Monday 19 October 2015

Hooves on Fire (RSC Dream 16 Blog) : A Donkey's Tale by the Nonentities Bottom: Pieces of Fate

"Life's like a jigsaw
You get the straight bits
But there's something missing in the middle"
(Andy Partridge, XTC)

I've been musing recently (in a 'Henry V' stylee ) on the diversity of experience within the Dream 16 project. I was going to write about how we Dreamers are part of 'life's rich tapestry' in a theatrical sense; but as my sewing skills only stretch to replacing buttons on shirts (I do not possess Starveling's skill set), then it was the above lyric which seemed to resonate.

We've all had experience of a jigsaw. It's a standard childhood toy and as we get older, and we progress from the 100 piece to the 5,000 piece jigsaw, the challenge to complete the picture does not diminish. If you have ever worked with another family member on one, there always seems to be a competitive element, where the slotting in of the last piece has some sort of significance. There are those who will deliberately hold the last piece back so that they can triumphantly complete with the final piece.

Then there's the whole approach to the putting together of the jigsaw. Most people go for the straight bits, so they can construct a frame; others start grouping colours together. Each person has their system to solve and of course, the biggest aid to this puzzle is the picture on the box. Without the picture, it makes the jigsaw harder to complete. Likewise, a piece missing can provide a real headache and disappointment in our sense of completion. Some pieces fall into place with ease, others you try and push into place, only realising after a few attempts you may need to reconsider your approach.

So, this got me thinking about the Dream 16 process which is actually a theatrical jigsaw puzzle on a much larger scale. Erica, Kim and Sophie have the enormous task of putting together a rather large and colourful jigsaw. They are facing the perils of the puzzler as noted above.

The straight bits are already there: 84 amateur actors and 14 amateur directors. All our companies are part of the puzzle. New pieces are being added as the project progresses, slotting in pieces of voice and movement workshops, training primary school teachers through the Education team, developing the musical score as the picture emerges.

However, there are many more pieces to place: the professional cast, the lighting and sound team, the stage managers and so on. They are important pieces in the evolving puzzle of getting Dream 16 on tour. Logistically, this must be one of the most challenging jigsaws that the RSC team have had to oversee in terms of bringing together so many pieces in terms of amateurs, school children, education team, professional cast, professional crew and touring it around the UK for six months.

For me, that would be like working on a jigsaw without the picture; for the RSC team, it is the result of months of planning just how to put those pieces into place. You have to admire the sheer brilliance and hard work that has gone on behind the scenes to facilitate this. There are no quick answers, no short cuts.

I am sure there are still missing pieces and parts of the puzzle that still..well puzzle…but as the project develops the jigsaw grows and new pieces become added to the bigger picture. We as amateur groups become part of a bigger community jigsaw as our participation in the project grows. Open Stages began the first stages of this community jigsaw and Dream16 is now developing that ethos. It's no longer a puzzle, it's become an emerging picture of how amateur theatre can combine with the professional world and create something special. Something VERY special.

The last piece of this jigsaw will not be put into place when the show finishes its run in Stratford on the 16th July. Far from it. The jigsaw continues. The Dream 16 project becomes part of a larger jigsaw,  another major piece to add to the RSC's history and it's rich tapestry of diverse performances. We 'rude mechanicals' and the many groups that auditioned for Dream 16 (and those that have taken part in the Open Stages projects over the years) are already linked to theatrical history. More importantly,we will all remember the part we played in the process and the day we went to Stratford and kicked dramatic ass.






Tuesday 6 October 2015

Hooves on Fire (RSC Dream 16 Blog) : A Donkey's Tale by the Nonentities Bottom: That Abba Moment

Im nothing special. (In fact, I'm a bit of a bore.) If I tell a joke, you've probably heard it before. But I have a talent, a wonderful thing, cos everyone listens when I start to….sorry…bit of an Abba moment there. But it's got me thinking about talent. That 'wonderful thing' that now even has a whole set of programmes devoted to finding who's got 'it' in Britain. And what is it that makes everyone listen when I start to….bake ? Mow the lawn ? Read the gas meter ?

You see I've never really considered what 'it' is the 'it' I've got. And yet I find myself writing this as someone who in a few months time is about to step on the stage of the RSC to perform in "A Midsummer Night's Dream". How did that happen ? (Well of course I know HOW it happened, but it's still a state of mind that I'm constantly pinching myself about. Ouch ! There I go again..)

I am an amateur actor and have been for many years. And yes, in that work there's been the moments where I've hoped that Speilberg will be in the audience and recognise my acting prowess and star quality and whisk me off to Hollywood to star as E.T.'s father in the long awaited sequel……come on…we've all had those dreams ! But we know that in the amateur world that rarely happens and the best we can hope for is maybe a decent mention in a five star review in the local news Arts section, or something on Twitter telling the social media world how fabulous we were dah-lings ! It's brilliant to be celebrated by your community and peers, knowing that you have done a 'good job' with your performance and in the bar afterwards we love the praise and plaudits. So I guess in our amateur world, we obviously have 'it' -the difficulty is that avenues to celebrate that fact are very rare. We are not in it for the 'Money money money'; we do it because we love performing. We are all 'super troupers'.

If you're a musician or a dancer, TV caters for your 'it' with a number of talent programmes where you can demonstrate your ability. I 'd love to see a delivery of a Shakespearean monologue win 'Britain's Got Talent' or maybe a Bergomask dance storming to the final of "Got to Dance" ( or even getting a SEVEN ! from one of the judges on 'Strictly'). But sadly, acting in terms of demonstrating your 'it' has no outlet in TV. And of course, that leaves a lot of amateur actors with no route to showcase their talents to a wider audience.

Which is exactly why we need more projects like Dream 16. The RSC have taken a bold and imaginative step with the Open Stages work to include and celebrate the amateur community work. In a genius move, hundreds of amateur actors have been able to share their 'its' not only on RSC stages, but in auditions across the country with their companies. We've been given access to workshops with trained practitioners, tasks to challenge and develop our skills and countless opportunities to engage with professional theatre at its best. Of course, there's lots of examples of community collaboration and initiatives between professional theatre and amateur groups across the UK….but this has to be globally a real first.

And the thing we all appreciate the most is that the professionals never treat us as amateurs, recognising that we all have something to offer and that they stop and listen when we start to….....act. The feedback we are receiving as participants in the project is theatrical gold. When it comes from someone who 'knows their stuff' it's the stuff that 'Dreams are made of'.  I like hearing I've got a good Bottom (not because I have body issues ) but more for the fact that it means something coming from the specialists in their field. Not only am I happy they  decided to 'take a chance on me' (and all the other amateurs in this project) but "I have a dream " that this will just be the start of something big where our 'its' can be shared more widely.

When Abba won the Eurovision song contest all those years ago, no one had any idea of where it would take them. Everyone listened when they started to sing. Will us Dreamers, have the same success ? If you're asking me I'd have to say "I do, I do, I do I do, I do……."

Hmmmm wonder if they will make Titania into a Dancing Queen…...


Tuesday 29 September 2015

Hooves on Fire (RSC Dream 16 Blog) : A Donkey's Tale by the Nonentities Bottom: "I am Spartacus !"

I am Spartacus ! No…I am Spartacus…..well actually I am NOT Spartacus. I'm Bottom…well technically speaking the actor playing Bottom in  "A Midsummer Night's Dream"at the RSC….rewind..I'm actually one of 14 Bottoms from across the UK who like the 14 Quinces, the 14 Flutes, the 14 Snugs, the 14 Starvelings and the 14 Snouts, have been selected to play the rude mechanicals in the RSC touring production of the Dream.

For some reason I'm reminded of the old mathematical riddle about the person going to St Ives, who meets a man man with seven wives. In Dream, we have numerical combinations of weavers, tinkers, carpenters, tailors, joiners and bellows menders. And for those who are mathematically challenged like myself that's a big truckload of amateur actors representing these roles. And just like the man going to St Ives (who had to encounter a veritable crowd of people on a probably very narrow coastal path), all of us in our companies are on a similar journey.

There's no doubt that Bottom is an iconic role, but he/she is only one sixth of a group of people who have come together to put on a play. And that's the brilliance of Dream 16. It could have been oh so easy to just select 14 actors across the country to play the role of Bottom; but what Dream 16 has done is tapped into the very heart of amateur theatre where the actors who perform in these groups all have other jobs during the day. Like the mechanicals themselves, they come together to create theatre.

I love the team element of this project. The Mechanicals are a group entity and while some may see Bottom as the 'main role' in this team, without the other 5 he (or she) is actually nothing. Without a Quince to lock horns with, a Flute to duet with, a Snout to impress, a Snug to roar at and a Starveling to  tailor for, Bottom has no one to bounce off. He can't kick dramatic ass without those fellow actors around him. Each mechanical has their part to play and the fact that for the vast majority of the play they always appear onstage together, suggests to me that Shakespeare was 'well into' showing the solidarity of these players, united in an art from they all love.

Someone once said there are no small parts, only small actors. While Bottom may have a lot to say for himself in the mechanicals scenes, the dialogue and interactions from the others-no matter whether its one line or ten lines-is crucial to helping the audience understand the bond these fellows have. Yes they may disagree, yes they may not be too vocal-but at the end of the day they are all important in their own right.

Our journeys as companies to the promised land of performance with the RSC and at the RST rely on that team work and support. We all have a voice and the opportunity to document that individual journey. We as a whole group of 84 actors and 14 directors are part of a huge team of performers, complimented by the professionals at the RSC.  That is brilliant.

I am Spartacus !  Actually, we all are…….




Wednesday 23 September 2015

Hooves on Fire (Dream 16 Blog) : A Donkey's Tale by the Nonentities Bottom

Blog 1: Is this a donkey I see before me…..



The universe. Big, powerful, 'out there' and at times possessing a quirky sense of humour. Flash back in a De Lorean style to 1966. I'm five years old and it's my first nativity play; in fact my first foray into the world of acting. Everyone in the class is hungry for the big roles: Joseph, Mary, the 3 Kings, the Good Shepherds, Archangel Gabriel et al. It's a nervous time and you can smell the tension eminating from the carpet we are all sitting on, (at least I think that smell was tension ) waiting for the teacher to announce the casting. I'm really quite excited by the whole thing as it's been built up in the run up to Christmas that this is THE highlight of the primary school calendar.

One by one, the parts are announced…ok so I'm not going to be Joseph…or Mary for that matter. That's fine because a) Joseph is a bit of a boring role, even if he is a main one and b) the days of gender specific casting are still in play. I'm not overly surprised that Joseph has been given to a boy who's been a milk monitor for the past few weeks. Next comes the Archangel Gabriel; a good part in terms of costume and that glittery halo really adds the stamp of authority. Again my hopes are dashed and it's given over to a boy who wipes the blackboard clean at the end of the day. The 3 Kings are announced in quick succession, and those of us who have not yet been named, are rapidly calculating what's left for the taking: Shepherds and Animals.

Suddenly, there is a glimmer of hope, as the role of the Innkeeper is announced. The 'un-named' sit up straight, straining with enthusiasm that it will be our name that will be called next. The immortal line "There's no room at the Inn" is one of the iconic lines in the Nativity and a real scene stealer. Hope soon fades. It's given to the son of a local greengrocer, mainly I suspect because his Dad runs a shop so he will have some experience of running a small business which will be useful for the Innkeeper role. My only consolation is the girl chosen for the role of the Innkeeper's wife starts to cry when she realises who she is being partnered with.

At this stage I'm beginning to think that this casting process is not about what you can do, but how well behaved you've been in class. I'm not a monitor and I don't think I've been a problem, but it would seem that the casting of the main roles is solely based on who is the teacher's favourites. This was a real light bulb moment and the point where I turned communist. I barely listened as the Shepherds were cast as I had a gut feeling that I was destined for the animals list.

There's not many of us left now without a part. A group of girls get cast as sheep and begin to giggle and bleat about it to others. The boys who struggle with Maths are herded together as cows. I've resigned myself to either being a cockerel or a pig. Everyone is looking at me, knowing that I'm not yet in the Nativity gang. The teacher smiles, looks directly at me and says:

"And as for you Christopher, you're going to be our donkey !"

Donkey. Don-key. What sort of a part was that ! For  a start it was a non speaking role and I didn't fancy the idea of having to piggy back Mary (aka Rebecca W) across the stage as we searched for an inn. The rest of the class took great delight in laughing at my donkey casting. The die was cast…..

Opening night (well afternoon actually) and I'm waiting to go and pay my donkey respects to the baby Jesus. As if to add insult to injury, I've been put in some brown corduroy trousers, a black roll neck pullover and a cardboard mask over my head. A rope tail swings behind me. This is apparently what costume deem as 'Nativity donkey'. It's a big occasion because my Mom is in the audience and so the pressure is on to make sure I deliver my part so convincingly that the audience believe that I am that donkey. Thing is, I'm still not relaxed with the role and I somehow cannot get into character. The brown corduroy look certainly hasn't helped. Suddenly, I'm pushed onto the stage and before I know it I'm kneeling at the crib, looking at the smug faces of my fellow classmates, dressed in their Kings finery, their Shepherds tea towels and paper angel wings. Joseph is standing with his hand on Mary's shoulder, looking at me as if to say "You will NEVER be a milk monitor". Everyone is happy and smiling-except me. I never wanted to be the donkey, never felt corduroy did anything for me, never wanted to be a monitor…and to show my angst I turned round to look for my Mom in the audience to communicate this to her.

That's when the camera clicked.

The picture shows me there, at the front, in my 'don't mess with the donkey' pose. My first acting role. A donkey. I don't remember receiving rave reviews for that first performance, but strangely it had given me the urge to do more acting to show I was not just a one trick pony. And of course, in hindsight, the universe was telling me that being a donkey was going to be not such a bad thing at some stage in the future…...

Don't mess with the Donkey