A real historical mystery; an exploration of friendship and memory; a voyage into the components of the atom. Michael Frayn’s Copenhagen is many things as it sets out to investigate the secret wartime meeting between Werner Heisenberg and Niels Bohr – two atomic scientists who found themselves on separate sides of the conflict, with the looming potential of an atomic bomb.
Michael Frayn’s wonderful, award-winning play explores themes of war, guilt and human motivations. The two men meet again in an after-life, under the critical eye of Margrethe Bohr, and try to reach some understanding of the past.
Taking up the challenge of directing this play is Susan Bilbey, whose 2004 production of Breaking the Code won the Best Play award from the Gloucestershire Drama Association.
Friday, 25 April 2008
Wonderful, wonderful . . . (Gloucestersire Echo Review 25th April)
WHY did a leading German physicist visit his erstwhile mentor in Nazi-occupied Denmark in the autumn of 1941?
Michael Frayn’s thought-provoking play Copenhagen attempts to find an answer to this question.
There are just three characters in the production – two giants of modern physics Werner Heisenberg and Niels Bohr, and Bohr’s wife Margrethe.
Liz Maisey was excellent in the pivotal role of the jealous wife helping to steer the drama along. Peter Osborn scored highly as the father of modern physics, never happier than when indulging in intense discussions and reminiscing about happier times.
But it was Jason Blackburn who dominated the action as the larger-than-life Heisenberg – gauche, passionate, egotistical, idealistic and at times deeply troubled.
The faultless production directed by Susan Bilbey offered a fascinating insight into the scientific mind and the theories which shaped the 20th century.
Roger Jones
Michael Frayn’s thought-provoking play Copenhagen attempts to find an answer to this question.
There are just three characters in the production – two giants of modern physics Werner Heisenberg and Niels Bohr, and Bohr’s wife Margrethe.
Liz Maisey was excellent in the pivotal role of the jealous wife helping to steer the drama along. Peter Osborn scored highly as the father of modern physics, never happier than when indulging in intense discussions and reminiscing about happier times.
But it was Jason Blackburn who dominated the action as the larger-than-life Heisenberg – gauche, passionate, egotistical, idealistic and at times deeply troubled.
The faultless production directed by Susan Bilbey offered a fascinating insight into the scientific mind and the theories which shaped the 20th century.
Roger Jones
Customer Feedback:
"Excellent – lots of mid-way discussion, also comments how brave and amazing that an amateur company should tackle it – and how good they were because of the huge chunks of dialogue and nowhere to hide."
"I and the rest of the audience really enjoyed the show. WELL DONE. I was aware the audience was still and attentive - always a good sign. You must be pleased."
Wednesday, 23 April 2008
Last Two Days of Frantic Activity
Now we’ve reached 23rd I finally have time to sit and reflect on the last two days.
On Monday morning, Martin Oakes was already programming the lighting when Helen Critchley, Alan Compton and myself arrived at the theatre. Does this man ever go home? I got out the black paint and went round the platform levels, Helen touched up some of the damaged artwork and Alan made an improvement to the ingot design. We worked under disco conditions as the lights went up, down, here and there all over the stage. Painting things black in the dark is tricky but you get good at it.
In the afternoon after a very pleasant gossip over sandwiches the others went back to set finishing while I sat with Martin to help him program Act Two. Helen decided that some gloss varnish lines would help relieve the large area of plain black on the front of the platform and set to work taping and painting. It was a great improvement.
Helping Martin took up the rest of my afternoon. We have one tricky lighting sequence where Heisenberg demonstrates a scientific principle. The lights need to coordinate with the actor’s moves. I played Heisenberg and we tried it over and over until it was smooth. We finished around 5 o’clock and then put white tape crosses down on the stage to help the actors find their feature lights.
I went home for food and a much needed drink. The work on the back stage refurbishment had put the kettle out of bounds and the haze machine had dried the air.
I had checked with Paul Scott in the Box Office and discovered that the audience have to be warned about the haze machine. Apart from anything else it could look as though the theatre is in imminent danger of bursting into flames. I promise it’s all very safe. We searched the pre-prepared notices for an appropriate one – no luck. Before I go back down I print one off and then promptly forget to hang it until the next evening.
The words Technical Rehearsal strike terror into the soul of all involved. For some odd reason that nobody can fathom they normally start late and can go on into the wee small hours. I was determined to start at 7:45 at the latest and succeeded.
A Tech Rehearsal is exactly as the name suggests: for the technicians to practice their side of the show and to ensure that the actors get used to using the stage and find their lights. Before we start Martin and I run Jason Blackburn through the tricky lighting sequence we worked on earlier. I also take the actors through their lighting marks. The plan is to only run the sections that contain technical elements. This show has over 100 lighting changes in 91 pages of script and that isn’t taking sound effects into account. Cutting bits of script out where there are no technical cues is called ‘topping and tailing’. Martin and I work out what we can miss. It’s a depressingly short list.
We start. Everyone remains in good humour. We finish at 11:30. The actors look a bit ragged but in fact the evening has gone far better than expected. Martin has decided that he needs to expand some of the light pools and needs a few more lights to fill in some dark patches. He is always hopeful that the cast will contain actors that can instinctively find their lights. It is a rare skill. Our actors don’t possess it. Martin’s search goes on.
Glenn Burns lost some of his train sounds into the ether but will work on this before tomorrow. But otherwise sound has worked well except when the line: ‘I pull on the familiar bell-pull’, resulted in the Flying Scotsman rushing through the countryside. Much humour. When you make a sound mistake there is no place to hide.
Next morning and the adrenaline punch knocks me out of bed early AGAIN. How long can this go on?
Today I want to do something about Jason Blackburn’s trousers and tie. He is not happy. His costume has been an ongoing problem. I cannot have a miserable actor. I straighten my neglected home and head off to the charity shops. The very last shop and I strike gold but then have to go back to one I visited earlier in the day to buy the matching tie. The relief!!
I take my purchases into the theatre and pop in to chat to Helen, Martin and Alan who are hard at work titivating.
In the evening we have the Dress Rehearsal. It was fabulous. I am so proud of my team. The performances have been excellent for some time but it was exciting to see the actors working comfortably with the staging and lighting. It was totally absorbing and gripping all the way through. Very impressive.
My cast are a very brave, talented and dedicated group of people to tackle such a difficult play. They have worked incredibly hard since January and have come such a long way in so short a time. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with them.
Break a leg tonight.
On Monday morning, Martin Oakes was already programming the lighting when Helen Critchley, Alan Compton and myself arrived at the theatre. Does this man ever go home? I got out the black paint and went round the platform levels, Helen touched up some of the damaged artwork and Alan made an improvement to the ingot design. We worked under disco conditions as the lights went up, down, here and there all over the stage. Painting things black in the dark is tricky but you get good at it.
In the afternoon after a very pleasant gossip over sandwiches the others went back to set finishing while I sat with Martin to help him program Act Two. Helen decided that some gloss varnish lines would help relieve the large area of plain black on the front of the platform and set to work taping and painting. It was a great improvement.
Helping Martin took up the rest of my afternoon. We have one tricky lighting sequence where Heisenberg demonstrates a scientific principle. The lights need to coordinate with the actor’s moves. I played Heisenberg and we tried it over and over until it was smooth. We finished around 5 o’clock and then put white tape crosses down on the stage to help the actors find their feature lights.
I went home for food and a much needed drink. The work on the back stage refurbishment had put the kettle out of bounds and the haze machine had dried the air.
I had checked with Paul Scott in the Box Office and discovered that the audience have to be warned about the haze machine. Apart from anything else it could look as though the theatre is in imminent danger of bursting into flames. I promise it’s all very safe. We searched the pre-prepared notices for an appropriate one – no luck. Before I go back down I print one off and then promptly forget to hang it until the next evening.
The words Technical Rehearsal strike terror into the soul of all involved. For some odd reason that nobody can fathom they normally start late and can go on into the wee small hours. I was determined to start at 7:45 at the latest and succeeded.
A Tech Rehearsal is exactly as the name suggests: for the technicians to practice their side of the show and to ensure that the actors get used to using the stage and find their lights. Before we start Martin and I run Jason Blackburn through the tricky lighting sequence we worked on earlier. I also take the actors through their lighting marks. The plan is to only run the sections that contain technical elements. This show has over 100 lighting changes in 91 pages of script and that isn’t taking sound effects into account. Cutting bits of script out where there are no technical cues is called ‘topping and tailing’. Martin and I work out what we can miss. It’s a depressingly short list.
We start. Everyone remains in good humour. We finish at 11:30. The actors look a bit ragged but in fact the evening has gone far better than expected. Martin has decided that he needs to expand some of the light pools and needs a few more lights to fill in some dark patches. He is always hopeful that the cast will contain actors that can instinctively find their lights. It is a rare skill. Our actors don’t possess it. Martin’s search goes on.
Glenn Burns lost some of his train sounds into the ether but will work on this before tomorrow. But otherwise sound has worked well except when the line: ‘I pull on the familiar bell-pull’, resulted in the Flying Scotsman rushing through the countryside. Much humour. When you make a sound mistake there is no place to hide.
Next morning and the adrenaline punch knocks me out of bed early AGAIN. How long can this go on?
Today I want to do something about Jason Blackburn’s trousers and tie. He is not happy. His costume has been an ongoing problem. I cannot have a miserable actor. I straighten my neglected home and head off to the charity shops. The very last shop and I strike gold but then have to go back to one I visited earlier in the day to buy the matching tie. The relief!!
I take my purchases into the theatre and pop in to chat to Helen, Martin and Alan who are hard at work titivating.
In the evening we have the Dress Rehearsal. It was fabulous. I am so proud of my team. The performances have been excellent for some time but it was exciting to see the actors working comfortably with the staging and lighting. It was totally absorbing and gripping all the way through. Very impressive.
My cast are a very brave, talented and dedicated group of people to tackle such a difficult play. They have worked incredibly hard since January and have come such a long way in so short a time. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with them.
Break a leg tonight.
Sunday, 20 April 2008
'Get-In' Day
Another long day following a short night. Dreamed I was building the set several times last night and I should have been exhausted by this morning, but no, the adrenaline kicked in and I was awake before my alarm.
First job for me this morning was to take advantage of the dry weather and fill the front boxes. By the time I’d finished the build had started and Sally Norman (Production Secretary) was suggesting a tea break. This was very welcome. I’d got cold outside. Even the blu-tack was so hard it wouldn’t stick.
Owing to his previous experience on the set of Kes, Tony Maisey constructed the forestage that goes out to Row A and in the centre across the first two rows. On stage, Helen Critchley was considering how to fix the organza to the back of the ‘ingots’ without causing a run in the material.
Next Martin Oakes (Lighting) needed to drop the lighting bars over the stage for rigging. We helped where we could but generally looked on admiringly. Once the back bar was up we could start to lay the platforms and put the ‘ingots’ in place. By now we had a huge crew – thank you folks – and the set build was powering along.
Keith Swinford (Prompt) was trying to decide where to sit during the performances. A prompt needs to be able to see the panicked or blank look on the actors’ faces and feed them the line swiftly and loudly to minimise the impact. In the end, he decided to sit at the front of the auditorium as opposed to up in the balcony.
By the second tea break at 12:30 both lighting bars had been rigged and hoisted back up and the stage was clear so that the rest of the set could go up and then the boxes could then be covered with hardboard.
By the time the actors turned up for their rehearsal with Keith and the cardboard set, the build was almost complete. Martin and his team were rigging bars over the auditorium; Adam Bottomley was hanging the legs – long thin pieces of black cloth to hide offstage activity from the audience; I was putting tape to hide joins in the set and Sally was painting the stage and boxes their first coat of black.
During the later afternoon Glenn Burns (Sound) took me through the various effects, lead-in music and pre-performance and interval music. It sounded great but he won’t be able to fine-tune it until the Technical Rehearsal on Monday evening.
By now we had largely finished and Martin and the Lighting Crew needed the stage clear to focus (aim) the lights. Once the rehearsal finished the actors had a walk round on the stage and then we all left the Lighting Team in peace.
It was a hugely successful build. A big thank you to Alan Compton (Stage Manager) and everybody who gave up their Sunday to help make it so quick and easy.
First job for me this morning was to take advantage of the dry weather and fill the front boxes. By the time I’d finished the build had started and Sally Norman (Production Secretary) was suggesting a tea break. This was very welcome. I’d got cold outside. Even the blu-tack was so hard it wouldn’t stick.
Owing to his previous experience on the set of Kes, Tony Maisey constructed the forestage that goes out to Row A and in the centre across the first two rows. On stage, Helen Critchley was considering how to fix the organza to the back of the ‘ingots’ without causing a run in the material.
Next Martin Oakes (Lighting) needed to drop the lighting bars over the stage for rigging. We helped where we could but generally looked on admiringly. Once the back bar was up we could start to lay the platforms and put the ‘ingots’ in place. By now we had a huge crew – thank you folks – and the set build was powering along.
Keith Swinford (Prompt) was trying to decide where to sit during the performances. A prompt needs to be able to see the panicked or blank look on the actors’ faces and feed them the line swiftly and loudly to minimise the impact. In the end, he decided to sit at the front of the auditorium as opposed to up in the balcony.
By the second tea break at 12:30 both lighting bars had been rigged and hoisted back up and the stage was clear so that the rest of the set could go up and then the boxes could then be covered with hardboard.
By the time the actors turned up for their rehearsal with Keith and the cardboard set, the build was almost complete. Martin and his team were rigging bars over the auditorium; Adam Bottomley was hanging the legs – long thin pieces of black cloth to hide offstage activity from the audience; I was putting tape to hide joins in the set and Sally was painting the stage and boxes their first coat of black.
During the later afternoon Glenn Burns (Sound) took me through the various effects, lead-in music and pre-performance and interval music. It sounded great but he won’t be able to fine-tune it until the Technical Rehearsal on Monday evening.
By now we had largely finished and Martin and the Lighting Crew needed the stage clear to focus (aim) the lights. Once the rehearsal finished the actors had a walk round on the stage and then we all left the Lighting Team in peace.It was a hugely successful build. A big thank you to Alan Compton (Stage Manager) and everybody who gave up their Sunday to help make it so quick and easy.
Saturday
Morning
My first thought on waking this morning? We must make use of the extra stage time to resolve one problem that has been nagging at me.
During rehearsal we have been representing the different floor heights of the set with large pieces of painted cardboard which I have laid down and taped to the floor every evening. The actors have sat on chairs placed on top but on the real set will be sitting on the boxes that make up the raised area. I have pondered whether this will work as well in reality as it does in my head – I suspect the actors have had their doubts as well but have been too polite to mention it. Since there has been no way until now to face the problem we’ve got on with it but the sooner I look into it now I have the opportunity the better. I pray that my fears are groundless but it is better to know one way or the other as soon as possible in case any minor redesign becomes necessary.
My first thought on waking this morning? We must make use of the extra stage time to resolve one problem that has been nagging at me.
During rehearsal we have been representing the different floor heights of the set with large pieces of painted cardboard which I have laid down and taped to the floor every evening. The actors have sat on chairs placed on top but on the real set will be sitting on the boxes that make up the raised area. I have pondered whether this will work as well in reality as it does in my head – I suspect the actors have had their doubts as well but have been too polite to mention it. Since there has been no way until now to face the problem we’ve got on with it but the sooner I look into it now I have the opportunity the better. I pray that my fears are groundless but it is better to know one way or the other as soon as possible in case any minor redesign becomes necessary.
Jack Boskett (Photographer) has sent me some excellent photos for the front boxes so that is the other job to be done. This will mean dusting off the old printer and coaxing it back to life.
Evening
We played with boxes on stage this afternoon and my fears were groundless. The set works!
Unfortunately bringing the printer out of retirement was less easy. Two new printer cartridges and a lot of hassle and finally I have some display photos. In the meantime the weather has turned foul and I can’t put them into the boxes in the rain as they run if they get wet. So enjoy them here instead and I’ll pray for sun tomorrow.
Evening
We played with boxes on stage this afternoon and my fears were groundless. The set works!
Unfortunately bringing the printer out of retirement was less easy. Two new printer cartridges and a lot of hassle and finally I have some display photos. In the meantime the weather has turned foul and I can’t put them into the boxes in the rain as they run if they get wet. So enjoy them here instead and I’ll pray for sun tomorrow.
Saturday, 19 April 2008
I took the finished programmes into the Box Office today. Much consolation, advice and laughter about my embarrassing interview on Radio Gloucestershire. I might have done the theatre some good, but Copenhagen, maybe not. It’s sooo difficult to put this play into sound bites that work well on the radio. In fact I am so close to it now that I can’t see the wood for the trees. Paul Scott suggested that I take prompt cards next time but in this case I doubt even that would have worked. Every time I’ve written publicity releases it has been a struggle to encapsulate the scope of the work. At least I know that I’m not the only person to fail. When the play was first performed in the late 1990s I can remember the reviews being strangely uninformative and uninspiring. All I can say is put aside any preconceptions you may have formed and come and see for yourself. It’s a wonderful play.
Paul Scott in the Box Office released the keys for Lighting and the Stage Manager so we are all set to go as soon as the maintenance crew allow us the stage. They have been busy drilling huge holes in the wall for cabling, painting the dressing rooms – hooray, happy actors – and clearing rooms so that the Wardrobe can be moved upstairs, safe from further flood damage.
We were thrilled that the exterior flood defences were going in today. The thought that after a year’s preparation and 40-odd rehearsals the River Chelt could pour through the building and force us to cancel the show is a depressing one. Hopefully future directors won’t have to fear this.
This evening we were back in rehearsal after a welcome day’s rest. The actors were tired on Wednesday and struggling so I stopped them because we weren’t achieving anything useful. Today they were back on form and better than ever. The performances were splendid and the pace faster than before. Act One is better than Act Two, which has not generally been the case, but Act Two has been neglected a bit in recent rehearsals and will come back into shape quickly. They have a run through with Keith Swinford (Prompt) on Sunday afternoon, which will sort this out.
Paul Scott in the Box Office released the keys for Lighting and the Stage Manager so we are all set to go as soon as the maintenance crew allow us the stage. They have been busy drilling huge holes in the wall for cabling, painting the dressing rooms – hooray, happy actors – and clearing rooms so that the Wardrobe can be moved upstairs, safe from further flood damage.
We were thrilled that the exterior flood defences were going in today. The thought that after a year’s preparation and 40-odd rehearsals the River Chelt could pour through the building and force us to cancel the show is a depressing one. Hopefully future directors won’t have to fear this.
This evening we were back in rehearsal after a welcome day’s rest. The actors were tired on Wednesday and struggling so I stopped them because we weren’t achieving anything useful. Today they were back on form and better than ever. The performances were splendid and the pace faster than before. Act One is better than Act Two, which has not generally been the case, but Act Two has been neglected a bit in recent rehearsals and will come back into shape quickly. They have a run through with Keith Swinford (Prompt) on Sunday afternoon, which will sort this out.In the workshop Helen Critchley (Set Designer) was spraying the set with glitter. Half way through the evening the maintenance crew gave us the stage – a day and an evening early. It was a godsend. Martin Oakes (Lighting) immediately left the rehearsal to start rigging and Helen and Alan Compton (Stage Manager) marked the position of the platforms ready for the build on Sunday morning.
The best news of all is that none of the Cast listened out for my interview so my humiliation is not totally complete.
Roll on Sunday. I will be burning plenty of adrenaline hauling heavy things around the stage. If I exhaust myself I might even manage more than six hours sleep that night.
The best news of all is that none of the Cast listened out for my interview so my humiliation is not totally complete.
Roll on Sunday. I will be burning plenty of adrenaline hauling heavy things around the stage. If I exhaust myself I might even manage more than six hours sleep that night.
Thursday, 17 April 2008
Odds and ends
The odds and ends that have to be done and can only be done at the last minute plagued the first part of yesterday’s rehearsal.
Jack Boskett (Photographer) was attempting to get some arty black and white shots of the cast to fill the boxes on the front of the theatre. Liz White (Costumes) was running around with an armful of waistcoats to match Peter Osborn’s (Bohr) suit. Martin Oakes (Lighting) and myself were trying to mark out where the edge of the stage will be with chairs to give the actors a better idea of the acting width. Sadly the rehearsal room isn’t nearly deep enough to mimic the staging area so they will have to get used to that at Monday’s Technical Rehearsal.
It’s frustrating. All the actors and I want to do at this point is rehearse the play: work on getting the speed up, polish the performances and get confident with the lines. However, the rest has to be done.
Today I went to do a pre-recorded interview for Radio Gloucestershire. Not something I would do voluntarily but it comes with the job. I book in and am told that the interview will be live on air. The Receptionist notices my immediate look of panic, checks and discovers that it is pre-recorded after all. Enormous relief. It’s going to take some careful editing to make me sound as though I know what I’m talking about unlike Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran (creators of TV wit such as Birds of a Feather), who are being interviewed first and are sitting very relaxed when I arrive. They go out live and are very good. Obviously they’ve done this a few times before.
Eloquence under pressure is not my strong point and curiously I’ve always found Copenhagen a difficult play to summarise. Perhaps it would be best to skip the next 15 minutes, they won’t be up there as highlights when I look back over my existence. Earnest-rabbit-caught-in-the-headlights-of-a-juggernaut sums the moment up nicely. I was planning to have a bath tomorrow morning when my moment airs.
The best news came from the workshop yesterday. Set construction is complete – thank you stage crew – and Helen will finish the artworking today. This means an evening off for all. Our families’ will remember what we look like!
Jack Boskett (Photographer) was attempting to get some arty black and white shots of the cast to fill the boxes on the front of the theatre. Liz White (Costumes) was running around with an armful of waistcoats to match Peter Osborn’s (Bohr) suit. Martin Oakes (Lighting) and myself were trying to mark out where the edge of the stage will be with chairs to give the actors a better idea of the acting width. Sadly the rehearsal room isn’t nearly deep enough to mimic the staging area so they will have to get used to that at Monday’s Technical Rehearsal.
It’s frustrating. All the actors and I want to do at this point is rehearse the play: work on getting the speed up, polish the performances and get confident with the lines. However, the rest has to be done.
Today I went to do a pre-recorded interview for Radio Gloucestershire. Not something I would do voluntarily but it comes with the job. I book in and am told that the interview will be live on air. The Receptionist notices my immediate look of panic, checks and discovers that it is pre-recorded after all. Enormous relief. It’s going to take some careful editing to make me sound as though I know what I’m talking about unlike Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran (creators of TV wit such as Birds of a Feather), who are being interviewed first and are sitting very relaxed when I arrive. They go out live and are very good. Obviously they’ve done this a few times before.
Eloquence under pressure is not my strong point and curiously I’ve always found Copenhagen a difficult play to summarise. Perhaps it would be best to skip the next 15 minutes, they won’t be up there as highlights when I look back over my existence. Earnest-rabbit-caught-in-the-headlights-of-a-juggernaut sums the moment up nicely. I was planning to have a bath tomorrow morning when my moment airs.
The best news came from the workshop yesterday. Set construction is complete – thank you stage crew – and Helen will finish the artworking today. This means an evening off for all. Our families’ will remember what we look like!
Wednesday, 16 April 2008
Calm before the storm
A week to go and I seem to be in a pleasant lull before the storm.
The set is well on track. I went in to assist last night and we made excellent progress. Only one last piece to build and Helen Critchley (Set Design) has started to artwork the finished sections. We might even have some nights off!
The real hard work will come on Sunday 20th when we move it all onto the stage. Get in day is always long, fraught and frantic. The Cast are going to escape any of this, as they will be having a line rehearsal in another part of the theatre with Sally Norman (Production Secretary).
At the moment, the maintenance crew are busy stripping the theatre ready for the refurbishment, which will start immediately after Copenhagen has finished. The seats will be ripped out while we clear the stage on Sunday 27th ready for the workmen to begin work on 28th. It’s been an opportunity to throw out junk that’s been unused but lovingly hoarded for years. At regular intervals a shopping trolley, piled high, passes by while we work. I didn’t know we possessed so much rubbish.
The programme went through its final proofread at the Box Office yesterday and is now being printed. As usual Paul Scott (Box Office Manager) and I set the theatre to rights while I was there. If the two of us could sort things out merely by talking about it we would be looking forward to a utopian future. He is a man with incredibly good sense. Any hope that we may be able to get in on Saturday, Paul?
Tonight we should have actors, costumes, photographer, lighting, and sound – a whole production team together for the first time. Also we will be running the play from beginning to end – up to now we have only been taking it one Act at a time. Should be an interesting evening.
The set is well on track. I went in to assist last night and we made excellent progress. Only one last piece to build and Helen Critchley (Set Design) has started to artwork the finished sections. We might even have some nights off!The real hard work will come on Sunday 20th when we move it all onto the stage. Get in day is always long, fraught and frantic. The Cast are going to escape any of this, as they will be having a line rehearsal in another part of the theatre with Sally Norman (Production Secretary).
At the moment, the maintenance crew are busy stripping the theatre ready for the refurbishment, which will start immediately after Copenhagen has finished. The seats will be ripped out while we clear the stage on Sunday 27th ready for the workmen to begin work on 28th. It’s been an opportunity to throw out junk that’s been unused but lovingly hoarded for years. At regular intervals a shopping trolley, piled high, passes by while we work. I didn’t know we possessed so much rubbish.
The programme went through its final proofread at the Box Office yesterday and is now being printed. As usual Paul Scott (Box Office Manager) and I set the theatre to rights while I was there. If the two of us could sort things out merely by talking about it we would be looking forward to a utopian future. He is a man with incredibly good sense. Any hope that we may be able to get in on Saturday, Paul?
Tonight we should have actors, costumes, photographer, lighting, and sound – a whole production team together for the first time. Also we will be running the play from beginning to end – up to now we have only been taking it one Act at a time. Should be an interesting evening.
Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Less than two weeks to go...
Now that the opening night is less than two weeks away the production and publicity issues that need to be dealt with dwarf the time I spend in rehearsal with the actors.
The programme was sent to Paul Scott at the Box Office for proofreading on Wednesday and the lengthy improvement plan he sent back was implemented. I then went to negotiate a quote with nice Liam at Print by Design who gave me a very reasonable deal. Any chance of a fiver off for the plug?
I paraded my ignorance about wardrobe in front of several costumiers in an attempt to resolve the ongoing difficulties. The ladies on the other end of the phone were very helpful and patient – rather as if they were talking to a deaf three year old. Ah the humiliation. And did we get anywhere? NO. But there is still time.
Set construction started on Thursday evening and I went down to paint. It’s very therapeutic to do some physical work to burn off the adrenaline and I was more relaxed as a result of doing something tangible for the play.
The programme was sent to Paul Scott at the Box Office for proofreading on Wednesday and the lengthy improvement plan he sent back was implemented. I then went to negotiate a quote with nice Liam at Print by Design who gave me a very reasonable deal. Any chance of a fiver off for the plug?
I paraded my ignorance about wardrobe in front of several costumiers in an attempt to resolve the ongoing difficulties. The ladies on the other end of the phone were very helpful and patient – rather as if they were talking to a deaf three year old. Ah the humiliation. And did we get anywhere? NO. But there is still time.
Set construction started on Thursday evening and I went down to paint. It’s very therapeutic to do some physical work to burn off the adrenaline and I was more relaxed as a result of doing something tangible for the play. The actors rehearsed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and are getting better all the time. They are working very hard and are very dedicated. On Friday we concentrated on the bits from both Acts that needed extra work and on speeding up the dialogue where it needs to be fast and punchy. There are large sections where the performances are wonderful: very funny and moving. Actors like to terrify themselves and the rest of us by only getting it together at the last possible moment. They will be great.
Wednesday, 9 April 2008
So much to do...
... so little time left. The posters and press releases are appearing which makes everything very real. The stress has probably knocked a few years off my life expectancy and I’m down to six hours of sleep if I’m lucky.
We have been playing with the budget since my last post. The set has had a redesign; it looks the same, will be just as beautiful but will cost a third of the price and be easier to build. Magic! The timber will be delivered to the theatre tomorrow and set construction will begin in the evening.
Lighting now has a bigger allowance to cover the haze machine that will allow beams of light to be seen rather like a laser through smoke. Martin promises that the contraption will be quiet, well behaved and smell-free unlike its big brother the smoke machine which hisses, chokes you and puts smoke almost anywhere except where you want it.
The programme is almost finished. I spent Sunday lunchtime writing a dummy’s guide to quantum mechanics and nuclear fission, which wasn’t enough to fill up the empty space on page 7. With half a page left I scratched around for a filler and decided to pop in some odds and ends that I had found when I researched the play way back at the beginning.
The battle to find costumes is about to commence this evening in earnest. For reasons I won’t go into this has been more difficult than it might appear. Only three actors in the play after all, how hard could it be? Hmm…
The loser this week in all this frantic activity has been my son, Owen, who had his 18th Birthday yesterday. We scraped something together on the weekend and took him out for a meal in the evening – before I took posters down to the theatre later and persuaded people to find them a home – but I have some making up to do.
Tuesday, 1 April 2008
Scripts down for the first time
A landmark occasion this evening: we ran Act 1 without scripts for the first time. Much chaos and humour ensued, but it was great to see the character interactions gain depth and the actors listening to each other. None of that happens from behind the barrier of a script. We plan to do the same on Wednesday and once the terror of being scriptless wears off a little the evening should run more smoothly.
However, the removal of the books also means the actor’s moves are gone as well. Martin Oakes (Lighting) was a confused person. He makes small diagrams of the actors’ positions on stage and where they move during the course of each page. The cast were wandering all over the place so concerned with remembering the lines that the correct moves were way beyond them. Martin’s rubber and pencil were worn out trying to keep up with them. It was tragic to watch, and worse knowing that he will be adjusting them back once the cast remember their moves as well as their lines.
However, the removal of the books also means the actor’s moves are gone as well. Martin Oakes (Lighting) was a confused person. He makes small diagrams of the actors’ positions on stage and where they move during the course of each page. The cast were wandering all over the place so concerned with remembering the lines that the correct moves were way beyond them. Martin’s rubber and pencil were worn out trying to keep up with them. It was tragic to watch, and worse knowing that he will be adjusting them back once the cast remember their moves as well as their lines.We are enjoying the last week of being in the theatre with another company. The Playhouse Company are staging Jack the Ripper at the moment and we have shared their rehearsal nights and enjoyed the camaraderie. Next week onwards we have the theatre entirely to ourselves, as we are the last production on before the theatre refit. It’s going to be very lonely; a Marie Celeste experience. If we’re lucky we may see some of the maintenance crew preparing for the alterations so that we don’t feel like the last people left on earth.
Monday, 31 March 2008
One month to go
We reached the only-one-month-to-go milestone on Easter Sunday. I couldn’t give the traditional exhortations expected from directors on the occasion and resisted the urge to do a mass email. I think that a suitable sense of urgency was setting in without my help.
On Wednesday Helen Critchley presented us with detailed plans for the set along with a small sample of the finish she will artwork onto the ‘ingots’ – decorative lattice-work walls which will back the platform areas. She is using glitter spray on top of a paint effect and the result looks superb and metallic. Last weekend she was colouring vast areas of gauze with black ink that will be used to back the lattices but still allow light through. The result will be gorgeous but Alan Compton (Stage Manager) and team will have a daunting amount of carpentry to do in a relatively short time.
This is a simple model of the set made in Lego and cereal packet cardboard. We're all children at heart. It comes in handy for moving the actors - I use lego traffic signs to represent them - and to discuss lighting.
Martin Oakes (Lighting) also sat in on Wednesday’s rehearsal and took notes. The actors confuse him by wandering into slightly different places as they are getting used to being a new, bigger rehearsal room. They have been accustomed to emoting with their faces pressed to a wall or mirror so the space is liberating and I can see what they’re doing at last. The room still isn’t as deep as the stage will be but it’s a huge improvement.
Tuesday, 18 March 2008
Piano Seranade
I arrived early as usual to stick down the cardboard set plan and surprised the theatre’s webmaster, John Roberts, practising on the piano. We compared piano-learning notes and we have discovered that we are both making slow progress having reached the level of our own incompetence. He serenaded me whilst I set up, which was a very pleasant way to start what turned out to be a productive rehearsal.
The breakfast props made another appearance to encourage a cosy, warm, good humoured opening scene between the Bohrs and we continued to work on developing that relationship. Jason Blackburn (Heisenberg) joined us later and the complete scenes were excellent - a real improvement. Keith, our prompt of the night, told me that it was much lighter and funnier than he had imagined from reading the script. This was welcome news and exactly what we’d been aiming at so I was delighted.
The night before I had had what can only be described as an anxious director’s dream: I was in the rehearsal room directing the cast of three when another character turned up to do his bit of the play. I couldn’t remember seeing him before, was certain I hadn’t auditioned him but he pointed out that his part was in a section of the play I had somehow overlooked. We had been working on the piece for months and nobody had told me. More actors arrived, this time in animal costumes - who were very rowdy and destructive – and the mysterious section was now several pages larger.
Fortunately the Copenhagen giraffes, horses and elephants will not be wreaking havoc except in my dreams. It’s really not that kind of play.
Sunday, 16 March 2008
More from the Director
Us ladies have been proving the weakest link over the last two weeks. Liz Maisey (Margrethe Bohr), Sally Norman (Production Secretary) and myself have all been struck down with the lurgy and have at one time or another lost our voices. In my case the cast were probably quietly rejoicing. However with Liz away, the men got my full attention and what was left of my voice so their jubilation didn’t last long.
In spite of the difficulties rehearsals have been going so well that we did our first run through of Act One this evening. Peter Osborn (Niels Bohr) has thrown down the gauntlet to the others by getting through the act without his script. He was distressed not to be totally word perfect, as he is in his kitchen at home; the rest of us were just impressed.
Considering that we have been concentrating on Act Two recently Act One was remarkably good. It is a bit of a plate-spinning act to keep a two and a half hour play progressing at the same rate. If you concentrate on one bit other areas go wobbly so you run round and round with never enough time. And of course this doesn’t stop because as everything improves you chase smaller and smaller details. Will they work with me again?
In spite of the difficulties rehearsals have been going so well that we did our first run through of Act One this evening. Peter Osborn (Niels Bohr) has thrown down the gauntlet to the others by getting through the act without his script. He was distressed not to be totally word perfect, as he is in his kitchen at home; the rest of us were just impressed.
Considering that we have been concentrating on Act Two recently Act One was remarkably good. It is a bit of a plate-spinning act to keep a two and a half hour play progressing at the same rate. If you concentrate on one bit other areas go wobbly so you run round and round with never enough time. And of course this doesn’t stop because as everything improves you chase smaller and smaller details. Will they work with me again?
Thursday, 6 March 2008
From the Director
Although we’ve been rehearsing since early January we only emerged from my kitchen on the 11th February into a rehearsal room. To mark the occasion, Sally Norman arranged a photo session with our production photographer, Jack Boskett.
He caught the inevitable blocking session; we were all getting used to the cardboard mock-up of the set and he probably took a lot of pictures of people looking at their feet and pointing at the floor with puzzled expressions. However here are some of the highlights (it proves we’re working, not drinking).
Has it been challenging so far? I think so. We have found the play hard to visualise and have had a couple of sessions trying some scenes out in more familiar settings – ‘in a pub’ and ‘at the breakfast table’ – to try to get away from the strangeness of a play set in some undefined afterlife. No photos of this sadly, but fun was had and it helped.
Am I pleased with progress so far? Yes indeed. I couldn’t ask for a more dedicated team who have had to put up with my endless tweaking and interference – even when I promise them I’m just going to let them run, I usually don’t. Some bits could go on stage now and be fabulous; other sections are more unfinished, but where it’s right I can see how fantastic the finished production will be. They are a great cast.
He caught the inevitable blocking session; we were all getting used to the cardboard mock-up of the set and he probably took a lot of pictures of people looking at their feet and pointing at the floor with puzzled expressions. However here are some of the highlights (it proves we’re working, not drinking).
Has it been challenging so far? I think so. We have found the play hard to visualise and have had a couple of sessions trying some scenes out in more familiar settings – ‘in a pub’ and ‘at the breakfast table’ – to try to get away from the strangeness of a play set in some undefined afterlife. No photos of this sadly, but fun was had and it helped.
Am I pleased with progress so far? Yes indeed. I couldn’t ask for a more dedicated team who have had to put up with my endless tweaking and interference – even when I promise them I’m just going to let them run, I usually don’t. Some bits could go on stage now and be fabulous; other sections are more unfinished, but where it’s right I can see how fantastic the finished production will be. They are a great cast.
Production Details
Performance Dates: Wednesday 23rd – Saturday26th April 2008
Presented by Deep End Theatre Company.
The Playhouse, Bath Road, Cheltenham
Box Office Hours 10:00am - 4:00 pm Mon - Fri
10:00am - 2:30 pm Saturday
Tel: 01242 522852
Performance start at 7.45 pm.
Matinée at 2:30pm 26th April
Tickets £8, £6 Concession (24th & 25th April)
Opening Night Offer: All Seats £5
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