant wooden 'H'.

The 'H' is for the play Libby is in called The Letter H Girl which is set on the Hollywood sign. Shi is in two of the plays She's not there and Self-Service. Libby's Mum suggested that she audition for Writefest and Shi went along because she has recently moved back to Reading after being very involved in theatre groups at university and touring with a musical theatre production for schools.

Shi also has a part in Neverwhere where she plays a market trader proudly selling "Rubbish! Junk! Debris! Nothing whole or undamaged!"

Coming up -

6th Annual WriteFest 8th - 10th December 2011

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, Adapted by Robert Kauzlaric 19th - 28th Jan 2012
(There has been a lot of interest in this production from Neil Gaiman fans, tickets are now on sale and selling fast so if you want to be sure of one then book soon.)

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

The 39 Props

2011-11-08T21:53:00.000Z

In fact there are more than 39 props in this production of The 39 Steps, more like double that. I spoke to the man who has had the job of sourcing all those items, Tony Powell.

Many of the props he found in the Progress store, a cellar on the grounds of Calcot golf course. This store is a treasure trove of items that have been used in previous productions or someone thought might be useful one day. There are old sofas, cash registers, shields and even a bus stop. Over the last couple of years Tony has taken on the job of bringing order to this eclectic mix of things. He has tidied it up, put similar items together and thrown out things that are not worth storing. He is planning to catalogue everything but that is a big job.

This production is set just before the second world war and with an eye for detail Tony has even managed to find some period milk bottles, he spotted them in an old farm yard. The beautiful old milk holder he bought from Fanny’s Antiques in Reading and they have kindly agreed to buy it back if it survives the show unscathed.

Some items Tony has ended up making either because he couldn't find what he wanted or they were too expensive. He has made an old lamp-post, an aeroplane and some haddock. He searched everywhere for suitable plastic fish but ended up making his own from foam polystyrene.

A collection of period hats & props with stage manager Laura Mills reflected in the mirror.

Another major source of props has been his own house. His reputation as an extraordinary props finder started when he was working on Much Ado About Nothing which was set in the aftermath of the Falklands war. He 'happened to come across' at home a copy of the Sunday Times from the 1980s with a report on the Falklands. I did ask if he was a hoarder and after a long pause he said 'yes I probably am!'

The 39 Steps has been chosen as a 'Third Thursday' event by local arts group Jelly. You can buy a ticket for the first night (17th November) from Jelly, they cost £10 (no booking fee) including a free drink, a talk from the directors and a chance to meet the artist exhibiting in the foyer. See the Jelly website for more details.

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 -

The 39 Steps by John Buchan, adapted by Patrick Barlow 17th-26th Nov 2011

6th Annual WriteFest 8th - 10th December 2011

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

The 39 Steps

2011-10-28T21:21:00.000+01:00

The 39 Steps is an adaptation of the Hitchcock thriller performed with just four actors. The main part, Richard Hannay is played by the same actor all the way through but the other actors play multiple parts. The play, adapted by Patrick Barlow, is based on the 1935 Hitchcock film which was itself based on (although differs from) John Buchan's novel.

I had a chat with co-directors Dan Clarke and Steph Weller before their rehearsal on Thursday. They described the complexity of the show, there are 50 different costumes and 70 - 90 props. There are also various technical challenges like how to stage a chase along a moving train. The script apparently gives a few ideas but then just tells the director to do it however they like. They showed me a detailed scale model of the set including doors and windows on wheels, a pull out fireplace and a bedroom that revolves to become a reception. The cast and crew have only just got access to the theatre after the end of Blackbird so the challenge over the next three weeks is to transform all these great ideas into reality.

I don't know what is going on in this photo but it looks interested.

The stage management is going to be a vital part of this play, in fact it is so complex that two stage managers are needed each night one each side of the stage both with an assistant. They will need to know where and when actors are coming off stage what costumes changes they will need and what props. They will also need to help the actors make some quick costume changes. I'm already booked to go back on at the weekend - I want to interview Tony who is doing the props I hear there are some interesting stories about the sourcing of the props.

The 39 Steps has been chosen as a 'Third Thursday' event by local arts group Jelly. You can buy a ticket for the first night (17th November) from Jelly, they cost £10 (no booking fee) including a free drink, a talk from the directors and a chance to meet the artist exhibiting in the foyer. See the Jelly website for more details.

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 -

Second auditions for Art by Yasmina Reza Sunday 30th October at 4pm

The 39 Steps by John Buchan, adapted by Patrick Barlow 17th-26th Nov 2011

6th Annual WriteFest 8th - 10th December 2011

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

Blackbird - hanging blinds and other strange activities

2011-10-13T21:57:00.000+01:00

I didn't make it to the rehearsal on Wednesday but I was there in time to hear the notes from the director and have a chat with the cast and crew about how things are going. Photographer Mandy King was there too and kindly sent me a photo of the blinds being hung last weekend.

The blinds go all round the stage and extend slightly into the auditorium to create the impression of a single space. As you can see from the photo they were quite fiddly to but together. Being involved in a production you often find yourself doing unexpected things like constructing office blinds. For example last night producer Helen Coleman was busy cutting burger buns from a piece of sponge.

I enjoy listening to director's giving notes to actors, you often hear things that are perfectly normal to everyone involved but to an outsider sound frankly bizarre. Last night's gem was "When you've got a decent wet patch on your shirt show it off"

Blackbird runs from Monday to Saturday next week so come along and see if you can spot the burger buns and the wet patch.

There is a good article about the production in this week's getreading

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 -

Blackbird by David Harrower 17th - 22nd October 2011

Auditions for Art by Yasmina Reza Wednesday 26th October 7.30pm or Sunday 30th October at 4pm

39 Steps by John Buchan, adapted by Patrick Barlow 17th-26th Nov 2011

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

Blackbird Rubbish

2011-10-03T08:31:00.000+01:00

No this is not a prediction of the reviews! Part of the stage setting for this production is litter is scattered on the floor and this always presents a dilemma. You want it to look convincingly like the sort of wrappers and fast food containers people might drop, but on the other hand you don't want a load of smelly, unhygienic rubbish lying about.


Blackbird rehearsal - if you look carefully you can just see some rubbish in the bottom on the photo

The solution is to collect clean rubbish and to buy some foil take-away containers that can be crumpled up to look realistic but don't fill the theatre with the smell of old curry. If you are up at the theatre over the next week there is a box in the kitchen to collect any suitable litter you might have.

The set of Blackbird is designed to give the impression that the audience are in the same room as the actors. To enhance this feeling some litter scattered around the auditorium as well. This might be one production where you can get away with dropping your sweet papers on the floor.

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 Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman Sunday 9th Oct 2.30pm or Wednesday 12th October 7.30

Blackbird by David Harrower 17th - 22nd October 2011

Auditions for Art by Yasmina Reza Wednesday 26th October 7.30pm or Sunday 30th October at 4pm

39 Steps by John Buchan, adapted by Patrick Barlow 17th-26th Nov 2011

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

Sounds of Blackbird

2011-09-20T22:08:00.000+01:00

I gatecrashed a rehearsal of Blackbird on Sunday afternoon. When I arrived the actors were already outnumbered by observers including the director, production manager, stage manager and sound designer. The people you see on stage during a production are a small fraction of the people involved in making it a success.

One of these unseen workers is Mike Brand who is designing the sound and lighting for Blackbird. He certainly looked the part of the sound engineer on Sunday - compete with headphones and recording equipment.

During a break in the rehearsal he explained that he had pre-recorded some sound effects and was listening to them while watching the action to check that they sounded right in context.

As well as the 'realistic' sounds like phones ringing Mike is planning to include voice montages at the beginning and end of the show. He recorded the first read through of the play and now has over ninety snippets of speech that he is hoping to interweave into an interesting sound effect.

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 WriteFest Sunday 25th September or 2.30pm at Progress Theatre

Auditions for Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman Sunday 9th Oct 2.30pm or Wednesday 12th October 7.30

Blackbird by David Harrower 17th - 22nd October 2011

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

Proof press night

2011-09-10T16:56:00.000+01:00

On Friday Progress Theatre held a press preview night for our latest production, Proof. The cast performed in front of a small invited audience including press, theatre members who had been involved with the production or who are away during the main run and, of course, Progress Blog.

The evening was run as if it were a normal production - including opening the bar. Producer Chris Moran explained that they had planned the rehearsal schedule from the start with the aim of being performance ready for the press night. They will still have a final dress rehearsal on Sunday night to give them a last chance to iron out any wrinkles.

Lauren Gilbert and Anna Bristow as sisters Clarie and Catherine

During the interval I chatted to Liz Crosthwaite, entertainments editor at the Reading Chronicle. She normally concentrates on music and this will be the first play she has reviewed for Progress. She seemed to be enjoying it but we'll have to wait and see what she says in her review.

I certainly enjoyed it and the rest of the audience seemed to be. There were even a few discretely wiped away tears at the end! The main run starts on Monday 12th and runs until the Saturday.

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 -

Proof by David Auburn September 12th - 17th 2011

Auditions for WriteFest Sunday 25th September or 2.30pm at Progress Theatre

Auditions for Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman Sunday 9th Oct 2.30pm or Wednesday 12th October 7.30

Blackbird by David Harrower 17th - 22nd October 2011

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

Proof

2011-09-05T10:44:00.000+01:00

I distracted director Aidan Moran for a few minutes during the technical rehearsal for Proof on Sunday. This was the second day of technical rehearsals, Saturday had been mainly about rigging the lights but Sunday included the actors. Lauren Gilbert, who plays Claire, was practicing walking in high heels while looking elegant and not falling over. I also met new member Anna Bristow who is playing Catherine. Her costume is a bit more casual - no shoe practice required.

Anna Bristow

Aidan decided he wanted to direct Proof after reading the first scene. The play is set in Chicago although his original idea had been to change it to an English setting so that they could concentrate on the drama of the piece without having to worry about accents. This was not allowed under the terms of the performance licence so the cast are having to use American accents but Aidan has kept them simple and generic.

You may have heard that Proof is about maths. I should stress that you don't need to understand any maths to enjoy the play. The most complex calculations involved were the ones Martin Noble had to make. He had the job of making the weirdly angled roof Aidan designed into a reality.

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 -

Proof by David Auburn September 12th - 17th 2011

Auditions for WriteFest Sunday 25th Sept, 2.30pm at Progress Theatre

Blackbird by David Harrower 17th - 22nd October 2011

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

Happy Holidays

2011-08-05T22:07:00.000+01:00

Progress Blog is off for a summer break for the next couple of weeks. That doesn't mean that there isn't a lot still going on at the theatre. Rehearsals are well under way for our next show Proof and there is still time to audition for The 39 Steps on Sunday 7th August at 2pm.

We'll be back soon to let you in on what is going on behind the scenes at the Proof rehearsals.

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 The 39 Steps Sunday 7th August, 2pm at Progress Theatre

Proof by David Auburn September 12th - 17th 2011

Blackbird by David Harrower 17th - 22nd October 2011

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

The Tempest - rain and church bells

2011-07-22T21:46:00.000+01:00

As I walked through the church yard at dusk, making my way down to Caversham Court gardens, I could hear a haunting melody floating up from the river. I was on my way to one of the final rehearsals of The Tempest and the music was coming from the live musicians who provide all the music and sound effects for the performance.

It was coming from the live musicians and the passing disco boat. One of the hazards of an outdoor production is the extraneous noises. In the Abbey Ruins, where we used to hold our outdoor productions, it was the shouting of inmates from Reading prison. Sometimes they even quoted the speeches they had heard many times in rehearsal. At Caversham Court it is the disco boat - that luckily comes past in the interval - and the church bells. When the bell ringers are practicing it is impossible to hear anything on the stage but they have kindly agreed not to ring during the performance week.

The cast and crew have been showing the best of British pluck rehearsing in the recent bad weather. Producer Coral Last was explaining the contingency plans for rain, including the potential to move the time of the interval and having on hand a supply of clear rain ponchos for the cast. There are currently still tickets available on the gate so if you've been put off buying a ticket because of the weather you can wait for a sunny evening and come down then.

Don't forget that there is no fixed seating so bring your own blanket or low backed chair to sit on, there will also be a number of chairs available for hire. Stewards will be guiding people to a seating space to ensure that everyone has a good view. It really is a beautiful setting, right by the river and an exciting production so keep your fingers crossed for some good weather or be really British and come and enjoy some outdoor theatre whatever the weather.

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.

Open air production The Tempest by William Shakespeare 23rd - 30th July 2011 Caversham Court Gardens

Auditions for The 39 Steps Wednesday 3rd August 7.30pm and Sunday 7th August, 2pm at Progress Theatre

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

Black Bird Auditions

2011-07-13T22:14:00.000+01:00

Auditions for Black Bird by David Harrower are being held at the theatre on Sunday 17th July at 6pm and Tuesday 19th July at 7.30pm.

Tony in his Sunday best

The director is Tony Wernham whose last production was Blue/Orange by Joe Penhall in 2007. The two plays have some similarities in that they are both about serious subjects and have very small casts, only two in the case of Black Bird. I asked Tony about the appeal of small cast plays and he admitted that it is mostly a question of logistics. With a small cast you can organise the rehearsal schedule around the commitments of the actors but with a large cast there is always someone who can't make the dates suggested.

As a director Tony feels that the look of a production is very important. He is particularly interested in the lighting. He doesn't think that stage plays should strive for realism, that can be left to films, but the lighting can add visual interest and symbolism. He is also thinking of using imaginative soundscapes during the play as an alternative to music. He likes to give the technical people he is working with on a production full rein to develop their own ideas.

Tony is very busy at the moment working on marketing for The Tempest, Progress's outdoor Shakespeare production. When I spoke to him about this post he was on holiday in the Lake District but still sending out emails to the press. So if you aren't auditioning for Black Bird you can still make Tony happy by booking your ticket for The Tempest!

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 Black Bird by David Harrower Sunday 17th July at 6pm and Tuesday 19th July 2011 at 7.30pm at Progress Theatre

Open air production The Tempest by William Shakespeare 23rd - 30th July 2011 Caversham Court Gardens

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

Half Masks and Dead Sailors

2011-07-02T21:46:00.000+01:00

The theatre today was in the happy state of chaos that is a technical rehearsal, the lighting needs to be sorted, costumes perfected, contact numbers collected and the theatre tidied on top of rehearsing the play.

When I was at the Under Milk Wood rehearsal last week they were busy making masks so I was interested in see the finished articles. The masks are used by the actors playing dead sailors. The original idea was to use make-up but it soon became apparent that this wouldn't be practical because many of the actors are playing multiple parts and have to make quick changes.

The base of the masks are the cheap white plastic ones you can buy in costume shops. These were then cut in half and covered in papier maché. The plan was to paint them but in the end they looked good without - like rotting skin!

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 Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas 5th - 9th July 2011

Auditions for Black Bird by David Harrower Sunday 17th July at 6pm and Tuesday 19th July at 7.30pm at Progress Theatre

Open air production The Tempest by William Shakespeare 23rd - 30th July 2011 Caversham Court Gardens

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

Under Milk Wood

2011-06-28T08:37:00.001+01:00

Steven Brodie has been involved with Progress Youth Theatre for the last 8 years and he is still only 17. In Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas he plays Captain Cat, a blind ex-sailor who is on stage throughout the whole performance. He tries to keep his eyes slightly out of focus and is careful not to follow the action on stage as well as not wriggling too much on the hard wooden chair.

Steven explained that the play tells the story of the lives of the people of Llareggub partly through their dreams and partly through real events. Apart from Steven most of the cast play multiple characters and he was hugely impressed by the idea of a one woman production he has heard about.

I wondered what production Steven had most enjoyed taking part in while at Progress. He mentioned several, for different reasons that cover the whole range of motivations for being involved in theatre: Cold Comfort Farm because everyone in the cast became very close; Macbeth because it is his favourite play and Blood Wedding because it was the first play not written for children he was involved in. My favourite was Don Juan Comes Back From The War which he said he liked "because it was such a beautiful play", He's right it was and if Under Milk Wood is of the same standard it will be well worth watching.

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 Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas 5th - 9th July 2011
(please note dates as were wrong in previous posts)

Open air production The Tempest by William Shakespeare 23rd - 30th July 2011

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

Progress on the Whiteknights studio trail

2011-06-17T07:28:00.002+01:00

This weekend, 18th and 19th June 2011, Progress Theatre will be one of the venues on the Whiteknights Studio Trail. This exciting annual event is an opportunity to visit artists based in the university area in their studios or other venues. You can see examples of their work and talk to the artist.

Progress will be showing work by artist Carole Stephens. Carole is mainly inspired by flowers and gardens and creates beautiful bright pictures using water colours and pen and ink. She went to art college in 1964 and has been teaching and working as an artist ever since. As well as flowers she likes painting toys and is happy to take commissions to paint a favourite toy (or your garden.)

The exhibition at Progress is open 11am - 6pm on Saturday and Sunday and Carole will be there to answer any questions about her work or just to chat to visitors. Tea and coffee will be available and the bar will be open during licencing hours. Importantly for those visiting several venues on the trail there will be somewhere to sit down and toilet facilities. Progress member Alice Mulford is exhibiting her work at MERL as part of the trail. Full details of the trail, including a map showing all the venues can be found here.

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 Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas 4th - 11 July 2011

Open air production The Tempest by William Shakespeare 23rd - 30th July 2011

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

Proof auditions

2011-06-12T13:28:00.000+01:00

A quick blog post today to let you know that auditions for the first show of next season Proof by David Auburn are today Sunday 12th June 2.30pm and Tuesday 14th June 7.30pm at Progress Theatre. There are parts for four people, men and women ranging in age from early 20s to 50s.

Shinfield Players have recently finished a run of this play so if you saw it there and fancy having a go at one of the parts then this is your chance. If you missed the Shinfield production then come and see ours in September.

Director Aidan Moran recently reached the age at which life begins and went on a helicopter flight to celebrate. He is clearly a man of adventure and up for a challenge so it should be a fun production to be involved in. Full details about the play are on the Progress website.

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 Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas 4th - 11 July 2011

Open air production The Tempest by William Shakespeare 23rd - 30th July 2011

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

Manufacturing Porn Mags

2011-05-31T21:25:00.000+01:00

Liz Carroll, who plays one of the leading roles in Enjoy, was voted 'Wonderful Woman of Reading' in March for her voluntary work. So how has she gone from pillar of the community to cutting and pasting photos of semi-naked women?

It is all in the name of art and essential to the drama of course. During the play a pornographic magazine is passed between characters and is an important part of the action. As the play is set in the 1980s the production team wanted a magazine from the right period. We like to recycle props at Progress so they were pleased to find that a period porn mag had been purchased for the recent production of Teechers.

Liz is one of the people responsible for Progress's 'body of persons' licence, giving us permission to produce plays with young actors. In this role she thought she ought to check that the magazine was suitable to be shown to a young person. It didn't take her long to decide that it certainly wasn't.

She then bought a celebrity gossip magazine that was the right size and put it inside the cover of the porn mag. This solved the problem of the unsuitable material but now there was a problem of authenticity. As the magazine is passed around the stage it is likely that audience members near the front would be able to see that it was not what it claimed to be. So stage two involved Liz trawling the Sun's website to find photos of their 'Golden Girls' - page 3 photos from the 1980s. She then printed these and stuck them in her magazine.

Liz reading an (undoctored) vintage TV Times.

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...

Enjoy by Alan Bennett 6th - 11th June 2011

Progress Youth Theatre Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas 4th - 11 July 2011

Open air production The Tempest by William Shakespeare 23rd - 30th July 2011

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

Enjoy door practice

2011-05-24T22:00:00.000+01:00

When I last wrote about Enjoy I mentioned that they needed some extra actors to take on non-speaking roles. They have now found some volunteers and they were at their first rehearsal on Tuesday night. Also at its first rehearsal was a functional front door.

Doors are difficult to work with on stage (never work with children, animals ...or doors). They take time to open and shut, actors have to remember when to close them and when to leave them open and the door itself can block the audience's view of the action. The scene I watched being rehearsed was fairly short but did involve the door so a lot of time was spent trying different ways of opening the door and places to stand. All further complicated by having to find space for two extra people on the stage. Director Peter Charles has assigned all the cast extra door practice.


Door Practice

Producer Mandy King told me about another problem they had with the door. It has a working letter box that they fitted on before fixing the door into position, at which point they realised it was upside down. Taking it out and reinstalling it the right way round proved more difficult than putting it in the first place. I think Mandy learnt some good new swear words though.

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...

Enjoy by Alan Bennett 6th - 11th June 2011

Progress Youth Theatre Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas 4th - 11 July 2011

Open air production The Tempest by William Shakespeare 23rd - 30th July 2011

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

Update on the Tempest

2011-05-18T21:58:00.000+01:00

Enjoy by Alan Bennett is the next show at the theatre but we've got time for a guest blog this week from the production team of The Tempest.

Open air Shakespeare is always popular among theatre goers and this year the Progress Theatre returns to the open air with its annual Shakespeare production and our director Chris Bertrand’s vision of The Tempest. The Reading Abbey is now closed to the public, so our plans were in ruins (pun intended), but now they’ve been revived thanks to the lovely people at Caversham Court Gardens who will host our venture into the unknown world of a new venue.

In April The Tempest’s Stage Manager, Matthew Drury, was out in the glorious sunshine to photograph the cast’s rehearsal and had the following to say about the challenges a new venue brings to us…

“One of our biggest obstacles is getting power to light the stage. You don’t find a plug socket in the middle of a field, so you need to rethink many things you’d normally take for granted.” Though you may not think it, the lack of mod cons such as electricity has had a positive effect on the show. Forcing the director and ensemble cast to get creative and think outside the box. The show now features some wonderful elements of collaborative sound effects for the storm and costume design that uses the daylight to its full advantage. It’s going to be an inspirational piece, not to be missed.

One of Matthew's photos of the outdoor 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.

Coming up...

Enjoy by Alan Bennett 6th - 11th June 2011

Progress Youth Theatre Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas 4th - 11 July 2011

Open air production The Tempest by William Shakespeare 23rd - 30th July 2011

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

Enjoy rehearsals

2011-05-11T06:46:00.000+01:00

All My Sons by Arthur Miller is running until Saturday 14th May. There are still tickets left so don't miss the chance to see this brilliant emotionally gripping play.

Meanwhile rehearsals are progressing for the next show, Enjoy by Alan Bennett. I'm going to struggle with posting about this show as I keep being told interesting titbits followed by "oh but you can't write that in the blog it'll spoil the plot". So what can I tell you? It was first performed in 1980 and this production is set in that period but director Peter Charles said the look will be "more beige tank-tops than Toni Basil". It is set in Leeds and to my southerner's ear the actors seemed to be making a good job of the Yorkshire accents.

LIz Carroll and Tom Sellwood 'Enjoy' rehearsing their dance moves

The production requires a number of extras - these are non speaking parts but need to be reasonably young and strong. If you are interested and free 6th - 11th June and the weekend before for final rehearsals then contact Peter on enjoy@groovechild.co.uk.

The other thing I'm going to struggle with for this production is not making terrible word plays on the title - I'll do my best!

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...

All My Sons by Arthur Miller runs until 14th May 2011

Enjoy by Alan Bennett 6th - 11th June 2011

Progress Youth Theatre Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas 4th - 11 July 2011

Open air production The Tempest by William Shakespeare 23rd - 30th July 2011

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

All My Sons Tech Rehearsal

2011-05-01T16:27:00.010+01:00

This is the final weekend before the first night of All My Sons on Thursday 5th May so it is time to sort out all the technical aspects before the final few rehearsals. Today was mainly about getting the lighting right, making sure that the areas of the stage where the actors perform in each scene are lit correctly. Of course the actors also need to make sure they stand in the right part of the stage....

After a run through with the lights director Harry had to sort out the sound effects with the two operators. The actors weren't needed for this so went for a well earned break in the pub - acting is hard work you know!

In the post All My Sons - Photo Op I took some photos of the publicity shoot. I thought you might like to see one of the resulting shots taken by photographer Mandy King.

Coming up...

All My Sons by Arthur Miller 5th - 14th May 2011

Enjoy by Alan Bennett 6th - 11th June 2011

Progress Youth Theatre Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas 4th - 11 July 2011

Open air production The Tempest by William Shakespeare 23rd - 30th July 2011

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

Scale Models and Shoes

2011-04-12T16:25:00.012+01:00

Some directors have only a sketchy idea of how they want the set to look and others know precisely. Harry Grey, definitely falls into the latter camp. He has constructed a detailed model from cardboard and paper. I wish now that I had included a hand in the photo to give you some idea of the scale. It is about 30cm x 25cm I from memory.

The wrong pair of shoes can ruin an otherwise good costume. Audiences notice these things so it is important that the shoes worn are right for the character and for a historical play that they are from the correct period. They also need to fit so that the actor doesn't spend the show either in pain or worrying about tripping over their feet. Progress has a large collection of shoes so there is usually plenty of opportunity to find the perfect pair.

Coming up...

All My Sons by Arthur Miller 5th - 14th May 2011

Enjoy by Alan Bennett 6th - 11th June 2011

Progress Youth Theatre Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas 4th - 11 July 2011

Open air production The Tempest by William Shakespeare 23rd - 30th July 2011

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

All My Sons Photo Op

2011-04-10T18:47:00.009+01:00

Mandy King takes most of the publicity photos for Progress and my visit to the theatre on Sunday to gather material for the blog coincided with her visit to do a photo shoot for All My Sons. As is often the way, the publicity photos are needed before the costumes are completely sorted. The actors therefore had to be photographed with an approximation of the final costume or the top half only because they have the right shirt but are wearing modern jeans. Mandy also has to made sure that modern watches and jewelry are removed as inconsistent details can spoil a good shot.

Helen Coleman, who is organising costumes for the show was also on hand to make sure the cast looked right for the period. She had some red lipstick for the women as she says "red lipstick just says 1940s". There wasn't a lot she could do about modern haircuts in time for the photos but she is encouraging the men to grow their hair longer on the top so that by the time of the performance they can have a traditional short back and sides.

Mandy decided to take advantage of the sunshine and we all walked over to Cintra park just opposite the theatre. We requisitioned a park bench for our photos - much to the bemusement of the other park users.

Coming up...

All My Sons by Arthur Miller 5th - 14th May 2011

Enjoy by Alan Bennett 6th - 11th June 2011

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

Recycling and Chaperones

2011-04-04T13:26:00.009+01:00

At Progress we like to reuse material whenever possible. It saves time and money as well as being better for the environment. If you saw The Ash Girl earlier this year you'll remember the splendid fireplace. If you come to Cold Comfort Farm you'll see it being reused as part of the set. It will be looking slightly more dirty and battered as part of the Starkadder's kitchen.

The word chaperone calls up images of Victorian maiden aunts sitting in on dates to ensure nothing untoward is going on. In the theatre it is used to mean someone who looks after the interests of any children or young people in a show. In the professional world they have been used for some time in theatres and on film sets to make sure that their charges have rest breaks, access to education and are not asked to do anything dangerous.

For the last few years it has been a legal requirement for amateur theatres to have a chaperone backstage during every performance including under 17 year olds. Chaperones have to be police checked and registered with their local authority. It is not an onerous job and mainly involves sitting in the dressing rooms, saying shush! a lot and waiting until all their charges have been picked up at the end of the night. Having said that without people willing to give up their time to do this young people would not have the opportunity to perform on stage. Many amateur theatres have decided that it is too much bother and don't cast anyone under 17. Luckily we do bother at Progress so you'll be able to see the Progress Youth Theatre performing Cold Comfort Farm starting tonight 4th April and running until Saturday 9th.

Coming up...

Progress Youth Theatre Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons adapted by Paul Doust, 4th - 9th April 2011

All My Sons by Arthur Miller 5th - 14th May 2011

Enjoy by Alan Bennett 6th - 11th June 2011

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

Cold Comfort Farm

2011-03-28T09:47:00.011+01:00

The next production is Cold Comfort Farm adapted by Paul Doust from Stella Gibbons' classic comic novel. Gibbons wrote the novel in 1932, when she was only 22, as a satire of the dramatic, romantic, rural based novels popular at the time.

When I went up to the theatre to see how things were progressing they were rehearsing the ball scene. I walked in to hear the director Ben Sandiford advising his cast to "Spend time with your poles". This is not as strange as it sounds! In order to give the feel of a huge ball they are doubling the number of party goers by giving each human guest a puppet partner - basically a pole with a jacket. At the rehearsal I watched they hadn't yet got the poles but were improvising with coat hangers. Ben was reassuring them that it would be easier when they had the poles as long as they got used to handling them by spending time with them.

To see the finished performance come along to Progress Theatre between the 4th and 9th April.

Coming up...

Progress Youth Theatre Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons adapted by Paul Doust, 4th - 9th- April 2011

All My Sons by Arthur Miller 5th - 14th May 2011

Enjoy by Alan Bennett 6th - 11th June 2011

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

Teechers making noise

2011-03-09T18:59:00.001Z

Most productions need some sort of sound effects, in Teechers it is mainly the school bell, rowdy school children and music. The way the play works there are no breaks for stage management to come on and change scenes. When the action switches the actors simply move to a different place on the stage, moving or picking up the props they need. Music will be an important part of making these transitions work smoothly.

Stuart McCubbin will be operating the sound and although Aidan Moran is responsible for sourcing the sound effects and music Stuart has been part of the process as well. He sat in on a rehearsal last weekend and made suggestions about what sounds he thought would be appropriate at different points. He has also contributed a CD box set of 80s music, something he felt showed his age.

When I asked Stuart if he had experience of involvement on the technical side of performances he mentioned operating the lights in a school play using rheostats(*) and a broom handle. Perhaps even less relevant early experiences were playing Father Christmas and leading an on-stage rabble singing the La Marseillaise.

Stuart was drawn into Progress by his children Alex McCubbin and Laura Mills who both started in the youth theatre and are still active members. He hasn't acted himself at Progress but enjoys performing with Reading Bach Choir and hopes to squeeze some of their music into the Teechers soundtrack. Regular visitors to Progress will probably recognise Stuart as he is often to be found manning the bar or working front of house, both roles that he enjoys. Members be warned - there will be more slots to fill for this production as Stuart will be busy.

* I pretended to know what Stuart was talking about and then looked it up here later. It even tells you how they work!

Coming up...

Auditions for Enjoy by Alan Bennett, Sunday 6th March 3pm & Thursday 10th March, 7.30pm Progress Theatre.

Teechers by John Godber 14th to 19th March 2011

Progress Youth Theatre Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons 4th - 9th- April 2011

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

Creating a gym for Teechers

2011-02-20T16:50:00.009Z

Teechers by John Godber is set in a school gym in the 1980s and set designer Aidan Moran wants to recreate the atmosphere he remembers from his own school days.

The base of the design is the floor which has to be the highly polished cross hatch design school gyms always used to have (and maybe still do). The actual stage can't be varnished so it has to be covered with hardboard which can then be painted and varnished to give the right effect.

New member Ashley Dashwood has recently moved to Reading and was looking for something to do and a way of meeting people. A friend pointed him toward Progress and on his first visit he found himself with a hammer in his hand fixing pieces of hardboard. He is going to be a great asset to the theatre!

When it is finished the set will include all the accessories you'd expect in a gym, a climbing frame fixed to the wall, ropes, long benches, big windows and a vaulting horse. The vaulting horse has a dual purpose as it will also act as a space to store props. Teechers is a classic John Godber play where 3 actors play many different roles. It is fast moving and storing the props on stage avoids interrupting the action.

To complete the school gym illusion lighting designer Martin Noble will be rigging some real fluorescent strip lights to light the set when the audience first come in. The only thing missing will be the school aroma but perhaps we should leave that to the audience's imagination.

Coming up...

Auditions for Enjoy by Alan Bennett, Sunday 6th March 3pm & Thursday 10th March, 7.30pm Progress Theatre.

Teechers by John Godber 14th to 19th March 2011

Progress Youth Theatre Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons 4th - 9th- April 2011

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

Tempest Auditions

2011-02-13T12:34:00.010Z

Progress Theatre's outdoor Shakespeare is back! We are still not able to use the Abbey Ruins because of safety issues but this summer we will be presenting The Tempest in Caversham Court gardens by the Thames. Auditions are Sunday 20th 2.30pm and Tuesday 22nd February 7.30pm with a call back on Sunday 27th February at 2.30pm, all at Progress Theatre.

Auditions start at the theatre but, weather permitting, at least some of the time will be spent outside. Director Chris Bertrand needs to hear how actors can project their voices outside with no walls to bounce the sound off. The rehearsal process will include work on voice training.

Chris likes to work with a company of actors who all get involved in developing the performance and work together as a team - there will be no bit parts in this production. He is looking to cast a company of about 20 actors, ideally 10 male and 10 female. The call back on the 27th will be where Chris will make the final decision about who will be in the company. He'll let people know that on the day but the parts people will play won't be decided until the first rehearsal.

Chris feels that as a magical fairy story The Tempest is well suited to an outdoor production. It lends itself to visual imagery and as water is a key image in the play being next to the river will be a bonus. Chris has run a series of three workshops over the last few months, where participants looked at different aspects of the play like the comedy, the relationships between the main characters and the use of music and sound. This gave Chris the opportunity to try out some of his ideas like having Ariel, a magical spirit, played by 5 actors. This worked well and will allow the spirit to be portrayed in a state of constant movement. The auditions are open to everyone - you don't need to have attended the workshops.

This should be a very exciting production to be in and to watch so if you can't audition put the performance dates in your diary - 23rd to 30th July 2011.

Coming up...

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

Auditions for this year's outdoor Shakespeare The Tempest, Sunday 20th 2.30pm and Tuesday 22nd February 2011 7.30pm.

Auditions for Enjoy by Alan Bennett, Sunday 6th March 3pm & Thursday 10th March, 7.30pm Progress Theatre.

Teechers by John Godber 14th to 19th March 2011

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

Tackling the American Accent

2011-02-07T08:12:00.006Z

of Mice and Men is set in California in the 1930s and the actors need to speak in American accents.

This isn't too much of a problem for Melissa Tanner as she is from California. She came to London two years ago to work as a Nanny before returning to Los Angeles to study musical theatre. She moved to Reading last March and when she saw the auditions for Of Mice and Men thought it was a great opportunity to get involved in Progress.

She plays "Curley's wife" the only way her character is referred to in the play - she is never given a name.

It has been very helpful to the rest of the actors to have a genuine American on the cast and Melissa is impressed with the way they have all picked up the accent.

Of Mice and Men is very popular with school groups and there are not many ticket left so if you want to see this production then you need to book soon.

Coming up...

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

Auditions for this year's outdoor Shakespeare The Tempest, Sunday 20th 2.30pm and Tuesday 22nd February 2011 7.30pm.

Auditions for Enjoy by Alan Bennett, Sunday 6th March 3pm & Thursday 10th March, 7.30pm Progress Theatre.

Teechers by John Godber 14th to 19th March 2011

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

Of Mice and Men - the finishing touches

2011-01-30T16:16:00.010Z

Tickets for Of Mice and Men are selling fast. Monday 14th and Tuesday 15th are already sold out and other nights have only a few seats left. If you want to be sure of seeing it you will have to book in advance.

Progress Blog popped into a rehearsal on Sunday and preparations are well advanced. Notes from director Joe Haynes mostly concentrated on people getting details right like shutting doors at the right time and making sure they were wearing a hat when they came in from the supposedly blazing sun. People do notice these details and as Joe said "audiences love to see things going wrong - I don't!"

The actors were all looking the part in jeans and cowboy boots. Producer Heidi Ashton, watching from the audience, had also got into the mood and taken on the role of a good American housewife. She was busy hand stitching stuffed mattresses to go on the bunk beds.

Coming up...

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

Auditions for this year's outdoor Shakespeare The Tempest, Sunday 20th and Tuesday 22nd February 2011.

Teechers by John Godber 14th to 19th March 2011

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

All My Sons Auditions

2011-01-20T20:23:00.016Z

Auditions for All My Sons by Arthur Miller are on Wednesday January 26^th7.30 pm and Sunday January 30th. 7.pm both at Progress Theatre.

Over the years Progress have performed several Arthur Miller plays. The Crucible has been the most popular being put on in 1956, 1984 and 2004. Death of a salesman was produced in 1966 and then thirty years later in 1996. We have also done A view from the bridge (1983) and The last Yankee(1998) was directed by Harry Gray who is returning to Miller to direct All My Sons.

All My Sons was was one of Miller's earliest plays. He wrote it in 1947 after his previous play had been a flop on Broadway and had said that if it wasn't successful he would give up writing. Thankfully it was successful, winning a number of awards.

Harry Gray has directed and appeared in many productions since joining Progress in 1963. He most recently directed Four Nights in Knaresborough in 2008. This was set in the medieval period and involved chain mail, full helmets and big swords. (The photo shows a publicity shot with Harry standing in as a knight second from right.) All My Sons is set in the 1940s so the costumes should be easier for the actors to handle although they will have to get to grips with an American accent. All the parts in the play are strong, it is a powerful piece with plenty for actors to get their teeth into. Harry describes it as a condemnation of anti-social behaviour that starts of gently and builds up to a devastating conclusion.

Coming up...

Auditions for All My Sons by Arthur Miller Wednesday January 26^th7.30 pm and Sunday January 30^th 7 pm

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

Auditions for this year's outdoor Shakespeare The Tempest, Sunday 20th and Tuesday 22nd February 2011.

Teechers by John Godber 14th to 19th March 2011

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

The Ash Girl and the Glutton Toad

2011-01-08T17:12:00.021Z

For this week's blog I interviewed Helen Bryant who plays the Glutton Toad, one of the seven deadly sins featured in The Ash Girl. Helen described her costume as "very pink and very fat". The deadly sins also wear masks representing their characters. The mask covers the top half of the face depriving the actor of the use of their eyes in showing emotions and thoughts. Helen has acted in masks before, once at school where she played the angel of death, and in a short play in WriteFest at Progress. In the WriteFest play, Home News she played a man and a woman where for the male character she used a mask and for the female one she didn't. This meant that not only did she have to remember her lines and who was supposed to be saying them she also had to think about whether she should be wearing the mask or not!

An access officer at Reading Borough Council during the day, in her spare time Helen is an active member of Progress. Her favourite roles have been a gypsy fortune teller in Too Clever by Half (2004) and in Godspell (2005). Her most recent role was as a fish wife in The Tamer Tamed (2008). The photo shows a scene from The Tamer Tamed with Helen being menaced by a bear.

As well as acting at Progress Helen has done some film work. She was an extra in The Sweet Shop starring Gemma Atkinson from Hollyoaks. Helen also had a small role in a local independent film called The Dragon and George. This was made by a group of amateur film makers called TeamTV. Both these opportunities came via contacts she made at Progress Theatre. She is also part of a training group called Spotlight on Diversity that uses drama to work on issues around prejudice and diversity.

Coming up...

The Ash Girl by Timberlake Wertenbaker 11th to 16th January 2011

Auditions for All My Sons by Arthur Miller Wednesday January 26^th7.30 pm and Sunday January 30^th 7 pm

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

Auditions for this years outdoor Shakespeare The Tempest, Sunday 20th and Tuesday 22nd February 2011.

Teechers by John Godber 14th to 19th March 2011

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

Christmas with The Ash Girl

2010-12-29T18:37:00.009Z

After four days of lazing around and eating too much it was good to have an excuse to do something different and helping build the set for The Ash Girl proved to be the perfect break from Christmas excesses.

The centre piece of the set is a 3-sided revolving structure - imagine a toblerone stood on its end. Each of the three sides represents a different setting and is turned round during scene changes. The bit I was set to work on is a huge tree that reaches almost to the lights and has branches that fold back on on themselves when the next setting is required.

The tree was made of hardboard, some bits of insulating foam were then stuck on to represent the knots and lumps and it was then covered in papier mache to give it some texture. My job was to cut out a slanting piece of hardboard with a jigsaw, screw on a bracket and hinge to the structure and then nail on my piece of hardboard. This took me most of the afternoon and was just so that the tree didn't look 'too straight'. It certainly gave me an awareness of how many hours of work go into constructing even the simplest of sets. (Not that this one is going to look simple!)

Coming up...

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

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

Auditions for this years outdoor Shakespeare The Tempest, Sunday 20th and Tuesday 22nd February 2011.

Teechers by John Godber 14th to 19th March 2011

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

The Ash Girl Rehearsals

2010-12-17T11:29:00.009Z

There is not a lot of time at Progress between one production ending and the start of the next one and time on stage is at a premium.

The cast of The Ash Girl were rehearsing in the bar area on Sunday while the set build team were busy on stage. In a future blog we’ll look more closely at the set – the giant toblerone looks intriguing!

As you can imagine rehearsing in the bar can be difficult, particularly with a large cast. There is not much space and actors not in a particular scene have to sit round the edge waiting for their turn.

The Ash Girl is a take on the traditional Cinderella story and bears more relation to the sometimes gruesome original Brothers Grimm tale than the Disney version. The scene being rehearsed on Sunday has Ash Girl going into a haunted forest where she is pursued by the seven deadly sins and some scary trees.

Coming up...

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

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

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

Teechers Auditions

2010-12-05T13:32:00.010Z

Hope you all enjoyed Ajax. Coming up next at Progress are the auditions for Teechers by John Godber. These are on Sunday 12th December 2.30 and Tuesday 14th December 7.30 at the theatre.

Director Christine Moran is taking time out from rehearsing her part as a princess in Ash Girl to hold the auditions. She said that she chose Teechers because she wanted do something light and funny but still good. After directing Going Postal last Christmas she also thought it would be a nice change to direct something that doesn't need a complex set and costumes.

She was supposed to direct John Godber's play Shakers when Progress performed it in 1999 but wasn't able to. Shakers is set in a cocktail bar and is written in a similar style to Teechers with a handful of actors portraying many different characters, a fun challenge for actors and director. This photo is from a newspaper cutting from 1999. As a marketing stunt we arranged for some of the actors in Shakers to have lessons in shaking cocktails at TGI Fridays. Shown in the photo are Sawsan Khuri, Jane Bertrand and Helen Wright (who wasn't actually in the play just making up numbers for the photos!)

Coming up...

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

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

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

Ajax and the incredible folding tent

2010-11-21T21:44:00.011Z

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

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

The Full tent

Going

Gone

Coming up...

Ajax by Sophocles 25th November to 4th December 2010

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

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

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

Ajax masks

2010-11-14T18:46:00.010Z

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

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

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

Ajax Chorus

2010-11-07T16:49:00.015Z

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

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

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

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

Coming up...

Ajax by Sophocles 25th November to 4th December 2010

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

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

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

Fifth Writefest

2010-11-01T22:19:00.009Z

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

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

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

Coming up...

Writefest 4th to 6th November 2010

Ajax by Sophocles 25th November to 4th December 2010

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

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

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

WriteFest - Mermaids and Bag Ladies

2010-10-24T22:12:00.006+01:00

Fresh from a hip replacement operation Liz Carroll is still playing an active part in Writefest at Progress Theatre. She is directing a play called On the Rocks by Gerald Kells. The play starts with a girl on the beach egging on a boy to do something daring, the adventure starts when a mermaid gets involved. The cast includes two members of the Progress Youth Theatre and Liz's daughter Ali.

While we were talking Alison Hill, who is playing the part of Mary in a play Liz has written for WriteFest called The Browning Papers, came up to ask Liz a detail about one of the lines in the play. Alison plays a "bag lady with a past". Liz was very relaxed and said that Alison should say whatever felt right for the character.

Liz has written another play in this year's WriteFest called Asylum. All she would tell me about it was that it is a very short thriller with two actors - she didn't want to give anything else away.

Coming up...

Writefest 4th to 6th November 2010

Ajax by Sophocles 25th November to 4th December 2010

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

Of Mice and Men Auditions

2010-10-19T21:47:00.012+01:00

Another chance to audition for a progress production. Auditions for Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck are on Sunday 24th October 2.30-5pm and Wednesday 27th October 7.30-10pm Progress Theatre. The performance dates are 10th – 19th February 2011.

Director Joe Haynes has directed of Mice and Men before. He is drawn to it because he is interested in the 'American Dream' as a fascinating subject for theatre. The phrase was first used by the American writer James Truslow Adams in 1931 "The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. " Of Mice and Men was written only a few years after this in 1937. Joe believes that its story of two poor men and their dream of owning their own piece of land is one of the finest examples of the genre.

Joe is an experiences director - his debut was ‘Spring and Port Wine’ in 1977. As well as being interested in American drama Joe is passionate about Shakespeare. He directed an outdoor production of Twelfth Night in 2009 and has previously previously directed Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest and The Winter’s Tale. He will be directing Measure for Measure for the Wargrave Village Festival in 2011.

Coming up...

Auditions for Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 2.30-5pm Sunday 24th October Progress Theatre Foyer and 7.30-10pm Wednesday 27th October Progress Theatre Foyer

Writefest 4th to 6th November 2010

Ajax by Sophocles 25th November to 4th December 2010

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

Metamorphosis and Acting Workshops

2010-10-10T20:54:00.011+01:00

Metamorphosis starts tomorrow (11th October) and it only runs until Saturday so don't miss out on seeing this exciting production.

The acting workshops in the title of this post don't refer to any need within the cast of Metamorphosis but to a series of Acting Skills workshops being run by Ali Carroll. Longer term readers my remember a post about the support group Ali had started to encourage those who wanted to get involved in theatre but needed some support. (See Making theatre more accessible to all). The series of workshops currently running on Sunday afternoons are open to members of the support group as well as anyone else in the theatre who is interested.

The session this Sunday was attended by eight people and covered characterization. It involved games and exercises like having to walk around like a supermodel who is secretly insecure! There was plenty of serious discussion and learning about acting techniques as well as a lot of laughs. There are still two more sessions on acting skills 4 - 6pm on Sundays. There is then a break for half-term followed by some sessions on mask making. Contact Ali if you are interested in attended any of the sessions. Email elizabeth.carroll7@ntlworld.com or ring 07831 488809.

Coming up...

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka adapted by Steven Berkoff 11th to 16th October 2010

Writefest 4th to 6th November 2010

Ajax by Sophocles 25th November to 4th December 2010

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

Reunited in Metamorphosis

2010-10-03T19:08:00.021+01:00

Evelyn Frith and Jim Tubbs-Galley first played husband and wife in 1995 when they were Ancient Pistol and Mistress Quickly in Henry V, the first Progress production in the Abbey Ruins. Fifteen years later they are reunited as Mr. and Mrs. Samsa in Steven Berkoff's adaptation of Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka.

In his day job Jim is a hypnotherapist and helps people overcome addictions. One of the addictions he can help people with is nicotine which as he is a longterm heavy smoker himself may seem a little strange but he says he feels he is a good warning of the dangers of smoking!

With a week to go until Metamorphosis opens on the 11th October the cast and director were hard at work on Sunday afternoon. They were looking at the exact intonation of particular lines to best express the frustration of the characters.

Coming up...

Auditions for The Ash Girl by Timberlake Wertenbaker Wednesday 6th October 7.30 pm at Progress Theatre

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka adapted by Steven Berkoff 11th to 16th October 2010

Writefest 4th to 6th November 2010

Ajax by Sophocles 25th November to 4th December 2010

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

Metamorphosis

2010-09-27T12:01:00.009+01:00

The set of Metamorphosis features a large cage that was originally built for People in Cages in 2007. It is good when parts of sets can be reused, it saves on materials and work. The cage is being adapted so that actors can climb on the top and hang from the inside of it. Mindful of health and safety the construction team have also worked out a way of cutting up mattresses and laying them out on the floor of the cage just in case anyone falls.

One aspect of putting on a production that people may not be aware of is getting the licence to perform a play. The first step is to get permission to perform it. This is usually straightforward and all that is involved is paying the nightly performance fee. Sometimes permission is not given - usually because there is a professional production on at the same time. Some licence holders also have strict rules about how the play is performed, the most common one being that none of the text should be changed. Director Joanna Rogowska cast the part of Gregor as a woman and her sister as a brother changing the names slightly to reflect the gender change. She was however told that she couldn't do that and the names had to remain as in the script. She has responded to this by keeping the name Gregor but still having the part played by a woman. This fits in with what she sees as one of the main themes of the play, the difficulty of being yourself when all the pressures are to conform and do the sensible thing.

The play has also been updated from the 1900s to modern day. This meant a few minor changes to the text, for example switching letters for emails and permission was given for this. They were also allowed to switch one of the characters from playing the violin to the saxophone as the rehearsal schedule didn't allow the actor time to learn a new instrument!

Coming up...

Auditions for The Ash Girl by Timberlake Wertenbaker Sunday 3rd October 11am at Mencap 21 Alexandra Road and Wednesday 6th October 7.30 pm at Progress Theatre

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka 11th to 16th October 2010

Writefest 4th to 6th November 2010

Ajax by Sophocles 25th November to 4th December 2010

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

Auditioning for Writefest

2010-09-12T19:00:00.018+01:00

You obviously need creative people in a theatre but you also need people with organisational skills. Chris Moran, producer of this year's Writefest is creative - she writes, directs and acts and when she's not at the theatre is busy teaching quilting and making her own quilts. She also has great organisational skills that she put to good use in running yesterday's Writefest auditions.

There are 7 plays in Writefest and there is one audition attended by all the directors and anyone who wants to be cast in any of the plays. There were 17 actors hoping to be cast and they were all given a form to record their contact details and any play preferences. They were also given a sticky label with their name and a number. Each director was also given a form to record the numbers of the actors they were interesting in casting.

The audition itself consisted of readings from each play, giving each actor a chance to try out appropriate parts. The format of auditions at Progress will vary from production to production they may include improvisation or physical exercises in addition to reading from the script if these skills are considered important for the particular play or because of the director's style. All our auditions are open to members and non-members and new comers are made very welcome. If you are cast in a production you will be asked to join Progress.

The part of the process I didn't get to see was the final part where the seven directors get together to fight over the available actors. Chris was there to mediate and I'm sure it was all agreed amicably! You can see the successful auditionees in action during Writefest 4th to 6th November 2010.

Coming up...

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka 11th to 16th October 2010

Writefest 4th to 6th November 2010

Ajax by Sophocles 25th November to 4th December 2010

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

Breathing Corpses - the last lap

2010-09-03T07:31:00.014+01:00

Progress Blog made it to the theatre for the first dress rehearsal of Breathing Corpses, unfortunately I got there at 9.15 and they had just finished. It is a short show leaving plenty of time for a drink and chat in the bar afterwards. For those interested there will be an opportunity to join a discussion with the cast and director in the auditorium after the show.

The rehearsal seemed to have gone well and director Carole Brown's comments were about minor tweaks and small problems with props. The main discussion was about the need for one of the actors to wear shorts under her short skirt to avoid showing more than intended on stage!

Thanks to Aidan Moran for these photos from the dress rehearsal - he managed to get there in time.

Another issue that always has to be sorted out at the dress rehearsal is the curtain call - where the actors come back on stage to take their bows. The director needs to work out how to get the actors from their final position into the curtain call. When should the lights come back on? What music should be used? It is also important to think about keeping in tune with the mood of the play. I once saw a professional production of Death and The Salesman where the actors came on laughing and clapping for the curtain call, completely undermined the sombre ending of the play.

If you'd like to have the opportunity to act on Progress Stage but are worried about the time involved in rehearsing a full length play then consider coming to the Writefest auditions on Sunday 12th September. Writefest is an evening of 7 new plays with plenty of different parts. It is a good opportunity to get involved if you don't have time to be in a full production.

Coming up...

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

Auditions for 5th Writefest, Sunday 12th September 2010, 2.30 pm Progress Theatre.

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka 11th to 16th October 2010

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

Breathing Corpses and moving Celebrations

2010-08-26T20:40:00.004+01:00

Progress Blog caught up with the cast and crew of Breathing Corpses at their first run though. The play is made up of a number of scenes in different settings and with different actors so this was the first time many of the actors had come together to rehearse.

One of the major things to sort out at this stage is how to move people and props smoothly from one scene to the next. Stage manager Emma Walsh was there taking detailed notes about exactly what needs to be moved and when. Attention to this sort of detail makes a difference to the audience’s enjoyment of the play. For example there was some discussion about what to do with the lid from a box of Celebrations one of the characters opens. It was decided to throw it away – doing away with the need to take the lid of during the scene and remove it at the end.

Production manager Liz Carroll was also at this rehearsal and I took the opportunity to ask her what a production manager for a show actually does. She explained that they organise all the things that need to be done around putting on the performance leaving the director free to concentrate on the artistic side. They ensure that there are people to run the lighting and sound and organise the front of house rota. Liz has booked audition and rehearsal dates as well as helping run the auditions. She did ask me to point out though that in this case there wasn’t much to do as director Carole has been was so well organised! The production manager’s involvement in a show starts with a production meeting before the show is even cast. This meeting includes any technical crew and the director explains their vision about the production. Liz’s final job is chasing up all the cast members to make sure they hand in their biographies in time to go in the programme. As you can tell from the photo Liz has also been helping with set painting – not part of the job description.

Coming up...

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

Auditions for 5th Writefest, Sunday 12th September 2010, 2.30 pm Progress Theatre.

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka 11th to 16th October 2010

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

Breathing Corpses and Crash Test Drama

2010-08-17T18:55:00.021+01:00

Breathing Corpses is a tense whodunnit full of black humour. The plot unfolds through a series of scenes and monologues based around various linked deaths. Glynn Oram plays Charlie who is described in one review as "charming but psychopathic".

Glynn has been involved with Progress for many years. He ran Progress Youth Theatre between 2002 and 2004 producing David Mamet's The Water Engine, and Much Ado About Nothing, set in the 1980s. He has appeared himself on the Progress stage, although the last time was in 2004 when he was in Arthur Miller's The Crucible, in the same year he directed The Demon Headmaster. The photo shows him as Captain Scott from a February 2010 production of Terra Nova by Ted Tally at Woodley Theatre.

Glynn worked in Australia for a number of years and while he was there got involved in a drama group called Crash Test Drama. He has now come back to Reading and has created Crash Test Drama UK. The first event is Sunday 22nd August 6pm at the Rising Sun, Silver Street. The idea is that 10 minutes plays are rehearsed and performed on the night and the actors and director of the one voted the best get to share a cash prize. The evening is open to all either to act or just watch. For more information see here.

Coming up...

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

Auditions for 5th Writefest, Sunday 12th September 2010, 2.30 pm Progress Theatre.

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka 11th to 16th October 2010

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

New Season

2010-07-26T07:07:00.011+01:00

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

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

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka 11th to 16th October 2010

5th Writefest 4th to 6th November 2010

Ajax by Sophocles 25th November to 4th December 2010

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

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

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

Ajax Auditions

2010-07-24T09:56:00.011+01:00

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

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

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

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

Auditions for Ajax by Sophocles, Progress Theatre Wednesday 28 July 7.30 pm and Sunday 1 August 2.30 pm

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

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

Physical Theatre and Blood Wedding

2010-07-16T17:48:00.019+01:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Auditions for Metamorphosis

2010-07-01T15:06:00.014+01:00

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

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

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

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

Click here for more details about the auditions.

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

Coming up...

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

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

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

Death and the Maiden and the World Cup

2010-06-27T14:22:00.012+01:00

Sunday lunch time and the rest of the country was preparing to cheer on England but the cast and crew of Death and the Maiden were busy at the theatre.

The set building crew were working on creating the interior of a South American beach house complete with veranda doors with an "impression" of a sea view. None of them were concerned about missing the England game and were looking forward to being able to visit B&Q for supplies without the usual Sunday afternoon crowds.

The cast were rehearsing in the theatre foyer. When I walked in they were trying different techniques for stuffing a pair of knickers in Dino's mouth. He was also tied to a chair with pairs of tights. I watched a very powerful tense scene between the three characters - its amazing how much acting it is still possible to do with a pair of pants in your mouth!

Certain cast members were less happy about missing the big game and when I left were still hoping to persuade director Zsuzsi to let them have a couple of hours off - perhaps now they are grateful she spared them from having to watch it!

Coming up...

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

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

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

Birth and Death and the Maiden

2010-06-21T12:09:00.014+01:00

Director Zsuzsi Kingsnorth has got more than the production of Death and the Maiden to look forward to in July - she is expecting her first baby at the end of the month. Death and the Maiden runs from 5th - 10th July so if all goes according to plan she will have time to finish the rehearsals before becoming a Mum. Just in case though she has been working with Esther Walters as assistant director. Esther and Zsuzsi met during the 2007 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream when they were both playing fairies.

Esther has been on board from the beginning and has sat in on most of the rehearsals. She is playing an active role and puts forward her views on the production as well as taking rehearsals if Zsuzsi can't make one. She will be in a good position to take over the ropes if necessary - as long as she has a plentiful supply of diet coke.

As well as rehearsing, Zsuzsi and Esther have been out in Reading taking random photos of people in the street. Death and the Maiden is set in an unnamed South American country which has suffered under a dictatorship. In countries like Chile and Argentina one thing the governments did was to arrest people randomly from the streets. These people may have had nothing to do with any political action it was merely one method of keeping people in fear and under control. The taking of photos in Reading was a way of replicating this randomness but as Progress is not a repressive regime they did ask permission first. The photos will be on display during the run.

Death and the Maiden at Palmer Park

2010-06-14T11:12:00.011+01:00

During dress rehearsals and production runs other plays in rehearsal can't use the theatre and have to find another space. Usually this is the Park United Reformed Church by Palmer Park. As the Youth Theatre were using the theatre on Sunday getting ready for the first performance of Is this it on Monday, I found the cast of Death and the Maiden rehearsing at the church. Sometimes rehearsals are held in the church itself. I once ran some rehearsals of Dracula there which felt a bit weird but as it was a traditional telling of the story where good triumphs over evil with the help of Christian symbols I decided it was quite appropriate.

The Death and the Maiden cast were not in the Church but in one of the function rooms. When I arrived they were rehearsing a scene where the two male characters are discussing a commission to examine the crimes of the previous regime in the unnamed South American country the play is set in. They are putting the world to rights over late night drinks and much of the director's comments centred around portraying that increased certainty about our own opinions many of us get when we've had a few drinks.

Richard Tripp and Dino Costa who play Gerardo Escobar and Roberto Miranda have got their lines and basic moves pretty well learnt and with nearly three weeks to go are now concentrating on the subtle nuances and turning points of scenes.

Coming up...

Youth Theatre week - Parcans (11 - 13 year olds) 14th and 15th June "Is This It?"
Strobes (13 - 15 year olds) 18th and 19th June Beary Tales and Bored Office Drones.

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

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

Is this it?

2010-06-04T08:59:00.011+01:00

Is this it? is the title of the Parcans' contribution to Progress Youth Theatre week. The Parcans are 11 - 13 year olds who meet on a Saturday morning at the theatre. They have been working since Christmas on improvising scenes in these sessions. They were given a subject or situation to work on in groups and come up with a scene. For example 'celebrities' led to scenes about Zac Ephron and Amy Winehouse. Eventually the scenes came together under a theme of "life and death; heaven and hell". The scenes are linked together by the use of a lift. We are moved from scene to scene via the lift with some set in the lift itself.

The Strobes group are still hard at work on their Youth Theatre week production and as my Parcans interviewee didn't want her picture on the blog I've included a photo of a clay bear used in the animation sequences in Beary Tales and Bored Office Drones.

Coming up...

Youth Theatre week - Parcans (11 - 13 year olds) 14th and 15th June "Is This It?"
Strobes (13 - 15 year olds) 18th and 19th June Beary Tales and Bored Office Drones.

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

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

Beary Tales and Bored Office Drones.

2010-05-25T17:47:00.014+01:00

There are still a few days left to catch The Pillowman. It has been getting rave reviews and runs until Saturday 30^th May - don’t miss it!

June 14th to 19th is Youth Theatre week at Progress Theatre. There are two groups performing, Parcans (11 – 13 year olds) and Strobes (13 – 15). Last Sunday I dropped in on a rehearsal of Beary Tales and Office Drones the Strobes production running 18^th and 19^th June. They’d been working hard since 10 am and when I arrived were having a well earned lunch break.

Beary Tales and Office Drones is an update of a folk tale, East o the Sun, West o the Moon, based in an office. The office setting was a practical inspiration – co-leader Ali Carroll had some old office equipment that would make good props. The modernization of the original tale has included removing the part of the story where the girl who makes the best job of washing the prince’s shirt gets to marry him!

As well as acting,the cast have been divided into teams to work on all the other things that have to happen for a production to be a success. The students have been responsible for areas like props, marketing, costumes, lighting and sound design, video recording and editing and script writing. Co-leader Alice Mulford, who set up the teams, said that getting involved in all aspects of the production has “created a sense of ownership. Some have struggled with taking the initiative but others have taken the opportunity and run with it.”

Coming up...

The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh runs until 29th May 2010

Youth Theatre week - Parcans (11 - 13 year olds) 14th and 15th June "Is This It?"
Strobes (13 - 15 year olds) 18th and 19th June Beary Tales and Bored Office Drones.

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

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

Auditions for Breathing Corpses

2010-05-18T21:10:00.017+01:00

The Pillowman opens on Thursday 20th but we are already thinking about next season with auditions for Breathing Corpses by Laura Wade on Sunday 23rd May 2010 at 7.30pm at Progress Theatre and Wednesday 26th May 2010 at 7.30pm in the small hall at Palmer Park.

Breathing Corpses is a series of scenes and monologues based around various linked deaths. It mixes dark humour with a whodunit element but is ultimately about wasted lives, the breathing corpses of the title, as much as dead bodies.

Director Carole Brown was in the play herself last year in a production with theatre group Table Nine where she played Elaine. She also co-directed the production and is looking forward to having a bit more stage space as they were performing in one of the small studio theatres at South Hill Park. Breathing Corpses is normally performed on a very stark stage and she is intending to have more of a set for this production. She is also hoping to be able to cast some of the characters with actors closer to the right ages, the youngest character is 19 and the actors available to Table Nine were slightly more mature.

Carole's first production with Progress was in Going Postal last Christmas where she played Anghammarad and Miss Maccalariat. She heard about the auditions for Going Postal by joining the Progress mailing list. This is a good way keeping up with events at the theatre (apart from reading this blog of course!). You can sign up for the mailing list here. As well as directing Breathing Corpses, Carole has got involved with costumes for The Pillowman and sound design and operation for Death and the Maiden.

Coming up...

The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh runs from 20th - 29th May 2010

Auditions for Breathing Corpses by Laura Wade. Sunday 23 May 2010 7.30pm Progress Theatre, Wednesday 26 May 2010 7.30pm Palmer Park Church, small hall.

Youth Theatre week - Parcans (12/13 year olds) 14th and 15th June "Is This It?"
Strobes (14/15 year olds) 18th and 19th June Beary Tales and Bored Office Drones.

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

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

The Pillowman - toys for the boys

2010-05-16T15:41:00.019+01:00

There are strict regulations about using guns in the theatre. All guns, whether they work or not, have to be kept in a locked box. They can only be taken from there to the stage or backstage area. The police also have to be notified when gun shots are to be used during a run. This prevents them sending out an armed response team if a worried neighbour dials 999.

Stage manager Alex McCubbin unlocked the safety box to show me the guns. There are two used in this production. A replica one used on stage that can't be fired and one that fires blanks for creating sound effects off-stage. The off-stage one is clearly marked with tape so that there is no confusion.

There is also a real axe used during the play. Owen Goode who plays Katurian the writer is not too concerned about handling the axe as he practices Kung-fu where he works with 3ft and 6ft sticks.

The Pillowman runs from 20th - 29th May 2010

Coming up...

Auditions for Breathing Corpses by Laura Wade. Sunday 23 May 2010 7.30pm Progress Theatre, Wednesday 26 May 2010 7.30pm Palmer Park Church, small hall.

Youth Theatre week - Parcans (12/13 year olds) 14th and 15th June "Is This It?"
Strobes (14/15 year olds) 18th and 19th June Beary Tales and Bored Office Drones.

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

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

Wiring The Pillowman

2010-05-10T07:50:00.004+01:00

Husband and wife team Martin and Heather Noble spent their weekend set building for The Pillowman. As well as the usual carpentry and painting, set building for this show involves a certain amount of electronics. The set includes a bank of television screens that are variously used to represent CCTV cameras or to show scenes as part of the action. This has meant routing new cables from the tech box, at the back of the auditorium, to the stage. This is what Heather and Martin were busy doing on Sunday afternoon. Well, to be honest this is what Martin was doing; Heather, Zsuzsi Kingsnorth (director of the next production Death and the Maiden) and I were chatting, drinking tea and eating rather nice chocolate biscuits.

Heather (who has done lots of work on the set!) told me that she is working on a “need to know basis”. The plot includes several twists and surprises so she has made sure that she only finds out what she needs in order to do a particular job then she can enjoy the show to the full when she comes to see it. On the same basis I won’t tell you any more about the set, you’ll have to come and see for yourself.

Coming up...

The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh 20 - 29 May 2010

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

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

The Pillowman in rehearsal

2010-04-30T10:52:00.020+01:00

Progress Blog was able to sit in on a recent rehearsal of The Pillowman. It was held in the theatre foyer as the set build team were busy on the stage.

The scene we watched being rehearsed was an enactment of one of the gruesome stories at the heart of the play. This one involves a girl being crucified, a scene which manages to be comic and disturbing at the same time. Lucy Daly (see here) is playing the girl and Matt Tully and Ben Lawson, who play the two detectives take on the role of her parents in this story.

Matt featured in last week's post and Ben, a fellow graduate of the Rep College, is new to Progress. He was so impressed when he read the play that he auditioned even though he is commuting from Cambridge. For the role he has had to learn to make and fly paper aeroplanes - an important life skill. He also has to throw toes (don't ask!) a skill it is rather more difficult to imagine a use for in daily life.

Coming up...

The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh 20 - 29 May 2010

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

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

Catching Up With The Pillowman

2010-04-22T12:21:00.012+01:00

Intimate Exchanges is still running until 24th April so grab your last chance to see it. Our thoughts are now turning to the next production, The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh 20th - 29th May 2010.

The Pillowman is set in a totalitarian state and centres round a writer of gruesome stories. He is being interrogated by the police as several of the murders described in his stories have been carried out in real life. One of the policemen interrogating him is played by Matt Tully, a face Progress regulars may recognise. Matt was in Progress's production of Much Ado About Nothing at the end of last year where he played Benedick opposite Steph Weller's Beatrice.They are reunited in this production as Steph is co-directing.

Matt trained at East 15 Acting School and at the Rep College in Reading. His professional credits include a role in modern vampire movie Night Junkies which can be seen on Sky's Zone Horror.

Don't forget...

Intimate Exchanges by Alan Ayckbourn is on now and runs until 24th April

Coming up...

The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh 20 - 29 May 2010

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

Auditions for The Merry Wives of Windsor

2010-04-13T20:57:00.022+01:00

Please note that unfortunately this production has been cancelled as not enough people auditioned. I would still recommend a visit to Caversham Court, it is a beautiful spot.

With the Reading Post claiming that it is going to cost £90,000 just to draw up a plan for the repair work needed to make the Abbey Ruins safe it looks like it will be some time before Progress will be putting on another Abbey Ruins Shakespeare. However, not wanting to go another summer without an outdoor Shakespeare, Progress is presenting The Merry Wives of Windsor in the newly renovated Caversham Court Gardens.

Caversham Court gardens are on Church Street, Caversham. They were originally laid out between 1660 and 1681 as private gardens but are now owned by Reading Borough Council and are open to the public. It is a beautiful setting by the Thames and if you visit between Thursday and Sunday there is a tea kiosk selling homemade cakes for local charities - I can recommend the flapjacks.

The Merry Wives of Windsor is directed by Anne Latto who has experience of open air Shakespeare productions. She has directed two at the Abbey Ruins, As You Like It in 2001 and The Winter's Tale in 2006. Anne describes The Merry Wives of Windsor as a "rumbustious farce" based around the efforts of Sir John Falstaff to win the affections (and husbands' money) of two wives. It is more accessible than some Shakespeare plays being written mostly in prose. Falstaff first appears as a character in Henry IV and the story is that Shakespeare wrote The Merry Wives of Windsor very quickly after Queen Elizabeth expressed a desire to see Falstaff in love.

If you are interested in being part of this fun production then come along to one of the auditions on Sunday 18th April - Progress Theatre, The Mount Reading 2.00 p.m. or Wednesday 21st April - Park United Reformed Church, Palmer Park Avenue, Wokingham Road, Reading, 7.30 p.m. You may then be asked to a call back audition on Sunday 25th April 2.00p.m. at Progress Theatre. The performance dates are 26th to 31st July and rehearsals start on May 11th. For this production you must be 16 or older to audition. For more details contact Anne on 0118 9484454 or anne_latto@yahoo.co.uk

Don't forget...

Intimate Exchanges by Alan Ayckbourn is on now and runs until 24th April

Coming up...

The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh 20 - 29 May 2010

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

Intimate Exchanges with the cast

2010-04-07T18:03:00.015+01:00

Intimate Exchanges is an exciting challenge for the cast. There are only two of them - Tonya Walton and Dan Clarke and they play two different characters each. A play with a small cast is always going to mean more lines to learn but in this case there are two whole plays to learn as during the run they are alternating A Gardener in Love with The Self Improving Woman. Keeping track of which play they are doing can be a challenge in itself.

Dan Clarke enjoyed acting while growing up but gave up the practical side of it when he moved to Reading to study film and drama at the university. He now manages a betting shop and after years of boring his friends by talking about how much he missed acting he finally put his money where his mouth is and found his way to Progress Theatre. He played three different parts in Going Postal and was then cast in Intimate Exchanges, which is, he says completely different ...

Tonya Walton first appeared on the Progress stage in The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband in 2005. Last year she was in The Dianalogues and Popcorn.

I asked if it was difficult switching between the two characters in Intimate Exchanges. Tonya and Dan agreed that it wasn't too hard as the characters have very different accents and personalities. What they have to be aware of is small gestures which may be a trademark of one character but they don't want to spill over into the portrayal of the other one. Tonya has a particularly interesting scene in The Self Improving Woman where she has to portray a fight between the two female characters - that has got to be worth the price of a ticket!

Intimate Exchanges by Alan Ayckbourn 14 - 24 April 2010

Auditions for The Merry Wives of Windsor by Shakespeare Sunday 18 April, Progress Theatre, 2.00 p.m. and Wednesday 21 April, Park United Reformed Church, Palmer Park Avenue, 7.30 p.m. Call Back: Sunday 25th April Progress Theatre 2.00p.m. (Performance dates 26th - 31st July). Please note that for this production you must be 16 or older to audition.

The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh 20 - 29 May 2010

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

Getting ready for Intimate Exchanges

2010-03-28T20:41:00.013+01:00

It was a busy Sunday at Progress Theatre. The cast and crew of the Earnest/Travesties double bill took down their set in the morning. As it is less than three weeks until curtain up on Intimate Exchanges director Geoff Dallimore was there to help them get out as quickly as possible before starting to build his own set. By the time Progress Blog got there in the afternoon the first audition for Death and the Maiden had started. Every space in the theatre was filled with people threatening or pleading with each other - I assumed these were lines from the play.

There is plenty to be done for the set of Intimate Exchanges. There is the front end of a garden shed to be built as well as a platform for a performance within the play. The set building team were trying to work out how high the platform should be so Geoff got down on all fours and said "measure me" (26 inches if you're interested).

The run of Intimate Exchanges consists of two separate plays, A Self-improving Woman and A Gardener in Love. The two plays are exactly the same for the first twenty minutes and then diverge when one of the characters makes a decision. You can go and see both plays if you want to see what happens when the alternative path is taken but you don't need to, each of the plays can be enjoyed as a standalone piece.

Auditions for Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman. At Progress Theatre, Wednesday 31 March 7.30

Intimate Exchanges by Alan Ayckbourn 14 - 24 April 2010

The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh 20 - 29 May 2010

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

Auditions for Death and the Maiden

2010-03-21T18:42:00.028Z

Auditions for Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman will be held at Progress Theatre on Sunday 28th March at 2:30pm & Wednesday 31st March at 7:30pm.

This will be the fourth time that director Zsuzsi Kingsnorth has been involved in a production of Death and the Maiden but she says it is a play she could never get bored of.

There are only three characters, a woman who has been tortured in the past, her husband and the man she suspects is the torturer. It is passionate and spine-tingling and Zsuzsi particularly enjoys seeing audiences' reactions which can range from bewilderment, to sobbing, to anger but never indifference.

Zsuzsi says that she sometimes feels theatre has lost its edge and she loves producing shows that have an impact - positive or negative.She is certainly no stranger to controversial productions. In 2004 she directed Corpus Christi by Terence McNally which led to a complaint of blasphemy to the local police. Last summer a production of The Laramie Project she directed as part of the first Shanghai Pride week was cancelled by the Shanghai authorities.The play, which deals with the murder of a gay student in Wyoming, was later performed at a new venue.

Since 2001 Zsuzsi has run Zuloo, a small production company. Zuloo has produced plays in Scotland, China and America and can now be found here in Reading. They are currently running weekly workshops at the Rising Sun Arts Centre Be Part of Part of a Play!

If you want to be part of a passionate play with a director clearly passionate about the power of drama then come along to auditions for Death and the Maiden.

The Importance Of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde Mon 22nd & Weds 24th March 7.45 pm, Saturday 27th 5.30 and Travesties by Tom Stoppard Tues 23rd, Fri 26th March & Saturday 27th 7.45 pm

Auditions for Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman. At Progress Theatre, Sunday 28th March 2.30 and Wednesday 31 March 7.30

Intimate Exchanges by Alan Ayckbourn 14 - 24 April 2010

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

The Importance of Props

2010-03-14T08:54:00.020Z

Progress Youth Theatre is performing The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde and Travesties by Tom Stoppard between 22nd and 27th March. The plays are on different nights during the week with a double bill on the Saturday. The Floodlights and Blinders are the theatre's older youth groups, 16 - 18 year olds, and recent productions have included Macbeth and Don Juan comes back from the war.

Progress blog crept into the back of the theatre during a rehearsal last week to be confronted by the smell of toast and a tempting plate of muffins. Settling down to watch part of a rehearsal of The Importance of Being Earnest it became clear these were part of the props. Rehearsals have got to the stage where the actors know what they are meant to be doing and saying and are now trying to do it while drinking a cup of tea and eating a piece of cake. In the scene we watched this is further complicated as the two girls - Imogen and Emily who play Cecily and Gwendolen - also have fans.

These have to be opened and closed at appropriate moments and it is an acquired skill that modern woman don't have much opportunity to practise. At the end of the scene director Ali tentatively suggested that it would look better if they could use the fans in their left hands! Being true professionals they agreed to take the fans home for some intensive training.

Imogen and Emily also play versions of the characters Cecily and Gwendolen in Travesties. The plot revolves around memories of a production of The Importance of Being Earnest so the plays work well together as a double bill.

The Importance Of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde Mon 22nd & Weds 24th March 7.45 pm, Saturday 27th 5.30 and Travesties by Tom Stoppard Tues 23rd, Fri 26th March & Saturday 27th 7.45 pm

Auditions for Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman. At Progress Theatre, Sunday 28th March 2.30 and Wednesday 31 March 7.30

Casting for a mystery cycle play Monday 5th April 7.30 Progress Theatre. To be performed 18th April contact Chris Bertrand at candjbertrand@uwclub.net for more details.

Intimate Exchanges by Alan Ayckbourn 14 - 24 April 2010

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

The Mystery of the Missing Trousers

2010-03-06T09:20:00.024Z

A lot more goes on at Progress than just the main plays at the theatre. One example is a group of members with, according to one participant "nothing better to do on a Monday morning", who meet weekly at the theatre.

Their latest production is The Mystery of the Missing Trousers, the second in a series of Town Hall Murder Mystery Evenings.

This evening is based on a true story from the 1920s when an American actor performing at a theatre in Reading was accused of murder. The event is held in the historic Old Town Hall and the ticket price includes a buffet supper. The audience receive a pack giving them a detailed background to the crime and all the characters. They then try to find out whodunnit as the drama unfolds.

Tickets are £20 from the Hexagon, 0118 9606060, www.readingarts.com Thursday 18th March 7.30, The Old Town Hall, Reading.

Progress Youth Theatre present The Importance Of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde Mon 22nd & Weds 24th March 7.45 pm, Saturday 27th 5.30 and Travesties by Tom Stoppard Tues 23rd, Fri 26th March & Saturday 27th 7.45 pm

Auditions for Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman. At Progress Theatre, Sunday 28th March 2.30 and Wednesday 31 March 7.30

Casting for a mystery cycle play Monday 5th April 7.30 Progress Theatre. To be performed 18th April contact Chris Bertrand at candjbertrand@uwclub.net for more details.

Intimate Exchanges by Alan Ayckbourn 14 - 24 April 2010

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

Old and New in A Couple of Poor English-Speaking Poles

2010-02-27T18:33:00.025Z

A Couple of Poor English-Speaking Poles opens Monday 1st March.

Progress Blog popped into the technical rehearsal last weekend and met one of our new members and one of the older ones (longer standing!) .

Lucy Daly plays a shop assistant, police woman and four angry citizens. She joined Progress earlier this season when she was cast in Much Ado About Nothing. She played the barmaid - if you saw it you will remember the wig! After leaving Portsmouth university Lucy moved back to Reading a couple of years ago. She decided she'd like to have a go at acting and last year enrolled on a beginners acting course with the City Academy in London. She is now putting it into action on the Progress stage.

Playing the part of the driver is Chris Bertrand who joined Progress in 1972 when he started running the youth group. His first production was The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams in 1975 where he played the gentleman caller. Chris also mentioned the beer crates. Anyone who has been involved with productions at Progress will know about the store of wooden beer crates that have been used in many shows as props and part of scenery. Audience members may not be so aware of them as they are often disguised and used in ingenious ways - but keep a look out. These crates were already in use when Chris joined the theatre nearly 40 years ago. It just shows that new technology in the theatre is great but you can't beat a simple box and imagination.

A couple of poor English-speaking Poles by Dorota Maslowska runs from 1 - 6 March 2010.

Progress Youth Theatre present The Importance Of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde Mon 22nd & Weds 24th March 7.45 pm and Travesties by Tom Stoppard Tues 23rd & Fri 26th March 7.45 pm

Intimate Exchanges by Alan Ayckbourn 14 - 24 April 2010

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

Progressing with a Couple of Poor English Speaking Poles

2010-02-21T10:32:00.023Z

On a rainy Thursday evening the Progress stage was buzzing with various electric tools. Director Joanna Rogowska has designed a set with a 2-d stylised look inspired by some paintings done by a friend. Part of the set is a semi-circle, which will be painted with different scenes on the inside and outside. This will allow the stage management crew to (quietly!) set a scene inside the concave part while the convex side is facing the audience.

Jakes Coetzee - Joanna's other half - thought he was signing up for sound but has found himself managing construction of the imaginative set as well. At least he gets to see more of Joanna during the rehearsal period.

Also hard at work was Scotty Downes. A carpenter by trade and foster son of long-standing members Chris and Jacqui Bertrand, Scotty has found his skills called on by Progress many times over the last sixteen years. He built the sets for I, Bertolt Brecht last season and The Taming of the Shrew in the Abbey ruins in 2008. He also remembers making a complete kitchen on stage once.

The final member of the set building team was Aidan Moran who designed and built the set for Going Postal.

The next production is A couple of poor English-speaking Poles by Dorota Maslowska 1 - 6 March 2010.

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

From Going Postal to going Polish

2010-02-10T07:36:00.020Z

The next production at Progress is A couple of poor English-speaking Poles by Dorota Maslowska 1 - 6 March 2010.

Christine Moran who has just finished directing the very successful run of Going Postal is going to be on the stage for A couple of poor English-speaking Poles. As well as being an experienced director Chris is also a trained actor. She appeared most recently in A Right Mouthful by Liz Carroll which was shown at Progress and at the Camden Theatre Festival.

In this production she plays a drunk woman so if you've seen her in the bar she was just researching her character! Her role is fairly small, she is at the very beginning and end and in one other scene so she was able to combine rehearsals with directing Going Postal. The most difficult thing has been finding a time to learn her lines when she wasn't too tired to retain them.

The cast is a mixture of old and new faces at Progress, including another survivor from Going Postal, Matt Drury, who played Igor and Devious Collabone. The play is very episodic, rather like a road movie, so there are large sections of it that Chris hasn't seen yet. She is looking forward to rehearsing a full run of the play so that she can see what everyone else has been up to. Mainly she is just relieved to only have to think about one character rather than thirty seven.

The next production is A couple of poor English-speaking Poles by Dorota Maslowska 1 - 6 March 2010.

Intimate Exchanges by Alan Ayckbourn 14 - 24 April 2010

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

Auditions For The Pillowman – Two Heads Are Better Than One

2010-02-04T15:05:00.017Z

Auditions for The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh are being held at Progress Theatre on Sunday 7 Feb 2.30pm and Wednesday 10 Feb 7.30pm.

The Pillowman is a dark but funny play about a writer in a totalitarian state who is interrogated about the gruesome content of his short stories and their similarities to a number of child-murders. There are four substantial parts for men aged roughly between 30 and 60 and this is an excellent opportunity to get your teeth into a meaty role. Co-director John Goodman is half hoping that there won't be enough people at the auditions so that he has to take one of the parts himself.

The play is being collaboratively directed by Steph Weller and John Goodman. They last worked together directing Taming of the Shrew in the Abbey Ruins in 2008. Individually Steph has directed Life Support, The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband and My Voice(s) at the Edinburgh Festival. John credits include The Crucible and The Tamer Tamed. They are also both experienced actors with Steph appearing most recently in Much Ado About Nothing as Beatrice.

I asked them what they enjoyed about working together. Steph replied that they tend to interpret things in a similar way, but have enough different ideas to keep it interesting and fresh. John is good at visualising how things will look and she enjoys working on the characters, drawing out their subtleties and presenting a coherent picture. There is plenty of scope for this sort of work in The Pillowman, encouraging the actors to explore the dark and violent aspects of their characters without tipping over into melodrama. John said he likes the fact that Steph brings supplies of Krispy Kremes to rehearsals.

There is more information about the play at www.progresstheatre.co.uk and at http://abitabout.com/The+Pillowman.

Auditions for The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh, Sunday 7 February 2010 and Wednesday 10 February 2010 at Progress Theatre.

The next production is A couple of poor English-speaking Poles by Dorota Maslowska 1 - 6 March 2010.

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

Going Postal in Pictures

2010-01-26T19:08:00.023Z

Going Postal starts this Thursday (28th Jan). Over 75% of the seats are already sold so book soon if you want to be sure of seeing it.

Mandy King, who plays Greenyham, often takes photos of Progress shows and this one is no exception. This week we've taken advantage of Mandy's photographic skills to give you a taste of the show.

Igor, played by Matt Dury is part of a clan of servants - all called Igor. They have many skills, including surgery.

As well as being heavily involved in set building and other technical aspects of the show Rik Eke plays Gilt, a corporate bad guy.

The final photo shows Lord Vetinari and Moist played by Dan Powell and Owen Goode.

Auditions for The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh, Sunday 7 February 2010 and Wednesday 10 February 2010 at Progress Theatre.

A couple of poor English-speaking Poles by Dorota Maslowska 1 - 6 March 2010.

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

Going Postal Takes Shape

2010-01-17T17:58:00.019Z

The Going Postal crew are catching up with the time lost due to the bad weather (see Going Postal in the snow). According to the rehearsal schedule this weekend should have been technical rehearsals, setting up all the lighting and sound effects and scene changes. However the set is not yet complete so the crew have been working hard to finish off ready for the technical rehearsal now rescheduled for next weekend.

The set design that we saw on screen in December (see Going Postal with Gaffer Tape) is now taking shape on the stage. I was also shown an exciting addition but I have been sworn to secrecy so as not to spoil the surprise at the start of the play.

One big task going on while I was at the theatre was the construction of a massive pile of undelivered letters. The base is about 1.5 m high and covered in chicken wire. Three members of the technical team were sticking and stapling old envelopes to the frame. To give you some idea of the attention to detail on this production hours of painstaking work have been lavished on this letter pile but it will only be seen for a few seconds on the stage.

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett adapted by Stephen Briggs runs from
28 January - 6 February 2010 with matinees on 30 January & 6 February 2010. Tickets are available from the Hexagon 0118 9606060.

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 ….
The next production after Going Postal is A couple of poor English-speaking Poles
by Dorota Maslowska 1 - 6 March 2010
.
See www.progresstheatre.co.uk for more details of all our productions and auditions.

Going Postal in the Snow

2010-01-07T12:47:00.004Z

Preparations for Going Postal are being disrupted by the current arctic weather. It started before Christmas when Reading came to a standstill and a rehearsal and set building session had to be cancelled.

This week Chris and Aidan Moran (director and artistic director) set out for the theatre on Tuesday but had to turn back as the weather deteriorated. Following the heavy snowfall Wednesday’s rehearsal had to be cancelled.

The cast and crew have been working hard for months on this production and Chris is confident that the quality of the show won’t be affected by these setbacks. She tells us the rehearsals of the acting are going well and they started using props at the weekend. The plan is to start running with the costumes this weekend. So don’t worry the show will go on and with Progress’s nice new heating system we will all keep warm.

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett adapted by Stephen Briggs runs from
28 January - 6 February 2010 with matinees on 30 January & 6 February 2010. Tickets are available from the Hexagon 0118 9606060.

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 ….
The next production after Going Postal is A couple of poor English-speaking Poles
by Dorota Maslowska 1 - 6 March 2010
.
See www.progresstheatre.co.uk for more details of all our productions and auditions.

Going Postal – talking to an old hand

2009-12-17T10:49:00.005Z

At sixteen James Mould may be one of the youngest in the Going Postal cast but he has several Progress family shows under his belt.

His debut was in the title role in James and the Giant Peach in 2005 – also directed by Chris Moran who is directing Going Postal. He was in Alice in Storyland in 2006 and played a Jackal in the 2007 production of The Jungle Book. He says The Jungle Book was his favourite as he enjoys playing bad guys. I can vouch for his affinity for villains having seen him bring the house down as the Sheriff of Nottingham in a primary school production of Robin Hood. In Going Postal he plays Stanley an apprentice postman. Not a bad guy but an obsessive pin collector who “has moments.” According to Wikipedia he was bought up by peas!

After James and the Giant Peach James had to wait two years before there was a place available in one of the Progress youth groups (get your unborn children on the waiting list...). He is now a member of floodlights, who put on the recent production of Don Juan Comes Back From The War.

James is planning to go to drama school and pursue a career in acting – so come and see Going Postal and say you saw James Mould before he was famous.

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett adapted by Stephen Briggs
28 January - 6 February 2010 with matinees on 30 January & 6 February

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

A very Happy Christmas to all our readers – the next new post will be early in the New Year.

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.

Don Juan Comes Back From the War

2009-12-12T11:37:00.011Z

The latest Progress Production - Don Juan Comes Back From The War by Odon von Horvath - is the subject of a behind the scenes documentary. TVU students Heather Griffiths, Catherine Mason and Marta Janota are making the film as part of their advanced diploma in graphics and digital arts.

The finished documentary will be between thirty and forty minutes long but they have filmed hours of preparations and rehearsals. During the set building and painting they took photos every 25 seconds to create a time lapse sequence. The documentary will also include interviews with some of the cast and directors. As well as presenting the finished film for their diploma the students will give a copy to Progress - and keep a look out on YouTube!

Other members of their course have been making props for the production, most notably a snowman that is broken down during the performance and then put back together each night. This is not the first collaboration between TVU and Progress. Last summer students were involved in designing posters, costumes and choreography for the Youth Theatre production of Twelfth Night.

Don Juan Comes Back From the War has eleven female cast members playing thirty-five roles and one male. We had a sneak preview of part of the play during a rehearsal and it looked intriguing. Even without knowing what was happening it felt full of tension and drama as well as some humour. It only runs for three nights so don’t miss your chance to see it.

Juan Comes Back From The War by Odon von Horvath. Tuesday 15th to Thursday 17th December 2009 at 7:45pm. Tickets are available from the Hexagon 0118 9606060 or on-line at www.readingarts.com

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 ….

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett adapted by Stephen Briggs
28 January - 6 February 2010 with matinees on 30 January & 6 February

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

Going Postal with Gaffer Tape

2009-12-06T09:17:00.008Z

Progress Blog was shocked to walk into the theatre foyer last Sunday morning and find Going Postal Artistic Director Aidan Moran winding gaffer tape round Carole Brown’s chest. There was an innocent explanation - this is the ingenious way they are constructing the costume for Carole’s part in Going Postal as Anghammarad an 18000 year old Golem.

Rik Eke was also busy in the foyer making casts for the THUD! pieces Aidan has made from air drying clay. THUD! is a chess-like game played with trolls and dwarfs. It features in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels as a way of communicating and devising political strategies. This is one of the details that the team are adding to this production of Going Postal that will delight Terry Pratchett fans. Some characters that feature in the novels but are not in the play have been introduced to crowd scenes, for example C.M.O.T. Dibbler and Otto Chriek, the Vampire photographer.

Progress Blog has never read a Terry Pratchett novel (cue horrified gasps!) so I was a bit concerned that this production might not be for me. Aidan reassured me that the play is accessible to Pratchett virgins. The extra details will add depth for fans but won’t detract from the plot.

The set has been designed to allow quick fluid changes and includes three revolves as well as scrolling windows and tapestries. The technical team have already been planning for three months and are designing it so that it can be built in modules.

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett Adapted by Stephen Briggs runs from 28 January - 6 February 2010 with matinees on 30 January & 6 February 2010.

Tickets are available from the Hexagon 0118 9606060.

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 A couple of poor English-speaking Poles by Dorota Maslowska. Tuesday 8th December 2009 7.30 at Progress Theatre.

Auditions for Alan Ayckbourn’s Intimate Exchanges Sunday 6 December 2009, 1.30pm to 4pm and Wednesday, 9 December 2009, 7.30pm to 10pm at Progress Theatre.

Next Production is Don Juan Comes Back From The War by Odon von Horvath.Tuesday 15th to Thursday 17th December 2009 at 7:45pm.

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

Auditions for Intimate Exchanges

2009-11-27T10:09:00.008Z

Auditions are coming thick and fast at Progress. The next ones are for Alan Ayckbourn’s Intimate Exchanges and are on Sunday, 6 December 2009, 1.30pm to 4pm and Wednesday, 9 December 2009, 7.30pm to 10pm both at Progress Theatre.

The director, Geoff Dallimore, told us a bit more about this unusual play which has only been performed twice in its full version. This is not surprising when you learn that it fills two volumes, has sixteen possible endings and ten different characters, all performed by just two actors. The second production was almost cancelled when Ayckbourn suffered a stroke shortly before starting rehearsals and one wonders whether there was some connection!

The idea behind the play is that small choices can have significant repercussions. Thus, at the very beginning, one of the characters must decide whether or not to have a sneaky cigarette and, based upon that decision, the entire course of the play is set. As the play progresses, different characters are faced with further decisions and the narrative flows in one direction or another as a consequence.

Progress Theatre will mount two of the possible variations. The decision leading to the split takes place after 20 minutes when the character of Lionel must choose whether or not to take the youthful Sylvie out on a date or if he should make a move on the dissatisfied wife of the local headmaster. The different variations will be performed on alternate nights to give audiences a chance to see both of them. Joint tickets to see the two productions at reduced prices will be available. Keep an eye out early in the New Year when tickets go on sale.

Geoff directed a very successful production of Ayckbourn’s Woman in Mind in 2007 that featured live falling rain. Intimate Exchanges attracted him because the small cast and quiet setting will work perfectly at the intimate Progress Theatre. Nevertheless, he says there will be plenty of technical wizardry on show including a collapsing stage on stage.

As well as directing at Progress, Geoff is a talented musician and has often acted as Musical Director for shows. You may have seen him on stage in his musical persona. He played piano in the Wild West saloon bar of The Taming of the Shrew in 2008 in the Abbey ruins. He also wrote and played the music for the 2006 production of Dracula at the theatre.

For more information about the play and the auditions see www.progresstheatre.co.uk

Don’t forget …

The current production at Progress Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare runs until 5th December – get your tickets now.

Auditions for A couple of poor English-speaking Poles by Dorota Maslowska are being held on Sunday 29th November 2009 at 2.30 and Tuesday 8th December 2009 7.30 at Progress Theatre.

Director’s take on 'A couple of poor English-speaking Poles'

2009-11-22T18:04:00.006Z

Auditions for A couple of poor English-speaking Poles by Dorota Maslowska are being held on Sunday 29th November 2009 at 2.30 and Tuesday 8th December 2009 7.30 at Progress Theatre.

Director Joanna Rogowska (left) first saw this play performed at the Soho Theatre in 2008 in its original translation as A Couple of Poor, Polish-Speaking Romanians, set in Poland. She loved the play but non-Polish friends who saw it didn’t enjoy it as much and didn’t get many of the references to Polish culture and history. When Joanna decided she would like to direct the play at Progress she contacted the publishers and they pointed her towards an American working on a new translation. Joanna then worked with the translator and transferred the plot from Poland to England.

Before moving to England four years ago Joanna had been involved in theatre productions at university in Poland. When she moved to Reading she joined Progress Theatre and has directed some short plays in WriteFests at Progress. She appeared on stage in the most recent one playing a crazy director intent on making the simplest on-stage action completely ludicrous. She says she ‘hopes’ she is not really like that!

Joanna’s aim in producing this play is that it will be of interest to the large Polish community as well as having wider appeal to the general Reading public.

For more information about the play and the auditions see www.progresstheatre.co.uk

Coming up …

The next production at Progress is Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare. 26th November to 5th December 2009.

Auditions for Intimate Exchanges by Alan Ayckbourn Sunday 6th December 2009 1.30pm-4.00pm and Wednesday 9th December 2009 7.30-10.00 both at Progress Theatre.

The Last Lap

2009-11-15T09:37:00.004Z

It is less than a fortnight to go until Much Ado goes up and Progress Blog sat in on a Saturday afternoon rehearsal. We can report that it flowed well, the actors knew their lines (well most of them) and it made us laugh. It is going to be a good show.

The rehearsal period has not been without its problems. The director, Lesley McEwen, has been ill and has suffered from not having a production manager. This has meant she has been sending out ever more desperate emails to find people to help with set lighting and sound. Luckily these calls have been answered and there will be light (and sound).

Everyone in the cast pulled together and built the set in a weekend. It is simple but effective. At the moment it is all white but some bits are still to be painted to give a grey stonework effect.

Stage manager Mandy King turned up last weekend expecting to watch a rehearsal but instead found a paint brush thrust into her hand. Mandy was back this weekend and did get to watch a rehearsal this time. She bought her laptop and was using it to draw a plan of the stage and mark off where all the furniture needs to be. She was also trying to work out which cast members will have time to help with scene changes.

Tony Powell, who plays the Sexton, rushed on stage during the interval to nail up a dartboard. Tony only turned up to the auditions because he was giving his daughter Emma a lift. She got the part of Hero and Tony was persuaded to audition himself. To quote the director, “Tony has been a legend”. As well as being a handy set builder he has taken on finding all the props – which explained the dartboard.

To see the results of all this hard work come and see ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ it runs from 26th November to 5th December 2009. Tickets available from the Hexagon 0118 9606060.

Coming up ...

Auditions for 'A Couple of Poor English-speaking Poles' by Dorota Maslowska on Sunday 29th November at 2.30 and Tuesday 8th December 7.30 both at Progress Theatre.

Auditions for ‘Intimate Exchanges’ by Alan Ayckbourn Sunday 6th December 2009 1.30pm-4.00pm and Wednesday 9th December 2009 7.30-10.00 both at Progress Theatre.

See progresstheatre.co.uk for more details.

Much To Do About Costumes

2009-11-06T11:35:00.010Z

Three weeks to go until the start of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ and we caught up with Helen Coleman in the theatre dressing room. Helen is managing the costumes for Much Ado and with 23 characters and multiple costume changes this is no small task. To help keep track of all the requirements she has drawn up a table showing what each character needs for every scene. She also makes extensive use of sticky labels so that once she has found a pair of shoes or item of clothing for a particular character and scene they don’t get lost.

This production of Much Ado is set in 1982 and while the occasional item from later in the decade may be slipped in she has tried to stick to this date. A major criteria is how the costumes will look together on stage and some beautiful individual items weren’t used because they didn’t work with the overall look.

Some Progress members are old enough to remember the 80s (!) and many have lent their own clothes and shoes that they wore at the time. The other main source of costumes has been Ebay. Several dresses were bought for under £10 each and an 80s style wedding dress cost £35 – much cheaper than hiring or making. The only hired items have been uniforms for the men.

The ball scene has been the most fun to costume; the women will be wearing beautiful party dresses with fab shoes and the men full dress uniforms. Helen says the most nostalgic items for her have been the Laura Ashley dresses as she spent the 80s either pregnant or with young children so wore long comfortable dresses more often than disco wear.

To see all these costumes in action come and see Much Ado About Nothing it runs from 26th November to 5th December 2009. Tickets available from the Hexagon 0118 9606060.

Coming up ...
Auditions for 'A Couple of Poor English-speaking Poles' by Dorota Maslowska on Sunday 29th November at 2.30 and Tuesday 8th December 7.30 both at Progress Theatre.
See progresstheatre.co.uk for more details.

Making theatre more accessible to all

2009-11-01T16:08:00.006Z

The last night of Writefest saw the first step in a new project at Progress. Ali Carroll, who runs the successful Progress Youth Theatre groups, has a vision to open up participation in the theatre to people with learning disabilities or mental health issues. She is planning a session of workshops looking at backstage skills as well as acting. These will be open to all Progress members and in addition she will invite a number of people from the local community who may find it difficult to access the theatre without support. The idea is that they will each be supported by two existing Progress members. One of these supporters will always be at the workshops as a guaranteed friendly familiar face. They will also negotiate supporting the new members in other theatre activities.

Saturday was the first meeting of the support network with five existing Progress members meeting with Ali and four potential new members. The group met in the theatre bar for a chat over tea and biscuits before attending the Writefest together. It was a good event to start with as the different plays gave plenty to talk about. Loyal members of the group however insisted that their favourite was ‘My home is my Castle’ a monologue performed by Ali.

As well as the support network the visitors met many other members of the theatre while enjoying a drink in the bar during the interval. Being introduced to Alex, the voice of the elevator, was a particular highlight. We hope that Saturday night was the start of a successful attempt to widen participation in Progress.

Coming soon ...

The next production at Progress is ‘Much Ado Nothing’ by William Shakespeare. 25th November to 5th December 2009. The next blog post will be a behind the scenes look at the costumes.

Auditions for 'A Couple of Poor English-speaking Poles' by Dorota Maslowska on Sunday 29th November at 2.30 and Tuesday 8th December 7.30 both at Progress Theatre.
See progresstheatre.co.uk for more details.

Auditions for Going Postal

2009-10-27T22:24:00.001Z

Auditions for ‘Going Postal’ by Terry Pratchett adapted by Stephen Briggs are to be held on Sunday 1st November at 2.30pm and Wednesday 4th November at 7.30pm at Progress theatre.

Performance dates are 28th Jan – 6th Feb with two matinees.

There is a very wide variety of roles for both adults and young people. Auditions are open to everyone. Come along and have a go, what have you got to lose!

See progresstheatre.co.uk for more details.

Coming up …
The next production at Progress is ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ by William Shakespeare. 25th November to 5th December 2009. Watch this space for a behind the scenes look at the costumes.

Fourth Writefest

2009-10-14T17:01:00.003+01:00

Performance dates on Thursday 22nd October to Saturday 24th October 2009

Doors open at 7:15pm, Performance starts 7:45pm.

Normal ticket prices £7 (no concessions)

An evening of nine new plays from writers all around the country featuring comedy, drama and a little absurdity.

From a teenager's first kiss to a woman with a past via a landlord with a tale to tell and an elevator with a story, this promises to be a highly entertaining evening with something for everyone.

This is the fourth time we have presented new writing in this format at Progress Theatre. This year Write Fest is being produced by Christine Moran, herself a local playwright and founder member of the thriving Progress Writers' Group.

Writers from all around the country were invited to submit work for inclusion in Write Fest, which attracted a large number of entries. It was challenging process to select just nine short pieces to perform, and the final choice includes five by local writers, some members of Progress Writers' Group, and four from further a field.

Write Fest has always proven to be a very popular and entertaining evening in the past, and this year will be no exception, with comedy, drama, pathos and more comedy! Book your seats early so you don't miss out!!

Tickets available from Reading Arts Box Office on 0118 960 6060,
in person at the Hexagon or the Old Town Hall

Book on-line anytime at http://www.readingarts.com/othervenues/whatson

Please note that a booking fee may apply

Contact enquiries@progresstheatre.co.uk for further details
www.progresstheatre.co.uk

Auditions for "Closer" by Patrick Marber

2009-05-27T15:28:00.001+01:00

Auditions: Wed 24th June 7:30pm & Sun 28th June 2:30pm

Winner of the Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy and the Laurence Oliver Award for Best New Play, Closer explores the brutal anatomy of modern romance. A quartet of strangers meet, fall in love and become entangled in a web of sexual desire and betrayal.
On the surface it is brisk, urbane, modern and slick, underneath it is painful, sad and wise and keenly alert to human isolation even within intense relationships.
Anyone who has loved and lost, suffered through infidelity or felt love die, will watch this play with stomach churning pangs of recognition.

Performance running from Monday 28th Sept – Saturday 3rd Oct

The Dianalogues by Laurel Haines

2009-05-27T15:24:00.003+01:00

Performance dates: Monday 8th June to Saturday 13th June at 7:45pm.

.....not a play about Princess Di....

So... what do a homicidal housewife, sci-fi wedding and ex porn film star have to do with a former fairytale princess?

From the teenage beauty queen at fat camp and the high powered lawyer who wants a royal style wedding, to a disgruntled Mother Teresa whose death, on the same day as Diana’s, only made page four, this is not a play about Princess Diana but about ten very different women whose lives have in some way been influenced or affected by her.

This play will make you laugh and cry and laugh until you cry.

Tickets can be bought on the door or booked in advance at the Hexagon or Reading Town Hall, by phone on 0118 9606060 or online at http://www.readingarts.com/.

Third Annual Write Fest

2009-01-26T01:39:00.006Z

Between Thursday 29th and Saturday 31st January, Progress Theatre presents the Third Annual Write Fest. Tickets cost just £7 and the show starts at 7.45pm.

On each night of the festival, nine short plays and sketches lasting from 5 to 20 minutes will be performed. Almost 100 scripts were submitted by writers from across the country and the final line-up includes drama, dance, comedy and horror.

Tickets can be bought on the door or booked in advance at the Hexagon or Reading Town Hall, by phone on 0118 9606060 or online at http://www.readingarts.com/.

Email writefest@progresstheatre.co.uk for more info.

Playlist:

"Bedtime Story" by Richard Stanley - A teenage girl dreads the thought of her grandmother reading her a bedtime story, but when the story becomes real and the dastardly Boogieman dances onto the stage, you won't know whether to laugh or cower in fear.

"But is it Art?" by Liz Carroll - Modern art. Nobody understands it, least of all three visitors to a gallery who each see something different in one very special painting.

"Family Business" by Progress Strobes Youth Group - Devised by the one of Progress' active youth groups and performed at the Maidenhead drama festival last year to fantastic acclaim, don't miss this opportunity to see what children think about their parents.

"Hirsuitor" by Gillian Shimwell - A nightmare vision of one man's descent into madness.

"Lisa and Leona" by Simon Josiffe - Two girls, a bag of crisps, and memories of old school days.

"Mermaids A Comin'" by Sandra Wathall - A young girl persuades an old woman to join in with her games on the beach. When the tide comes in and strands them on a rock, however, a miracle is needed.

"The Time of Year" by Graham Sellors - New Year, and two people find themselves alone. A timely power cut sends one of them searching for some light, and maybe a new chance at happiness.

"Where No Woman Has Gone Before…" by Chris Moran - A science fiction geek has found a real girl to distract him from fantasies about Princess Leia, but now he must clear the evidence of his unhealthy obsession from his flat before she arrives for a quiet night in.

"Who is Sylvia?" by Liz Carroll - A woman sits in her kitchen clutching a bloodied knife. Whose blood is it and where has Sylvia got to?

Five Children and It - Progress Christmas Show

2008-11-04T14:19:00.002Z

Progress Theatre proudly presents "Five Children and It" by Edith Nesbit.

Show dates: Monday 29th December to Saturday 10th January 2009.

E Nesbit’s classic tale is brought to life in a delightful new adaptation written especially for the Progress stage by Ali Carroll. When five grown-up children revisit the site of their childhood adventures, they reawaken the Psammead, a magical sand fairy with the power to grant their wishes. They are whisked back to relive the adventures of their childhood and see again the evil Miss Tanner, manager of the orphanage in which they grew up. But evil is brewing in the present day too – can they protect the Psammead and stop the dire plans which are afoot?

Come along to this delightful family production and find out!

Matiness - 2.30pm on Thur 1st, Sat 3rd, Sun 4th & Sat 10th Jan

Evenings - 7.30pm on Mon 29th & Tues 30th Dec, Fri 2nd, Sat 3rd and Wed 7th - Sat 10th Jan

Early Bird Special on evenings Monday 29th & Tuesday 30th December......tickets are discounted to £8 / £6 (concessions).

Children's Special (U16) for all performances are discounted to £6.

Special offers only apply on tickets booked by 13th December.

Tickets £10 (£8 concessions) available in advance via Reading Arts Box Office.
Phone: 0118 960 6060
Web: http://www.readingarts.com/

Progress Theatre
The Mount,
Off Christchurch Road
Reading, Berkshire,
RG1 5HL
http://www.progresstheatre.co.uk/
Enquiries: 0845 867 9845
Email: marketing@progresstheatre.co.uk

An amateur production

Reading Abbey Ruins Open Air Festival online

2008-05-16T09:45:00.002+01:00

The big push to make the yearly open air Festival in Reading's Abbey Ruins happen is well underway and tickets for the Shakespeare have now gone on sale at the Reading Arts Box Office. Tickets for the musical events in the third week of the Festival will be going on sale soon. Keep an eye out here for more details.

The new website for the Festival is up at www.abbeyruins.com. There are still some blanks, but do visit it regularly and we'll be adding more info about the Shakespeare and the exciting musical events taking place during the Festival.

Return to the Forbidden Planet opens Valentine's Day

2008-02-12T11:29:00.000Z

What better way to spend Valentine's Day than at a musical about star cross lovers with a thumpng soundtrack of classic rock 'n' roll hits?

Avoid the crowds and ludicrous prices at restaurants and instead have a fun evening that you can both enjoy. Even if you don't have a date, come along and enjoy the vibe.

The show opens Thursday, 14 February 2008 and runs until 23 February (except Sunday), starting at 7.45pm. Tickets are just £10, or £9 for concessions.

Book online from Reading Arts

Second Write Fest tickets on sale now

2008-01-04T17:52:00.000Z

Tickets for the Second Write Fest are now on sale at a bargain price of £8 (£7 for concessions).

Nine short plays by writers from around the country and all receiving their premieres. Whether you like comedy, drama or music, respect straight-talking hard men or prefer poetic souls you will find something to your taste at the event that is the Write Fest.

Showcases of new plays have been produced by Progress for almost ten years, giving writers, actors and directors an opportunity to experiment and hone their skills. Until the First Write Fest last year these events had been for members only.

The consistent quality and strength of the writing prompted Progress to open the event up for public viewing, inviting everyone to see cutting edge theatre at its best. My Voice(s), discussed elsewhere in this blog, premiered at the First Write Fest and was so well received that it transferred to the Edinburgh Fringe.

Be the first to see this brand new collection of exciting plays at Progress and keep an eye out for the "next big thing".

If you have any queries, please email writefest@progresstheatre.co.uk

Book now via Reading Arts

Plays for 2008/2009 Season

2007-12-19T10:14:00.000Z

There are still two slots remaining for the 2008/2009 Season at Progress Theatre. Those of you who were thinking about proposing but missed the original deadline, here is your second chance. The deadline for submitting proposals to the Play Production Committee (PPC) is Sunday 13 January. Presentations by the Directors will hopefully be held on Sunday 20 January.

The available slots left in the season are September 2008 and May/June 2009.

We are looking for modern/contemporary plays that are fresh and light hearted with some good, honest humour.

If you would like to be considered as a Director for the next Season, here is what you have to do in 4 easy steps.

1. Select a suitable play.
2. Complete a "Proposal form" (email the PPC at progress-ppc@lists.progresstheatre.co.uk to get one) telling us as much as you can about the play, your vision for it and which season slot you would prefer. Enthusiasm goes a long way.
3. Submit your proposal by Sunday 13 January to either the PPC email address (as above) or by leaving a copy at the theatre marked for the attention of the PPC.
4. The PPC will read all the submissions and Directors will be invited to present their proposal, hopefully on 20 January.

With the introduction of the new show production scheme please make yourself familiar with the "Production Team Guidelines" (also available by emailing the PPC)

If you need any help with putting a proposal together, do not hesitate to contact the PPC at progress-ppc@lists.progresstheatre.co.uk or Emma Sterry on 07814004634.

Auditions for Four Nights in Knaresborough

2007-12-10T22:57:00.000Z

Four Nights in Knaresborough, by Paul Webb
Directed by Harry Gray
Performance dates – Thursday 10th April to Saturday 19th April 2008

Open auditions: Sunday, 20th January 2.30pm, and Wednesday, 23rd January 7.30pm at Progress Theatre.

It is the twelfth Century. Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is slain and England is crying out for the assassins’ blood. Deserted by their King and in danger from the wrath of the outraged population the four guilty knights hole up for a year in a castle in deepest Yorkshire. This fascinating, modern play explores what might have happened to four fighting men condemned to confinement in each others company after committing "the worst career move in history". It is funny, violent, touching and intelligent; join Brito, Traci, Morville and Fitz as they fight, freeze and fornicate through four nights in the worst year of their lives.

Fitz (Reginald FitzUrse), late thirties. A tough, violent, hardened veteran but affected by a deep sense of loss.

Traci (William de Traci), thirties. An intelligent soldier/aristocrat.

Morville (Hugh de Morville), thirties. A landowner knight, bowed down with a sense of guilt over the assassination.

Brito (Richard le Bret), the youngest. Lower in status than the others. Always striving to impress but with a vein of tenderness underneath his brashness.

Catherine, mid-twenties. A widow, intelligent, feisty and very protective of her young son.

The boy, ten. Catherine’s son. Non-speaking but could look angelic.

Becket, fifties. Non-speaking but conveys authority and strength of will.

Wigmore, fifty. A Yorkshireman. Leader of the local council.

John, the visitor, fifties. A hard-headed Yorkshire business man.

The parts of Becket, Wigmore and John could possibly be doubled up. The stated ages are flexible and could be adjusted to fit the casting.

If you are interested but unable to attend either audition or need further information a phone call will ensure that you are considered.

Harry Gray (Director)
36A Shinfield Road, Reading RG2 7BW
Tel: 0118 986 8672