Leicester: Week 18

Leicester: Week 18

DAY OFF! DAY OFF! DAY OFF!!!!:

So, as I mentioned in the last blog, we had another luxurious Monday off before we were due in Leicester. This was great as we were all travelling back from Dundee in various forms on the Sunday and so we could pretty much write that day off. Everyone had a nice relaxing day of recharging their batteries after a pretty busy week.

DSM, DCSM, ALD and DSC:

Due to a prior contract commitment, Tim S was unable to come to Leicester with us but everything had been planned down to the last detail for his absence. Tim had done a lot of advance work for both Leicester and Belfast (where we were to be next), so the company would have all the relevant paper work and information on both cities. Jon Woodley was going to be coming up to Leicester on the Saturday to run the get-out (which the CSM would normally do) and everything else was left in the capable hands of our DSM, DCSM, ALD and DSC. You might have realized that a lot of things in theatre are either referenced in initials or given short or nicknames. The DSM is me (I'm guessing that you've probably got that one by now) and stands for Deputy Stage Manager. At some point on the last tour Alastair had appointed himself DCSM (or if he was feeling a little lazy, ACSM) which stands for Deputy Company Stage Manager (such a role does not really exist in theatre, the CSM's deputy is usually the DSM. However, in Birdsong land the role does exist). The ALD stands for Associate Lighting Designer – do you remember me mentioning Jennie in previous blogs? Normally on tour the CSM would take responsibility for re-lighting the show each week. Have I bored you with this before? On a Monday (or Tuesday in this case!) morning, the lighting would be rigged and coloured (coloured 'gels' go in frames and then get inserted in front of each lantern to give the beam of light the appropriate colour) before the set went up. In the afternoon the CSM would take 'the focus' meaning that all the lights would be focused to the appropriate positions on the set. GMoss, I think I've mentioned before, plots the moving lights into the correct positions and then Tim will sit with the in-house lighting op and go through all 114+ lighting cues. As Tim wasn't with us, Jennie had come up to do the re-lights instead. She did a fantastic job – Alastair even said it was one of the best he'd seen it from out front and it was nice for the rest of us to see her and have a bit of a catch-up. So what about that last set of initials, DSC? Well, that's Alastair's alternative nickname for GMoss – Deep Sea Creature. Not really sure why as I can assure you that he looks nothing like a deep sea creature, although GMoss seems quite fond of the nickname anyway.

Our DCSM and ASM (Lucy Gratton)

Curve:

Curve was only built a few years ago, as an alternative venue to Leicester's Haymarket which had fallen into disrepair. It is a pioneering space, created in a way which bridges the gap between audience and performer. The building is circular in a great big 'curve' (hence the name), with the stage and auditorium in the middle. Around the stage are walls and a metal cage. The walls can be raised allowing ease of access during a get-in, but also the cage can be brought in so that the audience can get a look backstage as they leave after the show, but without the risk of audience members actually being able to get backstage.

Leicester Curve

On the left is the black wall which can be raised so the audience
can look through to backstage. This 'corridor' goes all the way around the
stage in a (you guessed it) curve

Curve Auditorium looking at the stage as Jennie checks a few lighting states

I heard from people that I know who've worked there that Curve is a bit of a marmite venue. You either love it of you hate it. I started writing this particular blog in our final week, sat at the prompt corner in Eastbourne, and I can honestly tell you that I haven't made up my mind about Curve. On the one hand, the stage and auditorium space is excellent. There is plenty of room in the wings to manoeuvre the furniture and for the cast to have space for quick changes etc. The auditorium is on two levels with comfortable seats and good leg room. I was really pleased with how Birdsong sounded in the space. The explosions were clean and clear and the mics sounded great. I had a really good prompt desk with loads of shiny buttons to press. There's even a water cooler in a little room next to prompt corner.

Here's where it becomes slightly difficult. All the dressings rooms are upstairs, which you can access by lift or by stairs. The easiest way to do this (and the quickest and clearest route) is by going front of house to the lift there. The dressing rooms and offices all circle the foyers and there's a sort of balcony where you can look down to the audience below. You can access the dressing rooms without going into the foyer, but that means going down to the basement and trying not to get lost! Of course the whole point of the cast going to the stage/dressing rooms via the foyer is to make it a more interactive experience between audience and cast. It's just a question of whether you like doing this or not. Some of our cast really loved it and would take their time going back to the dressing rooms in the interval and after the show, but others liked it less so and would practically sprint to the lift! From a stage management and technical point of view, it meant that delivering personal props to the cast in the dressing rooms inside the half can be a bit tricky. I nearly missed getting back to prompt corner to do a backstage call on time because it took me 10 minutes to get from the dressing rooms to the stage. It is also more difficult for us getting through the audience in the interval, as they don't have a clue who we are and we had to fight our way through audience members at the bar a few times to get back to the stage. But, aside from that I really enjoyed my time at Curve, it was a shame it was a bit of a short week really and it would have been nice to have stayed a bit longer. Not least because the front of house cafe there is amazing and do a good discount on food and drinks for incoming companies. I was on a special diet that week and was dying to sample one of the cakes on display!

So what else happened in Leicester? Well, Alastair and Lucy did a workshop in a school one day (similar to those he did with Liam in Birmingham) which went really well and the kids were very responsive. We had an understudy rehearsal and 2 matinees and before we knew it, Jon was arriving for the get out and we were all checking in on-line for our flights to Belfast the next day. The end of the tour way really looming close now and we were all very aware of the fact that most of us would be unemployed in three weeks. Despite this unattractive thought, we were all looking forward to going to Belfast very much, if not a little overwhelmed. We all knew that it was a massive venue and after the more intimate ones we had been experiencing on this second leg of the tour, it was going to be strange to go back to such a big space.

Additionally:

Alastair and Tom Hackney were getting things ready for Original Theatre's forthcoming tour of 'Three Men In A Boat this week. Here's a picture of Tom at one of their brainstorming sessions:

No one from Birdsong Productions takes credit for the 'artwork' logo
behind Tom…….. Although the boat design is a definite winner!

As you're reading this 'Three Men In A Boat' is currently touring the UK. Is it coming to a theatre near you? Check out the dates on www.originaltheatre.com It's a great show and you get to see more of Alastair in it.

I must just mention here that 'Birdsong' has its very own super fan. Yep, just like One Direction and everything. Emily Pontin has been following us (in a good way) on Twitter and has already seen the show in Winchester, we were looking forward to seeing her in Eastbourne again. She's also done some lovely fan artwork taken from pictures of the show, which she has been keeping us updated with on Twitter. This week, she was lucky enough to get to see 'Skylight' in London, with Bill Nighy and Carey Mulligan, which is one of my favourite plays and I am very jealous that she got to see it. Alastair and I thought that we'd pop this photo of Emily and Carey Mulligan in this week's blog as a bit of a thank you for all her support (Emily's, not Carey Mulligan, although I am sure she is also a huge Birdsong fan!). Thanks Emily!

I'll let you know how things went in Ireland very soon! And remember to keep checking www.birdsongthetour.com for more tour dates and cast announcements coming soon!