Behind the Scenes

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Primark shoes? Interview with Glyndebourne's running wardrobe

by ANLO rep Alex Crumley

Lovesong: interview with Steven Hoggett/ Frantic Assembly

by Nina Raines - Theatre Royal Young Rep

Interview with Sarah Earnshaw, Jekyll and Hyde by ANLO Rep Nick Anderson

During the week Jekyll & Hyde was in the Theatre Royal, I went along to meet Sarah Earnshaw, star of 'Wicked' The Musical, and 'Emma' on the tour of Jekyll & Hyde!

Ovid's Metamorphoses, how you turn a Latin mock epic into a comedic play set in World War 2.

"Do you ever get bored of doing the same thing every night?" and other questions you don't usually get to ask actors... by Mariella Childe.

Journey's End: Interview with Tony Turner and Nogel Hastings

by ANLO Reps Hannah Crowther and Eleanor Baggley.

What do Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga and Mae West all have in common? - Ceri tells all! by Nick Anderson

Just proving that ANLO really does have an ACCESS ALL AREAS backstage pass, this week we sent our Roving ANLO Rep - Nick backstage to meet the Dame of the show, Ceri Dupree.

Behind the scenes of Sleeping Beauty by Nina Raines

On Tuesday 11th January I had the opportunity to check out all that goes on backstage at the Theatre Royal, during the biggest show held all year, learning all about the technicalities of the pantomime by shadowing Holly, a sound technician.

Someone playing the trombone didn't seem to have such a big part in the performance....

An interview with Lowri Porter, principal first violin with Welsh National Opera by ANLO Reps Beth Hosking and Laura Cheney.

Primark Shoes?  Read on for more backstage secrets

Glyndebourne is one of the most prestigious opera companies in the country. The opera house stands next to the country home of John Christie, who founded it in 1934. This year they started touring 1st November and will finish in Stoke-on-Trent on 10th December. Last week they were in Plymouth performing their two Operas: La Bohème and Don Pasquale and I had the privilege of interviewing Lucy Harris from the costume department. I got a look at all of the costumes, equipment they use to clean and store it and even a behind the scenes sneek peak at rehearsals for the show that night.

These costumes are so intricate, how are they designed? They are historically accurate even down to where the buttons are and the lapels on the jackets, which were originally there to hold the straps for the guns. These costumes are very Garrows Law!

At Glyndebourne you perform outside, are the costumes adapted for this? We try not to impact on the look of the costumes by getting the performers to wear thermals underneath instead of hats and scarfs over the top.

Do they restrict the singers? Especially the corsets for the women? Well the corsets can be a bit restrictive but they aren't made completely how they used to be, in the past the corsets would be lined with whale bones but we don't do that anymore thank goodness. We also make sure that the singers have enough room to sing when we dress them by asking them to sing while we are lacing them in to make sure they can get the optimum breath they need.

Do you have to mend them often? How old are these ones? This set of costumes have all been made new for this run but we will typically rent them out all around the world once we've finished with them. We also take extra fabric on tour with us. (I also saw boxes of buttons and bits and bobs that are taken on tour in case they need to be replaced).

Are the shoes as impressive as the costumes? Well I can let you into a little secret there, the majority of the shoes are bought off the high street! Normally the boots come from All Saints and the shoes from Primark although it is important to make sure they are customised so that the audience can't tell. For the main singers shoes are normally handmade which the men don't like because they tend to have a small heel on them.

What are the differences between the costumes for the two operas? Well the costumes are very different, the old fashioned ones are for Don Pasquale, they have wigs and bustles and corsets whereas La Bohème has St Trinians school outfits and Bhurkas in it! I prefer that one because it is the easier one for people to get into if you're not a massive fan of opera but it is definitely more fun to work with the costumes for D.P.

How long have you been with Glyndebourne and what is your official title? I've been here for three years. Previous to that I was on tour with such shows as Saturday Night Fever and Never Forget. At the opera my title is Running Wardrobe Manager.

How many people do you work with? How longs a typical day? We have only 4 people in our department but on the night of the show we have local dressers who come into help us costume change throughout the play. Being in the costume department we can be working all day! In the morning we have all of the washing and ironing to do from the night before and during the day we are making preparations for the evening or matinee performance. I'm also at the theatre during the evening because I help with the costume changes.

Have you ever had any costume malfunctions?  haven't had any at the opera but while I was working on Saturday Night Fever one of the main singers split his trousers whilst singing alone on stage! We had to sew him up during the interval, it was very funny.

Do you enjoy being on tour? Yes, I think it gives you amazing experience especially when you're younger. They are long days but you get holidays! I'm very lucky that I am based somewhere. A lot of people in my line of work are free-lance.

How did you get into your line of work? What advice would you give? I did an Art and Design course for 2 years and then studied General Theatre Studies before specialising in costume. I started off at Glyndebourne as a costume maker so I love that I have managed to come back and work here again later on. My main advice would be to get work experience as it is essential and you really get to know the workings of the Theatre and its great fun!
 

Lovesong: interview with Steven Hoggett/ Frantic Assembly

by Nina Raines - Theatre Royal Young Rep

If you were lucky you might have got a ticket for Frantic Assembly's Lovesong in the Drum Theatre, a beautiful and moving piece of physical theatre written by Abi Morgan, showing the changing relationship of a couple.

Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett are the artistic directors of the renowned theatre company, and I had a chat with Steven about the nature of the company, working in theatre and the show.

From a young person's perspective, what's the best way to get into theatre? What training did you do to get to where you are? We're not normally the best people to ask that question to be honest! Scott and myself both came from English backgrounds, studying it at University. But when we were at University there was nobody making the kind of work that we wanted to make, other than a company called Volcano who were very generous towards us, so we realised the only way we'd be able to do it would be to form our company and start it as a business from scratch.

It was important we realised our company is a business as well as an artistic endeavour. That way we could ensure we were in full-time employment and that we were making the kind of work that we wanted. Because we never had any formal training, we never had any constraints as to how we made work or what we made work about. We were dedicated to working as hard as we could and we'd constantly be learning and be in charge of our own creative impulse.

Plymouth audiences are lucky to have Frantic premier many of their shows here - why is this?
Simon Stokes [TR's artistic director] invited us there in 1997 to premier a show and we have never been so well looked after. Opening a show is very stressful, lots of things go wrong before they go right and after that time in Plymouth we kept being invited back to work there and it was just the perfect place. The technical team are amazing, the actual staff at the theatre itself are incredible and you really just feel like you're being given the best opportunity to launch your show in the best way. In those times when you're really stressed out you always feel like there's somebody next door who's happy to help, who's got the time and energy and they really do care about the work. In some cases it can be very fragile and they make us feel like we can take risks, which is a huge bonus for us as a company.

I would say that your shows appeal to audiences of all ages but young theatregoers are very keen on your work, it this something you keep in mind and aim for? I think we always aim to have young-ish people in our audiences, although when you talk about a young audience in theatre lots of venues think young is anything from 35 under, just because most theatre audiences are much older than that. With the last few shows we've been getting a much older audience - with Lovesong in particular there's a more adult audience because of the characters that are involved but ultimately I think we want to make theatre for ourselves. We're both late thirties and forties now but we still make the kind of work that I think I would like to go and see being made, which means it's got a modern flavour to it.

Lovesong involves you working with both young and older people, has this age gap provided an experience where everyone involved has learnt from each other? Yeah, It's been fantastic being in a rehearsal room where there's an older and a younger couple so we've spent a lot of time listening to how they think about the world, and that's been amazing. We've also been doing some workshops in Plymouth with the Youth Theatre and an older generation group, it's a fascinating hybrid of experience and outlook and opinion, it makes for really fascinating combinations of people and ideas.

To someone not so familiar with physical theatre, what would you say is the beauty of it?  I think the capacity for the human body to communicate meaning is amazing. We've looked to develop that over the years, and by that I don't mean dance. I think most dance doesn't attempt to convey meaning, or doesn't do it particularly well, so we're definitely not a dance company but we do use movement and our big thing is to try and tell a story physically. You can land a moment for an audience so beautifully in five seconds that might take five minutes in a spoken scene to do the same thing.

What sort of things will you have the actors do to get into role? We always start with really simple physical exercises, where the actors don't have to do very much. We ask them to do simple tasks like tying a tie. Also we'll sometimes use a video camera to film stuff and watch it back so there's a sense of democracy about what looks good and what doesn't.  We use anything as a source of inspiration. It wasn't just about the script, it was about anything we thought was interesting, because actually an actor can look at a page of text and not really get much from it, but showing them an image from a photographer called Gregory Crewdson, or listening to some tracks by the band Elbow for example,  they were able to make much stronger, more pure work because of these things they'd been inspired by. It's about being open-minded about what you might use as a starting point instead of just looking at a play...

Playing a couple at two different stages in their lives, the 4 actors in Lovesong have to have great rapport with each other, how do they achieve this? In the first week we made both the men learn how to tie a tie exactly the same, and we asked the women to put on face cream exactly the same - as in literally which finger did they use, which part of the forehead did they put it on, did they dab or smear it, smooth from left or right...  And it was the same with the boys, tying a tie - there's loads of ways of doing it, what was the rhythm of it, what was the timing of it. And it took them hours to get that right. But ultimately it was one of the best exercises they found for becoming the same person, 40 years apart.

Finally, do you have any general advice on how to get into theatre? Find the work that you really like, that you're really into and contact those companies. Every company in the world is flattered if somebody writes 'I've seen this show and this show and I really like this, I understand it and want to see more...' That's much better than saying 'here's my 10 by 8.' So I think just genuinely, if you have a passion for a certain corner of theatre that's really attractive, most of us who work in theatre normally occupy small corners - it's about making sure you engage in the corner that's right for you and that's important to you.

Thank you to Steven for talking to me!

Lovesong is now on its UK tour

Interview with Sarah Earnshaw from Jekyll and Hyde by ANLO Rep Nick Anderson

During the week Jekyll & Hyde was in the Theatre Royal, I went along to meet Sarah Earnshaw, star of 'Wicked' The Musical, and 'Emma' on the tour of Jekyll & Hyde!

I asked Sarah to tell me a bit about Jekyll & Hyde itself, and what it's like playing her role eight times a week!

Jekyll & Hyde is the famous story of the split personality which most people are familiar with. It's set in the Victorian era, and its got a really full score and a score that I knew from being at Drama School. It was one of the things that really attracted me to the job, and the role I play is a very good role to play as I get to explore various soprano qualities, and I'm also doing some top high stuff as well which is great and its a real nice challenge and a mix.

Sarah's biggest role to date was when she played Standby Glinda in London's smash hit musical, 'Wicked'. I asked Sarah how it felt, after being with 'Wicked' since the very beginning of its West End run in 2006, and to come off that to do a UK Tour, and full time on stage?

It was great to get this job. It was something I needed to do, and I needed to move on from that show. 'Wicked' was the best years of my life! It helped me in my career so much, and it was very sad to leave that job, but what made it easier was to move onto something else, and to move onto such a different touring production. Every Monday we move to a different Theatre, and there's always something that will be different.

How does this role of 'Emma' in Jekyll & Hyde, compare to playing 'Glinda' in Wicked?

So different, and the characters are so different, but the amount I had to do as Glinda is over whelming. Both the roles, Glinda & Elphaba are very full on, always doing something! But this role is great, and a bit more relaxed to do, as your not constantly on the stage. This one your on and off now and again, but still with a big part in the show, and its nice to ease in!

Wicked is a very popular show, and has almost the biggest fan base in the whole of the West End, how did it feel to be part of one of the (if not, the!) most followed shows in town?

It was amazing, the experiences I had there, and the people I met was probably THE best experience I could ever have in a show - it probably won't come again! I still can remember back to the very first preview in 2006 when it first opened, and it was like a rock concert! It had such a following from the US, and people were so eager for it to open here, people went crazy! The fans there are so loyal, and people have come to see Jekyll & Hyde from Wicked that I would recognise from the Stage Door, people that have written to me. In every city there has been somebody that I would recognise from Wicked, it's so nice to be included in that show, even when you've left it! I remember on cast change days, when there would be queues at the Stage Door of masses of people from Wicked, all the way down to Billy Elliot across the street. I still and will always remember that first time I went on as Glinda, and the support I received for that first entrance - a huge applause.

The question that has to be asked to any actor or actress! 'If you could play ANY role in ANY Musical, who would it be and why?'

I have always wanted to play Eliza Doolittle, in My Fair Lady. That has always been a childhood dream, ever since I was a child. Also I'd like to be involved in smaller scale shows, such as Blood Brothers, which I have always wanted to do, and also Avenue Q!

Sarah plays along side Marti Pellow in Jekyll & Hyde, and also Sabrina Carter. I asked Sarah how it felt to be playing alongside such talented actors and actress'?

It's great, and it's been good with Sabrina as she was in Wicked too, we had one show as Elphaba & Glinda together, 2 years ago. And with Marti of course he's from the pop background, and it's interesting to see how that background spells into a Musical Theatre position

What is your favourite song to perform from 'Jekyll & Hyde'?

In His Eyes' is one I really enjoy, and that's because its a huge ballad to sing, and you kind of get to let go a little bit, as my character is quite contained in the show, and its a really melodic beautiful song. It's nice to have a contrast between some of the other songs'

I asked Sarah, If you could give any advice to any budding actor or actress, what would you say?

I would say to work really really hard, and that if you go into this business and you train, you need to be 100% committed to it. Some people do drama and singing for a bit of fun, but if you know this is what you really want to do, you need to put that aside and say, this is what I want to do. And I think that is so important to remember whether you are in amateur dramatics, film, professional theatre, and also to watch how other actors or actress' work in a professional environment. I think that is a technique I picked up when I was Standby Glinda.

Thanks for your time Sarah, and all the best for the rest of the tour!

Nick Anderson

Ovid's Metamorphoses, how you turn a Latin mock epic into a comedic play set in World War 2.
by Mariella Childe

"Do you ever get bored of doing the same thing every night?" and other questions you don't usually get to ask actors...

One of our ANLO Reps meet with two members of the Pants on Fire company last week to find out a little more about touring with a Latin classic and other stuff...

Ovid's Metamorphoses is an amazing play, somehow it manages to combine ancient myth in a World War 2 setting, and make it funny. We both thoroughly enjoyed watching the play and loved how it brought to life so vividly the ancient myths we all know. It's brilliant how they managed to make the stories so appealing and funny for a modern audience, while at the same time staying so close to the original text. I was lucky enough to get the chance to interview two cast members, with my friend Marcus, who told us a bit about how they'd managed this. Mabel Jones and Alex Packer gave us some really interesting insights into how the play was developed and what life is like on tour.

So how did this idea come about?

Mabel: It was our director Peter Bramley who set up the original company, he studied at a place called La Coq in Paris, quite a few years ago and that's where he set up the company. He's always worked with classical adaptations, that's where his work begins, so when we came to this project, this was an idea that he'd had for a while.

Alex: Peter took the adaptation from the original text, not from the Latin, he's not that good, but I think it was just kind of a bog standard translation and then he reinterpreted it to fit the 1940s. When he set about doing it, he scripted it for us, he did a rough version of the stories and put a script together for us so we had a basic idea of what was happening. Around that we rehearsed together and devised and we came up with stuff. Jess has got an interest in puppetry because that's her background and we had backgrounds in media, like John is very good at editing and made a lot of the video. Musically everyone's got different backgrounds. That was how we devised it really, with a basic structure. Pete was more or less clear with what he wanted but we added and kept layering and people would say 'ooh lets try this' or 'how about this as an idea' and then we developed it like that really.

Mabel: He worked directly from the text. It's a big huge massive volume so he went through all the stories and picked out the ones that he liked best or that he thought would be recognisable and we tried to cram in as many as we could into an hour and a half. But he didn't want to put anything into the show that couldn't be found in that translation.

Why choose WW2?

Mabel: A number of reasons really, I think he saw a lot of similarities between the gods and the monsters that you find in the original text, and found that mirrored in Britain during the war, there were gods and there were monsters in a kind of metaphorical sense and there was also great danger. There were great acts of heroism and also that thousands and thousands of people's lives were being governed by these few army generals or prime ministers.

Alex: You know like Winston Churchill, they had a kind of god like quality and it just set that whole idea of heroism and soldiers going off and fighting the enemy with some people staying at home. And yeah just lots of parallels. Another thing for him aesthetically, the look of it was influenced by 'A matter of life and death' which was a film he really loved which came out in the early 50s.

Mabel: It was a film about a trial held in heaven over a fighter pilot who escaped death, I think he liked it because it was set during the war but drew some really nice links to the Roman ideas and I think he wanted it to feel a bit like that..

You've taken the show over to New York as well, did the American audiences react differently to the British ones?

Mabel: Yes definitely, it was quite a shock actually. From what we'd seen of the few Americans who'd seen it in England we kind of guessed they'd be the most up for it, but we were really surprised when we went over there and they were a lot quieter than the English audience. In England everyone seems to get a lot more into it and just go with it, whereas in America they were a lot more analytical.

Alex: The Americans weren't so used to this style of theatre as you'd expect, I think they have two distinct types of theatre over there, its either really serious drama or its a big Broadway musical with jazz hands all over the place. They like to know what they're getting when they go to see a show. So I think they were much more concerned with trying to understand and analyse the play and make sure they didn't miss anything, which is good in an audience, but the British audiences are more willing to just go with it and have a good time. The Americans try hard to put it into a category, but there are elements of all different styles of theatre in this so it's difficult to categorise it.

Mabel: I think also for example in British reviews they've talked a lot about the ensemble, but in America they were much more keen to point out a leading man and a leading lady and say 'yes, they were the stars of the show'. It was weird because you'd tend to think that London and New York are quite similar, but they're actually surprisingly different.

Have you found that its been difficult to get people interested in it because its based on such classical material?

Mabel: To a certain extent yes that's true, especially in America they really encouraged us to change the name, but I don't think its really possible to do that because it is Ovid's Metamorphoses, there isn't really another name for it. I think the way its been marketed has helped a lot in that its clear that its been adapted. It is difficult to get young people to be interested in things but I think people come knowing that they're not going to see a very serious dramatisation.

Do you like touring?

Alex: Yeah I do. Its great being able to travel all over the country with this show, I mean we've been in London, Bath down here to Plymouth, its really great being able to see all these different places. Also as an actor its really good for meeting new people and making contacts which are always really handy. I think its also really nice with this company that we all know each other and are friends so there's always someone to talk to, its not like you do your bit and then you go to your dressing room and sit by yourself. We can always go out or go and look around together which I think is really nice.

How have you found Plymouth?

Mabel: I really like it here, its really nice down by the Hoe and especially with all that history there. And also this building, this theatre's really great because its in town so you get people just wandering past and looking in, and also because its so big you always see people walking around. Like its really great to be in the same place as Propeller who are so good.

Do you ever get bored of doing the same thing every night?

Alex: No not at all, I mean it must be coming up to 200 times we've done it now, and I don't think any of us have got bored yet. And I guess that's partly to do with the nature of the play in that there's no gaps when you're not doing anything, you're either on stage or changing or doing music or something else so there's not really any opportunity for getting bored- you've got to be on your toes all the time. There's so much room for things to go wrong, which they do quite a lot and you have to react to it so you cant lose concentration.

Mabel: I suppose there are some days where you think I really cant be bothered to do another show but once you get into it I always really enjoy it and it like yeah this is great, this is what I want to be doing. But I suppose in essence we just still genuinely find ourselves funny, so no we haven't got bored yet.

Thank you both for letting us see a bit of how this all came about. I can't recommend this play enough, and if you cant see it in Plymouth, follow it to somewhere else to see it!
Interview by Mariella Childe and Marcus Natale

Journey's End: Interview with Tony Turner (Private Mason) and Nigel Hastings (Colonel)

By ANLO Reps: Hannah Crowther and Eleanor Baggley

How did you get into theatre?

Tony Turner.  When I was a kid I was in a youth theatre where I grew up in Birmingham, and then I was in the National Youth Theatre where I developed a love for it.  Then I did a lot of menial jobs after school including working in the theatre and with the stage crew. I went to a drama school and  helped to set up a little touring company.
Nigel Hastings. I did some extra work in the Nuffield in Southampton, and they said to me if you want to take it seriously then you should go to drama school. So I auditioned for Lamda and Rada and then went from there really.

Is there anything you had to do to prepare for your roles, e.g. research etc?

Nigel.  Yes, we are lucky with this particular play, because obviously Sherriff who wrote it actually was there, and we had access to his diaries, which I found the most useful thing. Every play you do, especially a play which is based on real events, you do some research because it gives you clues. I'm also from a military background as well which was really helpful because I know the scene a bit.
Tony. Well I think you always do some research. This is the fifth time this production has been done so I suppose most of the background stuff was done for us. And it's been the same director for all five productions, so he knew a lot of short cuts. 
Nigel. And we had a war expert come in and he also is the person who handmake's the costumes.  So that was really useful because we had him in rehearsals so we could ask him questions.

Did you find that you wanted to know more?

Nigel. Of course, that was something David Grindley the director drummed into us quite strongly. We know that these are all based on real people so we want to get it right. We stand at the end in front of the list of names, and there is sort of a big responsibility to those people who were there and who died.

Do you think this sort of play would appeal to young people?

Tony. I do yes, because it's quite an intense experience, and in some ways its quite sort of filmic, in the way that the set is and the way that it's lit. Sometimes I have sat in the auditorium and thought it looks like a film set. I'm sure that is something which would appeal to young people.
Do you think you would need any previous knowledge of the war to able to appreciate and connect to the play?
Nigel. I would almost hope you didn't, I think it's more interesting to come without any pre-conceived ideas. Because everyone thinks they know about the war.  I was very surprised when reading the play for the first time. You think you know what the play is going to be about, you think you know what the war is about. I think the play is surprisingly funny, the way the guys relate to each other is very interesting and amusing. One of the lines is 'We spend most of our time waiting', and the image of war is men going over the top and being mowed down, not being bored half to death.
Tony. But also the writer was there, he had spent ten months there, and had fought on the Somme, so this was a story he had to get out. I think that's why it's a intense experience I think that's why the tension never drops in it and for that reason alone, I don't think you need any sort of preparation for it really. I think it's just a very well told story about the war.

Is crying a reaction you strive for?

Nigel. Absolutely! I was quite surprised how moving it was, i don't think we sit down in rehearsals and think we are going to really wring some tears out now. I think what we try and do is tell the story as truthfully as possible.
Tony. I wasn't that surprised at the reaction, because I think the way the play ends actually manipulates that sort of response.

Do you think the humour of the play is necessary to contrast the realism of war?

Tony. I think that the humour is the reality of war. If you think about what happens in that dug out and that trench most of it is some sort of displacement thing that stops and keeps the war at bay. Most of the things they talk about, and the things they do are keeping the war out, stopping the terror of it from coming into the dugout. So until they actually have to go and fight, they are kind of insulated in that hole in the ground. I think that is the reality. In dreadful situations people always come up with something to keep them going; something to make them laugh.
Nigel. And also I think we should remember that in this particular regiment, in the story they are all volunteers, and have volunteered to be there. They haven't volunteered because they thought they were going to be frightened out of their wits; they did it because they thought that was the right thing to do at the time, because there was a sense of duty.

What is your favourite part of the play and why?

Tony. My favourite part to perform, for me personally, is a very small moment in the play, which can go completely unnoticed probably. It's on the morning of the big German attack, my character wakes up the captain who's asleep on the bed. I feel like that's Mason's one little moment of control, because even if it's just for a few seconds he can hold the war back and let him sleep.  Mason hesitates before he wakes him up, and he just stands and just has a little look at him. And then he gently shakes his shoulder and wakes him up. That was just something I decided to do. I love doing that bit, partly because of the father in me I suppose, makes me feel that there is this young boy who is in charge of it all, and I can give him just and extra few seconds rest.
Nigel. I think my favourite bit is the ending, when we are all standing there in front of the list of names of the people who died.  Just to show this applause isn't for us this is for them, the men that died.

Do you enjoy touring?

Nigel. Yes and No, it can be quite tough being away from home. Its sort feels like we're in the army, eleven blokes, all different ages, and all different experiences. You have good weeks and bad weeks, and we get to see some amazing places. It's extraordinary, every Monday we arrive in a new theatre and each new theatre sets up different challenges. And each audience in each town provides us with a different reaction and will react to moments in a different sort of way. So from that point of view it's absolutely fascinating.

What do Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga and Mae West all have in common? - Ceri tells all!

Just proving that ANLO really does have an ACCESS ALL AREAS backstage pass, this week we sent our Roving ANLO Rep - Nick backstage to meet the Dame of the show, Ceri Dupree
 
Nick Anderson writes...
 
On Sunday 16th January, well into the Theatre Royal's Panto run, I had the opportunity to have a chat with Sleeping Beauty star, Ceri Dupree, who plays Lady Passionella in this years spectacular Pantomime!
 
This is the second time Ceri has played the role of Lady Passionella in Sleeping Beauty, originally playing and making the role his own in Birmingham, where it was a huge success. I asked Ceri what other pantomimes he has done, how he makes the role his own, and how does he makes them so spectacular?
 
'I created the role last year in Birmingham where I played this luxurious, and plummy, upper class, grand and friendly role - all in a nice way! In the previous year I played Widow Twankey in Aladdin in Wales, and played the role quite "Welsh". If I'd played Lady Passionella Welsh, it may have not gone down too well! But I've found it easy slipping into the role, having done it before!'
 
The big attraction this year of course is the 3D effects that are shown throughout the show. I asked Ceri how he finds acting on stage with the 3D;
 
We obviously had the 3D last year in Birmingham, where there was a lot more of it, almost too much, and this year you find it is just the right amount to fit in with the show, and it is brilliant of course.'
 
The question that has to be asked of any Panto cast member is... If you could play ANY role in ANY pantomime, who would it be any why?
 
Mother Goose in Mother Goose! as it's the pantomime for the Dame, although I do like Widow Twankey. My least favourites have to be the Dames in Jack and the Beanstalk and Dick Whittington as they  play quite dowdy nurses and cooks! Whereas my Panto Dame is very glamorous and upper class!' 
  
Without trying to give away any spoilers  Ceri does fantastic, top notch, hilarious impersonations of two celebrities and artists in his performance.
 
During the year Ceri tours his one man show 'Divalicious' - whilst trying to fit in all the other Musicals and Cabaret he appears in.
 
'I am always in costume, dressed as a women on stage, and I spend most of the time in theatres with my show. I impersonate loads of characters from the very old stars like, Betty Davis and Mae West to Joan Collins, Madonna, Shirley Bassey and Dolly Parton. My recent impersonations are Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga and Tina Turner. Who I will do next? I do not know!'
 
I asked Ceri what makes Pantomime so special?
 
'For me, its one of those mediums that in these times, is one of the only shows that the whole family can go to, and it is such a British tradition. Its the only time in the year when the whole family can get together and see a family show.'
 
How do you manage doing two shows per day for six weeks in a row? 
 
'Its fine! It gets tiring, but you get tired doing a lot of jobs. I get to the theatre by midday for a 2.30pm show and take my time with the make-up and costume -  I like to take my time! '
 
Ceri can be seen as Lady Passionella in 'Sleeping Beauty' at the Theatre Royal until Saturday 22nd January 2011.  Click here for ticket information and booking for Sleeping Beauty

Behind the scenes of Sleeping Beauty

by Nina Raines, Theatre Royal Young Rep

On Tuesday 11th January I had the opportunity to check out all that goes on backstage at the Theatre Royal, during the biggest show held all year, learning all about the technicalities of the pantomime by shadowing Holly, a sound technician.

Sitting just off-stage, the place was busy with actors in their flamboyant costumes colouring the place and stage hands, technical crew and wardrobe assistants were all at the ready. I was able to witness what went on behind the scenes at the same time as watching the action take place on stage just a few metres away from me. Walking around exploring backstage I came across many bizarre but amazing props: I stumbled upon a tardis, a huge nodding Churchill dog and several chubby dancing penguins to name but a few...

The first 10 minutes of the show were particularly busy for the technical crew with continuous lighting and sound cues. These are prompted over radio system by Jeanette, the deputy stage manager (or DSM) who makes sure everything happens at the right time and runs smoothly. There's a lot going on, but everyone knows exactly what they need to do and it's important to be able to work as a team.
A big part of the show's attraction is the use of 3D technology. Holly, being in charge of all the AV showed me how it's done and took me to the very back of the stage where 2 huge projectors are kept (plus one spare just in case of any problems.) They both project a synchronised, slightly different view of a computer animated sequence onto a screen for the audience to see, filtered through the lenses of the glasses you wear to that your eyes then receive in that amazing 3D effect. It's not quite Avatar, but the animated sequence is very expensive to produce, and also the projectors themselves are extremely costly pieces of equipment. Rather than being switched off, they are left on stand-by continuously to avoid any problems. A theatre in Scotland faced issues last month with the cold weather where the projectors were frozen up and simply too cold for the lamps to get going! The 3D is activated from computers in Holly's area (she let me press the button to start the projection - a scary moment of responsibility!) and she has to check before every show that the two screens are lined up when projected, using red and green grids to help.

The 3D was entertaining and effective, definitely adding to the fun of the show taking the audience on a journey through forests, on rollercoasters and into castles, also with some very scary monsters and insects jumping right out at you which I must admit did give me quite a fright! 

I was also given the chance to set off one of the 'pyros' (pyrotechnics is basically controlled use of fire in entertainment) and again although all I had to do was hit a button to set off what was essentially a tiny firework, I felt daunted with the responsibility!  What if it all went wrong and I ruined the whole show!? Of course it was all fine and I suppose I can now say I've contributed to the technicalities of a pantomime show...!

I had a chat with Holly about working in theatre and how she got there. She was involved in am dram at a young age and then became part of the Theatre Royal's Young Company. Commenting on this, she stressed what a great thing the Young Company is, saying it had given her confidence and strongly recommended it as a head start to get into the industry: 'it's also a good way to meet people in the business, It's all about who you know.'  This is something you'll hear time and time again with working in theatre - it's all about making contacts.

She went on to do some work with the Bristol Old Vic theatre and studied technical theatre. She recommended going to study at college because it will teach you a lot and there are so many useful rules to learn. One tip she gave was 'You never know everything. Always assume there's more to learn - if you're willing to learn and listen, people will be willing to take you on and teach you.'
As for working in theatre, 'you have to have a passion for it', she advised. There are long, irregular hours, low pay and hard work, but if it's what you want to do and you've got the passion and motivation, it's a great job. 'It doesn't feel like work! I'm at work every day with a load of people I like, which is great, and we can all be having fun but at the same time we know that we have a job to do and each individual thing to be done is important.'

Thank you to Holly for the insight!

Someone playing the trombone didn't seem to have such a big part in the performance....  

Interview with Lowri Porter, WNO (principal first violin)
By ANLO Reps Beth Hosking and Laura Cheney
 
Laura: Have you always played with WNO or have you done other things as well?
 
LP: I've played with the opera for six years and I used to play with a ballet company before that and some orchestras in London -I used to freelance a bit after I finished college, so I've done quite a lot of things.
 
Laura: Do you have any particular favourite?
 
LP: I like all sorts of things...I'm very fond of the work we do and I think opera is a magnificent thing to be involved in because you get the best of everything in some ways you get the singing and the ensemble playing between the orchestra and the stage. Also it's good because WNO is versatile anyway- we get to do symphony concerts and chamber music on the side as well so it's not like I miss out on anything
 
Laura: What does it mean to be to say you are 'the first violinist'?
 
LP: My official job title is principal first violin. Every section has a section principal but then because the first violins are a bit different.

Laura: When you have two shows running at the same time do you have the same cast and orchestra?
 
LP: No...there's a different conductor and a different cast for each show. WNO employ the same orchestra because it's not too difficult to sit and play for four hours every day, but not the cast because it would be too much of a strain to sing every night! So we always have different cast for the different operas, which is why they do them alternately, so they have a rest day in between.
 
Laura: So that means you have more music to learn. Does it ever feel like it's too much?
 
LP: To be honest, we have quite a lot of rehearsal time and there is plenty of time in between seasons. Once it's on tour you get used to it! Also, having been here five years, shows are starting to come around again because they're crowd pleasers. First night is always a little bit nerve racking but then it should be, because it means it's spontaneous and you don't take anything for granted and you get excited about it which is how it should be because then the audience get excited as well: if we thought it was all very boring then so would they.
 
Laura: Do you ever get bored of playing the same music every single night or is it always exciting?
 
LP: Well, I think it's our job to find something new every night because the audience have never seen it before and they need to enjoy it as if I've never played it before in my life. There's always something else that you can do differently or better. For example, this week, we've had different conductors come in for the first time and so that's interesting because it's a different take on everything because not everybody
conducts in the same way and not everybody has the same ideas about how things should go.

Laura: Did you need to apply for the job? What qualifications and experience did you have to have?
 
LP: I suppose technically you don't have to have any qualifications at all except for being able to play your instrument extremely well. Everybody does an audition and if you get past that there's a trial process. It's a very personal thing being in an orchestra because you're being creative all the time and you're working in close proximity with people. So how you blend with your section and how you get on with people is as important as how well you play. Personally speaking I had a postgraduate diploma in performance and most people do these days, but you don't have to, you just have to be very very good. I don't think anybody specifies the qualifications you have to have but there are people in the chorus who don't have degrees but who can sing very well so they've done an audition and got in.
 
Laura: Someone playing the trombone didn't seem to have such a big part during the performance. Have you ever had a part where you are not playing as much?

LP: No, but that's one of the perks of being a violinist I suppose. You don't usually get to sit there and do nothing. But I've never been in that position-it's very unlikely because strings are often the foundation of everything, so even if we're not the main part we're still usually supporting someone else.
 
Laura: Can you see into the audience easily?
 
LP: Not at all actually. I can see a tiny bit in the corner. Sometimes I can like last week when we were in Bristol because that's an open pit so basically we're not lower and that's quite nice because you get the audiences reactions. But it's always nice when we get to stand up at the end and it's like 'oh there are people here!' But yeah you can't see that much, especially because I was sat right up against the pit wall last night.

Laura: Do you enjoy touring more or staying in one place?
 
LP: I quite enjoy both things because by the time we've been on tour for seven weeks it's quite nice to go home and have a period in Cardiff but then by the time we've been in Cardiff for a while it's quite nice to go on tour! We go to some really pretty places, so touring is great especially when you find nice places to stay that you go back to every time and you start to get to know people. I don't mind either... I know that it can be difficult for some people with young families but I don't have a preference because I quite enjoy both.

Laura: Do you all travel together?
 
LP: No we all do our own thing and sort ourselves out.

Beth: How long does it take to set up in the orchestra pit?
 
LP: It doesn't take me any time at all! We have two very brilliant 'pit boys', so by the time we get there it's all done usually.
 
Beth: Do you keep all of your instruments backstage when you're not performing?
 
LP: I don't because I practise during the day but some of the bigger instruments like the double basses get left for the week.
 
Beth: When did you start learning the violin?
 
 LP: I was three and a half so given I've just turned 34 we're talking 30 years which is quite scary!
 
Beth: Did you always know what you wanted to do?
 
LP: I had my moments...I was going to be a lawyer when I was 15 -I'd had enough of it all! But it was quite early on when I was quite keen on it. I did a lot of music when I was at school and I got to your age and thought I'm not quite sure anymore. But after about 6 months I met a really great teacher and I had about half an hour of lesson with him and decided I really wanted to do this.
 
Laura: Who is the youngest person in your orchestra?
 
LP: When I joined I was the youngest person but now we have people in their late 20s- Katrina, who's our principal oboist and Patrick our timpanist!

Laura: So when you have a six hour opera does it ever get to the point where everyone's like 'I can't actually breathe anymore!'?
 
LP: Can't speak for the wind players but it's a feat of stamina and there's a certain amount of 'what food am I eating at the next break to get me through the next hour?!'
 
Laura: How does the Theatre Royal compare to other places you've been?

LP: They all have their own charms. I like coming to Plymouth because the weather's usually nice and the audience here always seem to enjoy themselves.