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.

Seven Brides for Seven brothers - (2)

It has taken me a while to find the photos I wanted to include in this week's blog. They are of the dresses which we had for our “Spring dance” which were completely made of patchwork and created by a lady of our wardrobe committee (we were lucky to have three or four ladies who took responsibility for hiring and making costumes, so that our directors could let their imaginations run wild, or at least to have some creative input into the costumes!) Their houses were like Aladdin's cave for seamstresses, full of bits of material, sequins and feathers for creating just the look that was required.

These were our patchwork dresses :

the seven brothers had shirts to match.

Our wedding dresses were hired in, each of us having a different colour, again matching the brothers shirts.

Lovely as these were they were much more difficult to dance in, and so heavy that in the final dance when our choreographer had the brides doing pose turns in a diagonal line across the stage, instead of single turns, the weight of the dresses carried us on to doubles and triples, and made it very difficult to stop!

The fact that we were colour co-ordinated made it quite easy to get presents that were the same for everyone, just in different colourways, so little bouquets and ribbon garters for the brides were favourites.

Those of a more crafty nature made patchwork pin cushions or full size cushions, and our choreographer had had made a full set of knitted dolls representing each of the couples. (I still haven't found the pictures of these, but will add them when I find them)

This Month's Show - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Another “Dancers'” show, this one requires at least 14 men who can at least move, if not cope with learning dances. My group was extremely lucky to find not only seven "brothers" who could dance, but also seven suitors who were also prepared to have a go at learning quite difficult and complicated dances. And for me, as one of the brides, an opportunity to play a part rather than be one of the dancing chorus. There was some resistance from the company as to whether we could do the show; did we have enough people who could both sing and dance? In many amateur shows the singers and dancers are separate teams, with only a few who could cross between the two disciplines, “Sevens” requires people who can do both, although it is possible for Adam Pontipee to avoid the main dance numbers, Millie has to be able to dance and sing, and to lead the brothers and the brides in the most famous numbers; “ Goin' Courtin'” and the Social Dances. (in the film this is the barn raising sequence, on stage it becomes a challenge circle dance).

Our committee had been applying to the film makers for permission to perform this on stage since it first appeared in cinemas, and for many years the rights holders resisted any attempt to bring out a stage version of any kind. However eventually in 1979 there was a version written for the stage, it was finally opened for amateur performance and in 1990 we took to the stage with our exuberant version, transferring in 1991 to a local “proper” theatre for a one week run. How excited we were to get the chance to reprise a show where we had such great fun.

It is fast-moving and full of life, needing quick changes in the wings to be able to go from one scene to the next. The brothers changing from their winter clothes to nothing but blankets, when Millie steals their underwear for washing, is a very quick change requiring almost to be choreographed in the wings so that each is ready in time for his cue. We worked it so that each “bride” was the dresser for her “brother”, dealing with discarded clothes and making sure that the blankets provided decent coverage of the modern underwear underneath. That was followed by a quick change in the second act for the brides from winter into spring, which was managed by the expedient of wearing winter clothes over the top of the spring dresses.  The final quick change into wedding garb for the shotgun weddings of the finale we actually did on stage behind a front cloth, while Adam and Millie have some dialogue going into the scene. This time it was the brothers who had to help the brides, doing up zips and holding head-dresses and bouquets while we frantically changed from our patchwork spring dresses into various pastel shaded wedding dresses. You can imagine the opportunities for things to go wrong ! But, actually I don't think any of them did, and no-one missed an entrance or got the wrong costume.

To be continued.

West Side Story (4)

This week I want to talk about the kinds of gifts that might be relevant to the characters and songs or dialogue in this show.

In general all kinds of 1950's related things, like jukeboxes, comic books, records, classic shaped coca cola bottles with metal tops, small plastic pocket combs for the men, powder compacts for the ladies and sweets from that era. Love hearts started production in 1954, Hershey's Kisses had been produced since 1907.

The gangs in West Side Story were based on real life events and characters . This article from the Telegraph of July 2008 tells the background stories .

 The Gang identities are helpful in deciding on gifts for the participants:
Jets:

Toy planes in the style of the 1950's, usually these would be fighter planes rather than jumbo jets, or simple paper or polystyrene planes that are sold for children's party bags.

Jet jewellery (a black semi precious stone that has a sheen to it but can be carved, this was popular in the Victorian era, so might be found in second-hand shops).

Sharks:

Toy sharks (think "A Shark Tale" or "Finding Nemo")
Even a blow-up water toy if you can find one.

From The Drama Queen's Drawers these cufflinks :

for Jets

and these
for Sharks

If you were feeling crafty and had time perhaps make friendship bracelets in the gang colours ; blue and yellow for the Jets, red and purple for the Sharks, or whatever your wardrobe colours are.


For Tony and Maria; all the usual love tokens are possible. Hearts, red roses, top hats and bouquets; (although there isn't a wedding the Bridal Shop allows some license here)
One Hand, One Heart, could mean a Claddagh ring (usually depicts a heart supported by a hand on either side)

For Anita ; All kinds of things that represent “America” (some stars and stripes charms here)
Dressmaker's scissors or sewing machine charm,  Bubble bath – Black Orchid if you can find it or re-label an exotically scented one.

For Chino ; a toy gun or revolver badge.

For Baby John ; a Superman comic

For Officer Krupke ; American police hat or handcuffs charm.

These are just a few suggestions; some of these, although not all, can be found in the West Side Story category of my website www.thedramaqueensdrawers.co.uk. along with some information (such as character names and a list of musical numbers) to help you find inspiration.
I add items to the different Musicals categories as I find them or as inspiration strikes, so if you are looking for something in particular please get in touch and I will help if I can.


I hope that any of you reading this who still have yet to take part in this incredible show get the chance to do so, for me it was the experience of a lifetime, and I love to share the joy and privilege that I felt.