What's wrong with Angry?

Progress Youth Theatre are well into rehearsals for their next production What's wrong with Angry? I sat in on part of one of them. This is a hard hitting play about a gay school boy in the early 1990s, a time when it was still illegal for 16 year old homosexuals to have sex. What struck me about the play was the believability of the teenage interactions. The desperation to be part of the group; to find someone, anyone, for that all important final slow dance; the boys who think you'll be happy to  go with them because 'you're not exactly an oil painting'.

An action scene from 'What's wrong with Angry'

The cast were managing in this rehearsal without one of the main characters. They had to make do with either someone standing in for him and reading his lines or talking to the space where he should be while the director read in the lines. In fact the director himself was standing in for Ali Carroll who couldn't make this rehearsal. They did however have their stage-manager, Fiona McNeil, who was watching the action and working out what props and furniture need to be bought on and off, and more importantly, who is going to do it.
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Coming up -

What’s Wrong With Angry? By Patrick Wilde, 2nd - 7th July 2012, Progress Theatre

Henry IV Part One by William Shakespeare, 12th - 21st July 2012, Caversham Court Gardens

Mine backstage

I was backstage for the first night of Mine on Monday night. There was a general buzz of nervous energy and activity. People busy getting dressed, putting on make-up and, very considerately, going into the corridor to put on hairspray.

I asked about first night nerves and the main response seemed to be variations of  "I hate this bit I wish I could just go" and  "I hate standing in the wings". Deep breathing was suggested as a way of calming nerves and preparing to go on stage. I also asked if anyone had any superstitions that they always had to follow. No-one had any in particular but Evelyn said she likes to develop and stick to a routine so whatever she does on the first night she has to continue for the rest of the run.

Another first night tradition is cards and even flowers and presents from family and friends. As the only man in a cast of ten Peter gallantly brought a basket of fruit and a card "to the women of Mine from the man"

Most casts like to do a warm-up on stage before the audience comes in. Mine's warm-up included each member saying one of their lines which was then repeated by all the cast, a game of 'zip zap boing' and a final sports team style cheer.

All the preparations paid off and the first night was successful, all nerves forgotten as soon as they stepped on stage. 

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Coming up -

Mine by Polly Teale 11th - 16th June 2012, Progress Theatre

What’s Wrong With Angry? By Patrick Wilde, 2nd - 7th July 2012, Progress Theatre

Henry IV Part One by William Shakespeare, 12th  - 21st July 2012, Caversham Court Gardens

Catching up with a 'Mine' rehearsal

Rehearsals for Mine are at the point where the set is built but not complete. The actors can start to get a feel for going in and out of the right exits using the different levels and steps but not everything is ready. Sometimes they have to make do with substitutes, for example a row of foyer chairs instead of a window seat and a hole in the wall where there will eventually be a dolls' house to crawl into.



Tallulah and Sam on the half finished set

The play is about adoption and there needs to be a baby. It is harder than you think to handle a doll in a way that allows the audience to suspend their disbelief and accept that it is a real baby. Part of the problem is that the weight is not right and there was some discussion about filling the doll with sand or tying a weight around it to make it a more realistic weight. All new parents will have struggled with holding a baby with one hand and doing something else like answering the phone with the other -  even more difficult when you are trying to act as well!

Director Chris teaching the cast how to hold a baby and answer the phone.

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 -

Mine by Polly Teale 11th - 16th June 2012, Progress Theatre

What’s Wrong With Angry? By Patrick Wilde, 2nd - 7th July 2012, Progress Theatre

Henry IV Part One by William Shakespeare, 12th  - 21st July 2012, Caversham Court Gardens

A Special Night

The next main production at Progress Theatre is Mine by Polly Teale starting on the 11th June. Director Chris Moran has given herself the additional challenges of training to run in the Race for Life on 20th June and helping to organise a one-off evening at the theatre on 25th May, both to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

The theatre evening on Friday is open to all and is by  donation (min £5) on the door. The evening is a tribute to two Progress Members, Val Patchett and Anne McCubbin who lost their lives to cancer. Both women were very creative and the evening will be a celebration of this.

Val was a founder member of the Progress writers group and would be very proud of the many successful plays and writers that have come out of the group over the years. Her one-act play Way Out was first performed at Progress in 1999 and went on to win three awards at the Kenton drama festival. It will be performed again on Friday as part of this special evening. As well as writing Val was always busy behind the scenes with marketing or stage management, she even appeared on-stage as the dormouse in her own adaptation of Alice in Wonderland.

The (incomplete) set for Friday's performance of 'Way Out'

Anne was also a writer and there will be readings of her short stories and poems during the evening as well as a sale of her beautiful hand-made jewellery. Anne was a very supportive member of the theatre and could often be found working in the box-office. Her two children, Alex and Laura came through the theatre's youth groups and are both still active members along with her husband Stuart.

If you need any more incentive to come along on Friday there will be a cake raffle! If you are able to bring a cake to contribute to the raffle prizes you will be even more welcome.... Doors open 7.15 for 7.45pm start.

All proceeds will be going to Cancer Research UK, via the Race for Life which Laura Mills, Abby Salter and Chris are running on 20th June. If you can't make the evening but would still like to donate please go to www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/progress-girls.

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 -

Mine by Polly Teale 11th - 16th June 2012, Progress Theatre

Henry IV Part One by William Shakespeare, 12 Jul - 21 Jul 2012, Caversham Court Gardens

Mindgame running up against a brick wall

Instead of being shown on consecutive nights like other Progress productions, Mindgame is running Thursday - Saturday over two weekends with a break in between. Producer Steph Weller explained a bit about the thinking behind this change. Most productions at Progress run for either six or nine nights. The nine night runs are used for plays that are expected to be very popular and therefore justify the expense of paying the rights for the extra nights. The advantage of a nine night run is that people who come on the first weekend and enjoy it can tell other people, giving time for a buzz to build up about the production encouraging more people to come on the second weekend (weekends being the better selling performances). Six night runs normally start on a Monday, and if the earlier nights don't sell out there is less opportunity for word of mouth to build.
The other advantage of the split performance dates is that cast and crew get a longer break during the run, although the potential downside is that they could forget their lines or just lose a bit of the spark built up during the previous performances. Director Christopher Hoult has therefore decided to have an extra rehearsal for the actors without the lighting and sound on the Tuesday. He will though resist the temptation to make any mid-run changes to the performances!

When I met her on Sunday, Steph also made the slightly bizarre statement that she now detests brick walls. What she meant was she detests having to paint them. The brick wall seen through the window on the right of this photo has been painted in, and because of the window frame in front any deviation from a straight line would be obvious. It therefore had to be painted very carefully with the aid of a long piece of wood and a spirit level. 

Everything is ready for the opening night on Thursday apart from one last effect for which the production crew are awaiting materials. All Steph would say was thank goodness for the bank-holiday!

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 -
Mindgame by Anthony Horowitz 10th-12th May and 17th-19th May 2012, Progress Theatre

Auditions for Calendar Girls, by Tim Firth, Sunday 13th (2:30pm) and Wednesday 16th May (7:30pm), Progress Theatre

Mine by Polly Teale 11th - 16th June 2012, Progress Theatre

Henry IV Part One by William Shakespeare, 12 Jul - 21 Jul 2012, Caversham Court Gardens