Open Rehearsal for Hansel and Gretel

Today we enter our final week of rehearsals before the curtain goes up on Hansel and Gretel's run at the Tobacco Factory. Today Elke arrived, the Company Stage Manager. Today the skeleton of the set has been moved into the theatre space where we are working for the first time. Today it seem things are coming together and we're feeling a little tingly with anticipation. And today, is an 'open rehearsal' ...hang on, what does that even mean?
Well, apparently, it's when the Tobacco Factory open their door's wide to welcome 30 or so unsuspecting individuals into the rehearsal room. Just an ordinary day in rehearsal amidst Carly's cussing, Unai's bad smells, and Mia's harassing jujitsu moves. For us, one of the biggest challenges has been to transfer Hansel and Gretel from its original end-on blocking to create new perspectives for an audience in the round. Its important to keep the action moving to hit as many sight-lines as possible but when you're carrying a double bass and singing, or manipulating small movements on a puppet, this suddenly seems a lot harder! So today we can play to people instead of empty chairs and that's when the real fun begins...








Posted by Fiona, assistant director on Hansel and Gretel at Tobacco Factory
-
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Hansel and Gretel - starting rehearsals in Bristol

On Monday we began rehearsals in Bristol for Hansel and Gretel which is playing at the Tobacco Factory Theatre from 5 December (click here for Tobacco Factory Theatre's website).

We had a full rehearsal room with  the wonderful Carly Davis, Mia Hawk, Rew Lowe, Unai Lopez de Armentia and Steffi Muelller performing in the show (Steffi is also Set Designer and Carly is Musical Director), Chris Swain as Production Manager, Anna Barrett as Lighting Designer, Alex directing, Fiona Mikel as Assistant Director  and Rich Rusk as Associate Director. Elke is arriving a couple of weeks later as she is currently touring with Tales from a Sea Journey.

Chris even labelled up the mugs  so everyone has their own one for the run.

After marking up the rehearsal room at Sound Works, Alex got stuck into the start of the show and planning how everyone could enter the theatre, play music and start the story off.

Cat Moore (Producer)

more music from Peterborough

This is a song we made about the kinds of jobs you might do...


listen to ‘PAYE’ on Audioboo

I taught Kieran how to play the ukulele and we wrote songs about jobs, the future and what we want to be when we grow up. Alex got infuriated by our visions of the future which involved 15ft robots, Richard Branson's head in a jar, the human race living in space and chickens on an egg ship. He was annoyed that Elvis isn't dead and also by my wanting to invent a money tree.
(Carly Davis)




I taught Carly how to teach someone how to play the ukulele. We been laying our heads in Peterborough for the last few days, discussing what we wanted to be when we grew up. We were then asked to talk about what the future had in store (see above) and failed to convince Alex about our visions. I feel as if I've gone so far into the future in my mind that I'm now back in the past...figure that out Stephen Hawkins!!!!! (Kieran Edwards)




Maybe it was the wrong question? I found out that both Kieran and Carly have very odd apocalyptic visions of the future that make almost no sense. But then if that's how you feel..... I found out that most propels are not optimistic about the future of humanity but quite optimistic about their own future. And a played the ukulele. (Alex Byrne)




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Saint Peters Road,Peterborough,United Kingdom

And some answers from Carly

I will be EVERYTHING questions

We have been trying to work out what kind of questions we want to ask of the young people that we will work with.

here are some of our answers:

Kieran:

Some silly songs

We have been working a bit on some simple songs for I will be EVERYTHING:

listen to ‘In the future’ on Audioboo

I will be EVERYTHING

We are working today at Chauffeur's Cottage, the new venue run by Metal in Peterborough.




We are right at the start of the project so I am not quite sure what to day about it yet except that we are looking at dreams about the future. We have been talking about our childhood thoughts about what we would be when we grew up.





Kieran said: Police man (the same as Ivan Cutting from Eastern Angles)

Carly said: Bin Man because you got to ride on the back of the truck.

Alex said: Navy Officer (he grew up Portsmouth)

And about the best and worst jobs that we have had.

Kieran: Working in a Garden Centre

Carly: telesales

Alex: Cake factory in Midhurst.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Saint Peters Road,Peterborough,United Kingdom

'I Will Be EVERYTHING' kicks off in Peterborough

So this November 5th sees Alex, Kieran and Carly embarking on the first day of R&D for a brand new piece over in Peterborough...'I Will Be EVERYTHING'.

We are very excited to be back in Peterborough and working with Vivacity and the Key Theatre, as we had a wonderful time there in 2010 creating and performing 'Tales from the Middle of Town', which saw a large disused shopping unit in the town centre transformed into a magical theatre installation.

This new show, 'I Will Be EVERYTHING' is very much in its infancy, but will challenge children to imagine their (and our) future.  What will you be?  What will it be like? What do you want to do? We'll be workshopping in community venues and schools next year, but for now it's up to Alex, Kieran and Carly to get started on some ideas...check out this link to twitter to see a picture of Carly and Kieran starting their day in Peterborough!

https://twitter.com/NIEtheatre

SC