Amateur Stage Magazine

Teesside Musical Theatre Company held a “Flash Mob” in Middlesbrough and Stockton Town Centres on Saturday 28 April 2012 to promote their 60^th Anniversary Musical Show “Me & My Girl”  to be staged at Middlesbrough Theatre commencing Monday 21 to Saturday 26 May 2012. Evening performances Monday to Friday 7.15pm Saturday Matinee 1.15pm & Evening Show 6.15pm.  Tickets available from Barbara Everitt on Tel: 01642 898580 or from Middlesbrough Theatre Box Office 01642 81 51 81 priced £10 to £14 concessions available.

The company had a fun day, as this picture illustrates. Please come along and see a great family fun show and join in the “Lambeth Walk”

APR 18th 2012
Now just a week to opening night.... the entire cast have been working tirelessly to perfect this truly inspiring musical. Anyone watching the dramas on TV will know that Titanic was not just about the rich... but also the poorest of people searching for a new life for themselves and their families, this is highlighted in the musical brilliantly.

Book online at www.darlingtonos.org.uk

MAR 28th 2012
Been away from the blog for a week due to heavy rehearsal schedule and my 'day job' - it always astounds me how so many people with very busy lives can fit all the necessary work in to putting on a show - I understand the pressures and appreciate the dedication many people have.

So.... we have worked and worked and worked the 'lifeboat' scene for Titanic - possibly the most emotional scene in the entire show. Not sure how it all looks from the front but you get an amazing buzz being in it!

Book online at www.darlingtonos.org.uk

MAR 20th 2012
With opening night just over 5 weeks away we are in the awesome position of running the show and able to add layer upon layer of sub-plot, thought, emotion and empathy to everything within this hugely uplifting but ultimately heartbreaking show.

Act One is a huge pleasure to be a part of.... with everyone basking in the splendour and majesty of sailing aboard the most luxurious ocean liner ever built... slowly lulling the audience into a false sense of security that surely this can not be a show about a dramatic tragedy... until the sudden end of Act One when the realisation literally hits home.

Act Two starts quietly - people not really knowing what is going on, but the tension soon starts to bubble up into a frenzy. Such a delight to be a part of this production.

Book online at www.darlingtonos.org.uk

MAR 5th 2012
As the Centenary of the sinking of Titanic draws ever nearer it is amazing how much 'free publicity' we are getting - Titanic is slowly and surely being drip-fed into the psyche of the general public. Newspaper articles, the new ITV mini series, the re-launch of the James cameron film in 3D.... everywhere you go it is Titanic, Titanic, Titanic... and I for one am not complaining.

Book online at www.darlingtonos.org.uk

MAR 1st 2012
I was not called for rehearsal last night but went to watch Stefan, Claire, Rob and Matilda working on their scenes as Edgar, Alice, Charles and Caroline. Those who know Titanic as a show will know that there are no huge dialogue scenes, so characters have to be set very quickly to an audience. The two couples - each looking for something very different from life, have some very beautiful and poignant scenes together and it was a delight to see them growing throughout the evening. Text came in during rehearsal from our Ticket Administrator - 1500 tickets sold so far with 8 weeks still to go to opening night.... things are looking very good all round.

Book online at www.darlingtonos.org.uk

FEB 29th 2012
Leap year - will anyone pop the question...?

So.... a small scale rehearsal last night running through all the 'Bridge Scenes' with Captain Smith, Lightoller, Murdoch, Hitchens, Etches, Ismay and Andrews. The musically spoken dialogue in these scenes are as difficult to perfect as any musical number... split second timing of dialogue and song accurately to the underscoring. Followed by 'The Blame' with Bride, Smith, Ismay and Andrews - such a powerful scene with which (playing Andrews) I am having so much fun.

FEB 28th 2012
In just 8 weeks time the curtain will rise on a truly emotional piece of theatre as DarlingtonOS present "Titanic, The Musical" at the beautiful 900 seater Civic Theatre.

Director Scott St Martyn has already blocked Act I in his first set of 8 rehearsals and we are now being put through our paces cleaning everything up under Assistant Director Joanne Hand.

We hope to update you all, through this Blog, with the ups and downs of the last 2 months leading up to showtime!

Titanic - Wednesday April 25 to Saturday May 5 (matinee Saturday April 28). Book online at www.darlingtonos.org.uk

I so enjoyed the penultimate night of a local production of a play that I felt motivated to write a review of it. Prior to going to see the play, I saw a review of it that, in my mind, was unjustifiably harsh. The following review is my attempt to counter this.

The play, George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, was produced by Arena Theatre at the Regent Centre, Christchurch and was performed on the 8th, 9th and 10th March. Many people identify Pygmalion with its better known musical incarnation “My Fair Lady”, and this can affect the way you watch it. If you watch it as a standalone piece and not wait for the song cues (as one reviewer did), then you can enjoy the play for what it is: a good piece of theatre!

First time director, Terri Jowett, did a creditable job. However, I did feel that the action could have been brought further down stage and more use made of the thrust. This was really only used in the first scene and the setting of a number of the scenes towards the rear of the stage tested the projection and diction of some of the cast members almost too much. On occasion, I had trouble hearing them. This is a shame, as it really is a clever and amusing script, which I did not get the full benefit of. The set was good, and the use of a hinged wall was an excellent way to affect some efficient scene changes. Being involved in the amateur theatre myself, I can never really understand why so many groups do not use some kind of carpeting on the stage for indoor scenes, particularly where they are trying to project an image of upper middle class opulence. Whilst I do accept that it creates another item to strike for scene changes, carpet can transform the look of the set and give it a much more realistic and homely image.

The costumes were generally good, although they could have done with being a little more extravagant – though I do accept there may have been budgetary constraints. The fact that Higgins spent most of his time in a formal tail suit was a little off-putting, and I would have much preferred to see him in a less formal day suit for some of the time. Perhaps having him in a smoking jacket and wearing those ubiquitous slippers? Being a little more picky, I did not understand why Freddy appeared at an “at home” without a jacket on (even indoors, jackets were worn) and the ladies would not have ventured out of the house without gloves. Also, Eliza should have been a little more dirty, at least at the start of the play. Anyway, that is enough of that.

Let’s move on to the acting! Higgins was admirably portrayed by Jeremy Mills and there were no issues regarding his diction and projection as I could hear every word clearly. This is a mammoth part, where the actor rarely leaves the stage once the play has started and Jeremy managed to capture the arrogance and childlike petulance required for the part perfectly.. The lines came thick and fast, barely giving the audience time to laugh at some of his outrageous observations before the next came.

Eliza, played by the very attractive Jill Richmond, was excellent. Her timing and delivery during the “at home” where she layered faux pas upon faux pas in such respectable company was particularly impressive. The scenes between her and Higgins, particularly their verbal sparring were a particular joy. Some productions tend to suggest some sort of romantic attachment between these characters, but this was much less apparent in this production and was much more ambiguous in this regard – which I rather enjoyed.

Patrick D’Ardenne was a competent Pickering, although I did feel that his delivery was quite slow and his diction was lacking in places. Stephen Tonkin as Eliza’s father gave a solid performance, which is a credit to him as he apparently joined the cast at a very late stage. I do, however, wish that he hadn’t delivered a lot of his lines with his eyes shut! Jane Taylor’s Mrs Higgins was well played, but could have done with being a little more of a matriarchal harridan, rather than the nice motherly image she projected. There needs to be a reason that Henry is so tied to her apron strings as he seemed to be! The other cast members did what was expected of them and provided some delightful moments. It was clear that the audience thoroughly enjoyed the performance, and I will definitely go to more Arena productions in the future; if this is any indication of the quality one can expect from them.

Dorset is a hotbed of amateur theatre. The Bournemouth-Poole-Christchurch conurbation alone provides a score of groups, not to mention the New Forest, Weymouth, Dorchester and the more rural parts of the county.

There is an excellent resource for anyone in the area, visiting, or moving here via the website www.sceneone.biz. Set up by Linda Kirkman, Scene One provides news of all upcoming productions, auditions, news, gossip... and reviews. I can't recommend the site highly enough.  

It started out as a monthly printed magazine before becoming a website, and gradually the magazine, due to costs, has been shelved - but the site still remains, and every month an online PDF version of the magazine is produced so you can get the news and views in gazetteer form.

While it's a wonderful resource, it was born from a huge lack of support from other printed media in an area dominated by the local newspaper and its associated magazines. Time was, the paper supported theatre very well - giving over a page, or usually two, to amateur drama every Friday night - and supporting the many, many companies in the area by sponsoring and hosting an annual awards dinner with winners voted for by its readers. 

Alas, times have changed. For more than a decade now the local press has given scant attention to amateur theatre, focussing instead on national tours by well-established comedians and musicians that invariably sell out before the previews are published, and which have moved on to the next town before the ink is dry on the (inevitably large) review.

We are blessed to have people giving of their spare time to perpetuate a presence for us - but it's such a shame that amateur theatre is supported mainly by an essentially amateur (and therefore niche) media. With attendances falling through the floor, it would be great to have meaningful support (beyond paid-for listings and reviews appearing in print the week after the run) from general media outlets, to spread the word to a wider demographic.

We all know that amateur theatre can often be just as good as professional productions - but we're preaching to the choir. Dorset itself has, just this year, had one of its companies - Regent Rep - reach the very final stages of a national Sky TV competition to find the best amateur theatre in the UK, and previously, we have had at least two companies - Swish of the Curtain and Funky Little Choir - in the finals of Channel 5's Don't Stop Believin' choir competition; and that's just the stuff that gets on the telly: The Guardian regularly lists Brownsea Open-Air Theatre as one of the "must-see events of the summer" - and it's run entirely by amateurs.

But, to pick up the local paper, you'd never know that there were over fifty different theatre companies within an hour's drive, all performing miracles of blood, sweat and tears twice or more a year.

Is this just a peculiarity to Dorset? How are other areas supported? Are you finding attendances dwindling, and if so, are compromises in play choice having to be made? If you find a lack of support, how does your area respond?

 

Keep us up to date with whats happening performance wise in the town of North cheshire eg. Runcorn, Warrington, St Helens, Altrincham areas etc

What is it?
Where and whens it going on?
Hows it going so far?

Plays/ Musical Theatre/ Gilbert&Sullivan/Operetta/Dance

etc etc etc 

I'm all emotional. I can't watch or listen to MATILDA THE MUSICAL without getting choked up. At first I thought it was hormones but now I'm not so sure. The music is beyond stunning, the foot tapping, hand clapping, bouncy beautiful memorable score is absolutely fizzwhizzingly scrumptious. The CD is in our car and we listen to nothing else at the moment (even the sublime Rufus Wainwright is taking a backseat) it is laugh out loud funny and brilliantly heartbreaking. Maybe I am crying because we didn't write it. It starts off well being based on a Roald Dahl story. That man was a genius, a gifted writer who was so in touch with childhood, so naturally and effortlessly aware of what children want and need. He lived a life dedicated to making children laugh, cry, think and read. The sort of man who would get a ladder, climb up to the window of the room where his children were sleeping and pretend to be a dream catching giant. 'Those who don't believe in magic will never find it' and he was determined to create that magic for children and adults everywhere. I thought that he was the only person who really understood children. Others try and fail. Others come close but nobody captures the same magic and rebellion that Roald Dahl could. Enter Tim Minchin, all crazy haired and gifted. If I am honest when I heard that MATILDA was being made into a musical I was excited, when I heard Tim Minchin was providing the music and lyrics I was dubious. He is, of course, immensely talented, there is something completely engaging and intriguing about him but I was never a huge fan of his comedy. Now, however, he can do no wrong, he is up there with Roald Dahl in our house. I see him as the second person to really get kids, to understand the magic and rebellion of childhood and I'm not even going to quote lyrics to prove my point. There are too many brilliant lyrics in the show that I wouldn't know where to start but I am overjoyed. A musical that is truly for children, starring amazingly talented children. A chance for them to shine in a world created for them by people who understand them and are very much like them. Following on from a previous rant....this show was not cut down from another show intended for an adult cast with adult themes. This is for the kids. Finally. It is safe to say that I am now obsessed with the musical, in awe of Minchin and utterly jealous that I am not involved with the show in any small way. Sometimes, very occasionally I stumble across something that seems to have been created just for me. It happened about 8 years ago when I discovered Rufus Wainwright and I excitedly threw his name around in conversation only to be met with blank expressions and rolling eyes. I thought, perhaps, I had dreamt him. His music was so far up my street I couldn't believe my luck. Then I had a drought. Not a lot came along that was totally my cuppa. I could pick out good bits from some songwriters, films and musicals but nothing got me boring people like Rufus. Then along came Matilda, award winningly perfect and shaping the future of musical theatre. Bring it on.

Necessity is the mother of invention and 'Lucky Bucket Productions' was born out of necessity. We were invited to provide a musical for a group of 30 young people between the ages of 8 and 18 to perform. We took up the challenge and then quickly realised we had never written a musical before, or a play, in fact the longest thing we had written was a shopping list. In retrospect I have no idea what made us agree to take on the task, maybe it was just one of those strange moments when fate intervenes. Anyway, the theatre group were really stuck for suitable material and we were about to provide it. Fortunately, the show was a success and the cast and audience responded positively. We then went on to write a show every year to be performed by the same group and eventually built a large catalogue which is now available to all schools and theatre groups.

The three year old youth group YoungBLODS are watching old episodes of 'Star Trek' to understand the wonderful 'send up' script and music of Dazzle written by John Gardiner with music by Andrew Parr.  The show will be staged at the Bexhill High School on 13th and 14th April.  Meanwhile, back at the rehearsal hall, the older BLODS are testing their tonsorial dexterity and grappling with the music of Elton John and the text of Tim Rice in the South East Coast Premiere of their 'Aida'.  It won so many awards on Broadway and ran for over 1,000 performances.  I wonder why it was never staged in the West End?  It will now be staged at the famous De La Warr Pavilion from 27 to 30th June.
Bernardo

I'm not a fan of today's occasion but I'd write something about it anyway. I'm calling it a geeky one because of my effort to relate it to my bachelor's thesis, which is Literature. I learned how to criticize and review a particular character from a story because of years of reading and writing about them. I also feel like writing something similar every so often. So now, I'm giving you my top 3 characters whom I think would be perfect companions. They are from the books I've read and wrote a review so far. In no particular order:

Noah Calhoun - Whoever did not fall in love with Noah of The Notebook? Aside from the fact that we can't help think of Noah as the artist who played his character, women would like to meet someone as passionate and dedicated as he is.

Jay Gatsby - If I'm not mistaken, I think half of one semester during my third year in college was spent reading and writing about this particular scholastic work by Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby. I think I did swoon while writing a synthesis paper one time.

Tristan - he is the Celtic version of Shakespeare's Romeo who fell in love with someone he cannot fall in love with. Just like any other romantic love stories in the olden times, Tristan and Isolde, was originally tragic, but it was retold in several ways - merry, tragic, brooding and in different styles. Tristan was such a knight, strong, dignified, and absolutely handsome.

I would say that my imagination has been enriched by reading books and writing about them on a regular basis. Four years in the Department of Arts and Letters in college can do that.

When I first met Lisa, who was to become my friend later, I thought I was talking to a character in the Arabian Nights Entertainments. She was of a mixed Latin and Indian race. Her complexion was chocolate brown, her hair was jet black, and I suspected that she carried fancy-looking lunch boxes and golden cups. She had thin body built, candle-like fingers, deep dark eyes, and a small pointed nose. She was often quiet in class, but when she opened her mouth to answer a teacher's question, we would feel intimidated. She seemed kind and mature so nobody dared bullied her. Nobody also talked to her.

Before she became my friend, my imagination about her real life ran wild. It became the inspiration for many of my English writing home work. Later, when we started hanging out, often to exchange coursework, I realized she's as normal as anyone, but a better friend to me. Our friendship was like a fairy tale, which was often punctuated by my frequent trip to her little palace. Later, it became my inspiration for a play script, which was chosen for the school play. Lisa played the main character perfectly.

That was my first script coming from a kid's imagination, which led me to pursue theater in college.