Tomorrow (sunday 25th July) sees most of the cast and some of the technical team regroup as we get into final shape for this year’s festival priduction of Guys and Dolls.
Early reports suggest that the show is selling well at the Fringe Box Office, and by all accounts it’s shaping up to be a cracker – Irene Hogg, our dearly beloved Company Stage Manager, was raving about the final rehearsal before the split!
All the best gang. Come back refreshed and ready to Rock’n'Roll. (Except it’s not Rock ‘n’Roll is it? Ed.)
For the second year running I found myself at the opening night of Summer on Stage, The Lyceum Youth Theatre’s Summer on Stage experience that I know some FCT cast members have taken part in before.
The evening consisted of two productions, one for younger children (up to about 16 I’d say) and one for older youths. The former was a charming tale called The Musicians in which a “shite” school orchestra arrived in Russia to perform as part of a cultural exchange, only to find that their instruments had been impounded at the airport because a spliff had been found in one of the cases. The spliff had been secreted there because the doting flautists in the orchestra had hoped to use it medicinally to calm down the highly excitable conducter played excellently by Louis Plummer.
In the end the performance was mimed to Tchiakovsky’s 4th Symphony but inspired by the supportive (eventually) intervention of two hilarious stage hands/cleaners who stole the show (Keir Aitken and Samuel Adams).
The second performance, A Vampire Story, is a highly complex meeting of 19th Century vampirism with contemporary mental health issues and is quite stunning. Both shows shared basically the same simple but highly effective set but in this one the set was used to meld two very different eras very effectively. Although dark in content it is also hilarious in parts; it deals with the story of a teenage girl who clearly has become delusional and is creating a fantasy world of vampires as she seeks (with the help of her sister ) to escape the grasp of the authorities by constantly moving on. On her journey she encounters another lost soul in the form of a home taught kid who is similarly trying to escape the attentions of his eccentric parents. I can’t tell from the programme who played what parts but all of the principles were phenomenal and a special word has to go to the dotty teacher, Mint, played by Blair Grandison. (The Home Economics teacher who was played by, I assume, Megan Preistley was a class character part and I recognise the girl who played the part from previous Lyceum Youth performances – a real talent).
Director Steve Mann made a considerable impression on me with this show because the content was complex, the movement difficult and the pace very important. It was reminiscent, albeit without the music, of Claire Stewart’s Jeckyll. All were delivered perfectly in a great technical set up so that what emerged was a highly professional production that replicated the sort of conditions that professional rep actors and technicians have to (and most certainly had to) work under; short time scales to learn and perfect the performances. In this case A Vampire Story was created in under three weeks and The Musicians in under two.
Filed under: 2010,Easter shows,Journalism,Media,Reviews | Tags: Edinburgh Evening News, Just so, Rudyard Kipling, theatre, What's On in Edinburgh
St Bride’s Centre
EACH night, oh best beloved, men will lay out their two shoes and their little stone axe all in a line. A ritual preparation in order to have them handy for throwing at the cat when he scratches at the door to get out at 3am.
It’s a right passed down from father to son since before the days of Fred Flintstone and laid down in literature by Rudyard Kipling in the perennial children’s favourite Just So stories.
But The Cat That Walked By Itself is another story. Last night was devoted entirely to the journey the Elephant’s Child had to take on his path to a little more wisdom and a far greater nose.
Performed by the Forth Children’s Theatre, Just So is a two-hour musical melding of several of Kipling’s stories into one extravaganza.
Taking on the weighty mantle of director for the first time was 19-year-old Cameron Dyer who, after the FCT’s award-winning Ragtime last festival, had rather a lot to live up to.
Acquitting himself well, Dyer shows an excellent eye for putting a production together. He handles the technical very well but may want to pull away from playing too much with the set and focus on the storytelling, particularly the moments when important props need to be highlighted and the audience needs to focus on a character’s solo rather than the moving set.
The leads were well cast and wore their characters confidently. Despite wonderful diction, accents and pronunciation, though, their vocal projection often didn’t have the strength or range to carry the score.
Rebecca Gilhooley’s feisty Kolokolo Bird played an amusing and thought-provoking foil for Andrew McDivitt’s endlessly inquiring Elephant Child, while Becki Clark’s Eldest Magician had the engaging touch of a rather posh bedtime storyteller.
Esther Scott and Gus Harrower’s double act as the hermit Parsee Man and Cooking Stove spent much of the night threatening to steal the show, only to be given a good run for their money by Kangaroo (Ronan Rafferty) and Dingo Dog’s (Kirsty Shaw) cautionary tale of wishful thinking. The real highlight last night, however, was the cast and crew’s absolute professionalism in keeping the show on track through two brief power cuts.
Liam really knows his stuff around town so this is a very nice preview.
And also of ETA. (A particularly talented bunch).
At marketing HQ we’ve been up to tons of stuff. You can follow us on twitter. Just go here to find out how. Thanks to Gordon Weston we now have a fully functioning mail manager called Mail Chimp which will mean when you join our database you get stuff straight away and regularly. Just sign up here.
Rehearsals are in full swing for Just So and we’ve been using all of the above to help us SELL TICKETS. If you want to buy some you can opt for the old fashioned method which is to call us on our newly purchased 24/7 hotline on 07794 144 372.
And here’s a few rehearsal photos to show you how well we are getting on.
Look up.
Mark Madine's Amazing 6 ft 6 treads. Wait till you see the 14 ft version!
Cameron hard at work. Kerry Anne simply in awe.
Zina deep in thought. Wonder if she's learned her lines!
Meet the cast.
Don't mess with Kieran. Right?
Ronan trying very, very hard.
Filed under: 2010,Festival shows,posters | Tags: FCT, Forth Children's Theatre, Edinburgh Festival, The fringe, fringe musicals, Musicals, guys and dolls, 2010 Fringe, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Fringe Guys and Dolls
Forth Children’s Theatre is proud to announce its 2010 Fringe production of Guys and Dolls.
The show will run from 6th – 14th August and be performed at Inverleith Church Hall, Ferry Road. It will be directed by Claire Stewart who will be revisiting the show that she first directed to critical acclaim in 2002. Claire’s most recent production for FCT was 2008′s Jeckyll & Hyde.
Set in the 1940’s, Guys and Dolls is a highly popular piece of musical theatre known for memorable characters, hilarious dialogue and a fantastic score. This winning formula is sure to have audiences on their feet. Featuring classic songs such as Rocking the Boat and Luck be a Lady, there is something for everyone in the big company numbers. We are looking for boys and girls with a talent for acting, singing and dancing. There is a range of principal parts as well as strong chorus roles to be filled. Please note that you must be over ten by show date in order to audition.
Auditions are being held on Tuesday 6th April at Trinity Academicals Rugby Club, Craighall Gardens from 10:00 – 16:00. Please wear comfortable clothing and shoes that are suitable for dance and movement. It is also advised to bring a packed lunch as there may not be time to go to the shops.
The day will take the format of morning workshops followed by small group auditions in front of the directing team. It will be a brilliant experience and involve lots of fun, dancing and meeting new people! All material will be learnt in the morning so there is no need to plan anything in advance. Please be prepared to stay until 16:00 although there is chance you may be able to leave earlier depending on when each group is seen.
Rehearsals are due to start on Friday 23rd April 18:30 – 21:30. Rehearsals will always take place on a Friday night and Sunday afternoon for the company, with principals sometimes being required on a Wednesday evening.
For casting purposes, filming of auditions may take place on the day. Please highlight to Claire Stewart in advance if there are any problems with this.
It would be much appreciated if you could pass this information onto anyone that you think may be interested.
Filed under: 2010 | Tags: FCT, Children's Theatre, Musicals, Just so, Anthony Drewe and George Styles. rudyard kipling
At the FCT AGM last night it was announced that the 2010 Easter Show will be ‘Just So’ by ‘Honk’ creators Anthony Drewe and George Styles. You can read much more about the show here.
The show will take place from 14 – 17th April and be performed at St Brides Centre, Gorgie.
Cameron Dyer will make his Directorial Debut. Already, work has been underway and plans are looking very exciting! Set to an eclectic, upbeat score, Kipling’s “Just So Stories” are woven with wit and imagination into a song-filled journey through the jungle. This show provides an excellent mix of characters, giving opportunity to all ages.
Auditions are being held on Wednesday 23rd December at Trinity Academicals Rugby Club, Craighall Gardens from 1000 – 1600. Please wear comfortable clothing and shoes that are suitable for doing movement in. It is also advised to bring a packed lunch as there may not be time to go to the shops.
The day will take the format of morning workshops followed by small group auditions in front of the directing team. It will be a brilliant experience and involve lots of fun, dancing and meeting new people. All material will be learnt in the morning so there is no need to prepare anything in advance. Please be prepared to stay until 1600 although there is chance you may be able to leave before depending on when each group is seen.
Rehearsals are due to start on Friday 8th January 1830 – 2100. Rehearsals will be held on a Friday evening and a Sunday afternoon, although some principals may be called for occassional rehearsal on a Wednesday evening.
Here’s a little taster.
At the FCT AGM last night a new committee was elected which involved a close tussle for power between Chris Park (the victor) and Fifi Doig (the unfortunate but delightful runner up).
After eight long years current Chairperson Margaret McPherson made an emotional valedictory speech pointing out that she had left on an all time high and thanking FCT for its support for her personally in this very difficult year for her and the family as Jack passed away during the summer.
FCT is utterly indebted to Margaret and cannot find words to thank her for her astounding efforts and subtle management over the last decade.
The new chairman, duly elected, is Mark Gorman who takes up his post following two years on the fundraising and finance committee. Mark was also Chair about 20 years ago.
Liam Sinclair was re-elected for a further three years, Jane Sutherland for one year and joining the committee is Chris Park and, in a new role, Kirsty Harrower, who is the new parent member; there to represent the views of current cast members. Her son Angus played Little Boy in Ragtime. And as it happens Mark’s daughter, Ria, is also a current cast member.
All three of our acts are top ten; 5, 7 and 8.
Let’s get them 1,2 and 3.
How? Follow the instructions here.
