PRIVATE RESISTANCE: Around the World in 30 years...
Wednesday 16 May 2012
Written this week by Phil Pritchard, the actor playing Frank/Alan in ‘Private Resistance':
I start this blog (on my lap top) at 2.15pm as we are heading to Maldon in Essex on the tour bus, with only just over a week to go till the final show!
It has been an amazing experience and one that I will always be grateful for. To see East Anglia like this is unique; travelling out every day to a different village or town playing in spaces as diverse as converted old Granaries & Barns, Theatres, Village/School/Town & Community Halls, Churches, and even (in Norwich) in a Shakespeare's Globe replica (The Maddermarket). We are variously greeted, helped, fed, entertained and generally welcomed by those at each venue who organise the visit; from the Experienced theatre managers to the charming City ‘expats', and village Hall committee members.
In the process we have become a seasoned road crew able to adapt our set and lights to any space big or small. We talk in the abbreviated code of the roadie too ( ‘chuck us that Gaffer will you', or ‘where did I put that **expletive**) spanner..?') and we drink lots of tea and discuss politics!!
I'll try not to repeat anything that has already been covered in previous blogs.
We are now well into the second half of the tour after a week and a bit stint at ‘base camp', i.e. the Eastern Angles operational base the' Sir John Mills theatre' in Ipswich. It was nice to be back ‘home', so to speak, in the place where we all first met and rehearsed.
But having said that, I found that I actually missed the daily touring too because although at the beginning the ‘Get Ins' and ‘Get Outs' were hard work physically, I realised that they are all part of the fun, and once your body has adjusted to the routine, there is something very nice indeed about setting up in a new place (often in the middle of beautiful country side) every day and doing the show, because it's always a ‘One-off' event ... a little bit like having a first night every day.
Especially a show that has so much to do with East Anglia, as nearly every place we visit has some connection with the play* (*a ‘What-If' scenario of a fictional Nazi invasion of Britain). Whether it's a close proximity to one of Churchill's secret underground bunkers, built to resist the invasion that thankfully never came (over 60 in E Anglia alone), or perhaps an audience member who had a relative in one of the special ‘auxiliary units' that manned the bunkers.
Indeed this was the case in Frettenham in Norfolk, where a lady approached us after the show to tell us that her father had been a member of the units, and as he was ex-army and a hairdresser he had been recruited because he was likely to know all the local gossip! She had also only recently found out about the existence of the Coleshill Auxiliary Research Team (Coleshill House in Swindon was the former main training base of the units) but was already eager to clarify something on their website which stated that they didn't know whether the underground bunker at Frettenham had a chimney or not (they were usually hidden inside a hollowed-out tree trunk and used for cooking). She said she knew it did, because he father had told her that a mouse had fallen down it one day while they were down there!
After our stint the Sir John Mills stint and prior to today we set out on the road again on 25th April (once one of our number had overcome the Noro Virus!) by heading to Assington - a lovely village hall where we were fed memorable homemade potato and leek soup - which we later used in the Show! Hindolvesten in Norfolk was next. A remote hall (by remote we usually mean there is no phone reception or 3G!) but lovely with a small reasonably priced bookshop which delayed our departure a bit. Then Wetheringsett, a very pretty village, and the discovery of two footballs in the store room meant that we could make use of the goal posts on the adjacent pitch during the break between the set-up and the show. Next night was Stansfield where the show was to form part of a 1940's themed night. Indeed some audience members did actually dress up and formed an orderly queue at the interval for tea and coffee from the Kitchen or ‘Betty's Hatch' as the sign above the windows said!
Then on the next Monday (30th April) we made our way to the village of Bressingham - famed for its model railway, though unfortunately we had no time to visit. The tiny village hall was perhaps the smallest space we had played in and was, we learned, over 500 years old, and had originally been a Threshing Barn. Perhaps even more interesting was the fact that the charming lady who organised the event (for the first time) had cooked a whole Roast Chicken, Lasagne and roast potatoes and desert for us to enjoy before the show, unforgettable! Next day and we were back in the Manningtree area (where the play is set). This time on the other side of the river Stour in Strutton - Ivan (Cutting) - the Artistic Director of Eastern Angles and the writer of ‘Private Resistance' - informed us as we were about to leave that we better make it a good show as he was bringing his mother AND that it was her birthday! Strutton was indeed a lovely hall with a Community Shop next door near huge fields and open country side. The audience particularly enjoyed the local references in the play too .. ‘The Match against Bergholt is off, they're ploughing up the Pitch!'. Next day was Wrabness, just over the river from Strutton and on the Harwich line; another community shop where, when I arrived just after closing time, they still said that I could come in and get something to eat before the show!!Next day all the way up to Wells Next to the Sea, on the Norfolk coast, where we had a lovely lunch courtesy of Eastern Angles (Thanks General Manager Matt Linley!) at the Wells Crab House, and in addition we all met Fran's relatives including her mum her Father who regaled us with tales of his National Service in Singapore in the 1950's.
We then rounded off the week at the East Anglian Railway Museum at Wakes Colne near Colchester - a great new venue in an amazing location as Wakes Colne also a working railway station (and now, temporarily,a theatre)! The engineers, some of whom were volunteers, gave us a tour of the workshop, where several steam trains from the turn of the last century were to be found and we got a free lecture on Steam Propulsion. Such great enthusiasts they were. Thank you all. We performed in a large building which looked like a set for the Railway Children (ironic since Fran had been in a recent production at the York Railway Museum). The show worked great in the space and we even used a train car as one of our off stage spaces. At one moment in the play where a train is to pass an open window and the character of Alan refers to it, a real train (presumably on its way to Mark's Tey further down the line) made it's way through the station, it's noise seamlessly merging with our own sound effect. In the interval the audience could enjoy their refreshments in a restored vintage train carriage, and after we were treated to a curry and drinks at the pub that Sarah Mennell (Eastern Angles very own) runs with her partner, The Thatcher's Arms and that rounded off a v. good week indeed, with Cheese (and Wine for some) in the bus on the way home (now a weekly, often daily, occurrence!) courtesy of Matt & Fran.
The following week (i.e. last week) found us in Westleton, a lovely village where apparently a certain William & Kate had stayed recently on their wedding anniversary. Indeed ‘The Crown' at Westleton has the best beer garden I have ever seen, which, landscaped, rises up on the side of a small hill and at the top is a gate leading out onto the fields. The following day we were back in Norfolk in the village of Hockwold. We were spoilt with a lovely tea of Ham, Cheese, Carrots, Celery etc.. and a very tasty home-made Victoria Sponge Cake, which was so large we will finish it off in Maldon later today! Penny the stage manager told us that some of the audience had even travelled from Frettenham (where we played earlier in the run) to see it again.
And so today to Maldon where we have now arrived: A classic municipal space with a sprung floor and a good stage; roomy with plenty backstage space (a situation which is always welcomed since in one venue we had the cleaning/store room for the 5 of us!).
Tomorrow we play Woodbridge Community Hall and my Grandfather is coming with my Mum and Step Dad. A little nervous about my Grandfather seeing it as he fought in the Second World War. He has told me how to wear my army cap properly though, with the badge on the right but over the left eye! There's an irony here, and that is that the Auxiliary units were given weapons that even the regular army were not issued with till much later (e.g. Tommy Guns) a fact that was not lost on my grandfather, who remembers how long it took to re-load a rifle that can only fire a single bullet at a time.
Next week after visiting Harleston and Blackthorpe Barn at Rougham we finish our tour in a specially built, blacked out Marquee at Parham Airfield Museum. Very appropriate since it is the site of the Museum of the ‘British Resistance Organisation'. A place that we visited during rehearsals and what a fascinating place it is. Not only do they have one of the most extensive collections of auxiliary units artefacts anywhere assembled, but they have also built a full size replica underground bunker or ‘Operational Base' (OB) as they were known , complete with counter weighted hatch, explosives storage tunnel and emergency exit. The staff there are also very dedicated people (some of whom had relatives in the Aux units), in particular Richard Shipley a former armourer in the British Army who gave us a fascinating lecture on weaponry. He even made a key prop for us, which we use in the show. Thank you!
All in all what an experience this has been. We've travelled to every corner of East Anglia with Penny (our inimitable and indomitable stage manager) at the wheel. She is without doubt the engine of this tour. Counting the miles on the clock of the Eastern Angles bus early in the run yielded up the interesting fact that since it has been in touring service with the company it (mainly with Penny at the wheel!) has been the equivalent of 5.7 times around the World.
I'm proud to have been in it as it approaches the 6 mark. There are more memories in store next week I'm sure.
I'd do it all again (...after a good rest!!).
Got to go now and get on with the Get In!
Thank you Eastern Angles.
..................
Below are some other selected Highlights from the first half of the tour - (that I wrote up later!):
Syleham & Wingfield: Matt, Fran, Bish & Fred took the train out to the country side, walked the last 8 miles to the venue and saw March Hares in the fields on the way.
Jubilee Hall, Aldeburgh where we opened and where Benjamin Britten had his own box that he could use to sneak into the theatre to watch anything he pleased. We also had a member of the audience who had lived as a child under Nazi occupation in Jersey. A v. sobering thought. She mentioned in her review of the show that talk in the script of secrecy/crystal radio sets etc..had rung a lot of ‘truth bells' for her. A tribute to Ivan's work I thought.
Beccles - Hungate Methodist Church. A Beautiful working church with an atmospheric white canopy over our head (but below the roof) which echoed above!
Haverhill - a very beautiful town hall, where we were visited by the granddaughter of Colonel Colin Gubbins the man who was charged with setting up the auxiliary units for Winston Churchill in 1940.
Walsham Le willows -Very pretty, old village.. but the grass at the side of the hall was so wet the Van got stuck in the mud and we had to use (and break) two large pieces of wood outside the hall to get us out!! Hope they didn't need them.
Hartest & Boxted Institute - a beautiful hall, with a high v-shaped roof.
Sherringham, Little Theatre right on the coast, apparently where Einstein had visited. There's a mural of him having a cup of tea on the sea front!
Diss Cornhall. Lovely big old venue.
Witham Public Hall - played for the first time and again a really lovely old hall, with a balcony and bar recess.
Sibton Church (St. Peter's) - A medieval church dating from 15th Century where we changed in the vestry and played just in front of the congregation with the pulpit to the left! Wonderful atmosphere and huge flag stones on the ground with Medieval inscriptions. Reaching the outside toilet through the graveyard in the interval (in the dark!) was eerie though!
Brentwood Theatre - great little theatre and very friendly staff. A happy place, and a free drink in the bar afterwards! They also have a great youth theatre where young actors can get involved and go on to a career in Theatre.
Phil Pritchard - Actor
PRIVATE RESISTANCE: Perchance to dream.....
Tuesday 10 April 2012
Easter Holidays...We are actually more than half way through as my head starts to contemplate being unemployed at the end of May...This is what we like to call not living in the present...If it's not fear of the future, it's dwelling on the past...But the truth is, life will happen whether I worry or not so now I choose to take steps to ensure my self employed status remains employed. Last night I dreamt I walked on stage and had no idea what my lines were..classic. I was standing there and Fran (Frances Marshall) was feeding me lines and I was thinking...'That is not ‘Private Resistance' what is she on about...I've never heard these words before in my life...' Surely all stemming from the fact there is an agent coming on Thursday evening to Ipswich...The Drama continues...
I am listening to Ludovico Einaudi as I write this so forgive me if I become sentimental and fall into an abyss of appreciation for life and the wonderment it brings...
All the names and village halls and dressing areas are melting into one as I sit here trying to remember what has happened since I last wrote...I suppose I should start from the last and try and work my way back...
Norwich - Maddermarket... My God it was glorious, I felt like a Shakespearean actor treading the boards, despite the fact that the boards I am to tread are our touring set and it was creaking and squeaking like some botched laminate flooring job in East London...half way through the tour and the set is beginning to have a midlife crisis...Bolts are missing, puzzle pieces just don't fit as they were made to and felt flooring is hanging off like a bad 80s zombie graveyard...although the gauze is completely and utterly intact everyone who has seen the show will be pleased to know...those of you that haven't - you're in for a treat - Like the Easter egg hunt I used to have in my grandparents garden...You know all the Easter eggs will be the same because they came in a big bag but sometimes you get a surprise in there that inspires you to keep looking for more...like life...
Today being the last day we did ‘Secret Egg Swap' so all of us got a little something tasty for the weekend...
Creeting St Mary - Well the cake was everyone's highlight . ‘Lemon drizzle' - Pennys delight and ‘Chocolate Banana' - which Matt refused because it looked wholemeal and his belief - from my judgement - if you are going to indulge you may as well go for the full on gorge rather than the moderately healthy option - but in saying that when he did have a slice later he almost wet his knickers at the joyus taste explosion that filled his mouth! The bar in the hall treated us afterwards, something we haven't had since New Buckingham I think...I had a ginger beer - one of my favourite drinks of choice...teetotal and ginger beer excites me to no end - Especially really spicy Jamaican stuff..they know how to do Ginger beer the Jamaicans! I must visit one of these days - perhaps in years to come I'll be shooting a film there and demand ice cold ginger beer in my trailer at all times...in fact - yes...that will happen - now obviously I won't demand it like some Diva with ‘tude (attitude for those of you who aren't giggling in my head as I create my own version of ‘diva lingo') I will ask nicely if they can recommend any local brews otherwise I'll bloody get it myself on one of my exploration trips... Anyway enough digressing on my future endeavours - Fred and Matt cycled to Creeting St Mary - as it is such a close venue. Just as the van pulled into the village hall carpark we spot the two of them, pink faced and sticky with one foot on a pedal setting down on the gravel as the wind blew a gust across their faces. Fresh cold crisp air it was. Mighty Steve arrived not long after - A joy to see him as always and have the help with the get in. Unky Bri (Brian) came to help with the get out too...How lucky we were in Creeting St Mary.
South Woodham - William De Ferrers School.
An episode of Glee if there ever was one..School hall...Cheerleaders enter stage right, drama stage left, the kitchen of Jamie Oliver's nightmares - freezers filled to the brim with pizzas, chicken nuggets and chips...Inspiring? Well the stadium seating was certainly exciting! And the maze that took us to the dressing room was great fun - I danced all the way! And Penny treated us to Tesco's Finest Stem Ginger Cookies...Di-Vine!
Lowestoft - Seagull Theatre
MY WORD WHAT FUN!! They had their own costume cupboard...I loved it like a fat kid loves cake - I tried on a couple of costumes and I must say I could definitely play a panto dame - IN FACT the guy who worked at the theatre remarked if they were short a dame he'd call me...I'd be like Dame Edna but far more excitable...If that's possible...Fred and I discovered the musician ‘Shorty Long' on the way so I downloaded his whole album and played it while we did the get in...Thats just how I roll...Keep the troops grooving...
A word from the wise to finish my rant...
"Actors are some of the most driven, courageous people on the face of the Earth. They deal with more day-to-day rejection in 1 year than most people do in a lifetime. Every day, actors face the financial challenge of living a freelance lifestyle, the disrespect of people who think they should get "real jobs," and their own fear that they'll never work again. Every day they have to ignore the possibility that the vision to which they have dedicated their lives is a pipe dream. With every passing year, many of them watch as the other people their age achieve the predictable milestones of normal life - the cars, the family, the house, the nest egg. But they stay true to their dream, in spite of sacrifices. Why? Because actors are willing to give their entire lives to a moment - to that line, that laugh, that gesture or that interpretation that will stir the audience's soul. Actors are beings who have tasted life's nectar in that crystal moment when they poured out their creative spirit and touched another person's heart. In that instant, they are as close to magic, God and perfection as anyone could ever be. And in their own hearts, they know that to dedicate oneself to that moment is worth a thousand lifetimes." -David Ackert
With love and courage,
Bishanyia xxx
Bishanyia Vincent, Actor
PRIVATE RESISTANCE: Don't tell him your name, Pike...
Saturday 24 March 2012
It's early to bed at 1am after a very enjoyable performance at New Buckenham. The alarm is set and my head has hardly hit the pillow before I'm dead to the world. What seems moments later and it's time to get up and out. A brisk walk through the misty streets of Ipswich and I'm on the 0826 to London, heading to a Wardour Street studio for the first day's recording of 'Dear Arthur, Love John', an afternoon play for Radio 4. Taking the form of a letter from John le Mesurier to Arthur Lowe and flashbacks to days on set and off, the play tells the story of the legendary comedy series 'Dad's Army' and its stars.
I'm playing Ian Lavender (Pike). I've worked with Robert Daws who's playing Arthur Lowe/Mainwaring before, in his R4 detective series 'Trueman & Riley' and was a huge fan of his work in 'Jeeves and Wooster' while growing up. I've never met Anton Lesser (le Mes/Wilson) or Kenny Ireland (John Laurie/Fraser) but know them both from their film and TV work. James Lance who's playing James Beck/Walker is an old pal; we spent the summer of 2009 together playing Palin/Jones and Idle/Gilliam in a critically acclaimed Edinburgh show about the Pythons, which we later recorded for the BBC.
That Edinburgh show was written by Roy Smiles, who's reponsible for the script we're recording today. This will be the third play of Roy's I've recorded, and if the previous two are any indication, this will be a winner. Liz Anstee is producing for Celador; we met when she came to see Tracy Ann Oberman playing opposite me in Boeing Boeing at the Comedy (now Harold Pinter Theatre) in 2007, and after a few glasses of wine in the Tom Cribb post-show I was cast in her Beyond the Fringe comedy as Alan Bennett.
I bump into Roy in the street en route to the studio and after he's spent 5 minutes laughing at my Private Resistance moustache we catch up and are shown up to the studio. Kenny is next to appear and it's introductions and anecdotes over coffee as Anton, Bob and James arrive in turn.
The read-through's a very good indicator of how a radioplay will finally turn out; in theatre and film there's usually time for extensive re-writes, rehearsals and edits before the final product is presented to its audience, but in the swift cut and thrust of radio drama what you hear now is generally what you get. What we hear is superb: Roy has really captured the spirit of both the series itself, and the men who made it.
Liz seems delighted that her actors are hitting the right notes, and there's plenty of laughter amid clear moments of pathos. Her brief to us on casting was not to imitate the characters, which tends to feel like an extended impressions show sketch, but to 'find' them, mixing their recognisable personas into a genuine portrayal of their story as a company. For me this meant extensive research into Lavender - he mustn't just sound like Pike (who he played so beautifully as a 'mummy's boy') but as an excited young actor of 22, fresh out of drama school and thrown into a cast of veterans in a new BBC television comedy. I listened to as many recordings of the man as I could find, both in episodes of the series, the Dad's Army film, other television and radio programmes, and in interviews about his life and work.
Read-through complete we enjoy a quick tea break while the engineers prepare to record the first narration scene with Anton. He's in and out in a matter of minutes and he, Kenny and I launch into scene 2 which is set on the first day of rehearsal of the first (and what was firmly believed would be the only) series. It's delightful - Kenny has really captured the dour cynicism of Laurie/Fraser and Anton has le Mez/Wilson's cavalier anti-dote to it to a tee. Just one re-take with a few notes from Liz and we move swiftly on to scene 3.
I'm relaxing in the green room with James and Kenny when the call comes for the next scene; we really do seem to be progressing at an incredible pace and when lunch is called early at one Liz suggests that we may well be able to complete the recording today if we're all amenable to staying a little later. In over 170 radio plays and comedies, this is the first time I've ever know a producer to get 45 minutes recorded in a day; we were booked for 2 days, and that's almost always how long it takes, unless things are going really swimmingly and then there's an early finish on the second day. I check the trains to Chelmsford, where we're performing tonight, and confirm I can stay to six at a push, and still make the half comfortably. It's nice to be playing a venue on a main line out of Liverpool Street - anywhere in the wilds of Norfolk and this would be impossible.
We enjoy a great buffet lunch and there's plenty of banter over sandwiches and salad. I'm not in the first scenes after lunch and am pleased to see friends Jonathan Aris and Jonathan Keeble, who both happen to be recording audiobooks in this studio today. I make a note to send emails to their producers introducing myself, as I've not recorded any books here.
Into the next scene and it's great fun to have the whole gang in a scene; the energy's now really up and we're all having a ball. Bob is superb as Lowe - all his ticks and verbal mannerisms that Croft and Perry wrote into the scripts as the series progressed are there and wonderfully executed. Jimmy is his charmingly disreputable self as Beck, always very natural and engaging.
I'm called down at 1530 to record the credits, so that we can all finish the day together on the final scene, the beginning of a typical episode - it's a joy, and Liz asks for another take, not to change anything but 'just so she can hear it again. All too soon it's over, and those who have to disappear do, while the others head off to the Coach and Horses for a farewell toast. I make the 1800 service to Chelmsford, and spend the journey typing what you've just read. Time for a look at tonight's staging, a bite to eat, a shower & shave and our theme music starts drifting out of the auditorium.
Dear Arthur Love John will be broadcast at 1415 on Monday 7 May.
Matt Addis
PRIVATE RESISTANCE: Bryan and Badgers
Sunday 04 March 2012
Walsham Le Willows... A day to remember..
Arriving in Walsham Le Willows yesterday was like stepping into a fairytale...Tudor house after tudor house rolling by, green fields, a glorious church at the end of what seemed to be a portal into a perfect dimension...We arrived at the village hall basking in the sunshine of a wonderous spring afternoon...Birds chirping, trees dancing, and despite drought warnings a tyre stuck in 6 inches of mud...it wasn't going anywhere after backing the EA Megabus up to the village hall door there seemed no way out... Phil even hesistantly exclaimed - ‘I think it needs a tow' ‘No! NEVVVEERRR!' we all enthusiastically screamed... Fred running around trying to find something for leverage - luckily for us the village hall had been refurbed recently and there were random pieces of wood and table tops laying around the side - so we did the get in and after all was in the theatre and the bus of joy was significantly lighter we all got to the back - Penny put pedal to the metal and we pushed with all our might - you'll be pleased to know we are all substantially stronger with all the lifting and could easily lift a truck...haha There is a video of the whole ordeal on facebook and few pictures of the mud - Drought my foot!! Go to Australia then you'll know what a drought is haha
In other news PENNY WON THE RAFFLE LAST NIGHT!! Sadly the Primroses she had so wanted had already been taken but she managed to get a toy cow...Lucky thing! Clemmies, Cheeses, Olives and Tortilla chips filled our bellies on the eerily foggy way home...
04/03/2012
I'm blogging on my day off...Thats how exciting a rainy Ipswich is on a Sunday...haha... My incredible partner Giles was with us yesterday for the Get-In and Get-Out...What a blessing at the end of the week...We were in Orford. An interesting place if I do say so myself...so incredibly beautiful, best bakery yet, sea, AND a castle to boot. Not to mention a silent audience - until the curtain when there were ‘WOOPS!' I mean considering most of the audience from what I could tell were over the age of 60 the wooping was certainly not expected...AMAZING! Fred spotted a man in the third row asleep as the rest of them cheered...A Nazi invasion clearly wouldn't have bothered him! During the get out - GUESS WHO ARRIVED TO HELP? Bryan!! Legendary Bryan - the B Man - Amazing B - Who upon meeting Giles (my partner) prompted the question ‘Does she have an off switch?' to which he replied ‘I just let her go until she wears herself out..' what am I, the energizer bunny...? I suppose I'm the perfect person for blog writing - Makes for an entertaining read - (Thanks to Fred's mum, Kim, for reading and commenting...wonderful stuff... I hope it's satisfying your literary tastes and entertaining all down in Brighton to no end, I could go into Journalism one day - Once I read the English dictionary and memorize A-Z so I can use big words...Anyway more to the point you've made a good egg in Fred, he's actually mentioned how maternal I've become so have no fear he's well fed and watered! *I can feel his brow raising as I type*)
The amount of blood covering Phil's leg in the operation scene is getting beyond the point of no return...It's like Carrie in East Anglia... Actors are coming off stage drenched in the stuff and walking on in the other scenes with stained hands and faces.
I think this blog is becoming a bit of a farce...Phil and I have begun talking to each other in actions this week...He prefers to speak this way...It's easier for him to communicate...especially when he's supervising the van loading and unloading *teases* haha
Penny is enjoying cheesy oatcakes and clemmies during the journeys - she is possibly the most excitable wonderful ball of delight I have ever met...So brilliant and all of about 5 foot - She does about 6 jobs in one...She should get a medal... *note to self - make medal for Penny*
Fran and Matt have become wine and cheese buffs - Though I'm not sure they weren't already they have just found each other and have been slowly collecting new pieces of kit for their back seat fiascos...Cheese knife, chesse board with built in knee cushion, they even have a little hatch built into the van which holds these instruments along with wet wipes for easy post-getout hand sanitizing...Im tempted to say its going a bit far but the fascination continues to baffle me...Fred has been partaking in the joy and leaving me lonely in the front - Although my maternal instinct then follows on to Penny - Constantly feeding her oatcakes, bananas, Clementines, and whatever else travels up from the back seat... Have I become a feeder?...haha
Matt's gadgetry is something to be commended on this here blog. He has so many cool things for every occasion - as he has to shave every night (cos he's such a man) so he bought himself a waterproof toolbox (aptly named ‘Fat Max') which he intended on turning into a shaving basin by putting a mirror in the lid of...As we are in village halls that sometimes don't have the facilities for such purposes the more we have of our own the better...but ‘Fat Max' is as Matt so wonderfully put it - the size of a small car...haha Brilliant! The other cool thing is his light - He turns his Iphone into a light in the backseat - Now I hear all of you say ‘yeh yeh all iphones have torches' but this I know...He has a silly little dongle stand it sits in an has wirey legs so it can attach itself to anything - a carseat or seatbelt for example to create the opportunity for ample cheese and wine consumption! Amazing! (we should count how many times I use the word ‘amazing' throughout my blogging - I think it will be substantial...)
OH oh lastnight we saw a doe, AND A BADGER on the road whilst passing through Rendlesham Forest...A-MAZING!! I got so excited I think I may have gone onto a frequency where only dogs could hear me...I mean a real badger - like with a waddle and a black and white stripped face! I mean we had only just been talking about Badgers the night before saying we had never seen one in real life...Bloody brilliant!!
Where else were we this week...Ah yes...Hartest..Probably the most beautiful village hall yet...So pretty and little and the village was so sweet - the ladies there were also so friendly and helpful...Our smallest venue yet but we still managed the big stage and 60 odd people in...our dressing room was a little boiler room but lovely and warm which made me happy as larry! AND the lovely village hall ladies gave us daffodils as gifts when we left...Lucky ducks! They are sitting on my dressing table with their sunshiney yellow faces smiling at me...
What else to report...Nothing...The wind is blowing a gale tonight...I should think Im lucky to be in a warm room here in Ipswich...Now Im actually babbling rubbish...Until next time...
Your ever entertaining dame of delight,
Bishanyia x
Bishanyia Vincent, Actor
PRIVATE RESISTANCE: Top Ten Moments (so far)
Thursday 01 March 2012
Right, we are in week three and my blogging skills have been lacking..I did attempt to create a vlog (voiceblog) but sadly it wasn't compatible with the eastern angles website - not to mention the fact that I create in a moving vehicle in the front seat amidst a sea of noise and car fumes...Intrigued now aren't you!
Well we have been to a myriad of venues ranging from audiences of 40 in a village hall the size of an Australian living room to a town hall with raked seating where the audience are so far away we can even see dots for eyes...Not to mention the smell of burning plastic from a recycling plant that had been on fire for 3 days! Poor townspeople...Bit ironic that it was a recycling plant and was now creating more pollution than the city of London...Perhaps an exaggeration but you should have smelt it...vile!
Our first venue was Aldeburgh...Glorious seaside and a treat for our first venue - Real dressing rooms with lights around the mirrors and everything! I have taken to unloading the van with them all, then becoming costume and prop extraordinaire!
A typical get in and get out with Private Resistance for me consists of:
1. Arriving at Eastern Angles Base (HQ as I like to call it - Sounds more hardcore) typically around 1.45-2pm
2. Jump in the van to drive to the venue - Fred and I usually sit in the front - Hence our Vlog being called ‘Kids in the Front' (its a very popular radio station in some parts (of our minds))
3. Arrive at venue after consuming either oatcakes or Clementine's (Still Penny's fave, ‘Clemmys')
4. Check out the venue for 5 minutes - make executive decisions on stage placement (very precise work I assure you)
5. Open the back of the truck and hope things haven't shifted in the night (those cheeky truck fairies)
6. Unload the van - All hands on deck - Once unloaded I help pin the base of the set...Cos I'm a tough guy when it comes to this - you should see my muscles...
7. I head off to the dressing room with all the costumes in one hand (I have a deceivingly large hand) haha
8. If there is a dressing room - a luxury - I then choose a place for everyone - Phil will always get the largest area - because he's a diva...and has to deal with a lot of costumes and a lot of blood... then Matt will be next to him then Fred, then Fran and I...
9. In the case (which is more often than not) that there is no dressing room my amazing creative skills come into play - the boiler room, storage cupboard, boardroom is transformed into a makeshift dressing room for one night only - gym steps become shoe racks - door handles become costume rails and the cast walks in ready to transform from builders and lighting technicians to actors - this is where the magic happens...
10. In the time is takes me to prepare and set all props, create the dressing room and get all the perishable teas, hot chocolates, whiskies ready the rest of the cast have put up the set and lighting and we are ready to go...
11. next step - dinner, yoga, voice warm up and hey presto - AUDIENCE ARRIVES for an amazing professional evening of theatre...
As I write this it's Thursday morning - Pay day.. A joyous day - I sit in the garden at my digs, laptop on lap (where it should be by all accounts). I actually woke up at 11.55 this morning...we didn't arrive home until after 1am this morning from Haverhill (where the recycling plant fire was).
Today we are off to Walsham-Le-Willows - I must say our favourite name for a venue - Just too sweet - the lovely ladies who run the hall will be providing us with sandwiches to sustain our hand working bodies...and no doubt the majority of residents wait patiently for Eastern Angles to bring them professional theatre almost in a door to door fashion...That's what really touches me about this job...Some of the audience in these small villages we go to would never have the opportunity to see professional theatre or indeed sometimes theatre in general - How amazing that we can come and share that with them...Not to mention seeing towns and villages I never would have known existed - and they are beautiful, filled with friendly people and surrounded by green fields...
What else can I say...It's going really well, we are all knackered but satisfied and enjoying every minute...PS Penny is the absolute best!!
Top ten moments...
1. Aldeburgh - The dressing rooms - Amazing - Audience - Delightful.
2. Wivenhoe - All the help with the get-out and the dinner on the Friday evening!! Chilli con-amazing and 4 desserts - my word what a treat! Thank you so much Ian & Jo!!!
3. Brandeston - The sunset, the hall and the people - so wonderful!
4. Monks Eleigh - I won the raffle - a Sanctuary Spa kit AND rather than saying ‘Your hand on my bum and my bossom in your face' I said ‘Your hand on my bossom and your bum in my face..' Hilarious...Thanks Ivan for that line :D
5. Every evening in the van on the way home - listening to Matt and Fran munch cheese and drink wine giggling to their hearts content.
6. P's constant new versions of packing the van and Fred's diligence and openness to hardwork...as Naomi says Fred gets the prize for the most unselfish actor!
7. When Stevie and Brian turned up to help with the get out in Brandeston - LEGENDS!
8. Max the friendly boy who came and journeyed with us last week and helped so wonderfully with the get ins and get outs...
9. The Church we played in Beccles - Such an amazing place with such an incredible sound - a great health food shop too and great backstage area! Just a great show!
10. The Cut in Halesworth - A labyrinth backstage but nice to have a full theatre! :D
There we are - the journey continues...Not to mention having someone i knew in the audience in Margaretting! Wonderful!
I will type again soon - Off to Walsham Le Willows...Fairytale Stuff! xxx
Bishanyia Vincent, Actor
PRIVATE RESISTANCE: TEA & BISCUITS
Wednesday 08 February 2012
I have a request for one of you he says...'I'll do it!' I shout without a moments' hesitation.
Blog he says? Ah blog...Yeah...I'll give you a bloody blog mate...
Shall we set the scene... DAY ONE!
Monday morning the 16th of January 2012.
Cold noses, rosy cheeks, hearts beating, smiles out, hands shaking, laughs flying, 5 actors, 1 director, a production team and a writer sit hesitantly waiting for the first words to come off the page...Questions, thoughts and feelings scratching around inside everybody in the room as it begins...The first read through... A stumble through might I say...Funny that feeling of always wanting to get it right, perfect and brilliant - the first time...Who are all these people looking at me whilst I attempt a Suffolk accent and try to make them laugh at the right moments...Laugh's? In a WWII play about the German's invading England I hear you gasp? Just you wait...Hitler won't know what's hit him...
Day 6 - Monday 23rd January
My brain is foggy with transitive verbs...To quell, to quash, to chivvy, to bolster...New words I would never consider using in everyday language that happen to be creating the fabric of Private Resistance...My own personal resistance gearing up to avoid asking 'dumb questions' then the next thought arises...'Bishanyia you are not that good an actor that you can just pretend you know what something means and say it in such a fashion that the audiences understands you...' Don't be daft woman, just ask...All the ‘In jokes' are surfacing, I will share them with you in dribs and drabs as they become imbedded in what seems to be possibly the best show Eastern Angles has ever created with what could possibly be the best cast Eastern Angles has ever worked with...It's all very amusing and Tom's (Matt Addis) big feet seem to be featuring in almost every other conversations, not to mention Diane's (Frances Marshall's) constant need to ask ‘what's going on?'...or ‘why is everyone acting so strange?' - I'm hoping that at some point she will realise that the Nazi's have invaded Manningtree and her husband is in a war camp...I have introduced the company to Tetley's Vanilla Rooibos Tea - An alternative to 5 caffeinated actors sitting at a table finding transitive verbs for 8 days...It seems to be taking hold - Perhaps not for long, but I will endeavour to uphold the mantra ‘KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON' (Rallying troops is what I do best.) In fact, we have been called the healthiest and fittest company Eastern Angles have had - Not one smoker amongst us, one of us cycles, two gym goers, swimming, morning yoga sessions on the stage - which will become more useful as the run commences I'm sure...
Friday Week 2
We've been on our feet for 3 days! Not digging trenches but in rehearsals - enjoying blocking all the scenes and working through some of the more awkward scene changes... A great journey of discovery is at hand! On Wednesday we made our first trip in the Eastern Angles Truck! So exciting I almost jumped out of my seat..It reminds me of a Ghostbusters Truck - god knows why - but I feel as the cast embarks on each journey in ‘The Beast' there should be some kind of musical interlude and costume change worthy of the excitement...
Friday Week 3 -
I've eaten a whole packet of swedish ginger thins to myself through the sheer excitement of completing the basic blocking for the whole show! Matt has informed me that I will have to do 4 hours of morning yoga to burn off the carlories consumed. But I only did 45 minutes this morning! Fran has told me to shut up. Naomi and Matt have arrived back from a jaunt to Sainsburys with Chilli Chocolate Cookies..Interesting if not a little odd. It's that Friday feeling - I feel so incredibly blessed to be doing something I love and being paid for it! Hurrah! We are all sitting in the green room on lunch. On the table sits an unopened packet of digestives, two packets of the previously mentioned cookies, a fruit bowl filled with sweets from the Christmas shows, a packet of Sainsburys branded tangy cheese tortilla chips, a bobble, and various pieces of winter clothing mixed with random sheets of script. A true green room if there ever was one! Now back to the beginning for some detail...Exciting stuff!
Bishanyia Vincent, Actor