All change - Colder Than Here take over theatre

It is always sad when a production ends, particularly one as big and colourful as Little Shop of  Horrors. The theatre seems very empty and cold once all the set has been dismantled, the props removed and the walls painted black again. There is no time for looking back though. The cast and crew of a show come in to clear up or 'get out' on the Sunday morning after the last night (sometimes coming straight from the after show party!) and by 2pm the next production can start rehearsing on the stage and building their own set.



Mike Brand marking out the Colder Than Here set in what was, 24 hours earlier, Mushnik's flower shop

One of the props that the Colder Than Here team were able to move to the theatre from the director's living room, where it's been stored for the last few weeks, was the coffin. It is a genuine cardboard coffin ordered from a green funeral company. It arrived through the post flatpacked and with a notice on the outside saying 'Urgent coffin for a funeral enclosed please handle with care'.

The coffin plays a key part in the action of the play and the cast had a chance to get used to it on Sunday. As you can see they managed to find humour in the situation and that is true of the play too, although it covers serious subject matter there are some lighter moments too.

Samantha Bessant tries out the coffin

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Colder Than Here by Laura Wade 20th - 25th May 2013, 7.45 Progress Theatre

Blithe Spirit by Noël Coward Monday 17th June - Saturday 22nd June 2013, 7.45 Progress Theatre

This years outdoor Shakespeare Macbeth Thursday 18th to Saturday 27th July 2013 at 7.45pm, Caversham Court Gardens

 

In the box office for Little Shop of Horrors

photo by Richard Brown

I played a small part in the first night of Little Shop of Horrors - I was on box office. There was a great atmosphere of excitement and anticipation both from the audience and all the people involved in the production.

Advance tickets for our productions are sold via the Reading Arts box-office (ring them on 0118 9606060 or see here  if you want to get a ticket - there are still a few left for Monday to Thursday). About 4pm on the day of the show they stop selling them and details of the tickets sold are automatically transferred to our box office system allowing us to print off tickets for people to collect or to sell any remaining ones

Working on the box-office is fun as you get a chance to have a quick chat with people, both old friends and strangers. Mostly the job is straightforward but sometimes people want to swap a seat to sit with a friend; or a cast member might pop in to see if they can reserve a seat for a friend a who's forgotten to book. When the show is sold out people may bring back spare tickets for us to sell so if you haven't got a ticket it is always worth coming along to see if there are any returns even on a sold out night. We open at 7.15 and it is obviously worth getting there as early as possible if you want to get a return, the bar will be open then so even if you can't get a ticket you can get a drink!

To whet your appetite here is a short clip of Geoff Dallimore and some members of the cast performing Git it (feed me).

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.

Little Shop of Horrors, music by Alan Menken, libretto by Howard Ashman,Thursday 18th to Saturday 27th April 2013, 7.45 Progress Theatre

Colder Than Here by Laura Wade 20th - 25th May 2013, 7.45 Progress Theatre

Blithe Spirit by Noël Coward Monday 17th June - Saturday 22nd June 2013, 7.45 Progress Theatre

Little Shop of Horrors

Setting the scene

The rehearsal I went to was described to me as "doing random messy bits of the play" how could I resist! When I arrived they were practising the curtain call - obviously the most important element of any production. Choreographer Emma Sterry was running this part of the rehearsal and told the cast to treat it like a dance in its own right. Emma is a regular on the Progress stage herself , you may remember her as Celia in Calendar Girls. She trained in musical theatre, which included dance, so she is well qualified to teach dance steps to the Little Shop of Horrors cast. She spent many happy hours dancing in her kitchen to work out the moves and says the cast have been very quick to pick them up.

Director Geoff Dallimore has taken a hands on approach to the music  in the show. He will be playing the keyboards every night along with a small band of session musicians (they are session musicians because he couldn't find anyone who could do every night so apart from him the band will be different every night.)

Geoff at his keyboard. In the background you can see some tentacles!

The budget for Little Shop of Horrors will include an unusual expense. The band will be playing in the workshop space back stage that at the best of times is full of tools and old bits of scenery. At the moment is it even more crowded because our props store at Calcot suffered a flood so all the props from the last show are still stored in the theatre workshop. Geoff's solution is to hire a container and chuck everything in there until the end of the show.

Tickets for Little Shop of Horrors are selling fast - both S\aturdays are sold out - so book your tickets soon if you want to see this show.

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.

Little Shop of Horrors, music by Alan Menken, libretto by Howard Ashman,Thursday 18th to Saturday 27th April 2013, 7.45 Progress Theatre

Colder Than Here by Laura Wade 20th - 25th May 2013, 7.45 Progress Theatre

Blithe Spirit by Noël Coward Monday 17th June - Saturday 22nd June 2013, 7.45 Progress Theatre