two shows in rehearsal
The building repair work planned from the 26th May means we have a very truncated season with Bleak Expectations coming hotly on the heels of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice. We would usually have a comfortable 7 weeks rehearsal period on stage but we’ll have just under 4 which includes Easter and bank holidays!
Nothing daunted, our fabulous cast have set up camp in my living room and we’re keeping calm and carrying on. Turns out that really all you need is a drinks fridge and a kettle to turn any space into a studio.
lots of props
As expected, the props and set team are busy assembling props off site, so we’ll have everything ready as soon as we can claim our space back stage. I always think a play isn’t particularly props heavy (I’m optimistic by nature) but the list started at 100 items and is probably still growing.
I cannot thank the team enough for all the thought and time they’re putting in.
Actually that goes for everyone, from sound and lighting to set. The shortened time span has brough everyone’s creativity to the fore. They say that necessity is the mother of invention…
lots of Dickensian costumes
This year the Costume Team have been joined by a work placement student (Sarra) from Huddersfield University who has taken on the challenge of dressing all the many characters who appear on stage in this bonkers pastiche of Dickensian plot lines and characters—some of whom enter the stage, deliver a couple of lines, and are never seen again.
madcap play with multirole-ing
It’s a mad cap play with lots of multi role-ing and a huge undertaking to costume everyone—but wow, it is so worth it. We have a dedicated rail in the store which is now groaning under the weight of jewel-coloured dresses and smart tailoring. I really can’t wait to see it all come together.
I do hope you’ll come and join in the fun (10th—17th May) for, as the great man himself wrote: “There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.”
Bleak Expectations by Mark Evans runs 10-17th May at Millgate Arts Centre. Tickets £12 from www.millgateartscentre.co.uk
