Five Kinds of Silence by Shelgah Stephenson started its life as an award-winning radio play that first aired in 1997. She then adapted it for the stage, and in May 2000 it had its debut at the Lyric Hammersmith in London. The cast included Gina McKee, Lizzy McInnery, Linda Bassett, Dione Inman, Gary Whitaker and the wonderfully immortal Tim Pigott-Smith in the cast. The tone of the piece is often lyrical, particularly from the revenant ‘animal Billy’ ('the tarmac road made my dog teeth tingle")
My love for Neil Simon started as a youngster. I was off school with Asthma and ‘Barefoot In The Park’ was showing on television and even though it was, what I considered, an ‘old’ film, I loved every minute of it. That love affair with his work continues until today. He had the very rare talent of being able to make you roar with laughter one minute and the next have you crying into your tissue. He was an exceptional, insightful playwright.
I have been really enjoying the new series of Talking Heads on the BBC. The first series was aired in 1988 with Alan Bennett in A Chip in the Sugar, Patricia Routledge in A Lady of Letters, Maggie Smith in Bed Among the Lentils, Stephanie Cole in Soldiering On, Julie Walters in Her Big Chance and the wonderful Thora Hird in A Cream Cracker under the Settee. I remember watching these and being totally enthralled. In 1998 the second series was aired with some of the same cast playing different roles Patricia Routledge in Miss Fozzard Finds Her Feet, Eileen Atkins in The Hand of God, David Haig in Playing Sandwiches, Julie Walters in The Outside Dog, Penelope Wilton in Nights in the Gardens of Spain and Thora Hird in Waiting for the Telegram. When they were first published I remember appearing in and directing the odd one or two here and there. I even have a dusty old copy of the scripts on my bookshelf but haven’t revisited them in a good few years.
Back in early February, just a few weeks before the world turned upside down, the lovely Simone Stewart interviewed me for her podcast ‘How to Adult’. She says she started this podcast because at, aged 25: “I am trying to dig my way out of a quarter-life crisis. I've realised that burying my head in the sand (no matter how deep I go) doesn't actually help, but talking to people about their experiences, really does! Here, on How to Adult, I’ll be talking to different people about their quarter-life journey's and hearing some incredible stories along the way. I'm hoping that we can learn, laugh and get through this together! I mean, does anyone really know how to adult?”
It’s hardly surprising that in these difficult times when people are trying all sorts to keep themselves entertained, we theatrical types are turning to the theatre to help us. In fact, we have found that engaging in play readings over video call is so helpful, so much fun and such a nice way to spend time together while apart that we wanted to recommend it to our followers as a great lockdown activity.
Here are the things we think are so good about it:
Not only is play reading great fun, because you really have to concentrate on it, it means you can’t think about anything else so it provides a great escape from everything that’s going on. Our gang have had a great time reading comedies to make them laugh but also very absorbing serious plays that give them something different to think about.
Producing a play is not just about the actors, we have to think about the set, the soundscape, costumes, the lighting and the props. Each of these elements is as important as the other, and a successful production will have a great artistic team working tirelessly behind the scenes with the director.
Some playwrights (and directors - and I personally hold my hand up to this) like to task huge complex challenges for the companies producing their plays, with difficult sets, extraordinary props, flamboyant costumes and complicated lighting effects & soundscapes.
These are shortened and much more condensed descriptions of what were, at times, heart-stopping theatrical nightmares! Each one of these situations was eventually overcome and - thank goodness - solved without the audience suspecting a thing. But for those of us backstage, on stage, or out front we all gained a few more grey hairs on those days.
I am 100% sure there is no ‘good way’ to give this kind of news to anyone involved in the theatre. There never seems to be time to even fully digest what you have just been told because as soon as the news is delivered a plan has to be made (usually extremely quickly) as to how to combat the issue. The time to fall apart is post-show in the bar. But maybe the blow would be softened by some of these gorgeous baby animals delivering the news. What do you think?
When I look at the props list of a forthcoming play and I see that it has some rather unusual props on it, I actually get quite excited about the challenge. However, Steve Darvill - a member of our company who quite often helps to source the props - will probably say his heart sinks! Over the last two or three years it seems that a number of our productions have contained unusual props. We have had to hunt for some quite bizarre items - but more of that in another blog. Our next production, Breeders (What’s On in Eastbourne), certainly has some ‘weird and wacky’ props. The play centres around Santa Lucia Day and I was intrigued to see that Saffrons Buns were included on the list. Having no idea what they were I hopped over to Google to find out more and ended up delving further into the subject than I first anticipated. So, for all you bun lovers out there (said the actress to the bishop) read-ahead!...
I had decided to blog about the history of ‘theatrical superstitions’ this week, the ones that most people have heard of, not whistling in a dressing room, not saying ‘Macbeth’ in the theatre etc., but little did I know the weird and wonderful world I was going to delve into. It turns out there are many more superstitions I hadn’t heard of that quite frankly made me laugh.
Last week I went to the Hawth Theatre in Crawley see the 2019 tour of Cabaret directed by National Theatre Director Rufus Norris. It is one of my all-time favourite musicals, and on my ‘Director’s Bucket List’ to produce one day. I was quite literally blown away by this production! I have seen Cabaret produced professionally many, many times but this version shot to my number one spot in an instant. The choreography was second to none and totally awe-inspiring, the set and costumes perfect, the cast outstanding (John Partridge gave an excellent performance as the Emcee) and the lighting was superb. If you are a fan of the show it is well worth a weekend trip away to see it, I’ll put the remaining dates and venues at the end of this blog.
On 1st November 2009 I formed The Green Room Productions. Our first play was The Collector, based on the book by John Fowles and set in Lewes. It was a two-hander starring Tim Bond and Leah Mooney. Leah is still an integral, and founding, member of the company - these days you will find her in our tech box, lighting our productions.
My first task was to find us a venue. The (then) Headmaster of Willingdon Community School along with the drama teacher very kindly allowed us to use their school drama studio to perform and rehearse in. We cannot thank their staff enough for the support and generosity they gave us in those early days, which enabled the company to grow and flourish.
During our last production of Spine I was asked a few times what the role of the Director is. The answer is that it can vary from company to company, but in The Green Room Productions it goes something like this:
As the Director, when I read a great play it captures my imagination. Usually the story visually unfolds in my head and if I can see it working well on our stage I will decide to produce it.
The next step is to cast the play. The Green Room Productions has a pool of very talented actors so I will try to cast from them. If this isn't possible then I will hold auditions to find other actors to suit the roles.
Why do you like acting and what do you think you gain from it?
Theatre has always been one of my biggest loves. Being on stage and telling someone else’s story to an interested audience is an amazing experience. Observing the impact after the end of a play really solidifies in my head why I love acting. It can have such an effect and really brings people together. I have made so many amazing friends through acting over the years.
How do you feel taking on a one-woman play, and what do you think is the biggest challenge?
That time is here again - the madness that is pre-show week.
The last two weeks before any production are pretty hectic as every aspect of the play comes together. All members of the company are running around putting the final tweaks to their particular role, and in general preparing for the get-in. The actors are all in a state of panic that the lines and cues they have spent weeks learning won’t escape them, and for me the Producer, I have to make sure that no fish has escaped the net, and everyone is set to go.
THE TRUTH BEHIND THE TEATOWEL
Come Christmas there are always those cynics who decry infant nativities as pointless charades, championed only by hypocrites seeking to inoculate themselves against hedonism with a brief intravenous of 'meaning'. What lessons, they ask, are to be learned in the modern age from plodding formation of a tableaux by kids trying to work out what a 'virgin's womb' is and how not to 'abhor' it. The answer is 'numerous and trenchant' lessons for all concerned; not in the table itself but rather in the telling.
What is your theatrical background?
I have been acting since I was knee-high to a Grasshopper. At the ripe old age of 24, I managed to gain a place at a drama school in London and train professionally. Deciding quite early on after leaving the school that the professional side was not for me, I took my learned skills and acted and directed my way up to eventually starting my own theatre company in 2009.
