July 2010 Archives

You’ve got to hand it to those media savvy types, sitting atop swiss balls in ergonomic offices in Soho, twiddling their branded pencils and wondering what format to butcher next. And then Five pops up with Don’t Stop Believing, lovingly ripped off from the current craze for American import Glee. And I’m not quite sure what to think of the whole affair.

Despite Emma Bunton’s endearing support and good feelings for the singing groups, her lack of charisma or charm as a presenter is hard to come to terms with. At least Graham Norton had a cheeky glint in his eye as each rejected Dorothy was hoisted into the sky, having been told to keep all limbs firmly inside the ‘moon’ until they landed safely in the dusty storage cage in the roof.

And then we meet the ‘judges’ who seem to think everyone is wonderful and they’ll all go on to enjoy huge careers in the showchoir world - which I’m sure does exist but whether a huge career can be enjoyed within it is another matter entirely. Perhaps the sound is just particularly bad in transmission and better live in the studio, but I defy Anastacia (definite contender for Most Random Choice for a Judge Award 2010) to sit in my lounge and tell me they were all singing in tune and hit the notes “pitch perfect”. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve blasted out Left Outside Alone and danced around the kitchen many times pondering how she does that eerie operatic bit at the top of the song, but I sometimes wonder if my signal has been intercepted by alien tuning forks and I’m watching a totally different performance to those on the panel.

In other news, I’m looking forward to a week off soon to get stuck into rehearsals for the 2010 season. It’ll be great to get back with the company and we’ve got a brilliant cast who I’m sure will make the most of James Graham’s marvellous script. And in true busman’s holiday style, I’m getting to see a list of shows I’ve been meaning to get to for ages but haven’t found the time. After the already pencilled in post rehearsal drinks (any excuse!), I’ll be enjoying State Fair, Into the Woods, Dirty Dancing and finishing the week with Whoopi back in her habit at the Palladium - jump for joy!

And I was thrilled to hear Complicite will be enjoying some time in the West End. A great company bringing such a visceral piece of theatre into town is a massive boost to the diversity of shows on offer and I hope audiences respond well. And with imminent transfers from Chichester as well as Lend Me a Tenor arriving fresh from Plymouth, it looks like the West End will enjoy a bit of a shake up.

During a mid morning break sat in the garden, I was flicking through the 2010 Ed Fest brochure today and was amazed at the number of shows on offer - over 2500! Don’t panic, I didn’t sit there and count, instead I shamelessly pulled the figure from the internet. And with such titles as Obama Mia, Your Little Princess is my Little Whore and ‘Ave a Banana, (which I’d love to be the new title of the ill-fated Monkees musical) I’m sure crowds are in for a month of classics.

Finally, as an unforeseen combination of holidays and injury almost cripples the War Horse cast, here’s a huge hoorah to all the swings and covers, without whom, shows wouldn’t run so smoothly during times of chaos.

Anyone who tells you that man’s best friend is a dog is probably right… but a producer’s best friend is undoubtedly a trusty laptop and wifi connection, closely followed by a mobile phone fully charged and then a steaming cup of earl grey and my word they are the best friends in the world when you get all three sat in a café ploughing through oodles and oodles of Edinburgh Fringe prep.

I am currently bounding between Essex, Clapham, Pimlico, Kings Cross while circumnavigating Old Street - you can almost see the smoke rising from my Oyster card. This last week has been the epitome of mental, we had a production of The Philanderer open at the Greenwich Playhouse and we held previews for two of our Fringe shows at The Rosemary Branch Theatre as well as continuing rehearsals for our other shows. So I think we’re all looking for a more relaxed week… yeah right!

Well, the fist week of rehearsals for Hecuba is over! Three days of squats, lunges and some highly energetic variations of ‘follow my leader’ has left me with thighs like jelly and calves that are sorely regretting living in three-inch heels for the last five years. “At some point, you will hit a wall,” says director Ricky Dukes as he bounces with the ease of Tigger.

Sadly, I am not Tigger; I am Eeyore and my wall is in sight and looking mighty high.

Still, by the end of this production I look forward to having thighs of steel and abs of… another hard metal. Unfortunately I didn’t have the heart to explain the costume lady that I would, of course, be a stone lighter when the time came to pop on the Grecian robes. Perhaps I will break the news to her next week.

If I hear critics question their role any more this week, I think I shall be forced to do something quite drastic with the pointy end of a garden gnome. The way in which we review theatre is indeed changing and who provides those reviews is also enjoying an interesting shift, but the role of ‘critic’ will (for better or worse) remain with us I’m sure.

It’s a fascinating debate and despite my al fresco ornamental threats, I do rather enjoy it. Has the Twittersphere become a more convenient resource for getting immediate theatrical critique? Be it from Mark Shenton, Stephen Fry or Harriet from Swansea? Whatever your personal thoughts, we can’t ignore how rapidly social networking sites are impacting on theatre. Most theatres have a Facebook/Twitter page nowadays, where you can follow the current show and in some cases be privy to special ticket deals or offers. And why not? It’s the quickest way to reach a massive ‘ready and willing’ audience. And not many Facebook fans would ignore one more notch on their Friend tally.

As the mercury soars to well above “Cor blimey it’s warm!”, I found myself back at the Union theatre last week, at the auditions for the autumn production of Bells are Ringing. Boasting the wonderful Anna Jane Casey and Gary Milner heading up the cast, and with a wealth of talented, (and perhaps more surprisingly) well known performers auditioning for the fringe production, it hammered home just how big a part of London theatre ‘The Fringe’ has become.

Despite gaining notoriety for flooding theatres, pokey rooms above crowded pubs and payment in travel cards, it’s fair to say that fringe theatre is enjoying a rather splendid renaissance. With the audition slump taking hold and performers staying on in long running shows, there has been a sharp increase in those people auditioning for fringe work; not to say that talent in previous years went unnoticed, but we now have people leaving a west end contract and walking into a 4 week run of The Brand New Re-imagined Starlight Express in a 66 seater studio space under a bridge in Clapham. Marvellous!

And I was provided with the best explanation for this trend in established performers returning to fringe work - “Why would I to do something for the second or third time, when I have the opportunity to create something new for the first time?”. Lovely. And surely that’s what most performers love about this industry; the opportunity to create work and enjoy being a creative artist. Fringe theatre also works on connections and so allows you to work with people you know and trust, as well as getting to perform work that producers aren’t too willing to take a punt on just yet.

What a week. When you are up to your ears in paperwork and ‘to dos’ it seems like a bottomless pit of work and nothing feels like its getting done. But upon reflection lots has now been completed in our run up to the Fringe.

At the moment my main focus is getting our Edinburgh Fringe shows sharpened up and everything prepared for our arrival in the Scottish capital; this to do list is exceptionally long. Having just paid off the last of the accommodation I am very pleased that all our actors will have somewhere to sleep and am now moving on to getting the artwork approved before printing.

We have such a great artistic team on all of our shows and I am so excited to see the finished products at the fringe and based on our current ticket sales, your average fringe goer is excited to. The most exciting of which are our two musicals, both sounding so exciting with an ab fab cast.

The main issue we are currently having is a distinct lack of press interest. I think I’ve cooked my brain ten times over with mobile microwave signals, trying to get reviewers to come and see any of our shows. This doesn’t just go for our Edinburgh Fringe Season; with two Edinburgh Previews and a show in the London Fringe we have loads to offer and yet not a nibble on the metaphorical fishing line.

So, the news which is not so hot off the press is… got me a job!

Rehearsals for Lazarus Theatre Company’s offering to the Camden Fringe, Hecuba, start in two weeks and I could not be more excited. In preparation for the first day of rehearsals, director Ricky Dukes has asked us to be off book, armed with research (anyone know anything about Ancient Greek culture?) and all stretchy and limber. This one looks like it’s going to involve a fair bit of physical exertion as well as a workout of the old vocal chords. Operation ‘get up the stairs without wheezing and wanting a nice little break’ starts here.

In a bid to ‘make it official’ and out myself publicly, I am… drumroll please… quitting smoking. Or, have, I should say. Day three in the Barrett house and Gemma is not quite chewing off her own arm but was more infuriated than usual when the fire alarm refused to accept that the toast was just golden brown and was not setting the house on fire, so there was no reason for it to keep ruddy ringing and it was really flipping loud and all she wanted was a bit of toast and… breathe…

So last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. Rounding off the last few legs of the tour and getting ourselves all paced off back home was both a huge relief and little saddening. Having spent the last six months living and eating with the same three people it did feel a bit weird to not see their mugs over my cornflakes the first morning back.

The last four months have given me such a huge appreciation of English Speaking Theatre on the continent. There are so many amazing opportunities to be part of excellent plays that usually come with a celebrity when produced in the UK. Vienna’s English Theatre, for some reason unbeknown to me, have difficulty finding actors to work for them. They are the most ethical company I have ever worked for, they pay at least equity minimum wages and they pay them on time, you are looked after and supported throughout your run or tour.

There is of course the fear of being off the UK market for periods of time, but when you look at the unemployment figures for actors I don’t see why there are more people wanting to do it.

Don’t get me wrong, I was very tempted to apply, but it just so happened a life at Oxford or Cambridge University passed me by. Drat. But maybe I should’ve completed that difficult third algorithm, sorted myself out with a nice preppy outfit complete with stripy scarf and basket clad bicycle and applied anyway. In this week’s edition of The Stage, Hillary Strong says, “it is actually more difficult to gain a place at a CDS drama school than at Oxford or Cambridge”. Hoorah! And I was mocked for doing a degree in ‘step ball changes’.

An interesting point though. She goes on to say that over 11,000 people apply for just 1,000 places on accredited courses. So what’s the draw of an accredited course? I suppose you know that what you’re getting is valued by the industry and trusted to provide a relevant and current training that will equip you to prosper in the business. Does that make the training on offer at unaccredited courses of any less worth? As with any type of accredition, there has to be a hint of exclusivity or else there’d be no point. If, come Monday, Ronald McDonald woke up to find 3 Michelin stars slapped on his dungarees I think we’d all be slightly concerned.

Hillary Strong says that to gain accreditation a school must meet rigorous criteria. Fair enough; an OFSTED for the creative industry, but with no scary peering over the top of spectacles and hopefully less briefcases. I always thought those briefcases were empty anyway - they had about 3 each and no amount of paper work about the ineptitude of Mrs Tweed’s home economics class could fill them all.