TheGRP

Off To Buy An Orange Afro Wig ...

Off To Buy An Orange Afro Wig ...

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.

Don't Mention Macbeth!

Don't Mention Macbeth!

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.

What Good Is Sitting Alone In Your Room?

What Good Is Sitting Alone In Your Room?

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.

It’s All Greek To Me …..

It’s All Greek To Me …..

Theatre was invented in Greece, and so naturally there are many theatre-related words that find their origins in Greek. Our blog today looks at 6 of these words and where they began.

THEATRE
Greek Word:  theasthai
Greek Meaning:  to behold

The Greek theatres were large, open-air structures constructed on the slopes of hills. They consisted of three principal elements: the orchestra, the skene, and the audience. Behind the orchestra was a large rectangular building called the skene (meaning "tent" or "hut").  The skene was literally a tent or hut, put up for the religious festival and taken down when it was finished. Later, the skene became a permanent stone structure. These structures were sometimes painted to serve as backdrops, hence the English word scenery.

You Never Forget A Good Teacher – And One Of Mine Has Shaped My Life.

You Never Forget A Good Teacher – And One Of Mine Has Shaped My Life.

When I started secondary school my drama teacher immediately recognised my passion for the theatre and acting. During my time there she allowed me to take part in school productions (earlier than I should have done), she opened my young eyes to live theatre, she encouraged me, pushed me and let me hang out in the drama department.  When I was 14 she took us to the National Theatre and I fell in love with the place - a love affair that still continues today. We returned there frequently throughout my school years and I saw some wonderful plays.  Forty years later I still have clear vivid memories of some of those productions.  She even arranged for us to interview some of the actors - no idea how she managed that!...

A Year In The Making ... Someone, Somewhere.

A Year In The Making ... Someone, Somewhere.

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.

An evening with Holocaust survivor Dorit Oliver Wolff

An evening with Holocaust survivor Dorit Oliver Wolff

Meeting Holocaust survivor Dorit Oliver Wolff was a fascinating but shocking experience for everyone at Green Room Productions.  Dorit was a wonderful character and speaker who considered herself to be a survivor of the Holocaust rather than a victim.  Despite her strong European accent, when people ask her where she is from, she says ‘Eastbourne’ and has the attitude that when her phone beeps at night and wakes her up, it is a good thing because it shows her she’s not dead.  Here is her extraordinary tale.