‘There was not a dry eye on the set when we filmed that one’
EDITED BY MARK WAKEMAN
HTML coding by Robin Hall
These are the attempts of a handsome young editor to fill the blank space in a newsletter left by an uninterested theatre company (Sigh)
Mark Wakeman, Bench Press Editor
Hello there, once again I have sought to give you your money’s worth, remember for your membership you not only get free tickets to all of our shows but you also get this handy news letter produced by me but once again there has been but a trickle of articles and e-mails. There really is nothing more daunting then having to fill these pages every month, do we really do nothing worth writing about? If we do, why must I be the one who writes it? I’m Editor Damn it, there must be things to edit. So make it so, drown me in correspondence or I quit!
There, that’s my threat out of the way!
Currently in production is ‘Wyrd Sisters’ directed by my good self which is going remarkably well. The cast may tell you other things but it’s all a dream for me at the moment. I have hopes that this show will be the biggest and most spectacular show I have worked upon yet. But you will be able to see for yourselves at the end of February when the fun filled comedy extravaganza hits the stage.
Also nearing its start is John Scadding's production of ‘Hollywood Play’; A piece by John including his audition dates is included in this wonderful publication.
But please write, you don’t want me to quit do you? Do you? - Oh. I see.
Some of you may be aware that I have just been subject to my thirtieth birthday on this planet. The reason I mention this was I was fortunate enough to get tickets to see ‘The play what I wrote’ at the Wyndham Theatre in London.
A playful homage to Morcombe and Wise and directed by none other than Kenneth Brannah the show features old material from the great Eric and Ernie and all new laugh inducing material as well. Just like the old shows it also features a surprise guest in each show, past guests (Friends of Kens probably) have included Ralph Fiennes and Ewan MacGreggor as well as a bloke out of Brookside! But we were lucky enough to see Dawn French who was extremely funny and gave as good as she got. The play is touching, surreal in places, but most of all just plain good fun. Don’t be fooled into thinking it’s the Morcombe and Wise story though as some of the audience did when we saw it. You won’t know anything more about them after seeing it then you did when you went in. Except to know that their material was still funny and what more do you need than that?
| DATE | EVENT |
|---|---|
| Tues 5th Feb & Wed 6th Feb | Auditions for Hollywood Play |
| Thurs 7th Feb, 7:30 for 8pm | February Club Night |
| Wyrd Sisters performances, HAC, 7:30 + Saturday matinee | Tues 26th Feb - Sat 2nd March |
| March Club Night – Play Selection | Thurs 7th March, 7:30 for 8pm |
| Thurs 4th April, 7:30 for 8pm | April Club Night |
| Hollywood Play (HAC, 7:30, not Sunday or Monday) | Thurs 18th Apr – Sat 27th April |
| Club Night – 9 Days in May | Thurs 2nd May, 7:30 for 8pm |
| Our 9 Days In May evening | Fri 17th May |
| June Club Night | Thurs 6th June |
Tim Taylor
Ah the joys of theatre! The exhilaration as the lights go down and you take the first steps out in front of a new audience to give all you have to offer and risk having it rejected. So much has gone into the preparation. So much goes on unseen: behind the stage, in the lighting box and out in the foyer.
The foyer? Yes, out there is where the Front of House people are doing their stuff. I won't say unsung, unnoticed or un-thanked, because they are all of those, but we are actually beginning to reach a bit of a crisis in the Front of House staffing - due partly to a run of large cast productions - when we don't have people to take up this job. And it is only a job, rather dull and unexciting, and I know it isn't what you joined the Bench for: none of us did. The trouble is that we have an obligation to meet Health and Safety requirements which means having someone sitting outside in case of any disaster during the evening.
The stage manager cannot start the show unless there is someone there and it has recently become very difficult to find volunteers to be that someone. Turning up twenty minutes early to tear tickets is no hardship: most people are prepared to do that. But someone has to sit out all evening and that is much less popular. If everyone took a turn, nobody would have to do it more than once a year. The problem is that some people don't. They have excuses that they don't get home in time (though will make sure to be home if they are in the show) or are having a very busy time at work (can you do either of the Saturdays?). There are some people who volunteer only seldom, others whose names have not appeared on the rota in years - if at all. If you are one of those, then I'm sorry to be blunt, but you're sponging off the goodwill of the rest of us. It’s not actually that bad a job. You can read a book, do your marking, prepare some work for the next day, write some letters, even bring a friend and sit in the bar drinking. You can do whatever you like, but if you're not there, nothing else can happen.
So please, if you can give up one evening during the next few productions, please do so because unless we get more volunteers, we will be facing real problems.
John Scadding
Auditions are to be held on Tuesday February 5th (Bedhampton Arts Centre, large room) and Wednesday 6th February (Theatre, HAC). (7:30 – 9pm)
If you are interested and cannot manage either of these dates please contact me –also if you would like to have a look at the script - on 023 9232 5279.
As we have a very short rehearsal period for this slot, Sam Emery and Tim Taylor have offered to act as assistant directors so we can have more than one session going on at the same time. This will be so useful! – Horray horray! – and will make up for any of us who will be disappearing for the Easter holidays.
Do make contact with any of us if you want to be involved. There has been no pre-casting or pre-anything actually except a lot of fine tuning on the script and Andrew checking out for sanity my dreams for the set. He said Okay. So roll up roll up and here’s to all of us!
Best wishes,
John Scadding.
A reminder of the characters in the play :
We will shortly have to select for more of our future slots. The following slots could be on offer:
July 2002 (2 week slot)
Confirmed Date – 18th to 27th July
Ideas needed now!
September 2002 (1 week slot)
there is a strong possibility that we could have a one week slot if we wanted it, probably in the second half of September. This could be an ideal opportunity to put on something ‘small cast’ and those of us who aren’t jetting off over the summer could really get our teeth into it.
November 2002
we will have our usual two week slot in late November/early December.
We will be selecting in March and the February club night will be designed to get us all thinking along the right lines…
As John remarked at the end of last year if we were able to select a whole season at once we might have realised that there was a theme (family) running through our offerings. We might also be able to be a little more co-ordinated about the plays that we select. On play selection night it’s easy to be caught up with our enthusiasm for a particular production and forget about the more mundane practical considerations. How does it fit in with what we have done lately? What sort of cast is going to be required? I don’t think any of us would deny that doing three large cast shows back to back is going to be difficult. (Any small suggestions for July?!)
So at February’s club night I will be trying to stimulate discussions about how plays contrast with and complement each other. I’ll bring along a few extracts, and I might just be ringing round for a couple more. I’m hoping to raise a few ideas for us all to think about when we put pen to paper at play selection in March.
Robin Hall
Robin Hall
Paul and I were lucky enough to be given tickets to see this show in London for Christmas and we had a fabulous evening. I have never seen a Coward play before so I don’t know how this one compares with his other work but the script seemed effortlessly light and funny.
The play opens on a couple on their wedding evening enjoying the view from their hotel balcony. Sibyl and Elyot have been married early that day and appear to be very much in love, the only slight cloud being her difficulty in forgetting about his previous marriage to Amanda. We discover not long after that Amanda is occupying the room next door also on her honeymoon night with Victor, her new husband.
Once the audience has been let in on the secret there is a delicious period while we wait for the characters to realise, at which point things become very interesting indeed… Lindsay Duncan looked fabulous and exuded smouldering sex appeal. I’m sure Coward would have been delighted. Amanda can’t be an easy character to play as she is terribly attractive but I’m not sure that we are supposed to like her. Alan Rickman was quite superb as Elyot, jealous and bitter underneath but quite light-hearted and able to allow the play to whiz along. I’m neither articulate or experienced to describe what made his performance so good but he made the character utterly believable. The two of them made a great pair.
Their respective spouses, Sibyl and Victor are not great parts – Coward himself apparently described them as “poor things, little better than ninepins, lightly wooden, and only there at all in order to be repeatedly knocked down and stood up again”. However they are important as they provide contrast to the two leads. Adam Godley was an excellent Victor, his polite, almost stuffy manner completely the opposite to Elyot he managed to appeal to our sympathies without ever turning us ‘on his side’.
We thought that Emma Fielding’s Sibyl was a little weak but couldn’t decide whether this was down to the director, Howard Davies. I felt particularly during the first scene that she could have been more child-like perhaps. If the play is unchallenging to watch it does raise some interesting questions about what it means to love someone and I thought Coward’s writing captured that very well.
Overall we found the play to be thoroughly entertaining – enjoyable but not too taxing for a Friday evening – and the production excellent. (The set has to be seen to be believed! – and in Amanda’s Paris apartment the lighting designer has recreated a natural sunrise through the window at the back of the stage quite brilliantly.) Well worth braving the worst South West Trains can throw at you.
(Private Lives is at the Albery Theatre)
Information in Bench Press goes stale ! - for up-to-date contact information please check the relevant page on our website.
Ladies and Gentleman, your treasurer requests that anyone still owed money arising from our last production comes forward at or before the February club night so that the books might be closed!
The numbers so far :
This production wasn’t expensive to stage, helped by the rights being slightly cheaper for a translation than for a new play. (£424 for the 8 performances)
Megan and Sue did a brilliant job of the costumes and we were able to make the most of what we have in the cupboard – the total costume bill was less than £200 and there were a lot of costumes…
David’s talent with a paintbrush also helped create a fantastic visual treat without spending a lot of money. There were a lot of props and Derek did well to keep his costs down (despite the cast attempting to run up huge bills for hobnob biscuits by eating them whenever he left they lying around backstage!) Derek also managed to negotiate a sponsorship deal for the programs which slashed our printing costs.
So far I have paid bills totalling £796.00, and I’m not aware of anything large remaining. (Go on, prove me wrong…) Our income from the box office will be £1497.69 so the show will turn in a good profit when all of the numbers are in.
(Once I have the information from the Arts Centre I will publish the attendance figures.)
We have at last got confirmation that we can have the theatre for May 17th, one night only. That's the good news. The bad news is that by February 11th, i.e. two weeks, we have to tell the world exactly what we are doing in it.!
We will discuss this briefly at the February Club night, but must make a decision then or that weekend. If anyone has any thoughts, ideas or proposals, please ring Tim Taylor (023 9248 4730) straightaway so that we can do some preliminary work before the Club night.
This does seem to be great chance to demonstrate what we can do to a wider audience and we should grab the opportunity if we possibly can. In particular it is an excellent chance for the writers in the company to offer their work. Don't be shy!
Titchfield Festival Theatre is doing a summer season comprising Love's Labour's Lost (July 4th-14th), Midsummer Night's Dream (July 20th-28th) and Cyrano de Bergerac (July 30th - August 3rd) all in the open at Titchfield Abbey. They are looking for more actors as well as backstage staff, musicians, singers, stewards, etc.
I have fuller details and will bring them to the Club night but auditions are February 16th and 17th so if anyone wants more information before then, contact me.
(Tim Taylor.)
Just a brief note to say thank you to everyone who joined us on the Sunday before Christmas – we had a great time, don’t know about you? We’ve decided to make it a regular event, especially if Zoë and Sam are prepared to come round and decorate our house every year… (Paul + Robin)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MARK (our editor), WHO HAS JUST CELEBRATED A SIGNIFICANT BIRTHDAY!!!
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