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.
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.
Happy New Year!
2019 was a big one for The Green Room Productions. Being our 10 year anniversary we chose to start our season with the amazing (world premiere!) play Someone, Somewhere by Pat Davis. This was the true story of 22- year old Jessie Earl, who disappeared from her flat Eastbourne in 1980. She was a 'missing person' until 9 years later when her body was discovered hidden in dense undergrowth on Beachy Head. We worked with Pat and Jessie’s parents, John and Val, to bring this story to the stage. We all invested our hearts and souls into this production and we are incredibly proud and honoured to have produced a piece of theatre that impacted so many people in so many ways. It was a very moving experience for those onstage and off, and I know that those of us who were involved in the play will ever forget that time. When we collated all the emails, comments and letters we had received to give to John and Val, there were 10 A4 pages! We are hoping for some more news about Someone, Somewhere in 2020 so watch this space.
***** ‘Simply stunning’ *****’
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!...
Researching for our next production Spine by Clara Brennan made us wonder what exactly a community library is, and what value do they bring. We set up an interview with the lovely Kate Daly from Old Town Community Library in Eastbourne (only a stones throw from our theatre) and were quite humbled at the answer. We are going to split this blog into two, as every word is worth a read.
How does a community library vary from a council library?
A community library is either a registered charity or a community interest company, or even a charitable incorporated organisation. We don’t get any funding so we had to become self- funding. In 2002, we were one of the first community libraries in the whole country. So we've been doing it a long time.
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.
