the boards march 2015
DESCRIPTION
ÂTRANSCRIPT
1The Lace Market Theatre • Halifax Place • Nottingham • NG1 1QN
0115 950 7201 | www.lacemarkettheatre.co.uk
THE BOARDS March / April 2015
The in-house magazine for the Lace Market Theatre Editor: Andy Nash
New PAG chair
page 5
History of LMT
Page 12
2
Member News 2
A note from the Editor 2
From the Chair 3
From the Artistic Director 4
PAG Chair 5
Review: One Act Play 6
Review: Lion in Winter 7
Obituary - Beth Hanna 8
Review: Lion in Winter 8
Review: Bedroom Farce 9
Review: Bedroom Farce 10
Review: Bedroom Farce 11
Audition:When we are married 12
Audition: Jumpy 13
Audition: Yerma 13
Who’s who 15
Audition notes 15
Diary Dates 15
Season at a glance 16
New Members
26th November to28th January -many of whom
who have already undertakenvoluntary duties behind the baror helping back stage. You willalso soon see Sophie andMatthew treading the boards.
Carlo BeneCassia Colombo BowtellAllan GreenAlison HollandSophie OwenMatthew ThomasonGraham Wood
As at 28th January we had atotal of 327 members.
B AnthonyMembership Secretary
CONTENTS
A notefrom
the EditorI have been workingin India for the past
two months where a couple ofthings struck me about theirtheatrical culture that we couldthink about here in Nottingham.Firstly, much of what they do isfantastical; so far removed fromtheir everyday life that the eventof the theatre is a spectacle.Not to sound trite but it was afeast for the senses. I was luckyenough to witness someperformances of Indian“theatre” while I was there. Itwas so very fascinating how theycombined drama, dance,movement, music and colourinto a single performance.Another commonality was thatthey contained very littlespeaking. All mostly conveyedthrough the movement of theirbody, through the sound of theirvoices (rhythmic sounds), soundsof drums and other instrumentsto signify emotion, the lightingand tapping into the audiencesimagination. Another thing thatstruck me was that most of the“cast” were not svelte ballerinas,nor were they groomed singersbut just people who wanted toconvey a story to their audience.We should feel proud of theshows that we produce at theLMT as they often connect allthe elements of theatre togetherbut remember, fundamentally,we are people just conveying astory to other people.
Andy [email protected]
Member News
Letters to theEditor!
Please do send in your lettersand articles for publication.It makes such a differencewhen the Boards containsitems of interest from ourmembers.
India Factoid!
Britain has great dramatistshowever India has claim toone of the earliest knownSanskrit playwrites. Bhasa,who lived sometime in the 3rdcentury.
Unlike his contemporarywriters, he didn’t shy awayfrom showing battle scenesand murder on stage. Hismost respected playSvapnavasavadatta - wassaid to be so strong, that if allhis plays were thrown into thefire, this alone would remain.
3
HALF WAY THROUGH theseason and we'vealready broken records.
Three sold out shows in a row inthe auditorium. Pretty goodgoing and all credit to thedirectors, cast and crews. Ofcourse we shouldn't forget thatit's the ticket receipts from suchpopular productions that allowus to stage others that wouldnever attract such largeaudiences but are equally goodpieces of drama. Our memberslove theatre in all its guises andwe are so lucky that that we areable to put on such a variedand rich theatre programme.Arguably the best inNottingham!
Another message to members,even season ticket holders, fromour success is to get your ticketsearly before they sell out. SadlyGareth Morris is giving up his roleas Head of Publicity by the endof this season. A big thank youto Gareth who has workedextremely hard to pull togetherthe many aspects of ourpublicity machine andcontribute to our success overthe last couple of years. Ofcourse Gareth doesn't workalone and there is a team ofenthusiastic and energeticmembers working with him whowill continue. We are looking fora replacement for Gareth toco-ordinate all that activity andtake a personal lead, inconjunction with the PAG,
FROM THE CHAIR...
Chair/Artistic Director, to designand print the annual playbill,posters and flyers. If you areinterested in taking on this vitalrole I would love to hear fromyou. Don't worry if you don't thinkyou know everything aboutpublicity - there are lots of peoplearound to help.
Finally don't forget the AGM onSunday 22 March. You shouldalready have got theNotification. The AGM has with avery specific purpose andagenda so we are repeating lastyear's initiative of having aninformal Question & Answersession following the formalmeeting and we look forward toa large turnout. There will also bea free glass of wine - courtesy thisyear of our friends from Karlsruhe.
Philip [email protected]
Marketing update
AS YOU HAVE read in othersections of this edition ourbeloved Gareth Morris is
stepping down at the end of thisseason as Head of Publicity.
Gareth has done a tremendousjob of “branding” not just theseason of plays but also provideda public image thatdemonstrates the professionalismthat goes on within the building.
Marketing is a difficult job andGareth has done marvels takingpromoting the theatre and thework that we do.
With that said, his resignation willleave a big whole and the headof marketing is a central figurewhen promoting a season.
I would like to thank Gareth forthe tireless work he has done overthe years both for the theatreand the membership. It is with asincere sense of loss that heleaves the post.
The search is now on for hisreplacement. Please doconsider this role; speak toGareth or others on themanagement team to find outmore.
Andy Nash
India Factoid #2!
Jainism is one of the oldestreligions in the world. Theyworship 20 Gods that haveachieved such a state ofperfection that they have noneed or want for spiritualnourishment, physicalnourishment, intellectualnourishment and haveneither good or bad Karma.
Something to aspire to, Iguess.
4
WELL, AREN'T WE doingwell? Since the lastedition of The Boards
we have had yet another sell-out performance with BedroomFarce including a public finaldress rehearsal. We also had asell-out performance (minus twotickets arising from anadministrative oversight but we'lloverlook that!) of One Act Play- a huge success considering itwas the first time we had everheld a new writing competition.Not only that but One Act Playis back in rehearsal as the castprepares to take it to Swindonas part of Madame Renard'sMini Fringe Festival. It doesn'tstop there either - The Lion inWinter was one of the bestselling post-Christmas shows ina slot that is notoriously difficultto sell tickets for and as I write,ticket sales are looking good forour Three Short Classics.
IT WOULD BE easy to becomecomplacent at this stage -we've presented a lot of
productions so far that haveclearly been popular with thepunters (and the treasurer) butthe season is far from over.Although equally wonderfulplays, the latter half of theseason does contain some lesserknown works which might beharder to sell so now is the timeto redouble our efforts,challenge folk to try somethingnew and get publicising.
FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR...
On that note I was extremelysorry to hear that Gareth Morrisis going to be stepping down asHead of Publicity. Havingundertaken this role many yearsback, I realise only too well thatthis is a vital and often thanklesstask. Gareth has done anabsolutely first class job andalthough we haven't alwaysagreed, I cannot fault hisdedication and sheer hard work.As he would say - thanks buddy!
And finally, those of you whosememory goes back to when Ihelped Sarah Kerry with the YouthTheatre will probably remembera production of Adrian Mole atLMT - a play with songs thatfeatured not only certain stillfamiliar faces (Lorna and Kareenaspring to mind) but starring as oneof our Adrians , one Jake Brunger.A very active member of theYouth Theatre who at the timewas keen to direct here too, heis now making a name for himselfprofessionally and his productionof Adrian Mole: The Musical (forwhich he wrote the book andlyrics) opens at Leicester Curve inMarch. This season I'm delightedwe've been able to allow YouthTheatre member Alex Deacon todirect (under the mentorship ofthe wonderful B Anthony) ourproduction of Swansong butmoreover I urge you all to supportour upcoming youth productionof The Caucasian Chalk Circle -after all, you never know wherethese talented folk could be in afew years time! Best wishes.
Paul JohnsonArtistic Director
The CaucasianChalk Circle
by Bertolt Brecht
18 - 21 March 2015
Cast:LaceMarket Theatre YouthGroup
Crew:Max Bromley DirectorTBC SetPeter Hodgkinson LightingKerry Newcombe LightingTBC WardrobeTBC PropsTBC SM
India Factoid #3!
Drivers on the roads in Indiaare subject to very strict rulessimilar to the UK.
Sadly, no-one follows themand the penalties forbreaking the rules are seldomenforced.
5
King Johnby William Shakespeare
20-25 April 2015
Cast:Ian BennettSophie OwenPiotr WisniewskiStephen HerringNeil DuckmantonCiaran StonesRichard HillRob GollSteve MitchellDaniel BryantOliver LovelyClare ChoubeyJanice WhiteImogen LeaSally NixLiz TurnerChloe AshfordMandy Wilson
Crew:Cynthia Marsh DirectorAmanda Hodgson ADHugh Philip LightingPeter Hodgkinson SoundJane Herring WardrobeRose Dudley PropsShirley Callis SMMark James Set designMark James PhotosAndrew Siddons Construction
FOR THOSE WHO aren’t familiarwith our theatre practiceseach year the Board of
Directors appoint a chairpersonto head the Play AdvisoryGroup. This group is tasked withdevising a season of plays thatfits both the main house andthe studio. The current PAGchair, Max Bromley, announcedthe 2015 / 16 season recently.(Members will be able to hearmore about it at the up comingAGM.) In order to provideoverlap between these roles weappoint the following seasonsPAG chair ahead of the AGM.This ensures that there iscontinuity between the twoposts. Once this season is overMax Bromley will become thetheatre’s artistic director.
It is with great pleasure that Ican announce in this editionthat Jim Brooks will become thePAG chair for the 2016/17season. Many of you will beaware of Jim and thecontribution he has made tothe theatre. His knowledge oftheatre is immense so we lookforward to working with himthrough the next year.
Welcome Jim to the role of PAGChair. With such tremendousseasons under our belt you willmake an excellent successor toMax.
Andy Nash
FIRST OF ALL I have to thank theBoard for choosing me to bePAG chair for 2016/17. I was
surprised to learn that I had beenselected as I still consider myself asa new boy to the group. I have onlydirected one show with LMT andthat was the one act play 'TheAstonished Heart". The thing I havelearnt since I joined is knowing whoto ask and who to go to in a crisisor with a question. I want to involvenot only all areas of the Theatre inthe selection process, technical,front of house and box office andindeed the Board themselves butalso all members. Please tell mewhat you want the PAG to lookat.
I am constantly surprised to learnnot what we have done butwhat we haven't done. Thereare some of Shakespeare's playsthat have yet to grace our stageand some contemporaryplaywrights we have yet toexplore. I will encourage theteam to come up the mostvaried programme, one that willbe full of surprises . We are solucky to have the facilities wehave and I want to use them totheir full advantage. I believewe have to challenge ourselvesboth as a group and as anaudience and have a greattime doing it. Any ideas pleasedon't hesitate to get in touch.
Jim Brooks
Play Advisory Group Chair2016/17
6
Review: O n e A c t P l a y
ONE ACT PLAY is, in fact, aone-act play; forty-fiveminutes with no interval.
Swindon playwright Matt Foxwon a New Writing award for itlast year, and on the evidenceof this super interpretation it’seasy to see why.
Even before the action starts amiddle-aged couple are in bedtogether. He looks like Mr Dull: stringvest, striped pyjamas, reading theYorkshire Post. She’s in an unsexynightie, filing her nails. They look as ifthey’ve been part of each other’slives for ever. Could be a mundaneevening.
But it isn’t. The play turns out to be asurrealistic feast – with a difference.One of the many things it takes apoke at is surreal theatre itself. It turnsover, and makes one question, thevery concept of theatre and itsassociated conventions. Be warned– anyone who’s part of, or on thefringes of, a stagey in-crowd mightfeel his/her pretentions being pricked.
And it’s funny. The characters aredismissive of the audience for sure.But they give their creator – they haveno idea who he is; they don’t knowwho they themselves are – a positivecaning: for them he’s an “arroganttwat”. In the process they raise a lotof laughs.
Questions are raised. Not just abouttheatre, but about life itself: who arewe and why are we here? None ofthem are answered. It’s experimentaltheatre which is, at the same time, acritique of experimental theatre.
As the nameless couple, LornaMcCullough and Ian Bennett deliver
admirably controlled, subtle andintelligent performances. And theywork on a simple but effective setdominated by a painting of awhippet to reinforce the Yorkshiretheme running through the play.
This upstairs studio production,directed by Amber Forrest, is afine start to the Lace Marketyear.
Alan Geary
well! By gum!
This is one play where all the comedyis played through the script as thereis no physicality to speak of and thisreally accentuates the wonderfulcomic lines of Matt's work. But thelines can only really come to lifethrough two wonderful characteractors, Lorna McCullough and IanBennett, both of which I've seen onseveral occasions in various playsand have enjoyed their variedacting history.
Lorna is delightful and reminds meof another wonderful actress,Annette Crosbie in this play. And Ian,facially very expressive and canoften raise a smile by just raising aneyebrow, as proven even before theplay started. Combined with thesetalents, Lorna and Ian bring thewarm and funny script bouncing tosurreality (is there such a word?).Some nice comic timing betweenthe pair which made you feelcomfortable with them as a pair intheir characters.
A short play coming in at about 45minutes long but packed with somegenius wordplay and two very funnyperformances from our two handers.Lovingly directed by Amber Forrest,if there were any tickets left I'd adviseyou to snap them up but tonight wassold out, as is tomorrow afternoonand tomorrow evening.
Maybe Matt and co were just testingthe water with this play by justrunning it over two days, who knows.I'd have loved this play to be onlonger, or maybe a revisit to the LaceMarket, because I think there couldhave been another couple of dayssuccess there. But isn't there that oldtheatrical adage..."always leavethem wanting for more".
Kev Castle
YET AGAIN SET in the intimateupstairs theatre space ofthe Lace Market Theatre
this was the ideal setting for"One Act Play".
With more dissections of the humancharacter and what we thought weknew about ourselves and life thancan be found in a hospital theatrethan in t' standard theatre. One manand one woman are sitting in bedchatting away but we find out thatall is not quite as it seems and hasone big, very unexpected twist atthe end, one that I definitely didn'tsee coming!!
The play breaks down all theatricalrules and de constructs the wholeidea of theatre that we've come tolove, but with such warmth andhilarity and just a little humanity andpathos. We discover that "One ActPlay" creates the writer as a God, acreator of everything that theycurrently know. He's in charge of theirevery word and action, but then ourcharacters start to gently rebel,lambast and insult their very creator.
This again turns the tables on thewhole acting bible with refreshinghonesty as from t' viewpoint of t'standard man in t' street. Thar's alsosome rather wonderful over t' topYorkshire accenting goin' off thar as
7
OH IF ONLY history lessonsat school were asentertaining as this
devilishly devious and comicalplay.
Set in King Henry's castle atChinon in France during theChristmas of 1183, it all starts witha bedroom scene with Henryand Alice, Countess of Vexin,but more apt would her title hadit have been Vixen, becauseshe's supposed to be promisedto one of Henry's sons and notcavorting with the King!
Henry had had his Queenimprisoned but let her out forState events and specialoccasions, like Christmas, butdoes Eleanor of Aquitaine stilllove her King or has she just gother eyes on his Crown jewelsand all that go along with them?
There are three sons Richard,Geoffrey and John all vying andscheming to be Henry'ssuccessor to the throne and alsoPhilip II, son of Louis VII.
There's more back biting andscheming, possible murder plots,bribery and unfaithfulness thanin one episode of Eastenders,and it's a whole lot more fun towatch with a more than liberalsprinkling of humour to go.
King Henry, or should I say JohnParker, was the main attractionhere. What a natural andhumorous performance Johngave. If Leonard Rossiter everplayed this role, this is how itwould have looked andsounded, and even with thissimilarity it did not detract fromthe performance because Johnwas excellent as Henry,stamping his authority as King
Review: The Lion in Winter
in order to hang on to his smallrealm, Constantly in verbal battlewith Henry, but a royal who alsoknew what he wanted.
Playing the castle slut was RachelPage as Alice. Thinking she couldwrap the King round her little fingerthere were times when this didn'tseem to be the case, but still thefirm favourite squeeze of randy KingHenry. Rachel looked like she wasenjoying the role with her flirtycharacter.
The two servants were played byChris Griffiths and Lesley Brown. Wesometimes don't see the talent wehave under our very noses inNottingham but there was anabundance on show in "The Lion InWinter" with every actor showcasedat their very best in this wonderfullyentertaining and comical slice ofhistory.
Great costumes and periodappropriate props, with real drinkbeing poured from real ewers intoreal goblets. It annoys me whensmall things like seeing any liquidwhich is supposed to be drunk notbeing present. Such a small thing, Iknow, but something that was notoverlooked in this faultless (apartfrom a few stumbles over words,but this was opening night) littlemasterpiece. Forget Peter O Toolein the 1968 movie version, go alongto the Lace Market Theatre for aright royal romp hut hurry, ticketsare yet again in short supply.
Kev Castle
but with just a glimmer ofcompassion for his imprisonedwife. It was just a glimmer though!
Jane Herring (Eleanor ofAquitaine) has that classic lookabout her, one that makes youthink that you have seen hermaybe in some Hollywoodperiod film of days gone by. Shehas that aura about her actingwhich oozes regality and drawsyour eyes to her whenever sheis on stage. Hypnotising.
Chris Reed (Richard I) pulls off apowerful performance as theeldest son in line to the thronewith a little secret which isunveiled in the play involving theyoung French King, Philip II. Theydidn't teach us that in the historybooks... as far as I can rememberanyway. There's no pulling backof emotion with Chris' acting.
Middle son Geoffrey is campedup a bit by actor Richard Hillgiving Geoffrey a certain "devilmay care" attitude but with a slyand deceitful manner, Eager toget what he wants throne wiseand he is not afraid to lie anddeceive the younger sibling Johnto try and get what he is aimingfor.
And then there is the baby ofthe Royal Family, John. Playedwith even more camp by JamesGreen, but not that over the topto turn John into somepantomime figure. Believablebut ever so slightly naive inthinking that daddy King Henryfavoured him over his elderbrothers.
James Barker portrayed Philip IIwho had no trouble withprojection of his voice, An angryking but with every reason to be
8
THERE’S AN IDENTIFIABLE sub-genre of drama where afamily reunion for a special
occasion – Christmas, awedding or a funeral – goeshorribly haywire. Everyone’sulterior motivation is madeembarrassingly clear; andskeletons tumble out ofcupboards to run amok.
From playwright JamesGoldman, The Lion in Winter isjust such a play. It’s 1183, andthe family in question are theEnglish royal family. They’regathered at Chinon, at one oftheir castles in France, tocelebrate Christmas.
Naturally it’s a who-gets-whatdispute. There are three choiceitems up for grabs: the Englishthrone, Aquitaine, and theKing’s young mistress. How todivide these between the threesons?
The serviceable, medievalcastle set is cluttered withperiod Christmas anachronisms– even wrapped prezzies,thoughtfully tied up with stringand placed under a decoratedtree. And there are chirpily un-medieval Christmas tracks usedas background sound.
It’s a very wordy play, which,particularly before the break,lacks peaks and troughs; so itpresents a set of challenges for
IT IS WITH sadness that wereport the death of BethHanna who died in January
aged 88 - 8 July 1926 to 7January 2015. I attended herfuneral on 26 January as arepresentative of the Theatre.Beth was a member of theTheatre for some years anddirected plays during the 1970'sand 1980's. She was alsoTheatre Secretary on theManagement Committee1978/9 to 1983. She moved toBirmingham to be near herdaughter in Oct 2014 but herhealth deteriorated quickly - Iwas told she'd had a braintumour.
Doreen Sheard
Obituary - Beth Hanna
Book now for “The Caucasian Chalk Circle”
Either online or telephoning the box office
www.lacemarkettheatre.co.uk or 0115 950 7201
the actors. But director GordonParsons deploys anaccomplished cast, well up tothe demands of the tartcynicism of an intentionally cod-medieval text.
Jane Herring, as Eleanor, givesthe arguably outstandingperformance. The momentswhere she confides in theaudience, to whom she oftenseems bitter and scornful, are aremarkable feature of theevening. And John Parker’sHenry II is played withmagnificent confidence. TheKing has a near break-down atthe end of the first act; andthere’s a brilliantly fierceconfrontation between him andthe young Philip of France(James Barker).
The three sons and their father’smistress are also well played, byChris Reed (Richard), JamesGreen (John), Richard Hill(Geoffrey) and Rachel Page(Alice). In this enjoyableproduction, historical figures aremade to come over as realpeople.
Alan Geary
Review: The Lion in Winter
Did you know...Members of the LMT canreceive a discount at thePitcher and Piano by showingtheir LMT Membership cardwhen paying the bill?
9
WE OFTEN THINK ofseventies comedy asa bit outdated but
take away the obvious 70'sdecor and clothes from thisplay and the comedy is asfunny today as it ever was,transcending the decadesnicely.
Four couples interwoven withinthree bedrooms and spanningthe ages of the couples andtheir sometimes complicatedrelationships with the others, wedelve into what happens withinthe four walls of their sleepingquarters and the talk that istouching on the candid attimes.
We start with Ernest and Delia(Roger Newman and HazelSalisbury), the mature coupleof the four and parents to Trevor(Alistair Jack), as they aregetting ready to go out for ananniversary meal, but this nightwill be one that they don'tforget in a long time. BothRoger and Hazel provide somewonderful comic moments andlines throughout, and the lookon Ernest's face when Delia iscleaning up the pilchards ontoast is a delight, as is themother in law/ daughter in lawchat about the "B-E-D" side oftheir relationship. Absoluteclassic!
Trevor is married to Susannah(Tilda Stickley). They are acouple at war in theirrelationship and causeabsolute havoc at Malcolmand Kate's housewarmingparty. Susannah is the epitomeof neurotic and the sort ofwoman you'd hate to be stuck
Review: Bedroom Farce
in a lift with! Trevor is theimmature counter to Susannahand also the ex of Jan (CharlieOsborne), who has left hubbyNick (Adam Roberts) in bedwith a back problem. You getthe feeling that Nick's problemis slightly overdone but providessome wonderful comedymoments, especially whenTrevor pops back in the earlyhours to Nick's and Jan's to staythe night after Trevor's andSusannah's latest set to, and tofess up to what happened atthe party with Jan!! And thenthere are the hosts with themost, Malcolm and Kate(Damian Frendo and NickyUbhi). Starting off as the playfulpair, playing tricks on eachother but ending the nightfeeling a little bit unsure of theirrelationship. Malcolm moreinterested in "locking pin C"than Kate's emotionaloutpouring of doubts. If youdon't know the play you won'tunderstand this, but I'm notgoing to say any more.
Ayckbourn is a master of writingcharacters who we can allrecognise and the script is awonderful vision of the differentage groups involved, alongwith their wonderful little foibles,and these eight accomplishedactors bring the words andcharacters alive. Somewonderful comic timing from allinvolved.
And talking of timing, this playis also a wonderful test for thelighting designer due to thehighlighting of the threebedrooms to focus theattention on. Ben Walker, AlexCaven and Allan Green have
got the timing, if you'll pardonthe pun, spot on. As to did thesound effects designer DarrenCoxon. The "backroom"engineers are so often just asimportant as the actors onstage as they create picturesin the mind and expand thevision you see on stage to makeyou believe that there really isa bathroom off to stage leftand the doorbell or phone isringing at stage right. get thetiming wrong and the magic isgone.
Friday's performance wassupposed to have been thefinal dress rehearsal but sopopular is this play that nextweek is completely sold out sodirector Graeme Jennings tookthe decision to open the LaceMarket doors for an extra Dressrehearsal? As professional as Iwould have seen next weekduring the main run.
An excellent play created by atalented group at the LaceMarket, but the only way you'llnow be able to see it nextweek, is if there are any ticketsreturned to the box office.Friday was a sell out and so isevery day next week, and I forone am really chuffed aboutthat, because everyoneinvolved deserves this success.
Kev Castle
10
BEDROOM FARCE ISN’T quitewhat it says on the tin.Designer Emma Pegg has
bedrooms all over the tiny stage– we get a tri-location set sothere are three of them – but itisn’t a farce as traditionallyunderstood. Doors don’t keepopening and closing and noone in particular is trying to dighimself out of a hole or keep asecret. Nobody loses his trousers,though one or two of the chapsare seen in their underpants.
The complications arisebecause, despite a bed countof three, there are four coupleson the loose. It’s a long nightafter a failed party. There isn’tany sex to speak of; nor do mostof them get a lot of sleep: butin this pre-mobile play – we’reback in 1975 – there are a lot offrantic phone calls back andforth between the bedrooms.
Director Graeme Jennings hasassembled a fine cast of eight,including old-stagers RogerNewman (Ernest) and HazelSalisbury (Delia), who sharepilchards on toast in bed. Andthe play’s written in such a waythat the best lines, particularlythe laugh generators, aredistributed very evenly amongthe actors. Tilda Stickley’sperformance as their daughter-in-law in a failing marriage, theneurotic, fragile and self-doubting Susannah, is darklyfunny.
It’s relatively flat, slow andinconsequential in the firsthalf,and here and there linesare a shade uncertain; but afterthe break proceedings become
well and truly alive. It beingAyckborn, the evening is awashwith middle-class domesticangst, about sexual identity, anduselessness at DIY for instance.
One of the best scenes is whereMalcolm (played by DamianFrendo, with a strange haircut)is trying, and failing, to assemblea flat pack coffee table usingthose incomprehensibleinstructions they supply. PartnerKate (a delightful Nicky Ubhi)looks on unflustered. Malcolmand Kate also share a playfulchasing scene in their undies.
There’s a puzzling feature in thisplay – there is in nearly all playsinvolving beds. Why are thebedclothes all so skimpy andinadequate looking?
It was a packed andappreciative house on pressnight, but this is not one of AlanAyckborn’s greatest plays. It’s allrather safe and non-world-shaking. And, arguably, it endsat an arbitrary point in thenarrative. That said though, it’smost definitely worth a look; thatis if you can get a ticket.
Alan Geary
Review: Bedroom Farce
Dead Ringerby Charles Ross
18-23 May 2015
Cast:Jason Wrightam RandolphJohn Parker Dick MarrTony Tatton Ray TurnbullBex Mason FrancesJemma Bennett EvaCraig Russell HardacreVejay Paul Nigel
Crew:Marcus Wakely DirectorPhilip Hogarth LightingTBC SoundTBC WardrobeTBC PropsWaltraud Sauer SMLeslie Brown DSMKeith Parkinson Set Design
From the Box Office:
Bedroom Farce
Performances 8Capacity 941Sold 941%Sold 100.00%
11
GARETH MORGAN WASprepared for farce inthe Lace Market's
production of Alan Aychbourn's1970s play, but got a lot moreheart than expected.
How to fit four couples into threebedrooms does sound like thestart of a Bernard Manning jokebut Alan Ayckbourn's BedroomFarce manages it very well, andon the cosy stage at the LaceMarket Theatre.
It's 1975 and newly-married andmoved-in Malcolm and Kate arehosting a party - although theaction centres around their half-finished bedroom. It is into thisroom warring couple Trevor andSusannah arrive and promptlyimplode. The other twobedrooms are Trevor's parentsErnest and Delia, who bickerwonderfully over leaking roofsand whether they'd prefersardines or pilchards on theirtoast, and Nick and Jan: Nick isincapacitated with a bad backwhilst Jan, Trevor's ex has run outof sympathy and is intent ofbeing at the party too - with orwithout Nick.
So far, so farcical, butAyckbourn, the scribe ofScarborough, is a special writerwho understands the mediumhe's flirting with, as does directorGraeme Jennings, who offers adisclaimer for those hoping forRun for your Wife. Yes, peopleend up in bed with the wrongpeople, thing go missing -except Malcolm's trousers,which he finds straight away! -and there's frantic entering andexiting through the set's doorsbut it's more. As the play
Review: Bedroom Farce
Some of the opinions of the textcould have stayed in 1975 too- mainly from objectionable oafNick, stuck in bed with his badback, or Delia's advice on howto be a good, or more likelysubservient, wife. These haven'taged well but played as aperiod comedy work effectivelyenough.
The production is beautifullydesigned by Emma Pegg -presenting one of the best I'veseen in a non-professionaltheatre - who brilliantly createsthe three rooms with aprocession of geometric greenwallpaper to magnolia wallsand upholstered blanket boxesand back again. Clever lightingand sound for the opening andclosing of 'fourth wall' windowswere another fun touch. It's welldirected even if some of theacting felt a little slack in places,but in spite of this it was a funand affecting watch.
Flirtation, forwardness, flares andflat pack, this 1970s comedy hascertainly been lapped up bythe Lace Market's audience -the whole week's run sold outbefore opening, with the dressrehearsal selling out too!Bedroom Farce is exactly whatit doesn't say on the tin - it's amore a real life drama,eschewing the ready-maderules of farce, and it's this whichmakes it well worth a watch.
Gareth Morgan
develops it becomes anaffecting drama that, whilstgoing through the motions offarce, is more concerned withthe real people underneath it.
It is knowingly theatrical andundercuts the conventions of afarce to a point that its own rulebend into absurdity - such asMalcolm's endless procession ofcoats, evoking Ionesco's TheChairs - and finally breakthrough into a sort of realism.When a grief-stricken Susannah,already having mentioned shemay find other womenattractive, clambers onto hermother-in-law's bed any hint ofbawdy laughter is gone - we'veundergone a transformation asan audience as well as the play.
That said, there's plenty to laughat. Ernest and Delia, played withgreat timing by Roger Newmanand Hazel Salisbury, are adelight and their near constantbattle of chatter, repetition andignoring the other is brilliantlywritten and performed. They'reworth the ticket alone. DamianFrendo's Malcolm is also a hootwhen off-stage, attempting toassemble a small dressing tableto very little success. There is afar more serious side too with theneurotic Susannah repeatingher self-help mantras to a pointof near breakdown. Sherepeatedly says that Trevor isviolent and indeed he seems torevel in the fact that he mayhave 'destroyed' his ex Jan andmay be doing the same toSusannah. This is no laughingmatter and Tilda Stickley’sperformance blends a delicatemixture of frailty and funny.
12
Joseph Helliwell: Alderman. Fullof his own importance; bombasticat times. Yorkshire / Northern Age = 45-65
Maria Helliwell: His wife and thehostess for the evening. Can usuallyhold her own with Joe – and mostother people. Yorkshire / Northern Age = 45-65
Councillor Albert Parker:Insufferable, boring hypocrite;makes Joe Helliwell sound like theideal party guest. He must be themost hated person in town.Yorkshire / Northern Age = 45-65
Annie Parker: His wife.Downtrodden, browbeaten.Originally a pitiable creature – butthe worm turns as the playprogresses. Yorkshire / Northern Age = 45-65
Herbert Soppitt: A friend to Albertand Joe – but essentially not likeeither of them. He is hen-peckedand has resorted to food as aconsolation for a loveless marriage.Another worm that turns. Yorkshire / Northern Age =45-65
Clara Soppitt: His wife. MakesNorah Batty look both attractiveand sweet tempered. Like Albertthe audience must hate her andcheer her downfall. Yorkshire /Northern Age = 45-65
Ruby Birtles The maid – a fabulouspart. Cheeky, naïve, loveable.Requires some physical dexterity.Yorkshire / Northern Age = 16
Mrs Northrop: H o u s e k e e p e r .‘Fond of a drop’ A dragon whenroused. Speaks her mind in nouncertain terms. But is strangelyGod-fearing. Age = 30+
WHEN WE ARE MARRIEDJULY 20TH TO 25TH
AUDITION TUESDAY 31ST MARCH 7.30PMGerald Forbes: A young, dashing,well-dressed young man who’sonly fault is that he’s a SOUTHENER!!Great part putting hardenednortherners in their place! RP Age= 25-35
Henry Ormonroyd: Also fond of adrop. The local pressphotographer. Spends most of histime intoxicated. A gem of a part.The Deus ex machina of the play.Yorkshire / Northern Age = 45-65
Lottie Grady: A tart with a heart.(but also an acid tongue) Pianistor singer required Yorkshire /Northern Age = 45-65
Nancy Holmes: The Helliwells’niece; secretly betrothed to GeraldForbes. Yorkshire / Northern Age =20-30
Fred Dyson: Cub reporter, andhe’ll probably remain so! Yorkshire/ Northern Age = 20-30
Revd Mercer: A kindly but naïvechurchman
Pages/extracts to be used ataudition.
Pp 7- 12 for: Ruby, Gerald,Nancy, Dyson and Ormonroyd
Pp 12 - 18 (‘Ere’s to us – ‘Ere’sto ‘im.) for Clara, Annie, Maria,Joe, Albert and Herbert
Pp 33-35 (from entry of MrsNorthrop to her exit) for MrsNorthrop (need Clara, Annieand Maria too)
Pp42-47 for Ormonroyd (fromhis entry to ‘Now I call that mostpeculiar’) (need a Ruby too)
Pp 19 - 28 (more or less) forAlbert, Herbert and Joe andGerald
Pp 48 – 51 (from Lottie’sentrance to her line ‘Well we allneed a change don’t we.’) forLottie and Mercer (also needMaria, Clara and Annie)
AUDITIONSAuditionees must register theirinterest with the Director [email protected] candidates will haveregular access to an e-mailaddress as the Director oftenuses this as a tool for directing.There will also be availablelengthy advice on how toaudition successfully onregistering your interest..
Answers from theMarketing quiz!
Last edition Gareth said hewould reveal the six studio showsto have sold out. They are:
HelenLife x3BouncersLadies DayOn Tidy Endings / AstonishedHeartPrivate Peaceful.
Thanks Gareth!
13
Pages/extracts to be used at
Hilary 50 - and feeling it.Midlife crisis coupledwith a rebelliousteenage daughter
Frances 50 Hilary’s oldest friend.J o b b i n gactress/performer; hasbeen and remains agoer, clinging to youthand hunting for a man.Performs ad a n c e / b u r l e s q u eroutine
Mark 50-ish Hilary’s husbandwith his own businessproblems
Tilly 15/16 Hilary’s stroppyteenage daughter
Lyndsey 15/16 Tilly’s pregnantfriend
Josh 15/16 Tilly’s boyfriend.
Roland 50-ish Josh’s father,jobbing actor, mid-lifedoubt and marriagebreaking up
Bea 50-ish Josh’s mother,independent mindedand determined
Cam 20 Student, fairly laidback; brief nudeappearance.
Rehearsals: Mondays, Wednesdaysand Fridays, with a weekendrehearsal in the later period if weneed it.
The characters (apart from Cam)fall into two specific age groups.These are playing ages. Don’t feelyou have to be those ages to playthe parts. I shall be looking foracting ability, not birth certificates.
Hilary was a rebellious and left wingfeminist in her youth, at least that
is how she remembers it. Sheexpects the same of Tilly, but herrebellion is against Hilary’s feministliberal creed. These are twotremendous parts. Hilary, playedoriginally by Tamsin Greig is in everyscene, and provides an excitingand challenging role with a mix ofemotions. Tilly has a good range ofteenage emotions, and is also avery large part.
The other parts range from small tomedium in length, but none aredull. Each has interestingcharacterisation and scope for theactor to develop their back story.
Oh, and I should have said at thebeginning. It’s very funny andutterly recognisable.Copies of the play are available toread in the clubroom and forcopies of the audition pieces askat the bar, or contact me.
The audition pieces are namedafter the characters mainlyconcerned. Inevitably Hilary figuresin most of them. Where it’s only acouple of lines, and the piece isdesigned for other characters, thenames appear in brackets.
Audition PiecesHilary and MarkHilary and TillyHilary Tilly and LyndseyHilary and CamHilary Bea (Roland, Mark)Josh and RolandFrances and Roland (Hilary, Mark)
Please ring or email me if you wouldlike to discuss anything or have anyq u e s t i o n s :[email protected] 937 5496 or 078 999 60630
Hazel Salisbury
JUMPY by April De AngelisAudition: Tuesday 10 March 7.30 pm
Mon 15 – Sat 20 June 7.30 & Saturday 2.30
Yerma: LorcaAuditions Tuesday 24th March
2015 190:30-21:30
YERMA (BARREN) IS a play by theSpanish dramatist FedericoGarcía Lorca. It was written in
1934 and first performed that sameyear. Lorca describes the play as "atragic poem." The play tells the story ofa childless woman living in rural Spainwho despite her best efforts cannot gether husband to give her the child shelongs for and also she has to battle avillage that believes she is to blame.
Cast:
Yerma (23-33 playing age) Apassionate character, very strongfemale role, her on stage presenceshould hold the audience's attentionlike a vice (possibly some singing).
Juan (35-55 playing age) A characterstrong in his convictions, could beviewed as a swine but needs to get atouch of audience sympathy.
Victor (30-40) An amorous distractionfor Yerma, must be all Juan is not,attentive and kind but just a touchwicked.
Pagan "Old" Woman (40+) A scenestealing role that could have somegood physical movements in it. A goodoriginal interpretation of a crone iswelcome.
Maria (24-30) A friend of Yerma's anda mother very light touches.
6 Other Female Roles: TheWasherwoman, Dolores, villagewomen, young girls, sisters (these willall be played by same 6 females sogood scope for multi-characterdevelopment.)
Village Men (to be played by Victor)
Michael [email protected]
after 6pm on 07447993266
14
THE LACE MARKET Theatre Trustdeveloped from twoamateur dramatic societies
founded in Nottingham in the1920s; the Nottingham PlaygoersClub (1922) and the NottinghamPhilodramatic Society (1926).
These two amalgamated in 1946to become the NottinghamTheatre Club. Their base from1946 to 1951 was the BluecoatSchool. In 1951 the Club movedto premises in Hutchinson Street,much closer to the city centre,and stayed there until 1970when they were ousted as partof the major slum clearance andredevelopment of the city ofthat decade. It was at this pointthat the then members took acourageous and decisive step:they raised the money to buyan old dilapidated paint store.This old build had once been asectarian Chapel, built in 1760,and later became a school,where William Booth, founder ofthe Salvation Army, was a pupil.
At the time they moved in ,1972,the Lace Market was a ratherrun down area of Victorianfactories, monuments to theonce great industries that madeNottingham a by-word for lace,hosiery and pretty girls. Tightfunds meant that most of theconversion had to be carried
Lace Market Theatre History
out by the members themselvesin their spare time. Whatemerged one year later was a118 seat auditorium and spacein the upstairs bar for studioperformances. The aim was,and has remained, to put onplays that were challenging foractors and the technical crewsand ones which otherwisepeople would have to go toLondon to see.
Training by doing was always apart of the club and theconcept of small scaleproductions in the bar areawhere first time directors couldcut their teeth was introduced.These productions were knownas "Fents" - a name taken fromthe off-cuts of lace sold atbargain prices and paidhomage to the area in whichthe theatre was situated. It soonbecame clear that more spacewas needed both for the stageand for equipment andrehearsals.
The opportunity came topurchase more land and it wasdecided that, to facilitate fundraising, the Lace Market TheatreTrust Ltd should be formed in1977. £40,000 was raised for athree storey extension at therear and a further £40,000 wasraised for its completion in 1984.The building was owned by theTrust and the Club rented it fromthem. While the Club continuedthe policy of challengingdrama, the Trust beganfurthering the educationalresponsibilities of a charity bygiving grants to students who
were going on to drama schoolas at that time drama studentswere only able to apply fordiscretionary grants from theLocal Education Authority andthese were in short supply.
Shortly after the completion ofthe extension, Prunella Scalesand Timothy West were invitedto become patrons of thetheatre and this they agreedto do so. By the year 2000 theClub were beginning to feelcramped. The extensivewardrobe had moved intorented premises, first in St.Mary's Gate and then in StoneyStreet in the heart of the LaceMarket District. The area wasby this time no longer the poorrelation of the city but at thecentre of plans forregeneration. In the process ofthe development the LaceMarket Theatre Trust hadacquired some land at the sideof the theatre and it wasdecided that this was themoment for redevelopment. Itwas also the opportunemoment to merge theNottingham Theatre Club withthe Trust and this was done in2003.
The Lace Market Theatrecontinues to present non-professional drama to a highstandard for its audiences whilstproviding opportunities forthose with ambitions to work inthe professional theatre as wellas those who want a creativeoutlet.
15
DIARY DATES2015
March10 Audition “Jumpy”
18-21 “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” by Bertolt Brecht
29 Voices in a Mystery
24 Audition “Yerma”
31 Audition “When we were are married”
April
20-25 “King John” by William Shakespeare
16-21 “Bedroom Farce” by Alan Ayckbourn
27 LMT Open Evening
May
13 LMT Open Evening
18-23 “Dead Ringer” by Charles Ross
Who’s Who at theLacemarket
Theatre
Board of Directors:
Phil Hogarth ChairpersonAndy Nash Vice-ChairJohn Anthony Hon TreasuryNevil Croston Company SecLinda CrostonMark JamesGill ScottNick GaleMarcus WakelyE A StewartRoger WatsonMichelle Smith
Other Responsibilities:
Paul Johnson Artistic DirectorMax Bromley PAG ChairPat Richards FOH RotaDavid Nightingale Bar ManagerGareth Morris Head PublicitySimon Carter Head LightingMartin Curtis Head SoundJayne McCormack Head GRMLinda Croston Costume HireMax Bromley Youth GroupGill Scott Theatre HireDoreen Hunt Exhibition spacePeter Hillier Exhibition spaceJanice White “Ways With Words” organiserGill Scott Stage DirectorHugh Philip Construction ConsultantRose Dudley Head PropsDoreen Hunt Head CostumeB Anthony Membership SecB Anthony Child Protection
Last date for copy
Items for publication shouldbe submitted to the Editorno later than the 27th AprilWe aim to publish the nextissue by the 1st of the month.
The AuditionProcess...
To take part in a production,including the rehearsalprocess, you must be amember.
Every director will hold theiraudition differently but youwill usually be invited to readthrough the script or aphotocopy of the auditionpieces before the auditionnight. These will be availablefrom the bar at the theatre.
Audition notices for the restof the season can be foundon our web site.
http://lacemarkettheatre.co.uk
SEASON 2014/15Damages by Steve Thompson (16 – 20 September 2014)
For Services Rendered by W. Somerset Maugham (6 – 11 October 2014)
The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh (3 – 8 November 2014)
Happy Jack by John Godber (18 – 22 November 2014)
White Christmas by Irving Berlin (12 – 20 December 2014)
One Act Play by Matt Fox (9 – 10 January 2015)
The Lion in Winter by James Goldman (19 – 24 January 2015)
Bedroom Farce by Alan Ayckbourn (16 – 21 February 2015)
Three Short Classics: (3 - 7 March 2015)
The Stronger by August Strindberg Overruled by George Bernard Shaw Swansong by Anton Chekhov
The Caucasian Chalk Circle by Bertolt Brecht (18 – 21 March 2015)
King John (RSC Open Stages) by William Shakespeare (20 – 25 April 2015)
Dead Ringer by Charles Ross (18 – 23 May 2015)
Jumpy by April de Angelis (15 – 20 June 2015)
Yerma by Federico Garcia Lorca (30 June – 4 July 2015)
When We Are Married by J. B. Priestley (20 – 25 July 2015)
NANDA
16
NEW! Discount Food Offer
The Lace Market Theatre is proud to announce it's new relationship withEdin.
Any sandwich with a small glass of wine for £7 (at Edin's Kitchen); or a piece of cake and a largehot drink for £5 (at Edin's Deli Cafe and Edin's Kitchen).