11 replies to this topic

[Rachel Rose]

The theatre, the theatre. I love the theatre!

I thought how lovely it would be to have a place for contemplation and critique of performances we've seen. I don't think this has been done. I find plays exhilarating! Tonight Thomas and I are attending a production of Daphne DuMaurier's The Birds in the Black Box theatre at The Guthrie. I am excited. In two weeks I return to the Guthrie to see Joe Dowling's direction of Time Stands Still. I will return Saturday morning to post my thought on The Birds. I love the story. And the Hitchcock movie. Tippi Hedren attended the opening performance at the Guthrie, which is quite cool. As a class we visited the costume shop, sound shop, scene shop and met actors and others who have contributed to both productions.

I am thinking of attending one performance at The Globe while in London.

Please tell me about your experiences. Have you visited The Globe? What did you see? What are some of your favorite plays? Have you ever acted? What about live theatre thrills you?

[spannz15]

I went to the globe with school to see midsummer nights dream and loved it. I thought i'd hate it and I didn't. Probably helped that it was a boiling day and I was half making notes, half sun tanning. Much more fun then a normal lesson. But it was really well done and the fairy's wore the most amazing sparkly winged converse I have ever seen. That made it into my essay.

I did drama a level and enjoyed it. For my final piece we did one flew over the cuckoos nest and I got cast as macmurphy which was fun. I thought about joining the Nottingham arts theater and helping out in a few amateur productions but never got round to it. I like my sports too much and they take up most of my free time.

I try and go to the theater as much as I can but i'm always so skint and the cinema is like 3 quid so that often wins I'm afraid, however I did go and see The Lion King in January and it was amazing!

[Mr Phil]

The Globe is BRILLIANT.  But make sure you book ahead, it gets booked out very quickly for the time you'll be here.  Having said that, you can just turn up early and get returns if you're happy to stand in the yard for the performance.

Also, this summer they are inviting loads of groups from different countries to put Shakespeare on, many in their own language.

[Rachel Rose]

The Globe has Taming of the Shrew listed in August!

One of my favorites. *tingles*

[David.]

This is a fantastic idea for a thread Rachel!

Everything about live theatre thrills me. I love trying to work out how it's being done. I love trying to ignore how it's being done. I love the silence, the tension and the awe. I love huge, showy musicals. I adore minimalist realism. I like nothing more than talent-spotting on understudy nights and the West End makes me patriotic to the same extent that international sport makes me completely apathetic. I've acted once or twice but it's not really for me - I'm not very good at it and I'm not particularly comfortable doing it. Instead, I'm a dedicated watcher and critic. I probably go to the theatre far more often than I should as a student and my parents are always nagging me about wasting my money but to be honest there's nowhere I'd rather spend the left-over money from my earnings.

I've recently started working as a volunteer usher at a theatre that had to make all of its ushers redundant due to government cuts. If it was paid, it might well be the best job ever. Fire safety regulations demand a certain ratio of ushers to patrons in the house at all times and for this reason I am not legally not allowed to leave the house. I'd be in breach of the law if I didn't watch the entire performance - is there a better job than that? (Also, cast warm-ups while we're preparing to open the house are generally hilarious and black-out checks are a great opportunity to sneak up on people). One brilliant performance I've seen in this role was Mogadishu which has sadly just closed back where it started at The Lyric Hammersmith in London but will hopefully see a revival at some point over the next few years.

I haven't visited The Globe yet (something I plan to remedy) but I did see the Royal Shakespeare Company's touring cast perform an open-air performance of As You Like It at a stately home in Sussex last year which was absolutely fantastic and I recommend seeing anything put on by the RSC. They're touring Hamletthis year (amongst others) and I'm desperate to go again. My favourite Shakespeare has to be either As You Like It (purely due to the quality of that production) or Henry V.

[Rachel Rose]

I love Shakespeare, David. (ALL of what you wrote was interesting but I choose to comment on the Bard!) I noticed at school today that the local Shakespeare & Company theater is auditioning for the summer season and I believe I'll try to put myself into that mix! I just rewrote  modern play into a Morality play. We perform that on Wednesday night. But, S & C are doing Merry Wives. They are also presenting Tartuffe. I'd like to act in a Molière. The productions are weekends only beginning June 30th and ending August 5th. I'd miss the last weekend. That might be problematic. I shall see. I have to prepare two classical pieces, one of them WS, bring two copies of my acting resume and a head shot. Cool. And, there are no paid roles. They can't afford it. Hopefully, that will rule out any divas.


Also, The Birds. Hmm. I should never read a story before I attend a rewrite. The set design was excellent, the acting great, the lighting and sound superb. I just hated the script. It was awful. But, I went in with expectations. They were dashed upon the jagged rocks of flabbergastery. I don't care that flabbergastery isn't a real word.  The Birds rewrite completely sucked puss-filled vesicles.


We do get to see Time Stands Still next week at the Guthrie. Hope springs eternal.

[David.]

Rachel Rose, on 09 April 2012 - 08:30 PM, said:

It was awful. But, I went in with expectations. They were dashed upon the jagged rocks of flabbergastery

This is what I love about ushering. Nine times out of ten I don't know anything about the play I'm walking in to. It's much more interesting!

[Rachel Rose]

GJ Dandy David, on 09 April 2012 - 09:06 PM, said:

This is what I love about ushering. Nine times out of ten I don't know anything about the play I'm walking in to. It's much more interesting!

The theater at school uses only volunteer ushers. I never have time. Which is a shame.

I wish I hadn't known about The Birds. It would have been a novelty that way.

[David.]

I've just discovered Henry V is on as part of the summer season. My dreams of going to The Globe shall finally be realised!

[Rachel Rose]

GJ Dandy David, on 10 April 2012 - 04:51 PM, said:

I've just discovered Henry V is on as part of the summer season. My dreams of going to The Globe shall finally be realised!

Good! It's about time. All those theaters and you've missed The Globe.   



My audition is this Saturday.

Eeeek!

And, yay!


But mostly eeek. Yeah.

[Rachel Rose]

In an email, S & C said they really like me. They also said that because I can't be there for every weekend, they are choosing other actors who can be. They also said to watch for auditons next spring and be sure to attend! Cool.



I could cancel my trip to the UK and be in Shakespeare this summer.




Hmmm.




Um...
























































NOT!

[Rachel Rose]

Time Stands Still was required reading for Theatre. I really disliked reading this play. It only made me angry and woeful. I didn't think the play would be any improvement.

It was. Seeing actors draw out the characters helped me to better understand the nuances that aren't easily gleaned when reading.

The set, lighting, costumes and direction were terrific. Joe Dowling knows what he's doing.

The actors were brilliant.

The plot still had me fuming in places, but at least I laughed once or twice watching rather than reading.

When actors and director can solidify the script into a clarified whole, theater going is much better than play reading.