Proof press night

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

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.

Proof auditions

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.