Breathing Corpses - the last lap

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.

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...

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

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.  

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...

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.

Auditions for Breathing Corpses

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.

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 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.