Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Busy, busy, busy.

 

Pantomime Cartoon Cards

This month flies past in the run up to Christmas and the New Year, so I am only going to post today to wish everyone a joyful run up to the holiday season, and “Break A Leg” to all those enjoying pantomime performances.

Oh and of course, A Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year to all.

**The Drama Queen's Drawers will be taking orders for second class posting up until 18^th December, and for Special Delivery until noon on 21^st December 2012

Tips for actors

Just a quick drop in today with an article that appeared in The Guardian newspaper on Wednesday 28th November 2012.

here is the link : click here

An interesting look at what professional actors think that amateurs need to know. A follow up to the programme on Sky Arts which features a competition to find the best amateur company.

Nation's Best Am Dram continues on Sky Arts 1 on 5 December at 9pm.

Are you watching it? What do you think of the programme?Please add a comment.

Annie Get Your Gun - (3)

Gifts for Annie Get your Gun

There are some similarities with Oklahoma! for gifts for this show, although there is more emphasis on the cowboys and indians aspect of the Wild West Show of the time.

Cowboys : toy guns, rope lariats, western shoelace ties with decorative fasteners, cowboy hats, boots etc., Native American beaded jewellery, tomahawks and peace pipes.

from The Drama Queen's Drawers you can get pin badges and keyrings in the shape of guns and boots.

Drama mask badges, keyrings, etc, to represent Show Business

Love tokens such as can be found in our “Themes” “love” category

And funny greetings cards to add to your gift 

cartoon card

 

Annie Get Your Gun - 2

One of our range of cartoon cards

One of the fun things (and perhaps also the most awkward from a health and safety point of view) is that doing this show is like playing cowboys and indians, with lots of gunplay and dressing up. Depending on your wardrobe capability you can include full native American chieftain head dresses, medicine man costumes, squaws and braves etc as well as cowboys with chaps, buckskins, and six shooters with gunbelts and holsters. 

Gunshot sound effects and sharp shooter targets, trick knife throwing targets, all things to give your stage crew nightmares or lots of fun depending on their mindset! How to shoot the bird from Dolly Tate's hat without being able to actually shoot it? To make it look real? Or perhaps for her to exit into the wings in order to react as though it has happened.....how inventive can you be?

There are also many opportunites for tricks to be played (a last night tradition in some companies, and one that can be great fun as long as they don't interfere with the action or detract from the audience's enjoyment)

Annie Get Your Gun

The story of Frank Butler and Annie Oakley, how they met and joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. This musical features the songs “There's No Business Like Show Business”, “ Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better” and “ You Can't Get A Man With A Gun” among others.

The Wild West Show gives opportunities for demonstrations of sharp shooting, rodeo lassoing and ropework, and knife throwing. Whatever skills your cast can muster can become part of the “Show Business” juggling, balancing, dancing girls; the Wild West Show made the most of all kinds of spectacle, almost like a circus with added gunfire.

Set in the latter part of the 19th Century the costumes range from the backwoods of the American West to the European court balls when Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show goes on tour and Annie Oakley is feted by the aristocracy of Europe.

Oklahoma - (4) Gifts

Finale. Gift ideas for Oklahoma!

Lots of ideas for this show;

Cowboys : toy guns, rope lariats, western shoelace ties with decorative fasteners, cowboy hats, boots etc.,

from The Drama Queen's Drawers you can get pin badges and keyrings in the shape of guns and boots, along with more ideas in our Oklahoma!Category.

Keyring

Pistol Pin Badge

For the ladies; gift baskets (related to the Box Social) and anything that might have gone into them, such as gooseberry pies, sweet potato pie, or plain old American Apple Pie. Straw hats and bonnets, tarot cards, smelling salts (or perfume), gingham ribbons or lavender sachets.

For Laurey and Curly ; wedding charms, love tokens, corn dolly.

For Jud ; “French” postcards, a toy kaleidoscope, or perhaps a coffin shaped keyring (Pore Jud is Dead)

Will Parker ; Sweet kisses ( or jelly lips), fifty dollars (monopoly money perhaps), rope lariat, toy cow or bull.

Ado Annie ; toy cat ( persian?) lip gloss (cherry or berry) sweet kisses, 

These are just a few ideas for you. Please visit our website to find all kinds of gifts for those who tread the boards, or help behind the scenes. 

Oklahoma - (3)

I have been fortunate to take part in this show twice, the first time taking the cameo role of Gertie Cummings – the girl with the grating laugh; and both times getting to dress up as one of the grotesque dancers (Jud's French postcard girls who come to life in Laurey's dream) enjoying portraying the vastly different characters.

We had great fun with the variations of barn dance in “Territory Folks” (otherwise known as The Farmer and The Cowman) incorporating some acrobatic lifts and cartwheels before the choreographed fight that ensued until Aunt Eller took charge. This was a really cheerful contrast to the dream ballet at the end of Act One, which turns into Laurey's nightmare of being subjected to Jud Fry's attentions.

The power of the story is contrasted by the comedy from Will Parker and Ado Annie, and the audience is encouraged to laugh and cry in turn. Curly and Laurey's wedding is the climax of Act Two, featuring the outstanding Oklahoma! song, followed by Jud's appearance and subsequent fight with Curly which results in his death. When Curly is declared Not Guilty of killing Jud, the whole town unites in a big send off for Curly and Laurey on their honeymoon. With an appearance of the Surrey with Fringe on Top as a final triumph, when space and availability allow. We found that the presence of the surrey meant the chorus were squashed in very close proximity for the finale, and the fight for space meant some of us were at least halfway into the wings. Fortunately our director decided the surrey wasn't required for the final walkdown, so we got a second shot at singing “Oh What A beautiful Morning” in clear sight of the MD, much to the relief of both the chorus and the conductor. (Singing in the wings seems to be fraught with danger, being behind the beat, or racing the music, being common problems when you cannot see the beat but only hear it.)

Oklahoma - (2)

Oklahoma the state

Oh What A Beautiful Morning!

What a fantastic song to start a show.....an empty stage and a lone voice. 

It's also a favourite for singing in the car as I set out in the morning, cheers me up for the whole day.

The music from Oklahoma! stays with you long after you leave the theatre, there are so many clever lyrics and catchy tunes that it almost impossible to pick out a single one. “The Surrey with a Fringe on top”, “Many a New Day” “I Cain't Say No” “Kansas City” and Oklahoma! Itself . I will end up listing them all if I carry on.

It is the show that for my society brought the most people ever to audition for roles, with as many going for Ado Annie as for Laurey, The audition committee had a whole day of auditions to judge for these two parts alone.

The setting is 1906, the year before Oklahoma became a State of the USA, and costumes are traditionally gingham dresses and checked cowboy shirts, which makes life a little easier for the wardrobe department, although there are many possible variations on this theme.

Musical for September - Oklahoma

 Oklahoma!

Now an evergreen classic musical with something for everyone, when it was written this was a ground breaking innovation. Its strong storyline, memorable music and the ballet at the centre of the story, were a revelation to post war audiences.

It is still one of the most popular shows for amateur societies to produce, and for audiences to attend.

The love story of the cowboy and the farmer's girl, epitomising the larger story of the territory folks learning to live together in harmony in their brand new state is recognisable to all.

This isn't an easy show. It is big in its setting, requires a lot from its cast, needing strong singing leads, strong dancers, and a chorus that can do both. It is, however, a joy to perform.

Oliver! - (4)

Last blog of this month : Gift ideas for Oliver!

To start at the very beginning – Food! All kinds of foods that are mentioned in the song, pease pudding (can be bought in tins), mustard, custard, cakes or sweets made to look like their savoury counterparts, strawberries (also mentioned in “Who Will Buy”). Perhaps even “Rennies” or similar indigestion remedies. These can be offered for all the children in the cast, whether they double as workhouse children and Fagin's gang or not, with the addition of sausages and fake gin (or ginger beer) for Fagin's boys.

For Fagin's boys too, wallets, handkerchiefs and coins, sweet watches and “jewellery”.

And for Dodger a top hat charm or phone charm, a lockable box (possibly also for Fagin) or if feeling really generous – a gold watch on a chain.

Mr and Mrs Sowerberry – again a top hat, with the addition of some black fabric as a mourning hat, or some Victorian mourning jewellery, possibly jet, depending on your budget.

Mr. Bumble and Widow Corney like their gin, so miniatures of London Gin might make good presents. And Widow Corney keeps a basket of kittens, so a little figurine of a cat, or a soft toy, for her.

The Drama Queen's Drawers has some horse brasses depicting the characters of Fagin, Oliver, Nancy and Mr Bumble, these are vintage items to be found in the Bottom Drawer category.

For Oliver whatever his gift, the wrapping and presentation could be “put in a box and tied up with a ribbon”, just as the lyric in “Who will buy?” suggests. A locket, books, friendship bracelet, strawberries and cream, or a love token.

For Nancy – small pleasures.

Oliver! - (3)

A very brief addition today; I have not been able to post anything for a few days because of computer problems, so this is short and hopefully sweet.

The setting and costumes for Oliver! lend themselves to an imaginative approach. The original West End production design by Sean Kenny was highly innovative, having a revolving set that moved with the action. This, however is beyond most amateur companies in technology and cost, much as they might wish for it. It is however possible to suggest many of the settings with dressing rather than large scale scenery.. Your props team might not forgive you for a minimalist set that has to be furnished with a lot of dressing, but it can be done.

Costumes can be colourful or sombre, depending on the mood of your production. Traditionally Nancy wears red, but this isn't set in stone, and there are many shades and variations. Much of the boys' wardrobe is ragged so can be produced from their own old clothes. It is the men's costumes that most need to be authentic in style. Particularly Mr. Bumble in his beadle's uniform, and the “better off” male characters who need frock coats and waistcoats, plus appropriate hats. The more flamboyant Widow Corney and Mrs Bedwin, who can be in uniform or just a more genteel style of Victorian dress, are not too difficult as one off pieces.

Oliver! - (2)

Our first introduction to the characters of this show is to that of Mr Bumble the beadle and Widow Corney, the workhouse mistress. Oliver is introduced through their perspective when he stands out from the crowd of boys by asking for more food. The wordy and fast “Oliver!” spells out the conditions under which the boys live, and the joy with which the power over them is wielded. Mr Bumble is definitely what today would be known as a “Jobsworth”, and Widow Corney is out for all she can get...including Mr Bumble.
Oliver isn't really established as a character until he has been introduced to the Sowerberrys, whose grim humour and cynicism is portrayed in “That's Your Funeral”.
Only once he is left alone in the funeral parlour does he start to show who he is with the solo song “Where is Love” and our sympathies are with him when he meets and is bullied by Noah Claypole. No wonder he cracks and runs away to seek his fortune in the big city of London. The place where runaways still believe their fortunes are waiting to be made, even if the streets are not exactly paved with gold.

The Artful Dodger and Fagin show us their fun side and we, like Oliver, are deceived into thinking these two are nice generous characters, who only want to help a poor little lost boy....the dark underbelly of the story is only hinted at briefly. We want to believe that Oliver is rescued from the workhouse, and the cruelty of the slavery there and at the funeral parlour, is a worse fate than that of Fagin's gang. So for the audience this is a fun, amusing and optimistic view of Dickens story.  Bill Sykes is the villain, the out-and-out baddie that heroic stories require, but Dodger and Fagin are ambivalent opportunists, rascals rather than mean and nasty criminals, caught up in the trap that poverty has set for them.

Bill Sykes doesn't appear in the stage musical until Act  2  when we are introduced to him with the spine-chilling song “ My Name” which does not feature in the film version. For me this song epitomised the character; as a chorus member in the pub singing along with gusto to “Oom-Pah-Pah” with Nancy, the change in atmosphere wrought by the music and Bill's appearance at the door to the pub always managed to make me shiver, regardless of the fact that the actor playing Bill Sykes was a friend off stage. This alone is enough to make us cheer his demise at the end of Act 2.

For a story about criminal gangs, poverty and brutality, this has become an extremely popular uplifting musical, enjoyed by many audiences, both young and old. When the innocent survive and the evil-doers get their just desserts, the fairytale of “happy ever after” is allowed to continue.

Oliver!

The first time I was involved with Oliver! I started out by making papier mache bowls to look like wooden ones to be used in the workhouse. They took a long time to do because they had to be robust enough to last through being banged and thrown about so needed to be many layers baked hard and then painted and varnished. My kitchen smelled of baking for weeks, although my oven was filled not with meals but with pyrex bowls covered in  glued newspaper. A feat not to be repeated until I had the joy of creating Tracy Island from old newspaper as per Blue Peter instructions.
I also learned all the children's parts and songs because I was chaperoning at rehearsals, and can still quote Dodger's lines at the drop of a battered top hat! We were fortunate to have quite a lot of boys interested in taking part, many of whom were part of family groups that belonged to our society, so there were lots of parents on hand to help.
One of the advantages of Oliver! for any company is that children on stage always make it easier to sell tickets, as extended families come along to see their prodigies acting their socks off, when at other times they wouldn't think of setting foot in a theatre. It can bring in young actors who will become the backbone of the society's future. It is also great fun for all the participants, with some rousing songs - Oom,Pah,Pah, and Consider Yourself; some heartrending ones ; Where is Love and As Long As He Needs Me; and some funny ones: I'd Do Anything and Gotta Pick A Pocket or Two; to name but a few, along with high drama and some really well drawn characters.
About whom..... more next week.

Code of Ethics for Theatre Workers

Not a blog about a particular show this week.

I found a couple of interesting articles on a Code of Ethics that was written in 1945 by Kathleen Freeman.

This is the code of ethics ;

Foreword to the Code

“A part of the great tradition of the theatre is the code of ethics which belong to every worker in the theatre. This code is not a superstition, nor a dogma, nor a ritual which is enforced by tribunals; it is an attitude toward your vocation, your fellow workers, your audiences and yourself. It is a kind of self-discipline which does not rob you of your invaluable individualism.

“Those of you who have been in show business know the full connotation of these precepts. Those of you who are new to show business will soon learn. The Circle Players, since its founding in 1945, has always striven to stand for the finest in theatre, and it will continue to do so. Therefore, it is with the sincere purpose of continued dedication to the great traditions of the theatre that these items are here presented.”

The “rules” follow:

1. I shall never miss a performance.

2. I shall play every performance with energy, enthusiasm and to the best of my ability regardless of size of audience, personal illness, bad weather, accident, or even death in my family.

3. I shall forego all social activities which interfere with rehearsals or any other scheduled work at the theatre, and I shall always be on time.

4. I shall never make a curtain late by my failure to be ready on time.

5. I shall never miss an entrance.

6. I shall never leave the theatre building or the stage area until I have completed my performance, unless I am specifically excused by the stage manager; curtain calls are a part of the show.

7. I shall not let the comments of friends, relatives or critics change any phase of my work without proper consultation; I shall not change lines, business, lights, properties, settings or costumes or any phase of the production without consultation with and permission of my director or producer or their agents, and I shall inform all people concerned.

8. I shall forego the gratification of my ego for the demands of the play.

9. I shall remember my business is to create illusion; therefore, I shall not break the illusion by appearing in costume and makeup off-stage or outside the theatre.

10. I shall accept my director’s and producer’s advice and counsel in the spirit in which it is given, for they can see the production as a whole and my work from the front.

11. I shall never “put on an act” while viewing other artists’ work as a member of an audience, nor shall I make caustic criticism from jealousy or for the sake of being smart.

12. I shall respect the play and the playwright and, remembering that “a work of art is not a work of art until it is finished,” I shall not condemn a play while it is in rehearsal.

13. I shall not spread rumor or gossip which is malicious and tends to reflect discredit on my show, the theatre, or any personnel connected with them-either to people inside or outside the group.

14. Since I respect the theatre in which I work, I shall do my best to keep it looking clean, orderly and attractive regardless of whether I am specifically assigned to such work or not.

15. I shall handle stage properties and costumes with care for I know they are part of the tools of my trade and are a vital part of the physical production.

16. I shall follow rules of courtesy, deportment and common decency applicable in all walks of life (and especially in a business in close contact with the public) when I am in the theatre, and I shall observe the rules and regulations of any specific theatre where I work.

17. I shall never lose my enthusiasm for theatre because of disappointments.

In addition, the document continued:

“I understand that membership in the Circle Theatre entitles me to the privilege of working, when I am so assigned, in any of the phases of a production, including: props, lights, sound, construction, house management, box office, publicity and stage managing-as well as acting. I realize it is possible I may not be cast in a part for many months, but I will not allow this to dampen my enthusiasm or desire to work, since I realize without my willingness to do all other phases of theatre work, there would be no theatre for me to act in.”

All members of the Circle Theatre were required to sign this document. And they must have-because the theatre, and the group into which it evolved, was successful for many years.

This from an article published in the LAStageTimes in August 2009 which can be read in full here.

LAStageTimes did a follow-up article in July 2011  here which is quite a long one, but at the end is an updated version of the code which is fun to read.

I hope you find this interesting and amusing.

Anything Goes - (3)

Blow Gabriel Blow picture from the Rider Waite Tarot pack Judgement card

Gifts that relate to this show include all kinds of nautical paraphernalia, life belts, ship's wheels, anchors, toy boats; plus sailors, and their hats, collars, uniforms.
Angels, and Gabriel's horn (like a post horn or fanfare horn, just a straight one like the picture above)
1930's style gangster machine guns (a nerf gun or water gun perhaps?) or a “Wanted” poster for Public Enemy Number 13
Friendship bracelets, or Forever Friends merchandise (particularly for Reno and Moonface)
Champagne or champagne bubbles (blowing bubbles).
Tap shoe charms, stockings, postcards wishing Bon Voyage or “wish you were here” messages, depending on character or rehearsal happenings. Rehearsals are often the most fertile ground for imaginative personal presents, things that relate to a particular lyric or move that are personal to you and your partner or team.

Anything Goes - (2)

Set on a cruise liner, the nautical theme runs throughout the show, with the added glitz and glamour of on-board cabaret, and the high fashion cult of celebrity which was as prevalent in 1934 as it is today. Lots of design freedom in the costuming, with trousers being fashionable for daywear,, and bias cut evening dresses in fabulous fabrics at the other end of the scale.

Our company had a two tier set, depicting the deck and bridge of the ship, with ladders leading from one level to the other. These were narrow sets of steps that gave the opportunity to vary the height and patterns of the players, so that Blow Gabriel Blow had several of the cast perched on the ladders and formed up across the bridge framing Reno centre stage, and giving everyone exposure to the audience. It did mean that the taller cast members had their heads up among the lighting bars if they weren't careful! At that time our auditorium had a flat floor, so the higher level allowed for some better sight lines for the audience. This is the usual way of setting for this show, but small community venues with low proscenium arch openings may make this impossible, and set your designer and director some headaches in developing imaginative settings that work well on a single level.

Anything Goes

Probably the most famous and long-lasting of Cole Porter's musicals Anything Goes was first staged in 1934 as a contemporary piece of theatre. Set on a cruise liner with very little in the way of set changes, it is a fun story with lots of well-known and popular songs including “I Get a Kick Out of You”, “You're the Top” and “Anything Goes”. Less well-known maybe is the evangelical “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” which is a big production number in the second act.
There some decent sized parts as well as the lead, Reno Sweeney, and her love interests,  and plenty of chorus numbers to get your teeth into. Reno also has a backing group of girl singers, her “Angels”.
The original 1934 setting gives scope for some fantastic costumes and a wide variety of dance styles, including some tap dancing if that is a skill available among a company's membership. It can also be updated to different time periods without too much difficulty as the music crosses several decades of the twentieth century without being out of its time.
The version I did was the 1962 revival version which included some songs that have since disappeared from the libretto, such as “Heaven Hop” which for us was a tap routine done in shorts and striped sailor tops (perhaps that was why it was cut from later productions!) with Bonnie leading (even this character has been re-named and re-written for the later versions.)

The Music Man - (4)

Gifts for Music Man:

Any kind of musical notation; such as treble and bass clef or quaver charms, Notebooks, mousemats, ties, socks, with sheet music designs.

Pin badges and charms of instruments, particularly trombones and other brass instruments and piano

American flags (it's Independence Day) and Uncle Sam ephemera.

Books, particularly copies of works by Chaucer, Rabelais or Balzac. And bookmarks.

Pocket watches for the Barbershop quartet. A less expensive option - sweet watches may still be found.

Sweet worms or Cornetto ice cream for Winthrop, depending on the child, and the circumstances. (Some companies will not allow ice cream or drinks in the dressing rooms because of space issues and spillages)

See categories The Music Man and Gifts for Musicians and Singers on www.thedramaqueensdrawers.co.uk


On a personal note; Loughton Operatic Society's production in which I am currently appearing (ooh that sounds so grand!) had its first night last night.  We thought we had sorted all the problems that had cropped up on tech and dress rehearsals, but the weather had other ideas. We arrived to find the stage and stage-left legs and wings soaking wet, because the rain was coming in through the roof of the building, so congratulations to our crew for managing to dry out the stage in time for curtain up. We are praying for slightly less rain for the rest of the week!
Wishing  “ Break a leg!”  to all my friends for the rest of the run, and that our audiences enjoy it as much as we are. Congratulations everyone on a great show.

The Music Man - (3)

The settings for Music Man are of the main street of River City, the interiors of the Library and Gymnasium, and Mrs Paroo's house and verandah (Indoors and out), and of the park with a footbridge, where courting couples meet. Quite a challenge for set designer and stage crew, with multiple changes, especially if presented in a small community hall with limited flying facilities. Depending on available space there is also the arrival of the Wells Fargo wagon at the end of Act One, bringing a plethora of brass band instruments for the children. Of course it is possible to dispense with a practical wagon, and have parcels being “unloaded” in the wings. Or at the other extreme, with unlimited space and budget, one can bring in a horse(or pony)-drawn wagon to complete the climax before the interval.

This can be a spectacular show, with costumes and setting becoming brighter and more dramatic as the story goes on, culminating in the arrival of the uniformed Boys' Band. The epitome of shimmering trumpets, clashing cymbals and thundering timpani. 

Music is the central focus of the whole show with piano, pianola, and brass marching band  all featuring in the action.

The Music Man - (2)

The Music Man is set in 1912, so period costumes are required, and some research into the possible attitudes and habits of society at this period. Fortunately this year is well documented, partly because of the Titanic disaster, and the news coverage that has survived from that time, and the films and stories that have been made to tell the story of the unsinkable liner. There is much interest in this story because it is 100 years since it happened, and lots of ideas for commemorative events include costume and hairstyle details, which are very helpful.

Hairstyles relate very much to the hats that were being worn at the time, and wide hats required structured hair to support them, and allow long hat pins to be skewered into braids and buns to keep hats in place. We so rarely wear hats these days that it requires quite a lot of practice to remember to keep one's poise with a large and unwieldy confection of net and lace, feathers and flowers, balanced precariously. Especially when you then are about a foot taller than usual and have to remember to duck through doorways.

Men's hats were not quite so difficult to manage, but remembering to raise your hat every time you meet anyone, when to wear or not wear your hat, removing it on entering a house, carrying it in your hands instead, all of which are no longer part of everyday life. Plus no wristwatches, only pocket watches, so actually using these things and making it seem natural and not contrived, all add to the characterisations of the chorus as well as principals. Personal props all add to the period feel, but are also a trap for the unwary or less experienced members of cast. Few of us recognise the anachronisms of gesture which we use every day, such as looking at your wrist to indicate that you are conscious of time, or of someone being late, even when not wearing a watch at all. It's a gesture of modern convention, but not always easy to avoid.

Who thought there was so much to learn when they first started to engage in amateur drama, and set foot upon the boards?

The Music Man

This month I have been considering which show to concentrate on, and finally decided on The Music Man, which is a selfish choice and a sensible one. I am currently in rehearsals with Loughton Operatic Society for a performance of this show at the end of April, and am therefore becoming more and more immersed in the story and characters. I am taking part in the chorus, and helping to source the required props (including brass instruments for the Boys' Band).

The Music Man is the story of a travelling salesman in Mid West USA (Iowa) who comes to town to sell instruments and uniforms to the parents of the town's children, by persuading them that they need to form a Boys' Band to “keep your young boys pure”.  The story tells of his efforts to woo the town's librarian to his cause, and how he changes attitudes within the town, together with his personal tale of falling in love and therefore not being able to leave when he normally would to avoid the wrath of the townspeople, who have been “conned” by his charm into spending lots of money on instruments and uniforms.

This is my second time of venturing on stage with The Music Man, the first time as a young dancer making the most of the energy in “Shipoopi” and miming my way through the library scene; this time I am a more mature (and larger) lady of the Del Sarte dance troupe led by Eulalie Mackechnie Shinn. I am having great fun with the possibilities of comedy moments in this pastiche of Isadora Duncan's style of dance. ( At least that's the way I am playing it!)

More next week.... I have to go in search of some more books. How many constitute a library I wonder?

Half A Sixpence -(4)

Hat Pincushion

This one is handmade in red velvet with satin ribbon.

Half A Sixpence is a show where you can go to town on presents that relate to weddings, favours, charms, old-fashioned wedding photos, a “ Family Album”

The period costumes (1912 approximately) lend themselves to hats, parasols and pincushions for the ladies, and cravats or straw boaters for the men.

Also picnic hampers and umbrellas,(If the Rain's Gotta Fall) even a banjo.(If I Had Money to Burn)

Sixpence coins are still available from coin dealers, or maybe you have a stash of old coins in the back of a drawer somewhere that might be worth investigating.

A crafty friend of mine made tiny (doll's house size) carrier bags with Shalford's Emporium labels, and enclosed a sixpence in the bag.

Then of course there is champagne, or bubbles and blowers in the shape of champagne bottles, or liqueur chocolates. And for those " All in the Cause of Economy", cola bottle sweets.

Have a look at the Half A Sixpence category on my website for ideas with a list of characters and musical numbers to remind you of names and relevances.

Half A Sixpence -(3)

Beside the umbrellas and telescope, there is also the incident of the broken door glass when Kipps cuts his hand... toffee glass is great, but quite often breaks while trying to get it into the door panel, cellophane just doesn't give the same effect, and you don't really want to injure your leading man.

Your stage crew and props have to be on the ball for this show!

One of the more difficult props to engineer is the camera and flash for “Flash Bang Wallop”. At the time of the story it would have been magnesium powder in a tray that made the flash, but even if you could arrange the necessary health and safety procedures to use that nowadays, there is the problem of repeated flashes in time to the music......not so easy at all. It requires your “photographer” to be able to manipulate a flash at the right time, yet still appear to be an integral part of the action. In our original production we used flash cubes linked to a hand held flash, but with the advances in digital photography these are no longer widely available, so a different strategy needs to be employed, and the inventiveness of your stage crew tested. Like any props that require some kind of action “Murphy's Law” is bound to be involved. (That is the one that says “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, and it is rarely the thing that you are prepared for”)

This can be quite a heavy show for props, the set dressing can be quite lavish; for Shalford's Emporium, there is a requirement for more than one counter which has to be dressed with goods, and covered and uncovered with dust sheets during the action, then the upper crust cricket match and party with ornate seating and champagne being served. Never mind the pub, with bar and tables for the customers, and the classroom with the practical door as above. The action moves through many different scenes, some of which are merely suggested by the scenery and differentiated by the props.

It really is worth being nice to your stage crew and props people, at least get to know their names and say “Thank you” . Most crews for amateur shows are only around for the week of the production, and are friends or colleagues of the Stage Manager, and if they are good at what they do, you really want to keep them on-side ; good volunteer crew are worth their weight in gold.

Once upon a time the crew were presented with a case of beer at the after show party, and that was their thank you for the week. Times change, and nowadays fewer crew members are beer drinkers, and they too appreciate a memento of the show as much as the cast.

One of the things we as a company did on “ Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” was to set up a Lumberjack's Tea for the crew between the matinee and evening performance; providing sandwiches and cake (and pies for Sevens) and serving them as our customers.

This could be done as a cricket match tea when doing Half A Sixpence, or a garden party style tea with cucumber sandwiches etc., although maybe avoiding the champagne between shows.

Half A Sixpence -(2)

Following a successful week's run at our local community assembly rooms, we were lucky enough to be invited to take our production to Malta; to the Manoel Theatre in Valletta. This beautiful theatre usually houses professional opera and dance companies and orchestras, so we were thrilled to have the chance to perform there.

Naively, we hadn't realised that we were going to be performing on the weekend of one of the most important elections in Maltese history, nor did we realise the passions involved in the politics – until we got there, that is. For a contingent of British people who were quite used to laid back political voting, and low turnout at elections, the rallying and 96% turnout were a revelation; not to mention the fact that once the result was announced there were cavalcades of trucks and lorries banging dustbin lids and firing rockets into the air that went on all night. A public holiday was announced, and suddenly our two performances were reduced to one because the orchestra (the house orchestra of the theatre) were not going to work on a public holiday. OK, we thought, we'll cram as many people into the theatre for our one performance as possible, and therefore announcements were made on the local radio and the news that anyone wanting to see us had only this one chance.

There were many things that we had not considered in advance, it had all sounded so easy...

We were a large group of families and singles, all booked into the same accommodation (a hotel for the first few days, and then an ex-army sergeant's mess, I believe) which was great, we would all be enjoying a holiday and topping it off with a fantastic performance at the end of the week.

Except that our plans for scenery that had been sent ahead, and we expected to be done when we arrived, had not translated into action by our hosts in Malta. They hadn't understood how to turn our drawings into scenery, but had happily answered “No problem” to every request. So all able bodied men and women were roped in to paint scenery for the first few days, and to rummage through the theatre's props department for anything that would help to create the atmosphere of Folkestone in 1912. A promenade telescope? A white railing fence? The theatre basement was an Aladdin's cave, but mainly of things none of us recognised.

With the help of MADC  (Malta Amateur Dramatics Club) we managed to find enough props, and to paint some flats. We had brought our costumes with us in our normal luggage, but had also flown in some back cloths. These were discovered to be being held at customs, and were only released on payment of a bond, on the understanding that we were not bringing them in to sell at a profit. We finally got them a day before we were due to perform. You can imagine the scenes of our director and stage manager tearing their hair out.

Still, we had a fabulous time, spending glorious days at the beach, or exploring the beautiful islands of Malta and Gozo. Those of us with young children hired cars and shared the babysitting so that we could all enjoy a proper holiday. One of the highlights was our visit to the “Popeye” village... Sweethaven was the film set built for the live action film of Popeye starring Robin Williams, and is still there as a tourist attraction.

We rehearsed in the foyer of the theatre, which is all marble staircase and statues, and it felt as though we could have been in a Degas painting of a rehearsal. Our dressing rooms had windows that opened out over the street, with tiny wrought iron balconies, and were miles away from the stage. So we had to re-time our quick changes and entrances to allow for rickety staircases and mazes of corridors.

We also had to pack our costumes as we took them off, and rush to carry everything to the bus which we had hired to take us back to our residence, because the bus driver wasn't going to work after midnight, and we had to meet him at the bottom of a run of steps.(Valletta is pedestrian friendly. The streets being so narrow it is impossible to drive through them, so motor vehicles are banned. And it is set on a high promontory, so the only way to move around is up and down steep sets of steps) So at the end of the performance everyone was loaded up and sent as quickly as possible to relay everything we had brought, including rolled cloths that were huge. Running up and down stairs in the dark!

The after show party back at our residence was raucous and adrenaline fuelled, everyone had a tale to tell, and we all needed to let off steam. Some of our older more staid members had never been seen to be so “tired and emotional”.

Despite all our difficulties in getting on stage we were incredibly proud to have been invited, and to play to a full house in this glorious old theatre. It was an experience I wouldn't swap for anything, and the memories are flooding back as I write.

Amateur drama has given me so much to enjoy and share, I would recommend it as a hobby (lifestyle choice; obsession) to anyone.

This Month's Show - Half a Sixpence

Set in the early 1900's and having for its theme the difference between the middle and the working classes of Folkestone. This was originally a vehicle for Tommy Steele as the hero Arthur Kipps, who inherits a fortune and loses it again. The man who plays this part is almost never offstage, and requires a lot of stamina to keep up with the many musical numbers. There is a new version which I have only seen and not performed in, which has some big changes to the score from when I was taking part so some of the numbers I mention may not be familiar to those who come to perform now. For instance “The Party's on the House”, a big production number, is no longer in the new version, and “The Old Military Canal” has been replaced with a cricket match.

A bit off topic but  you might like to read “The Cricketing Versions” by Wendy Cope, a gently humorous poem from her anthology Serious Concerns (there is a quote on this forum)

All that said, and despite being a show depending on the strength of the actor playing Kipps, there is a lot of chorus work, and some decent supporting roles in the apprentices and shop girls, and the Walsingham family.
Costume varies from fancy bustles and parasols for the upper class ladies and morning suits or tail suits for the men, to blazers and whites, or shop uniforms and summery dresses for the working class. We had umbrellas for “If the Rain's Gotta Fall” which had to withstand being twirled and opened and closed in time with the music and dance steps, and to mimic the design of parasols, so being lacy or frilled.  For these we found some children's toy umbrellas and lengthened the handles with wooden dowelling. Covering the clear plastic with fabric to make them look right. Great! Until the week of the show, when in performance the spokes started to break and had to be mended with whatever was to hand....gaffer tape of course. I found myself going home every night with two or three umbrellas to mend or to cannibalise from some spares that hadn't been used. All part of the fun, and a big lesson in making sure that props/costume are fit for purpose. This became even more important when we were invited to take our production of Half A Sixpence to Malta.... more of that next time.

Seven Brides for Seven brothers - (3)

My suggestions for presents for this show tend to be centred round the themes of “love” and “weddings” . As mentioned before; garters, bouquets, lucky horseshoes, all kinds of wedding favours can be used as gifts, and as the final scene is of a “shotgun” wedding, rifles and toy guns can also be added.

But there is also a birth ; so baby themed gifts for Millie. (Our poor little Hannah doll had a last night prank Moustache to match that of Adam!)

Lots of snow : so snowmen and snowballs (sweets, chocolate or cakes) or a snowman keyring (here).

Spring too, with all kinds of baby animals to choose from, lambs, chicks, soft toys if you feel so inclined.

And then there are the pies; apple pies, cherry pies, anything you might have taken to a social dance such as Millie would have cooked. Or a pie plate, there are lots of fancy plates to be had at the moment, whether from a department store or a junk/antique shop.

I stock these when I can find them, but they tend to be one-off buys and unrepeatable.

I hope I have given you some fun ideas and inspirations for presents for those involved in “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”, there are some more to be found in this category on my website, together with a list of characters and musical numbers to remind you of names and relevances.

Writing of these has reminded me of the fun I had finding gifts for my friends, and I hope to share that enjoyment.