Curtain Up On Murder

Linda	....................	Linda Cooper
Ginny	....................	Sandra Yee
Sandra	....................	Clare Mitchell
Harry	....................	Tim Walder
Alex	....................	Zahir White
Sylvia	....................	Clare Buckland
Martin	....................	Dave Holden
Moppet	....................	Ann Burfoot

Welcome to the new year and time to get started on a new production. It's a thriller, featuring some of our more regular cast members and a few less familiar faces. The play reads well, which is about as far as we've got with it, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it will shape up over the next little while. As ever, whilst the cast has been decided, there are always opportunities to help out come the production, or to come along and see what rehearsals are like, so please feel free to get in touch if either hold any appeal.

Right, without giving too much away - always a bit of a problem, especially with thrillers - here's the official press release. As Easter this year has thrown our schedule slightly, the play will be staged two weeks earlier than usual for the Spring run. Which means that everything else is brought forward, particularly publicity, as it has to meet local publication dates. You might be seeing this elsewhere shortly, assuming that you're the sort of person who reads the "What's On" pages in the papers and free magazines.

A seaside amateur dramatic company are lucky enough to have the use of the theatre at the end of the pier. Lucky, that is, until one stormy rehearsal evening, when they find themselves inadvertently locked in by the stand-in caretaker Harry (Tim Walder). Director Martin (Dave Holden) sees it as a golden opportunity to have his stars Alex, Sylvia and Moppet (Zahir White, Clare Buckland and Ann Burfoot) work overtime, aided by stage hands Sandra and Ginny (Clare Mitchell and Sandra Yee). Things take a downhill turn, though, when it transpires Alex's girlfriend Linda (Linda Cooper) is also present and extremely unhappy with Alex!
However, it gets worse, when a terrible accident occurs and leaves one of their number dead - worse still, when a second cast member also dies and it becomes clear that these are no accidents: there is a murderer in their midst! The fearful survivors must try to hold on, terrified and unsure who to trust, until they can be rescued from their mysterious and implacable assailant. But will any of them succeed and last out the night?
The play is being produced by Mike Liassides and will run from April 2nd to 4th at Findon Village Hall.

I’ve been with the Cissbury Players for 3 weeks and we are in the early stages of rehearsals for “Curtain Up On Murder”. It’s a pleasure getting to know everyone and two things that particularly strike me are the high standard of acting and directing, as well as everyone’s commitment to putting on a good show come April.

I also like the fact that every Wednesday we get to rehearse on the stage at the Findon Village Hall - it gets you much more used to how everything will be set up on the night of the performances, rather than rehearsing in a room and then hoping to translate it all onto the big stage as you approach the big night.

It’s nice having a laugh with everyone, whilst I'm also keen to improve as an actor, so I think it's a good group to be with if you want to challenge yourself a bit and stretch your acting skills!

You have to wonder sometimes what the playwright is thinking of when coming up with a title for their work. It can't be about how the publicity is going to work, that's for sure! I mean: "Curtain Up On Murder"? Not what you might call classically evocative, is it - and as for coming up with a eye-catching poster image to capture the essence of the play...?
Still, dodgy title aside (...and without wishing to tempt fate here!), it's progressing well so far. Reading and blocking are complete: now we're moving into everybody's favourite part - line learning. As a director, I like to try and get that underway as quickly as possible, have everybody working without books for as long as possible and - hopefully - end up with a few weeks at the end where the whole cast are confident about lines and moves and we can fine-tune the action and characters. It doesn't always work out that way: some plays are simply a lot harder to learn than others and there isn't always enough rehearsal time...however, this one has fairly easy, flowing dialogue so I'm hopeful it'll go to plan!
Zahir, our newest member, has fitted well into the cast and has shared his first impressions above (we didn't even have to bribe him...). I'll ask him again nearer the time and see if they've changed! Everyone else should be familiar, possibly even famous, to our audiences...and here they are, apart from Tim, who wasn't at rehearsal at the same time as my camera. Left to Right: Sandra, Clare M, Clare B, Zahir, Dave, Ann and Linda.

Given that a picture's worth a thousand words, I'll stop talking now and get my quota up the easy way, with some views of rehearsals:

Howdy Folks.
Rehearsals have been going well so far. I think this play is a little shorter then some of the others we have done which means that there is less pressure and plenty of time to get those lines under our belts and get going with the real acting.
This week we were asked to have learn't our lines for Act 1 and other then a couple of prompts, and one or two pick up of the books, most of us actually had it down, which is pretty cool. I think I personally got prompted twice and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
It is great when you get to the part where you can drop the books and really start acting. Although my part has many factors to it I spend most of the time being a ditsy overly enthusiastic, keen and an excited personality. Today specifically I think I managed to get that just about right even with a couple of excited skips as well.
Zahir changed the direction of his character today which I think has added an interesting twist to the many scenes where Sylvia and Alex are alone on stage together.
I still think the funniest scene is when Ann does her crazy cornish old lady part - I can't stop giggling back stage - really worth seeing. :-)
I can't wait to start working on Act 3 with the books down - those scenes are really fun.
Well that's me signing off now, got lines to learn. Ta ta for now...

Coming up to the half way point in rehearsals and definitely coming out of the comfort zone now. Rehearsals schedule states no books, lines which you knew at home seem to go missing at rehearsals another of life’s mysteries but it is so frustrating when your head and mouth don’t work together.
Taking part in a play is a good way of escaping from your normal life! Its not often you get the chance to shout at people, scream, murder and die and live to tell the tale, well I don’t in my daily life!
I often wonder if the authors of plays have encountered the characters they write about.
The Cissbury Players seem to be a well adjusted group of people however therapy may be required in the future. ….hopefully this is covered by the group insurance……..
When a play is read the story is told but it is in rehearsals when the characters are developed and it’s always interesting to see how this evolves. You may see a character in a certain way however others may see it differently so it is always a work in progress and this is the point at which I feel we are at. Characters are developing as lines are learnt and the input from others helps, they often see what you don’t.

Two more weeks and all lines should be known ……………….moves comfortable…….characters developed…….

No pressure……………………………………………………..who’s the prompt?

I play Ginny in the play, who is a friend of Sandra. This has been a bit confusing for me as I'm Sandra, really, not Clare, but you know what, Linda just happens to really be Linda! Moppet is a really strange name too, for Ann, but Mike told you all that already!
Anyway, I'm having a great time rehearsing and it's becoming interesting now as my character is emerging after we have started to learn our lines a bit, I mean, a lot. Every rehearsal or bit of line-learning turns up some new aspect of the play or character(s), it's a voyage of dramatic discovery! Just like real life really.... I'm sure by the end of rehearsals it'll all be in fine fettle, I mean, spell-binding, well, a good show. (I can't help being an optimist.) There are some great moments in it...roll on opening night...."

Ah, the delights of being part of a group: one of which is the photocall for the local paper. It's always a Saturday morning job, assembling the cast in a setting that is at least vaguely connected to the play and finding something for them all to do that will look half-decent as an eye-catching tableau. Conveniently, we have a local pier. Equally conveniently, this isn't a costume drama, so civvies will do. We've had fun in the past trying to preserve modesty changing in some quite peculiar places - or indeed, getting to those places already clad in some fairly peculiar costumes. It doesn't do to be too easily embarrassed in this game.
Anyway, this one was quite straightforward, apart from giving up a lie-in to get to Worthing pier by 10:15 (I was, of course, a little late: I'm always late for everything, ever). The nice chap from the Herald snapped away busily at the collected cast adopting a very poetic license kind of pose in a scene that never actually happens in the play - but, hey, that's publicity...
It's always a bit of a landmark, knowing that we've reached this stage in the production: it means there really isn't that long left to go in rehearsals. Which can be either a very good or a very bad thing, depending on how ready you feel...!
Anyway, ready or not, we should be in the Entertainments section shortly: look out for us there.

...but, please, just because you've seen it here, don't let that stop you going out and buying your own copy of both publications!

So here we are with two weeks to go. We all know our lines, but not necessarily the order in which they come and, as always, I have one or two which do not come easily to me. I like my character, Martin, which is always a bonus. The closer I can engage with my part the better I feel I play it, although the final judgement always lies with our audience. "Curtain up on Murder" is now pulling together nicely so do come along and see it. We've enjoyed the rehearsals and I know you'll enjoy our production.

Below: Our Mr Holden in supervisory action. Note real sofa, as promised. As to what exactly is going on...all will be revealed on the night.

It's been said elsewhere, but worth another mention - Dave's had a part in every play since joining the group.
It wouldn't be fair to make an exception for this one...so we didn't!

After the three months of preparation, the waiting is almost over as the first showing of the play happens on Thursday night. As well as trying to polish up a few of my lines for the final night, I've been practising doing a stunt properly.
Put it this way, I tried it during a ehearsal on Sunday and banged my head on the stage so I've got to get better at "falling with style", as Buzz Lightyear put it.
It doesn't matter if I turn in an Oscar-winning performance in the play if I mess that bit up, bang my head again and pass out. Intrigued to see what the stunt is? Please come along on Thursday 2nd, Friday 3rd or Saturday 4th and find out!

Return To
Archive Production Page

Return To
Current Production Page

Clare M and Sandra setting the scene	Ann (moving in mysterious ways), Zahir and Clare B. It'll make sense when you see the production...
Linda, Zahir and Clare B sharing an uncomfortable moment. Acted, of course, not a real one	Zahir and Linda in pensive moods
On to the second scene and an opportunity to see Dave	The sofa (it will be a sofa rather than 3 chairs pushed together, nearer the time) is always the most important piece of furniture on any stage...

Archives - April 2009