Ajax masks

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.

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.

Ajax Chorus

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

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.

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...

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

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.

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...

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

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.

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 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.