A Midsummer Night's Dream http://amnd.posterous.com NTC Theatre posterous.com Fri, 07 Sep 2012 08:30:00 -0700 And we opened the show..! http://amnd.posterous.com/and-we-opened-the-show http://amnd.posterous.com/and-we-opened-the-show

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Well, what a fantastic opening night in Alnmouth – Nigel says life doesn’t get much better than this!

Started with an early call and bacon butties and arrived at the venue by 9.30am ready to put the set up, do a final dress rehearsal in the afternoon ready to open the show at 7.30pm. The get-in went really well due to having NTC regulars who know how to build rostra stageing and how to rig up the lights.

 

There were a few nerves but it's really nice to open the show to a full house! We sold out and had to squeeze extra audience in -even the journalist doing a review had to stand at the side.

 

The audience LOVED the play, rapturous applause and happy faces and a lot of laughter - which is great. When you've been working on something so long you forget where the funny bits are!

 

The actors did an amazing job on stage - they are all so talanted and very brave to work on a challenging playground for a set. 

 

Exhausted after such excitement and the first night party (a very subdued party), Kylie went to bed and slept in all her clothes!

 

After working non stop for the last 2 weeks - I think I'm off to bed now!

 

We truly are dreaming right now - thank you for the support you have given us and we really do hope you get chance to see the show. 

 

http://www.northumberlandtheatre.co.uk/shows/midsummer_night.php

 

http://www.journallive.co.uk/culture-newcastle/2012/09/06/she-s-not-only-a-dr...

 

Michelle and Hilary

 

x

 

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Fri, 07 Sep 2012 07:00:00 -0700 Update from Gill (Director) at the start of this week... http://amnd.posterous.com/update-from-gill-director-at-the-start-of-thi http://amnd.posterous.com/update-from-gill-director-at-the-start-of-thi

Phew! We’re on the home stretch. Had a very good Tech yesterday – technical rehearsal, where all the lighting and sound cues, and set and costume changes all come together. It’s always a very tiring day requiring real focus, patience and concentration from everyone and it took the best part of 9 hours to go through what is basically a 2 hour play – but that’s relatively short for a tech, at least we managed to make the pub! It’s helped by the director, designer and lighting designer doing a lighting and sound plot before hand – we worked until 10.30 Saturday night – but by doing that first without the actors it saves time overall.

Michelle, the designer, also had a very long 15 hour day on Sunday finishing off the set and costumes – but it looks fabulous and Carl has done a great job with the lighting design.

Today is the first time I’ve had a chance to write a blog (and catch up on administration!) as the actors aren’t called until this afternoon, when we’ll work some scenes, change a couple of lighting and sound cues and do a speed run (go through the whole play as fast as possible – good for Shakespeare when you’re aiming at 3.5 secs a line!) Then we’ve a dress rehearsal this evening with two more dresses tomorrow, with photos, and a get-out (packing everything into the truck to move to Alnmouth for the opening performance on Thursday.)

It’s going to be fun!

Gill

 

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Thu, 06 Sep 2012 22:53:00 -0700 Updates from last week... http://amnd.posterous.com/updates-from-last-week http://amnd.posterous.com/updates-from-last-week

From Nigel at the end of last week...

Well here we are, the end of week three; we all know the words now, not necessarily in the right order but near enough to be going on with. It's saturday morning and we've just 'run' act one. Actually, technically (in actorese) it was what is known as a 'stagger through' in which you do not stop even if there is a glitch - of which there were plenty but at this stage of the rehearsal process with 6 days until we open the show that is ok. Just been called back into rehearsals so more next week.

Bye for now and see you all during the tour hopefully.

Nigel

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Thu, 23 Aug 2012 22:39:00 -0700 A Note from Steph (Actor) http://amnd.posterous.com/a-note-from-steph-actor http://amnd.posterous.com/a-note-from-steph-actor
Hello!!
 
Its so wonderful being back in Alnwick and I am very excited about the show, It's going to be a very magical and entertaining! Everyday is flying by and we are now half way through the play.

This week so far has been very creative and fun. You will be pleased to hear that a wooden plank is no longer just a wooden plank, after extensive workshopping these planks we have transformed them into many things: faries, tree's, sea - saws and so much more. In true NTC style a prop will never just be used once!!!

Michelle has given us a great set to play on, which is adding lots of interesting shapes to the scenes. We have also been playing with magic, wafty clothes,physical sequences songs and dance.

Stephanie

 

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Tue, 21 Aug 2012 20:00:00 -0700 Week Two - A note from Eleanor (Actor) http://amnd.posterous.com/week-two-a-note-from-eleanor-actor http://amnd.posterous.com/week-two-a-note-from-eleanor-actor

AS I HOBBLE AROUND THE HOUSE LIKE AN OLD CRONE, I REFLECT FONDLY ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE PAST WEEK: 

A RETURN TO ALNWICK TO PLAY WITH OLD FRIENDS AND NEW, 

A BODY BREAKING WORKSHOP WITH THE WONDERFUL NAOMI SAID,

A MIND BREAKING WORKSHOP WITH THE INCREDIBLE LEWIS HANCOCK,

A FIRST LOOK AT THE WONDERFUL SET & COSTUMES THAT MICHELLE & THE TEAM ARE BUSY CREATING.

I LOOK BACK OVER THE WEEK AND I KNOW THAT WITH GILL AT THE HELM WE WILL CONTINUE TO LET OUR IMAGINATIONS CATCH FIRE AND THAT WE WILL MANAGE TO CREATE AND EXCITING / MAGICAL PRODUCTION OF A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM WITH A CAST OF 5!

MY BROKEN BODY AND BROKEN MIND (DON'T WORRY - I'LL BE LEAPING AROUND LIKE A MOUNTAIN GOAT BY MONDAY) - WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF NTC - YOU'RE TOP BANANA!

Eleanor

 

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Fri, 17 Aug 2012 06:11:00 -0700 A Note From Nigel (Actor) http://amnd.posterous.com/a-note-from-nigel-actor http://amnd.posterous.com/a-note-from-nigel-actor

Let nobody ever tell you that an actors life is not glamorous.

I've spent the first five days of rehearsal in physical agony and mental confusion. The former due to an absolutely gruelling workshop by Naomi Said from Frantic Assembly which was designed around the problems we would encounter trying to play a dozen roles with only 5 actors. The latter after a day spent with Lewis Hancock who is an authority on Shakespeare and how to interpret the text. Very interesting and thought provoking but leaving chaos in my head; especially as I had just returned from holiday in Portugal where I had not had a single thought about anything for a fortnight.

Further to the glamorous actor's life we lead: immediately before my not at all well earned holiday I spent a fascinating two days acting in another in a long line of health and safety films, this time at Hartlepool nuclear power station.You see, glamorous.

Until the next time, best wishes and thanks for all your invaluable support.

Nigel

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Thu, 16 Aug 2012 23:40:00 -0700 A Note from Michelle (Designer) http://amnd.posterous.com/a-note-from-michelle-designer http://amnd.posterous.com/a-note-from-michelle-designer

I'd love to tell you all about the design of the set and the costumes but I'm hoping you'll be coming to see it so I don't want to spoil the suprise. All I'll say is there is a lot of 'working at a height!'

It's now the end of the first week and backstage things are going quite well. The Set and Costumes have been presented to the Gill and the cast so now the crew (Myself, Carl and Karen) can get on with making everything over the next three weeks. This week we've been sourcing costumes and fabric for those that are to be made. I've been gathering costumes and items we can use from stock, checking paint stock, preparing the wardrobe and the workshop (I also unblocked the workshop sink which, following on from Nigel's post - was not very glamourous at all!). Any items that need to be ordered need to be done ASAP due to the fact that we only have 3 weeks to get all of the costumes, set and props ready. I've been discussing the lighting with Carl and he's getting on with making sure everything is still in working order.

We've already had first fittings with the actors, which is really good progress for week one. Karen (wardrobe) is now getting things ready for another fitting at the start of next week. The staging is up and has an initial base coat - another first for week one!

All in all we're coping okay. I hope I can still say the same in week 3.

Michelle

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Thu, 16 Aug 2012 22:38:00 -0700 A Note From Gill at the end of Week one... http://amnd.posterous.com/a-note-from-gill-at-the-end-of-week-one http://amnd.posterous.com/a-note-from-gill-at-the-end-of-week-one

The first week of rehearsal has flown by and yet we seem to have been here for ages! I think that’s probably the intensity of the two workshops – in the first physical one, on day one! with Naomi from Frantic Assembly, we discovered muscles we hadn’t found for years! and the second with Lewis on unrehearsed Shakespeare made our brains hurt! But both incredibly useful, giving us a shared vocabulary to move forward with the production. 10 of the ‘Dream Trainee’ auditionees also joined us for these and made best use of the experience and opportunity.

The set is up and we’ve been ‘playing’ on it exploring how it can inform the text – Michelle always gives us a great playground for every show providing another layer of meaning. Costumes are on their way and as we go through the play we’re working out how the actors can change from one character to another – sometimes very quickly! & we’ve been playing with music both during the show and as preshow to add to the flavour and atmosphere of the whole production. All in all a very productive week.

Gill

 

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Wed, 15 Aug 2012 09:19:00 -0700 A note from Carl (Stage Manager/Lighting) http://amnd.posterous.com/a-note-from-carl-stage-managerlighting http://amnd.posterous.com/a-note-from-carl-stage-managerlighting

Hello, 

I must say it is amazing to be back in Alnwick with NTC!!!! It's been a long wait as I was approached by NTC back in April, however i was also asked to be apart of Pilot Theatre's production  of 'Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner'. I have worked with Pilot pretty much on all of their shows in the last five years and was really keen on doing another, but the timing couldn't have been worse. It was a tough decision but I am back with NTC and looking forward to working on what should be a fantastic show. 

Everyone has arrived now and we have seen Michelle's (designer) set and costume design and must say it looks amazing. I was particularly excited as the creative lighting fairies were going wild in my head to create something that will complement the set and the characters. 

I have been busy sorting out all the equipment for the tour and will take me the rest of the week to sort out. I have also been going through the tour schedule to arrange call times for the actors when we get out on the road and most importantly find out how long it will take to get from base to the venues. 

It's busy and fun times at the moment and ahead, Michelle and I are trying to get as far ahead as we possibly can from the beginning as there is always something that crops up as show time gets near. 

Carl Moir

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Wed, 15 Aug 2012 04:48:00 -0700 Week One http://amnd.posterous.com/week-one http://amnd.posterous.com/week-one

A NOTE FROM LOUIS...

Well…we’re back! It looked for a while like we might not be, but we are back with a bang and on behalf of all of us… THANKYOU! Thankyou for all the support you’ve given NTC! You really are a great bunch! 

We’re all super excited at the prospect of getting our teeth into a bit of Shakespeare this summer.

Day one of rehearsals saw us all taking part in a workshop from Frantic Assembly, which was extremely useful in exploring movement and relationships between characters ,and we all took a lot from it…however we are now all aching rather a lot after using muscles we have never even knew we had!

Now on day two, we have got the set up…and we get to play with ladders! I won’t say too much at this point but let’s just say that Nigel Collins up a 6 foot ladder will certainly be a sight worth seeing!

And, on day three we are having a fantastic workshop with the wonderfully eccentric Lewis Hancock. He is an expert in all things Shakespeare, and even after only a few hours, there’s already been a few revelations about the show. This is going to be fun!

But as for now NTC’ers, I must say goodbye, it’s time for a quick coffee and then back to work…with 5 actors playing around twenty parts, it’s going to be a busy 3 weeks. See you on the other side, and ta ta for now,

Much Midsummer Nights love,

Louis Roberts

 

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Wed, 15 Aug 2012 04:33:00 -0700 Cast & Crew List - with a few familiar faces! http://amnd.posterous.com/cast-crew-list-with-a-few-familiar-faces http://amnd.posterous.com/cast-crew-list-with-a-few-familiar-faces

 

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Cast & Crew list

NIGEL COLLINS                                  Bottom/Demetrius/Fairy

ELEANOR DENNISON                      Hermia/Quince/Titania 

LOUIS ROBERTS                              Lysander/Oberon/Flute/Fairy 

STEPHANIE BUTLER                        Puck/Theseus/Snout

KYLIE ANN FORD (Dream trainee)       Helena/Hippolyta/Egeus/Snug 


Directed by                                              Gillian Hambleton

Designed by                                            Michelle Huitson

Stage Manager/Lighting designer        Carl Moir

Wardrobe                                                  Karen Holmes

Wardrobe work experience                    Rachael Fraser

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Fri, 10 Aug 2012 03:30:00 -0700 Rehearsals start next week! - A note from our Director... http://amnd.posterous.com/rehearsals-start-next-week-a-note-from-our-di http://amnd.posterous.com/rehearsals-start-next-week-a-note-from-our-di

I’m really looking forward to next week! Getting our teeth into some creativity rather than writing funding applications – although those can certainly be ‘creative’! and certainly essential at the moment.

Talked through the designs with Michelle and saw the set model last week, terrific! All the exciting potential for the show is really starting to kick in and we’re certainly going to have to be imaginative and inventive with only a small cast. Really looking forward to working with the cast of regular NTC’ers Nigel, Eleanor, Steph and Louis and to working with Kylie Ann Ford our ‘Dream Trainee’ who has been funded by the Sylvia Waddilove Foundation and who won the place against strong opposition of 30 other applicants. A third of these will also be attending master classes with Frantic Assembly and Lewis Hancock: First Folio Shakespeare, also made possible through the Sylvia Waddilove Foundation funding.

So, first thing Monday morning it’s a strenuous physical theatre session with Naomi from Frantic, a read through on Tuesday and brushing up our Shakespeare with Lewis on Wednesday and that’s just for starters!

Meanwhile this week I’m trying to catch 2 or 3 shows at the Edinburgh Festival and see NTC’er Andrew Piper in ‘Same Time Next Year’ in Glaisdale - before its heads down into rehearsals.

Gill

 

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