Occasional interludes
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Cabaret

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Looking back

I read a good piece this morning from Cory Doctorow who has been blogging every day for what seems like the beginning of blog-time well, 20 years anyway. Here’s Cory’s post about what he does – full of amazing information about how he does it, and why. One thing that caught my eye was his

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Working on text – the early phase of rehearsal

Upfront – this is an out of the archive post reworked a year or so on. If you’re a regular here you may have already read my rehearsal and performance blog posts for the Empire Theatre’s 2008 production of Cabaret directed by Lewis Jones.  I played the role of Fraulein Schneider. You can find these

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Auf wiedersehen Cabaret …

Theatre is a cruel mistress sometimes, and never more so than when she breaks up a tight-knit ensemble at the final curtain. Many (like me) deal with this psychic termination, the ending of a beautiful relationship by treating fond farewells as lightly as possible … ‘No goodbyes … see you around.’ It’s easier that way.

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Second night blues? Nope.

Tonight clicked. There’s an old theatre furphy about second night being less good than opening night … or at least they can leave the actor feeling a bit ‘off’ and thus the performance is less good. I’m here to tell you that our second night was better than the first. The acting ensemble are firing,

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Opening Night

Is there anything more glamorous in theatre jargon that the phrase ‘opening night.’ Heck Broadway show tunes (Another Opening Another Show: Kiss Me Kate) and even whole shows (42nd Street; A Chorus Line; maybe even The Producers) have been written about this particularly thrilling time in the life of a stage actor. Tonight was ours.

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More on that ‘moment’ we’re supposed to be in …

I’ve written before about one of those phrases tossed round by acting folk: being in the moment. I recall the brilliant Dawn French using it in that sweet comedy series The Vicar of Dibley. ‘Geraldine’ was directing the parish’s nativity play. She’d dropped her vicarly garb, and was dressed in requisite directorial kit. All was

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Entering the stage world

Today begins the final part of the journey as we enter technical and dress rehearsal time. We’ll work through two days of technical rehearsals where lighting, sound and media are integrated into the live action and become part of the story-telling, and of the mise-en-scene of the production. Tech rehearsals can be a trying time

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