All Over

Well, unfortunately the big crowds stayed away, though we had a very good turnout on the very last night. The majority hadn't pre-booked, so hopefully that meant that word-of-mouth spread the word on what a good production we had.


Graham Collier as Ken Harrison & Ellie Bradley as Dr Scott

Both Friday and Saturday's performances were just about as good as they could possibly have been, and the audience on Saturday started applauding even before our carefully timed final blackout had completed! Great enthusiasm and even a few people standing to give their ovation.


Graham & Ellie with Sandy Hurle as Dr Emerson

I feel proud of what we achieved and incredibly proud of the fabulous work and performances from our cast and crew. Absolutely elated on Saturday night - I couldn't stop smiling!

Now - the come-down. No more rehearsals. No more planning, excitement, expectation. Just memories of a fabulous and very happy time.

Thanks to everyone who took part and everyone who came to watch.

I'll upload some reviews here, if we get any!

And... Relax!

Opening night last night.

I was a little nervous for everyone involved. Not that I needed to be, as I knew that all the people involved in this production are approaching it with the utmost concentration, professionalism and a huge dollop of talent.

It's been a manic week so far. Get-in on Sunday went well enough that we had a run-through on Sunday night. Albeit with a few finishing touches for the set still pending.

Monday we carried on and finished the set, whilst Jonathan (our fantastic lighting guy, borrowed from Runnymede Drama Group) set about focussing the lights. Then in the afternoon, Jon and I worked out the lighting plot, after which Tim, the sound-man, arrived and we ran through the lighting cues and worked out the order of events for the opening and closing of each act.

Then the tech rehearsal on Monday night. It went extremely well. If you've ever attended a 'tech' you'll know how stressful they can be. But we were finished by 21.30, and that was after running Act 1 cues twice and Act 2 once.

All that preparation meant that the Dress Rehearsal on Tuesday was a breeze. A perfect performance from all concerned. Though we also spotted a couple of places where the lighting plot could be tightened up and we re-worked the end of Act 1 as it wasn't flowing well at 'full-speed'.

So, last night it was all down to everyone else. My job is done. Though I doubt that will stop me sneaking backstage and giving a few helpful notes to try to improve things further. And to pep up those actors who need a boost of confidence.

I daren't post a review here myself. I'm far too biased. But I think it's a fabulous production; the credit for which goes to all those people on-stage and behind the scenes when the show is running.

If you miss it, you'll have missed out on a treat!

Having Fun

Last night was our last rehearsal before we get-in.

I decided we needed to have some fun with it, to remind everyone of why we take part in am-dram, before we get into the serious (and seriously quick & intense) business of getting the play working in the actual theatre.

So, after playing a concentration game, I announced that we would be doing a speed-run. Everyone was to play their parts at double the normal speed, only without gabbling their words.

It was great fun. Barely a prompt was needed and everyone picked up their cues with no problem. So hopefully the exercise will have given everyone confidence that they don't need to worry or be nervous about what they're doing.

The speed-run also gave everyone a bit of license to mess about with the show a bit. They exaggerated certain expressions and ad-libbed bits of business as it occurred to them. Hopefully this will give everyone the confidence to leave a little freedom in their performances, without losing the intention of the author.

Unfortunately, in amateur theatre, we are discouraged from 'exploring' the text of a play. The terms of the license from the publishers do not allow us to change any of the words without prior permission - even though a good actor will be able to find acceptably alternative ways of expressing the same feeling, emotion or opinion that the author intends.

Anyway, it's nice to be able to start the get-in and work on all the technical stuff (building sets, plotting lights and sound) without having half a mind worrying about the standard of the performance. I know it's going to be something very special indeed.