Showing posts with label theatre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label theatre. Show all posts

Sunday, 19 April 2015

Tickets to Book this Season

image from hullvibe.co.uk


Long time no see! My absence from the web has been mostly due to my university finals but I am done and I intend to blog way more regularly in the coming weeks so please keep checking back for new posts!
Student loans are coming in soon and I personally can't wait to snap up some tickets for theatre, film and music events in London. Here's my pick of the bunch.

  • The Polyphonic Spree in Camden, 3rd September
Hot off the press! The Polyphonic Spree will be performing at the Electric Ballroom in Camden at the beginning of September. If you haven't heard of the 20-strong band then you will probably have heard their songs (one used to be on the Sainsbury's advert!). It may seem a bit premature to be buying tickets but it's better to get them in advance than be disappointed, as I was when tickets to see Taylor Swift in Hyde Park sold out...sad times.
Get details here.


  • Joshua Radin supported by Cary Brothers at KOKO, 22nd April
If you're stuck for something to do on Wednesday and you're in London, get your butt to the amazing converted theatre that is KOKO for a night you won't forget. Joshua Radin's dulcet tones are a regular feature on the Scrubs soundtrack, or in fact on any of his best mate Zach Braff's movies. I saw him play at Manchester Academy about 6 years ago and he was phenomenal so don't miss it.
Tickets here.

  • The Play That Goes Wrong, Duchess Theatre, London
Winner of Best New Comedy at the Olivier Awards, this play is 'ridiculously funny' according to the Times and should be a real rib-tickler to cheer up your week. Loads of celebs have seen it so it must be good. Tickets start at just £20!
Get them here.

  • Bugsy Malone, Lyric Hammersmith, London
The jazzy songs of Bugsy have been some of my favourite to choreograph and work on in the past and now it's time for a West End revival! If you didn't know, this is a musical about gangsters played entirely by kids. It's a bit wacky but you just have to go with it, and this new production promises to be a treat.
More details here.

  • Cinderella, in cinemas now
I, shamefully, have yet to see this movie but I'm going this week! All my friends have assured me that this live-action version of the Disney classic is simply magical. Go with your friends and relive your childhood dreams of happily ever after.


  • The Age of Adaline, in cinemas from 8th May
Blake Lively is one of my idols and I am dying to see her new movie, which is about a woman who lives through the 20th century without ageing. I can't guarantee that it will be an amazing plot because I haven't seen it, but I can guarantee that the costumes showing all the different eras will be fabulous. See you there.

Wednesday, 5 March 2014

Directing Love's Labour's Lost: Weeks 4-8

So I may have got very, very waylaid from blogging my rehearsal process over the last month. Oops. I suppose that sums up how hectic doing a show is!
The last four weeks have involved two full runs and lots of re-blocking and intensive work on the more difficult scenes. The majority of the cast are now off script (I hope) and tomorrow is our first full run with the music, which is exciting for the actors and most of the crew as they haven't heard the songs before! I know that when they hear it all come together they'll feel a lot more confident about the whole concept and aesthetic of the play that's been floating around in my head since day one.



As well as rehearsals we've also been busy fundraising for the show, which so far has involved our sponsored Sheep Run, for which 7 cast/crew/committee members made a gallant effort and raised over £100. Luckily it didn't rain as forecasted and glorious sunshine drew in prospective students and parents who were on campus for an open day to donate to the cause. I'm really happy that we're raising enough money as it's not only there to cover production costs - 15% of all the play's profits including ticket sales will be going to Cancer Research UK.

My diary is jammed full of things to do at the moment and it really is manic trying to stay on top of everything. I must have sent twenty emails in the first half hour of my Renaissance lecture yesterday (multitasking in lectures is quite the skill), including sorting out tech for our Open Mic night next week, when we can have our Tech/Dress rehearsal - there is another show right before ours so we have to have it a whole week before opening night, amazing - and not to mention my availability at work, as somehow I am managing to keep my job through this crazy time! It's also an important time for the Shakespeare Society Committee as we're currently running bids and elections are next week, which means this is my last week as the only Vice-President. I can't say that I'm not a tiny bit emotional about stepping down from committee and it definitely doesn't feel like a year since I was elected but I'm ready to pass the baton. It will be interesting to see in what direction the new committee takes the society.

It is exactly two weeks and a day until opening night! Who knows if I'll find time to blog again. The most important thing now is making sure that the cast and crew are completely committed to the show, and doing all those final things like programmes and bits of set. Fingers crossed.

Monday, 3 February 2014

Directing Love's Labour's Lost: Week 3


We've had a lot of productive rehearsals this week and covered a lot of ground, including a run of the whole of Act 4 and work on the opening scene. Just as I was feeling very secure about getting everything thoroughly rehearsed to schedule, I was asked on Wednesday if I'd like to use a different performance space. This is a newly built auditorium with actual dressing rooms, tiered seating and a lighting rig, which is obviously a more appealing option than Jane Holloway Hall (as much as I have a sort of reluctant affection for JHH, I've never liked the idea of the audience having to wait outside in the cold and not having backstage space). However, I still haven't properly seen the space, have no idea of the acoustics and lighting requirements, and a large proportion of the blocking will have to be completely altered. To add to the disruption, nothing is set in stone and I don't even know for definite if my show dates will be the same, when my tech/dress rehearsals will be or how much it's all going to cost.

What with my degree work piling up (which is more important to me at the moment than extra-curricular activities) and other areas of my life proving more stressful than I'd like, it's not easy to keep the momentum of the show going. The photoshoot for the show posters is having to be postponed because everyone's classes clash, and ordering hoodies is being delayed because there might be a change to the venue and show times. 



Despite all the difficulties, I'm having a great time in rehearsals and our film night which was organised with the Shakespeare Committee went really well. We watched the Globe's 2009 production of LLL which could prove problematic because a few members of the cast might tend to try to copy that version - I need to make clear that our concept is completely different, and not to mention the differences between performing in open air and in a smaller indoor space: the acting must be considerably more subtle and have more emotional depth than comic abrasiveness. 

I'm going home on Saturday to get my head together, make some to do lists and power through a lot of work, and hopefully by reading week everything will be organised and ready to start full cast rehearsals.

Sunday, 26 January 2014

Directing Love's Labour's Lost: Week 2


This has been a difficult week for me in all respects. Although it was great to finally get into the rehearsal room, I've had a bit of a reality check in terms of how much time I need to dedicate to the show. I've learnt that it is absolutely essential to plan every rehearsal down to the wire, making sure that there is enough time to read though and then block and repeat each scene I have scheduled for the evening. There's nothing worse for an actor than coming to a rehearsal that feels unprepared and runs shorter or longer than expected. 

On Wednesday my social life got in the way slightly and I found myself rushing through the last half hour of rehearsal to get to my friend's leaving party (which was also a gig for my composer Ruby's band) because I'd been at house viewings all day and hadn't chosen appropriate lengths of scenes to allow for an early finish. I felt quite guilty and apologised to the actors, resolving to properly plan the timings from then on. One of my initial promises to myself and to the production was to treat the actors like professionals; if actors are being paid for their time then everything has to be on a strict schedule and equally the creative team should expect equal respect in return, that is to say, no talking or messing around in rehearsals, no turning up late, etc. My aim for next week is to properly implement this.


Another issue I have encountered is how the dynamics of a scene can be hugely affected by one actor being missing. I completely understand when students have conflicting activities and have worked rehearsals around them as much as possible, but a lot of the comedy exchanges in particular don't work with anyone missing from the scene. I think it's a case of the more actors the better, and it will most likely come together perfectly at full cast rehearsals. A lot of the actors have also commented that it will be a lot easier to work on acting once they're familiar with the lines, so I'm trying to focus on the text in these initial rehearsals. 

The positives of this week have been reassuring more than anything else; this is my first show as the only Director and there's always that nagging thought that I wouldn't be good enough. Luckily, my warmups have been really well received by the actors and I think they're working in exactly the way I intended. It's also great to see my cast bonding and starting to act like friends having fun rather than strangers reading lines in a room together. It's our first cast, crew and committee social this week so with any luck we'll all be really comfortable around each other by my next blog post! 

Saturday, 18 January 2014

Directing Love's Labour's Lost: Week 1


Hello all. This term I am lucky enough to be directing Love's Labour's Lost for RHUL Shakespeare Society, and being increasingly forgetful I've decided to blog through the entire 10-week process so that I can look back and see what was good, what was bad, and whether the experience was so traumatic that I would never direct again! I'm sure this won't be the case, however, as I've got a fantastic cast to work with. This blog will also act as a way for friends who aren't at Royal Holloway to follow the process and see snapshots from rehearsals etc. All photos are credited to my marvellous publicity officer Joseph Howse unless stated otherwise.

So, Week 1. I fully expected casting to be the most exciting part of the process because I've been on audition panels before and loved it. But I have to say, for my own show it was more stressful and mentally draining than I ever anticipated. Firstly, there is the constant worry that not enough boys will audition, and secondly, the standard at Royal Holloway is very high and it is horrible knowing that even though someone is a great actor, there is no part suited to them in the play and you have to turn them down, or even worse, the part they are suited to is much smaller than they deserve. Add to that the tension between production teams fighting over which actors are in which shows and you have a real headache on your hands. Despite the high anxiety/exhaustion levels, I did enjoy auditions; everyone that steps into the room interprets the text differently, and there's nothing more satisfying than knowing you've got a great cast to work with at the end of it. 

Today was the first read-through of the entire play. Despite a few actors being missing, it ran well and was the length I was aiming for...which is helpful as I've cut almost half of the dialogue! Although a lot of work needs to be done on the text, I absolutely can't wait to start blocking and actually directing. One of the most exciting parts of this play for me is the original music that my beautiful composer, Ruby Biscoe-Taylor, is writing specially for the show. I genuinely get really hyped up just thinking about it. I am 100% certain that Ruby's music will make what is essentially a play quite lacking in action into the poignant, dreamlike romance I can envision in my head.

One of my actors today asked me to actually explain my concept, which is my least favourite question! I'm not good at putting a set 'director's concept' into words because I can just picture the final product in my head; it's more about the design than the concept and as much as I can try to explain what I'm aiming for, it won't really ever be completely clarified until the audience walk into the theatre - it's completely about their experience rather than the intellect behind it. I feel that this is either ingenious or completely and ridiculously unhelpful to everyone. As long as people want to be a part of the play, I must be doing something right. 


The best part about the first rehearsal is getting a chance to see the cast in a room together for the first time. Directing at uni is unsurpassable in a way because you're bringing together a group of students who might not necessarily know each other at all, and yet by the end of it you're almost always guaranteed to have built such strong friendships up in the rehearsal room. I've experienced this several times now, from acting and choreographing at school, assistant directing for Heritage Opera, producing in first year to now directing my own play - each time I have met and befriended brilliant people and it's a privilege that I think actors and directors often take for granted. Theatre might seem bitchy but it's all just one big bonding experience; you either end up loving or hating the people you work with, but at the end of the day being forced to spend a huge amount of time together is a good thing.
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