Crate Expectations

Week 16 - 333 days to opening night

So what do you do if you have no wing space. None. Zilch. De Nada. And you need wing space to store props/scenery? Weelllll my friends, one option is to store the stuff on stage in plain sight and make it part of the show. Yeah, on stage - in front of everyone. I'm thinking through the option of  having crates on stage through out the production - which can store props etc in and become chairs or tables when needs be. The only problem is that they do have to be off stage when the big dance numbers are doing their thang. Hmmm. Will have to think about it. There's definitely an answer in there somewhere...

Also been looking at sorting myself out for next year as well - March onwards is pretty much blocked out for rehearsals, but its working out how much work I have to do this side of xmas, and keep my work-life-production balance in check. I think it's looking possible without pissing off any loved ones/friends/bosses and keeping my full time job at the same time. We'll see. Xmas is looking busy workwise, and we're also putting a on fundraiser show for Mack and Mabel which I've agreed to co-direct/assist Simon Leaton (HCP Member and M&M blog follower) in putting on a one act during the evening, the second half of the evening is choral stuff, I believe - don't know much at the moment as we have our first production meeting on the 3rd Sept (exactly a year on from Happy As A Sandbag ironically).

Must learn to say 'no' in my next life.... 

Neil 

St-st-st-studio

Week 16 - 336 days to opening night

The show spends a lot of time in the Sennett studio, so I thought it might be worth looking at a back drop/set for that this evening. It may be a physical set, it may be a projection, who knows (I sure as hell don't). Not much else to report as there's too much else going on in lots of other non-M&M related areas. 

Ah'm as busy as a busy, busy bee 'an no mistake.

Neil 

...ertaeht eht ot kcaB

Week 16 - 339 days to opening night

Four months gone this week. Eleven to go.

This is the back/derriere of the Regent Theatre, and the Foyer for the uninitiated...

Neil 

Advertising by stealth.

Week 15 - 343 days to opening night

Today was our first appearance in the local am-dram magazine 'Scene One' - albeit in a stealth-like way. The article is about HCPs donations to charity and in particular one member Malcolm who donated one of his kidneys to his then 4 week old son (the man is one amazing, selfless human being) and HCP have given some money so that Archie (his little one) can attend a special games event for all organ donors.

The picture accompanying the article is of Georgina giving Malcolm the cheque from HCP, and they're in front of the M&M banner we did for the Summer show.

I (**you will buy tickets for M&M**) don't think (**you will buy tickets for M&M**) there's anything (**you will buy tickets for M&M**) wrong with (**you will buy tickets for M&M**) subliminal (**you will buy tickets for M&M**) advertising.

Neil (**you will buy tickets for M&M**)

I'm stuffed....

Week 15 - 344 days to opening night

More graphicky stuff. No explanation required, reeelly. Just, y'know 'stuff'.

Rhymes with 'fluff'.

Neil

Something old and something I can't tell you about...

Week 15 - 344 days to opening night

It’s been an evening of doing Mack and Mabel stuff...but I can’t tell you what it was. I could, but I’d have to kill you. (Note to self: when threatening someone with death DON’T write it on the internet where it can used in the subsequent trial as evidence. Naughty Neil. Naughty.)

Anyways it’s been very productive...but I can’t tell you how productive. I could, but I’d have to kill you....you get the picture. Need to keep a few things under wraps for the show. But what I did find was my old Mack and Mabel stuff from Autumn 2004 when I made a 'false start' on the show - so it just shows 5 years ago I was looking at having an animation over the overture. Can't remember why I stopped work on the show - I think it was to work on Smokey Joes Cafe. But anyhoo, 5 years later it's happening....

Neil

Just write right is left, right?

Week 15 - 345 days to opening night

I've been threatening it for a while and here it is: stage directions for the uninitiated. Long story short - the stage is sectioned off into 9 (sometimes 15) areas which allows the director to tell an actor where to move roughly (a bit like chess, only with more Queens). All moves are from the audiences POV - so to the actor right is left and left is right - confused?

Upstage is moving away from the audience, towards the back of the stage. 

Downstage is moving towards the audience, towards the front of the stage.  

Stage Right is moving towards the Left (as the audience will see the actor moving right - they are viewing you from the opposite direction)  

Stage Left is moving towards the Right.  

Cross is crossing the stage to a predetermined position. 

An example in a prompt book might look like: "X (cross) DSL to DSC (down stage centre), X US (upstage), and out (exit) SR (stage right). 

There. Piece of cake. Next week I'll be explaining blackholes, and how to bend the space time continuum for financial gain.

Neil

Ice to see you, to see you ice...

Week 14 - 347 days to opening night

Another peripheral idea - Old tyme cinema usherettes in the auditorium during the interval selling ice creams/nuts and programmes pre-show etc. S'gotta be done, hasn't it.

However, I don't think our usherettes uniforms should be quite as tight as the breast-fixated illustrator has done for the image above...mind you if it gets more tickets sold...

Neil

Oh for Pete's sake....

Week 14 - 347 days to opening night

Unrelated but related news this morning to the production - if that makes sense - with the announcement that Pete Whitaker (Our production manager extraordinare) is directing the HCP Pantomime in January 2010. In a completely impartial way I think it's a perfect choice - I have no idea who else was up for it to be honest - but Pete's always proved himself incredibly organised on the production side of things and good at coming up with staging ideas when he's acting.

I don't think most people in HCP realise quite how much Pete does in the background to be honest. There's always a core in any am-dram group of a few people who do most/all of the work, and right in the centre of that group is Pete working away for little or no thanks - and he doesn't go looking for it either. So it's great that he'll be able to do something that is completely his and get the recognition for it. Hurrah for Pedro.

Feely rather paternal and proud for him.

But...having said all that he ain't got friggin clue what nightmare of biblical proportions is about to descend on him. F**kin' idiot. That's a joke Pete, a joke. (**whispers** no it isn't)

Neil

Stand and deliver....

Week 14 - 349 days to opening night

You may have blinked and missed it, but the sun was out today. No, seriously it was. That fleeting strange ball of fire in the sky was the sun. Ask your grandparents if you don't believe me, they'll remember what it looks like. It's gone now, obviously, but reminded me that I needed to sort out something for the various outdoor publicity pushes we'll do next Summer. 

For 'Happy As A Sandbag' (2008) the cast went around with Swing Unlimited Big Band to large events (like Highcliffe Castle, for example) and sang to publicise the show - we had a stand with us for those events. And likewise I expect we'll be out again next spring/summer at certain events publicising the show. Hence the need for an outdoor stand.

So next year we'll be out in force, on some village green, at a carnival, in some field - but then we always were 'outstanding in our field'. Ba boom tish, I thang you. No, you stop it. No, you. (...You've no idea how hard it was to crowbar that  joke into this posting)

Neil

Poster-ity from the 1910/1920s

Week 14 - 351 days to opening night

Mack Sennett posters from the time frame of the musical including 'Molly O' which is part of the plot. Thinkin' I might do pastiches of these for hanging in the foyer during the 2010 panto. Be a lot of work to get right though...

Neil

This is just the pits....

Week 14 - 352 days to opening night

Hamlet's done. Dusted. Finished. The rest is silence (that's your actual quote right there, yessiree).

So work on Mack and Mabel officially starts this week. And just in case I talk luvvy/techie gibberish for the next few weeks we'll start with the very basics of the Regent stage, then we'll move on to specifics and finally technical bits. So here's a pretty picture showing you where the very basics of the stage are - so when I burble on about the Cyc cloth, it's the big white cloth at the back, or mention the pit - it's the bit in front of the stage where the orchestra lives. Etcetera, etcetera....

Yes, contain yourself. It is pant-wettingly exciting, isn't it. Next up is explaining upstage, downstage, stage left, the meaning of life and the offside rule...

Neil

Unexpected guests....

Week 13 - 356 days to opening night

Oh sh*t. Pete Whitiker's just sent out an email about this blog. Oooo, better tidy up the place if we're expecting some cyber guests. **sound of cyber-vacuuming** Plump a few virtual cushions. Set out the cyber-nibbles. Tum te tum.  There. 

Just turn down the virtual lighting, put a little mood music on...

**sound of Sade's Smooth Operator**

**ding dong**

Ah, wilkommen, bienvenue and welcome to our little blog-ette. DO come in. Yes, this rain is awful, isn't it. Hors D'oeuvre?

Neil

Back on the dating scene...

Week 13 - 356 days to opening night

Starting to work on a very basic schedule now - the boring drudgery of working out rehearsal dates, audition dates, and the rehearsal schedule (what to rehearse on each night and in what room)...

HCP is gearing up for the Panto now which takes place in January. So M&M auditions will probably be the end of Feb/early March to give people a bit of a rest before we launch into rehearsals in March. Usually we have a 3 or 3 1/2 month rehearsal period, but with this one we're probably going to give ourselves an extra month as some bits will be quite complicated. So about 4 1/2 months, twice a week. Even that is nothing compared to some other groups - one local group has a 7 month rehearsal period.

The rehearsal schedule is usually quite complicated trying to accommodate holidays etc and I've always rehearsed shows using 2 or 3 rooms simultaneously - in one room George will be teaching a dance, in another the MD will be doing harmonies, and in the final room I'm taking people for the acting - bit of a logistical nightmare to sort out, but once it's up and running it really helps. If you think about it - in one evening using 3 rooms you've tripled your rehearsal time. So a 3 month rehearsal period using this month becomes more like 6 months (factoring in that you can't always make the 3 room system work and for the last month/6weeks everyone is together running the show). The downside is you have to constantly run between three rooms all evening...

So basically my eyes are glazing over looking at dates and calendars. I'd rather grate my testicles off than work this all out, but hey once it's done it's done. Scheduling is right up there with Radio Mic rotas for fun things to do (that's sarcasm by the way just in case you hadn't twigged :) ).

Neil

Zzzzzzzzzzz

Week 13 - 358 days to opening night

Too. Tired. To. Wri....

Neil

The rest is silence, Horatio...

Week 13 - 359 days to opening night

God I'm knackered. 1 more week of Hamlet and it's all over. I've really enjoyed it - how many people get the opportunity to play the lead in Hamlet - but I'll be so glad when the last show rolls round on Friday. I'm battered and bruised to buggery I can tell you...

All this means that I start on Mack and Mabel officially next week - all the prelim work is done and now it's doing the fun bit putting the show together, and being a bit creative with the staging. Usually I hold back on shows, particularly on the more outlandish ideas, because I think that we realistically can't do it - some get through like a man dropping from the grid and parachuting onto the stage - but in the main 90% gets put aside. Not in this show though - I've decided 'f*ck it, lets just be as creative as we can' and it's the right show for it. 

Anyway all this meandering is getting to the point that I found an excellent 'clever staging' show that is in keeping with where I'm heading - 'The 39 steps' a comedy version based on the movie - looks brilliant. Might just rip off the whole thing.....;). Sorry, I didn't mean 'rip off' I meant 'emulate' if any lawyers are reading....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJhOL0_mbCQ

Neil

Orchid Rooms

Week 12 - 361 days to opening night

A few hours to myself today - which is a miracle at the mo - and did I use it wisely? No. Worked on M&M and the Orchid Room Scene. I'm trying to use props and scenery in different formats in different scenes. Not sure if it's working....

Neil