Last Friday was supposed to be our final day-trip to Bath. The only bath I saw was the one above in my bathroom. Why? The bus company had us down for Sunday and not Friday so we had a free day!!! It was a good time for students to distribute our flyers to all the fringe theatres, theatre schools, etc. We will be going to Bath this Saturday instead!!! This blog will cover shows from last week and this week.
By the way, we ran into Gus's family at the National Theatre. They miss him dearly!!!
On Wednesday evening September 18th we went to see the David Hare play, The Permanent Way, a play based on verbatim interviews surrounding a number of train crashes after the rail system became privatized. This was for our Fringe Show, and it was performed in the Vaults, the old train arches under Waterloo Station. An appropriate place for this production. A great fringe venue! Even had trains passing over us throughout the performance. Really cool. Same venue we saw the 50th Anniversary production of Hair a few years ago. Part of the venue is the Vaulty Towers Pub. Fun place.
The entrance to the Vault theatre.
On Saturday, September 21st we went to The Royal Court Theatre for the Page to Stage Class to see Caryl Churchill's new play (Actually four short plays) entitled Glass, Kill, Bluebeard, and Imp. All of them were very well done! They had more humor in them than we expected after we read them all for class. We liked that.
John and Julia were not in the group photo above because they went to the bathrooms!!!! They felt left out!
On Sunday evening after a morning/afternoon rehearsal we went to the Comedy Store to see the Comedy Store Players! Great improv group. Lot's of the original Who's Line is it Anyway? cast. Fun night. This was for the Theatre in London class.
Corey and Amanda did a presentation on The National Theatre for Monday's Theatre in London class. That afternoon we had a 4:30 pm backstage tour of the National Theatre. We also visited the Olivier and Lyttelton Theatres. Students waiting outside waiting for the tour to begin.
Our tour guide was very knowledgeable. Statue in the back is of the actor Simon Russell Beale and belongs to him. Evidently, because it is his image he gets to keep it. He didn't want it so it sits in the hallway. It is from Beale when he portrayed Lenin.
The prop shop!
Alice, the horse, Joey's mother that was never used in the production of War Horse. She was cut from the opening scene of the show.
The Dragon from St. George and the Dragon that we saw a few years ago.
A pig prop that had to be cut open on stage (a zipper) and its guts pulled out!
The paint shop where all the scenic painting is done. Wall in the back is the frame where backdrops are painted.
We couldn't go into the costume area or wigs and make up area. It takes 40 hours to weave one wig. Each hair is pulled through a hole in a fine net. It is exactly like hooking a rug. Here is Ahnika looking at a costume exhibit.
Facial hair is made of human hair mixed with the hair of a yak.
The purple seats in the Olivier Theatre. Why purple? It was Laurence Olivier's favorite color. He was the first artistic director of the new National.
Before seeing the play, Master Harold and the Boys, that night, some of us ate at the new cafe in the National. They made it into a Burger joint! No more full dinners, soups, salads, etc. Coffee and pastries are now by the Bookstore. Burgers were good!
Last night, Wednesday, September 25th we went to The Old Vic Theatre for the Page to Stage and Theatre in London class. They were doing a new play by Lucy Prebble adapted from Luke Harding's non-fiction novel, A Very Expensive Poison about the assassination of Russian spy, Alexander Litvineko, by poisoning him with radioactive polonium. There isn't a script available so we read the novel. Highly recommended. A lot of the characters are some of the same people Trump has been dealing with. Some of the same people in Trump Tower meeting. etc......Learned about a lot about Putin and what a loser he was!
Inside the Old Vic. This was the theatre Kevin Spacey ran for a number of years!
The Art in London class went to The Victoria and Albert Museum this Wednesday. All the following pictures were taken by Nick.
The V and A houses the old Theatre Museum and has an extensive costume and fashion collection. Here are some models for sets and theatres.
A collection of masks.
Lion King costumes
Wicked
Period fashion.
Punch and Judy.
Rehearsals have been going very well. Yesterday morning at The Cockpit Studio Arielle, my assistant director, was working with Nick and Amanda on a scene from the play.
Amanda, who is working on PR for the production and doing things on social media took some photos from our first rehearsal with costumes which allowed us to see if it all is going to work. We will use costumes again on Sunday's rehearsal.
THAT'S ALL FOLKS!!!!
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