Archives - November 2008

"Curtains"

by Stephen Bill

Cast

PRODUCTION DIARY

Introduction - Mike 17/10/08

This is by way of an experiment, the idea being to keep a production diary where members of the cast and crew can post regular(ish) updates as to how things are progressing. Hopefully, this will not just whet people's appetites to come along and see the finished product, but also give a better idea of what goes on behind the scenes and within the group. Everyone will be welcome to participate: it is not our intention to censor any comments* - good or bad - although you may have to forgive us for not giving away all of the plot ahead of time!
* Although I will be correcting spelling and punctuation...!

Opinions welcome as to whether this is a splendid new enhancement or not: any feedback to webmaster@cissburyplayers.net, please.

Start Of Rehearsals - Mike 08/09/08

The play has now been cast and rehearsals are underway.

It's too late now for anyone with a burning desire to act to get in the action (although there's always next time...), but we're still happy to meet new people and there are still opportunities to help out with the production.

If nobody's that eager to join in, at least make a note in your diaries of the dates 20 - 22 November, when it will be performed live on the stage of Findon Village Hall.

Synopsis - Clare 08/10/08

It is Ida's eighty-sixth Birthday - a milestone the old lady would rather not have reached, and her family have gathered to celebrate with a Birthday tea. Into their midst comes the prodigal daughter, returning after a long absence, only to discover that her mother no longer remembers her.
After tea is cleared, the family disperse leaving Ida's daughter Katherine to look after her mother.

What ensues will doubtless shock and horrify, but the play still manages to be funny whilst also being profound and painful, engaging the heart, the mind and the conscience.

Cissbury Players have done a number of comedies of late and I wanted to try something a little different, so have picked a play, which I feel will give rise to a multitude of emotions and leave our audiences thinking very hard as they examine their own lives and the morals by which they live.

Early Photographs - Mike 15/10/08

Samantha, Ann, Lyndsey and Mary as Katherine, her mother Ida, sister Margaret and Ida's neighbour Mrs Jackson (Lyndsey is reading in for an absent Linda. Note the backdrop from the last play - really must get around to repainting the back wall)	Mike and Dave as Ida's sons-in-law Geoffrey and Douglas
At this stage, the birthday tea is a trifle meagre. Nearer the time, there will be sandwiches rather than just plates...	Happy Birthday photo, as taken by Douglas

The Man Who Is Douglas - Dave 15/10/08

What was it Clare said?  "9 rehearsals to go".  Hmmm I always start screaming inside at this point.  Mind you, Mike has got it far worse this time, haven't you Mike?**
"Well I don't know whether we should....I mean I don't know....What do you think?  I mean you were....she does look a little more um.... now you've....did she?" 
 You have you know.
"Really?"
 Yes.
"Oh, no, no....I meant..."
 You have you know.
"No!"
 Don't you find it difficult?
"No, no, not quite..."
 But we know he'll know it in the end.
 
A chap who used to work as a Security Guard at the Revenue turned up with his partner last night.  Didn't catch his name, may have been John, not sure, nice couple though.  Hopefully they'll join - we need the troops!  He saw the whole of the first act and promised to come back on Monday - guess he wants to know what happens eh?  And he laughed once or twice - see I told you it's funny - I appear to be the only one who thinks so but there are one or two other people chuckling every now and again.  I'm sure Clare won't see the funny side 'til its over!   Then again, what director does.  Are we having fun yet?
 
Seriously though, the first act is going well and I'm sure the second will do likewise.  When was it we needed to learn the lines by (thumbs through script)?  Oh no!  Better go and read them at least.  If you're in it, see you Monday; if you're not, see you soon.  Whatever you're doing - be happy!

** Editor's note: Yes.

The Lady Who Is In Charge - Clare 22/10/08

The gentleman’s name was Michael, and the lady accompanying him was Anne, and hopefully as Dave suggests, they will join us again at some point in the future.
 
Well, what to say about this play?
 
The first play I produced for the Cissbury Players was a baptism of fire - The Odd Couple – a play immortalised on the silver screen by Lemmon and Mathieu and a hard one to follow.
 
However – I had seen that film and knew roughly what the form the play should take – so why on earth did I choose an unknown play this time?
 
An unknown play with horrid, nasty, bitty dialogue where characters never manage to get a whole sentence out for pages on end, but still manage to convey a whole gamut of emotions without seemingly trying.
 
A play with no stage directions, a play with no set design?
 
A highly contentious play which may leave the audience reeling?
 
Why did I choose a cast with heavy work and family commitments which means they can’t make all the rehearsals?
 
Why?
Why not?
After all, the Cissbury Players have never been ones to bask in the reflected glory of past brilliant productions, we have never settled for second best and easy plays when there is a difficult one out there, and as a new producer and now proud chairperson of the fabulous group, I decided that I would try to push the boundaries of local amateur theatre and try to do something that was challenging, but ultimately very rewarding.
 
It has been hard going so far with people absent from rehearsals and me not really knowing what the hell was going on, but with my trusty producers guide to hand and the willing ear of a well accomplished cast, we are getting there, and as always, it will be “alright on the night” because we are The Cissbury Players and this is what we do.

Thoughts Of A Player - Sam 03/11/08

When Clare first asked me to undertake a part in this current production, I thought: no problem, it'll probably be a nice, small, little part wich won't take long to learn. So, imagine my shock when I read through the script: not only is it one of the lead roles, but what I have to do during the course of the play really blew me away. But, hey, being a Player, I love rising to the challenge. It has probably been one of the most difficult parts I have ever done, but if we pull it off, boy what a showstopper it will be!

We are now 3/4 of the way through our rehearsal schedule and have had lots of hiccups along the way, like one of the main characters being away in Scotland for 3 weeks! Not her fault, unfortunately, but it has made it interesting - acting against stand-ins for the duration.

It is only Clare's second time as a producer and we had fun blocking the play as there was little or no direction in the script. But hey, Clare has managed to pull it off and we have our moves! It is also a very "wordy" play and I know that a few of us are struggling to learn Act II before this week. I'm sure it will all start coming together soon; let's just pray it does, or we could be in big trouble! Seriously, though, we always manage to pull it out of the bag on the night.

Looking forward to performing "Curtains" in November - hope to see you all there.

A busy cast is a happy cast...! L-R: Dave, Mary, Sam, Carol, Martin and Linda.
 

Geoffrey Does Some Mumbling - Mike 16/11/08

Set building weekend is upon us. Always a busy time: Saturday evening/Sunday morning to build the stage, Sunday afternoon for the technical rehearsal, then Monday night final rehearsal, Wednesday dress rehearsal, Thursday to Saturday for the performances and Sunday morning to dismantle it all again. Although technically an actor for this one, I'll still be quite heavily involved in getting the set and backstage ready to go. If I were to be completely honest, whilst I don't mind treading the boards, that isn't my favourite part of being in the group, and the hands-on work now is something of a pleasant change!

What's that - you want to hear about how the play's going? Well...erm...you know, I mean to say, that is an awful lot of lines, isn't it? Are you sure, you know, that I need to know all of them, well, I mean, perhaps nobody would notice if ummm...? Oh. Right. All of them, then. If you're sure...?

It is a tough play to learn, without doubt. I don't usually have much difficulty with lines, but it has been hard going to get these ones into memory. Perhaps I'm getting old...which wouldn't be a bad thing in this case, as Geoffrey isn't meant to be a spring chicken by any means. (In fact, it's the first time I've ever been asked to play a father, so I guess that's it: I'm now officially part of the next generation and my juvenile lead days are well and truly over!). It's all a bit terra incognito to me: I don't feel I'm quite a natural Geoffrey in the same way I would, for example, be a natural James Bond (yes, I would!)...still, that's probably why they call it acting.

At this point, it's always hardest on the producer. We've been watching it all suddenly click together and come on in leaps and bounds over the last few weeks but - as with any creation - it's difficult not to focus on the things that don't perfectly match with the creator's vision. Traditionally, technical and dress rehearsals never go particularly well, just to add that extra nervousness that what will happen on the night will be dreadful. That's just the way it is: it always happens like that and even knowing that's how it will be, it's never easy for the producer's stress levels - so sorry in advance to Clare! But the truth is, you will never actually see a play until it is in front of an audience, no matter how many rehearsals you have beforehand. That is the beauty of live theatre: that it really does make a huge difference to the performance to have the audience present - and one reason why it's always said that it'll "be alright on the night"!

Anyway, it is what it is. I'll be there, in all my mumbling glory and, possibly, a cardigan: hope to see you all too. And just in case anyone doubts it, every single mumble will be in exactly the right place at the right time. Honestly.

And in case anyone missed the local paper, here we are.

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