Hi there

Indie Film Night was good fun on Wednesday, if you missed it, I hope you can make the next one in November. I was at the Graham Norton Show on Thursday on the South Bank. It's on BBC on Monday, look out for my excited face in the front row as I was pleasantly surprised when talented Paisley boy Paolo Nutini performed live three feet away.

Meantime there's lots of new theatre hitting the West End and some exciting touring productions around the UK.

Enjoy what's on where you are.

Douglas

editor, uk theatre network
http://www.uktheatre.net
To subscribe free, email subscribe@uktheatre.net

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Legally Blond The Musical
Published by: Douglas McFarlane on Friday 9th October 2009 06:10pm

Sheridan Smith, Duncan James, Jill Halfpenny, Peter Davison, Aoife Mulholland, Susan McFadden and Alex Gaumond lead the cast in Legally Blonde The Musical, which previews at the Savoy Theatre from 5 December 2009 and is currently booking until 23 May 2010.

http://www.uktheatre.net/magazine/read/legally-blond-the-musical_359.html

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Avenue Q - Fantastic Autumn Offer
Published by: Douglas McFarlane on Friday 9th October 2009 06:10pm

AVENUE Q is now in its 4th sensational year as London’s funniest show!
With its hugely talented cast of performers and puppets - you’ve never seen a show like AVENUE Q before! So don’t let your life suck - book your tickets today!

http://www.uktheatre.net/magazine/read/avenue-q---fantastic-autumn-offer_360.html

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The Misanthrope
Published by: Douglas McFarlane on Friday 9th October 2009 05:10pm

Damian Lewis leads an outstanding ensemble with Tara Fitzgerald, Keira Knightley and Dominic Rowan inMartin Crimp's blistering version of Molière's greatest comedy, The Misanthrope.

Seats for this glittering comedy range from £20 to £49.50, but why not spoil yourself and enjoy the very best seats in the house, our Premium Seats available in the stalls or dress circle, for £65.

http://www.uktheatre.net/magazine/read/the-misanthrope_356.html

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Jerusalem comes to the West End
Published by: Douglas McFarlane on Friday 9th October 2009 05:10pm

Acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, Jez Butterworth's new play is a comic, contemporary vision of life in our green and pleasant land. Starring Mark Rylance in 'a performance of rare virtuosity' (Daily Mail) and Mackenzie Crook, Jerusalem transfers to the West End from January 2010 following a sell-out run at the Royal Court Theatre.

http://www.uktheatre.net/magazine/read/jerusalem-comes-to-the-west-end_357.html

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Love Never Dies (Phantom)
Published by: Douglas McFarlane on Friday 9th October 2009 05:10pm

LOVE NEVER DIES, the highly-anticipated sequel to Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, is set to begin performances in the West End in March 2010.

http://www.uktheatre.net/magazine/read/love-never-dies--(phantom)_358.html

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We're Going On A Bear Hunt
Published by: Steve Burbridge on Friday 9th October 2009 01:10pm

We’re Going On A Bear Hunt, Theatre Royal, Newcastle      

Direct from its success in the West End this summer, Sally Cookson’s stage adaptation of ‘We’re Going On A Bear Hunt’ by Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen is brought vividly, noisily and colourfully to life on stage at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle.

http://www.uktheatre.net/magazine/read/weand39;re-going-on-a-bear-hunt_355.html

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Ladies' Day by Amanda Whittington
Published by: James Martin Charlton on Thursday 8th October 2009 12:03pm

Ladies' Day, Queen's Theatre Hornchurch.

Amanda Whittington's play, about a group of women fish-packers who spend a day at the Ascot races, was such an enormous success when first produced by Hull Truck in 2005 that it merited a sequel, Ladies Down Under, two years later.

http://www.uktheatre.net/magazine/read/ladiesand39;-day-by-amanda-whittington_354.html

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Imagine Drowning at the Rosemary Branch Theatre
Published by: Carolin Kopplin on Wednesday 7th October 2009 11:10pm

IMAGINE DROWNING by Terry Johnson

First produced at Hampstead Theatre in 1991, Imagine Drowning won the John Whiting Award and is now presented by critically acclaimed Waxwing Theatre at the Rosemary Branch in Islington. The play weaves together two different timelines a few weeks apart.

http://www.uktheatre.net/magazine/read/imagine-drowning-at-the-rosemary-branch-theatre_353.html

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Questors
Published by: Penelope Maclachlan on Wednesday 7th October 2009 01:10pm

The Questors Theatre - a secret too well guarded

The Questors is an amateur theatre in west London. Much distinguishes it from other amateur theatres. A lot of  would-be actors queue up and clamour to tread its boards, but enthusiasm is not enough. They have to pass an audition. not to go straight on stage, but to be considered good enough to enrol on a two-year course.

Read more...
http://www.uktheatre.net/magazine/read/questors_352.html

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Chicago (King’s Theatre, Glasgow 5 Oct - 10 Oct 2009)
Published by: Laura Pearson on Wednesday 7th October 2009 09:10am

Sensational and sexy are words that don’t go far enough to describe the spectacular that is Chicago. This truly is an un-missable production.

It tells the story of two murderesses- Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly- who meet in jail, and compete for the attention of their lawyer Billy Flynn, who has the power to make them ‘stars’. They, like all the other women in there, have committed crimes of passion; which adds to their sexiness, and fuels the public’s interest in them.

Read more...
http://www.uktheatre.net/magazine/read/chicago-(king%EF%BF%BDs-theatre-glasgow--5-oct---10-oct-2009)_351.html

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Rocky Horror Show
Published by: Sue Marks on Tuesday 6th October 2009 11:10pm

Richard O’Brien’s  Rocky Horror Show

Reviewed by Sue Marks at Milton Keynes Theatre on Monday 5th October 2009.

What can I say about the Rocky Horror Show? If you don’t know and love it then you should do yourself a favour and go to see it. If like me and I suspect the majority of the audience you do know and love it, you will not be disappointed with this production. Naturally there are concerns about the role of Frank n Furter which Tim Curry made so much his own both on stage and in the Rocky Horror picture show. However, these concerns are unfounded as David Bedella is superb in this his second tour (he took the role in 2006/7) as Frank n Furter.

Read more...
http://www.uktheatre.net/magazine/read/rocky-horror-show_350.html

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Rain Man
Published by: Steve Burbridge on Tuesday 6th October 2009 09:10pm

Reviewed at Theatre Royal, Newcastle upon Tyne

I must begin this review with a guilty admission. I have never seen the 1988 Oscar-winning celluloid version of Rain Man. Shocking, I know, but true nevertheless. I cannot really provide a reason as to why this is the case. However, it did mean that, when I entered the auditorium of Newcastle’s Theatre Royal, I would be unable to compare the performances of Oliver Chris and Neil Morrissey against those of Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman.

Read more...
http://www.uktheatre.net/magazine/read/rain-man_349.html

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Together We're Heavy by CANUK
Published by: Carolin Kopplin on Sunday 4th October 2009 08:10pm

Together We’re Heavy at the Cock Tavern Theatre

 The female-led company CANUK was founded in 2008 and is committed to devise, develop and inspire strong new work in collaboration with playwrights and actors. CANUK recently took the critically acclaimed show The Strong Breast Revolution to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Now it presents the world premiere of Chris Purnell’s new play Together We’re Heavy at the Cock Tavern Theatre.

Read more...
http://www.uktheatre.net/magazine/read/together-weand39;re-heavy-by-canuk_347.html

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All My Sons at Bolton Octagon
Published by: Caroline May on Sunday 4th October 2009 01:10pm

Arthur Miller’s 1947 masterpiece All My Sons begins as a family drama, turns into a detective story, and ends as a Greek tragedy.

We’re in the back yard of a typical middle-American home a couple of years after the Second World War.  For the prosperous householder and paterfamilias, Joe Keller, the conflict was merely an opportunity to grow his small manufacturing business into a little gold-mine supplying engine parts for the army’s aeroplanes.

Read more...
http://www.uktheatre.net/magazine/read/all-my-sons-at-bolton-octagon_348.html

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UK Theatre Network - Packed with entertainment around the UK

Stage Scenery

The production of dramatic works such as a play would require certain physical and visual arrangement.  This arrangement is known as the stage design which includes set creation and change during the actual performance.  The set or the scenery provides the physical environment for the actors and actresses performing on stage.

Closely related to scenic design is the shape of the stage.  A thrust stage or an arena may need little or no scenery at all while a typical boxlike proscenium stage would usually employ more extensive scenery, sometimes requiring specific machineries for set changing.  Scenery suggests the time and place of the story and is largely responsible for setting the proper mood and atmosphere along with lighting effects.

Theatrical scenery is of two (2) basic types: illusionistic and non-illusionistic.  Illusionistic scenery seeks to make the closest possible reproduction of the locale of the play.  Non-illusionistic scenery merely suggests the actual setting of the play.  It can also serve as a generalized physical environment where the whole play can be acted out.  Very few plays use strictly one type since most opt for a combination of both depending on which could provide the desired effect.

The resulting scenery is determined by at least three (3) factors.  Aside from the needs of the play and the artistic conceptions of a scene designer, the allocated funds for the purpose are likewise crucial.  It signals to the designer the budgetary limits within which he or she could work with.  A design is conceived after the designer reads the script and makes a series of consultations with the director, producer and costume designer.  Blueprints are made from his sketches in preparation for the construction of the scenery.  The designs and blueprints can still be changed or modified during rehearsals where their suitability to the movements of the performers can be determined.

The availability of stage facilities that will take care of the use and movement of scenery can pose some constraints on whether a particular set can be used.  Some of the standard elements would include elevators for raising or lowering stage sections, rolling platforms for scene mounting, trapdoors on stage floors and cycloramas.  Cycloramas are curved canvas or plaster backdrops that are used to simulate outdoor setting.  Another useful facility is the fly gallery located above the stage which is mainly used for manipulating scenery as well as for the suspension of lights.  While stage sceneries of earlier times were mostly painted, modern scene designers have access to a whole range of materials such as plastics, metals, paper and synthetic fabrics within which to recreate their design.

When one traces the history of theatre, the use of scenery would appear to be a comparatively recent development.  The classical Chinese theatre, the ancient Noh Drama of Japan and the ancient Greek theatre either used no scenery at all or a simple painted backdrop.  Scenery as we know it today first appeared early in the 16^th century in Italian court theatres.  This was the time when Italian scenic designers developed the elaborate system of side wings and backdrop.

Theatre Tickets

Theatre patrons have tremendous ticket buying options at their hands.  They can choose to buy from the theatre box office, ticket booths or through ticket agents either in person, thru phone or through the online option.  Purchasing tickets can also be done on the day of the performance or even months in advance.  A theatre box office however, will only sell tickets scheduled for that particular theatre.

Box offices in theatres are usually open from ten (10) in the morning up to about thirty (30) minutes after the start of the show.  No booking fee is required for tickets that are bought personally as compared to phone and online purchases which are usually accompanied by an administration fee or booking fee.  It can happen that calls to theatre box offices get redirected to ticket agencies specifically during busy periods although fees remain the same.

Not all shows sell tickets through ticket booths but theatre patrons are guaranteed a wide range of choices especially for discount tickets on performance days.  Ticket buyers however, may not be able to pick their preferred seats.  Ticket agents may come in the form of international organizations or small independent companies.  Legitimate agents are usually part of an organization in the field of ticket retailing which espouses best practice in the business.  It is standard practice for ticket agents to charge a booking fee and sometimes a transaction fee.  Comparing prices is advisable to see if the fee being charged by an agent is reasonable.  Fees and charges are intended to cover the operational costs of selling and distributing theatre tickets.

Tickets can be had by people who come to see theatre shows together.  This is what is referred to as group sales.  The number that constitutes a group may vary in each show although the minimum number would generally be between ten (10) to twenty (20) people.  Rush or lottery tickets are discounted seats which producers are eager to sell.  They can also be a block of tickets that have been specifically set aside for such purpose.  Theatre box offices would have these tickets available two (2) hours before curtain time on performance day.

Most shows provide a particular space for patrons.  It would usually be at the back of the theatre where these people can stand to watch the show.  These are covered by Standing Room Only or SRO tickets which are only sold when the performance is completely sold out.  Special discounted tickets for students and seniors are also available.

Broadway shows may have an open-ended or limited run. Since a limited run is only for a predetermined number of weeks, ticket holders who buy in advance should be aware of the length of time which the show is scheduled to be around.  Tickets for the best seats are the most expensive.  These are the seats found at the orchestra where occupants would be at eye level with the stage.  Seats on the balcony or the rear mezzanine seats, on the other hand, are usually the lowest-priced.  It would be wise to look at posted seating charts before making a ticket purchase.

Theatre tickets are generally non-refundable and non-exchangeable except for specific circumstances such as the inability of a main star to perform.

Theatre Set-Up

A structure that is used for play performances and other like presentations is referred to as a theatre.  A theatre would include a stage and an auditorium.  The stage is the performing area while the auditorium serves as the viewing place for the audience.  A typical 20^th century theatre completely separates the stage from the audience with the use of the proscenium arch while the 16^th and 17^th century playhouses that were popular in England during the time have stages that extend into the auditorium.  Variations in stage designs may be the result of the need for the maximum use of scenery or non at all.  In essence, stage design is influenced by several factors such as the type of play to be performed and the kind of audience for whom the theatre is intended, among others.

Theatre layouts have come a long way from its early beginnings consisting of primitive open-air arrangements with temporary structures that functioned as stages.  Modern theatres are multiple-use theatres that are both flexible and eclectic in design with numerous style elements incorporated in them.  Those that dare to break the norm of having an architectural structure used as a theatre create their own theatres in empty spaces such as the streets, market squares and buildings or rooms that were not originally intended for theatre use.

The development of the physical form of a theatre produced at least three (3) distinctive types of stages namely the end, thrust and arena.  An end stage would consist of a raised platform typically placed at one end of a space that is rectangular.  The stage would have a curtained backdrop with an awning and faces an assembled audience.  The most dominant form of this stage variant in western theatre is the proscenium theatre.  The proscenium was primarily developed for the need to mask scenery, create exits and entrances for performers and to hide machineries used for changing scenes.

Another stage variant is the thrust stage wherein the platform is arranged in such a way that it is surrounded on three (3) sides by the audience.  This set-up provides for the creation of a sense of greater intimacy between the performers and the audience while maintaining the production capability to have illusionistic effects as required by the show.  This was the form used by ancient Greek theatres and other theatres of the early periods.

The arena stage provides for a performing space that is entirely surrounded by the audience.  This form is not quite popular for dramatic plays due to the specific constraints it presents in the movements of performers and the production crew.  It can still however, be successfully used for dramatic plays since no other stage forms can provide the most sense of intimacy with the audience.  It is typically used in non-dramatic forms such as circuses where the provision of equal sight lines for all viewers is very important.

Some other stage forms would include the so-called environmental theatre where the space is shared by the performers with their audience and the black-box theatre which is basically an empty space that has seating units that are movable and stage platforms which can be freely arranged in the desired configuration for every performance.  The passing of time saw the different variations in style because of the dramatic conventions prevailing during a certain period.  More variations in theatre set-up are expected as the world of theatre bid for the audience’s continued patronage.

Stage Lighting

Stage design will not be complete without lighting.  Lighting focuses the attention of the audience on certain performers and areas of the stage, establishes the time of day as required by the story and also helps in establishing the overall mood of the play.  Modern theatrical productions make extensive use of lighting techniques since most are indoor performances as compared to productions of early times that were done outdoors thereby using the sun as their light.

Lighting instruments used to be comprised of candles, oil lamps and gas lamps.  Lighting effects were achieved through the use of colored filters, mechanical dimming devices and reflectors.  Due to the relative dimness of the early theaters in contrast to the brightness of present ones, illusionism in scenic painting was quite popular and effective.  Brightness and light control were only made possible with the discovery of electricity.  With the four (4) controllable properties of light namely intensity, color, movement and placement on stage, a lighting director is able to achieve visibility, composition, mood and revelation of form. 

White light is considered too harsh for theatre use thus the need for mechanisms and materials that would induce softening of the light to create a more suitable effect.  Designers would most often use both warm and cool colors to produce textures and shadows.  Lighting effects are meant to be unobtrusive except in specific scenes where the opposite effect is desired.  Stage lighting is said to be most effective when it accomplishes its purpose without the audience realizing it.  Lighting effects should not distract the audience but instead guide them through the flow of emotions throughout the show.

Lighting design should take into consideration all the artistic and financial factors that come with the production of a play.  Any plan should be tied-in with the scenery and the movements of the performers as determined during rehearsals.  To do otherwise would simply be courting failure as the performers’ capabilities are not maximized due to poor lighting coordination. 

The art of lighting design is more than just aiming lighting instruments at the stage.  Performers are expected to be visible at all times but only the proper and masterful play with lights will they appear three-dimensional and alive for the benefit of the audience.  Technicians would need to know how to properly angle instruments and balance colors. They would also need to know when and where to do it.  Recent developments in technology provide the use of the memory board which is essentially a computerized control system wherein the information of each light cue or light change is stored.  This has eliminated the manual operation of individual dimmers since everything is accomplished at one touch of a button.

Projections have substituted for most painted and constructed scenery.  These are still or moving images that create special effects such as stars or written legends that serve as scene identification.  Image projections can be done on opaque surfaces or semi-transparent curtains that have been stretched across the stage.  Refinements in technique and equipment have managed to put the lighting director within the ranks of true artists.