BENTWATER ROADS: The End of the Road
Monday 19 July 2010
Monday morning. Hazel in Box office is taking down the Bentwater Roads posters, the technical crew are up at the Hush House striking the set, and I'm sitting at my desk wondering how 22 performances can slip by so quickly.
Bentwater Roads was a huge undertaking for us, but we've been thrilled at how well received it was. We've still got a lot of clearing up to do, but I wanted to just take this moment to say a huge thank you to our Eastern 'Angels' - our fantastic band of Front of House volunteers, without whom we would be lost. SO proud of all of them. Also, our amazing new friends - the Ancient Briton Community Chorus - who have done a magnificent job. Another Thank You to the cast, crew and office staff who have done sterling work. Grateful Thanks to Prestige Bars, and all our suppliers and sponsors. And a big shout-out to Alex, who has surpassed all expectations with a blog of masterful proportions.
And to you, our audience, for making the long journey out to Bentwaters, braving wind, rain, and the odd rabbit, to support what has been one of our biggest shows ever. Without you, there's no point. Now, anyone want a camper van?
Jon Tavener, Theatre & Outreach Manager
BENTWATER ROADS: Gone with the Wind
Friday 16 July 2010
When your telephone rings at half 4 in the morning, the usual thoughts go through your head - the death of a loved-one, a major catastrophe, or an invasion from Outer Space at the very least. When my telephone went off, I staggered out of bed to be told that 50 mile-an-hour winds were, at that very moment, ripping our marquees apart up at the Rendlesham Airbase. We'd known it was going to be a windy night, and had spent most of the Wednesday evening preparing the marquees as best we could - even dragging large heavy pieces of metal over from the junk pile next to the Hush House and lashing them to the marquees. We were not however expecting what actually occured.
The next hour is a bit of a blur - a quick look out of the window to see that 30 mile-an hour winds were currently going through Ipswich, and 30 mph winds here meant something much worse at Rendlesham. The Airfield can act like a wind-tunnel - lots of open spaces between large hangars - and as i dressed and drove over, my head was already full of what I might find when I got there.
The reality was about right - all three marquees were gone, the bar fridge was on its back, full of broken glass and beer. A scene of chaos. But help was at hand. Roger and Steve, two members of our fantastic community chorus, had luckily been staying the night on site, and when they heard the fridge go over, were able to ring me, then start working out what to do next. By the the time I arrived, they were battling the winds, to keep the marquee frames, now stripped of their canvas, from flying away. One of the marquees had flown high into the air and landed a fair way away in the middle of the neighbouring onion farm. The power had tripped - probably when the lights attached to the marquee were ripped out of their plugs - and much of the contents of the marquees were strewn about the airfield.
The wind was still very strong, and the three of us spent the next hour or two lashing canvas over the fridges and freezers, tieing everything down. For a while, it felt like we were in a multi-media production of Moby Dick, and I wondered if at one point I might have to tie myself to the freezers, and howl against the screaming winds like Captain Ahab. By 8am the site was all tied down, the power was restored, and Roger, Steve and I were in one of the portacabins having a well-deserved coffee, as the winds continued to batter everything around us. We were rather hoping that Jay's Cafe, elsewhere on the airfield, might be open so we could reward ourselves with a hearty breakfast, but alas it was not to be. The Cafe was resolutely shut.
As I headed back to Ipswich to start phoning Ian at Prestige Bars who had hired us the marquees, I had another call from Roger. The awning on the caravan that we were using as the ladies Dressing Room, had succumbed to the tempest, and the contents were flying about. A quick stop off at Ipswich to catch my breath and I was on my way back once more to the scene of the crime. Roger had done a fantastic job of tying the awning back onto the caravan, and averting another disaster. By this time, the bar hire company had arrived and were trying to get the fridge upright for an inspection, and Ian was looking sorrowfully at the remains of his marquees. It had been a terrible night, but we had been lucky. Lucky that it hadn't happenmed during a show, with 200 people there. Lucky that we didn't have a show the next day. Lucky that we had such magnificent help from two of our Ancient Britons.
As the day went on, Bentwater Parks stepped in with an offer of a new marquee, and as I type this, they are erecting it over what the storm had left of the bar and BBQ. By the time the audience arrive tonight for the next show, they should be unable to tell that anything had happened. The bar will be serving drinks, the BBQ will be cooking away, and all will be well. However those with a keen eye may notice that the Front of House Manager looks a little tired, and that two of the Ancient Britons are stifling a yawn...
Jon Tavener, Theatre & Outreach Manager
BENTWATER ROADS: Road Trip
Friday 02 July 2010
First nights for a Front of House Manager are always tricky affairs. There is always so much to think about: Is the bar stocked, do we have enough programmes, is the ice cream freezer still working, will the volunteer Angels (and the audience!) find the venue, is the BBQ up and ready, is the auditorium clear of Tech Run debris, are the actors happy, is the car park filling up in the right way? Above all, are the audience happy, safe and entertained? On a show of this size, nothing can really prepare you for that moment when cars begin to appear on the horizon, and you realise that after all the months of planning and preparation, this is it. The show has OPENED. By the end of a very long day, and an even longer week, I can say that everything worked as it should, and as the audience drove back over the base, headlights twinkling in the twilight, I could unfurrow my brow and breathe a sigh of post-First Night relief.
Only another 22 shows to go......
Jon Tavener, Theatre & Outreach Manager
BENTWATER ROADS: Let's have a look at your best bits.
Sunday 27 June 2010
It's early on Sunday morning, and I have a long day sprawling ahead of me. Today is the day I have to finish all the video sequences for the show, which means sitting down in front of a computer for the next 14 hours, editing together all the footage I've taken for the show. There's a wide range - from cine-film that has to look 30 years old, via screen captures of the characters computers, to moving star scapes and playground swings. By far the longest job is piecing together all of the shots of our Community Chorus walking around the base into a 20 minute preshow movie.
It's getting hotter and hotter as I hunch over my computer, and I wish dearly I could be outside topping up my tan, but the technical rehearsal starts tomorrow, and the video sequences have to be ready to go. I've been filming for Bentwater Roads since long before rehearsals began, and its great to see all the footage now finally coming together.
The day stretches on, and my eyes are failing, but the video editing software I'm using takes a while to render the finished movies, so every now and then I get a chance to step out into the light for a breath of fresh air, as my computer whirrs and clicks and works its magic. Before I know it, it's evening, and my last piece of editing is done. Lost in my little world of movie-making, the time has flown by for me. Now I can only hope that the hour and a half or so of footage does its job within the show. There is bound to be a few notes for me following the technical and dress rehearsals, but, fingers crossed, I won't need to do too much more re-editing before opening night. Besides, I have another hat to put on - that of Front of House Manager - which means the next few days will be taken up building and stocking the bar, organising the Eastern Angels - our loyal band of FOH volunteers, putting up marquees and arranging all the signage on the base.
But before all of that, I get to go home and sleep. Anyone know the football score? Oh dear....
Jon Tavener, Theatre & Outreach Manager
BENTWATER ROADS: Everywhere You Look
Monday 07 June 2010
Everywhere around me is evidence that Bentwater Roads has taken over all our lives! In the theatre, the auditorium has become the costume store, the Box Office has become a Video Editing Suite, and the General Office is a humming, throbbing Publicity Machine. Elsewhere, our Workshop is seeing signs of activity as we start to build the huge set, and just down the road, at the Westgate Ward Social Club, the director and actors are working their way through the show, scene by scene. Managed to tear myself away from my computer to catch a tiny part of rehearsals - a small scene from late in the play, between Cunavinda and Mother. Already there are some beautiful performances coming through.
Jon Tavener, Theatre & Outreach Manager
BENTWATER ROADS: Bang A Drum. Get It On!
Sunday 06 June 2010
Having got the final Pulse show over and done with at the theatre, it was time to pop over to the Friends Meeting House for a session with our intrepid troupe of Ancient Britons - members of the public who have joined up to take part in the show.
Alan, the Assistant Director, had already been working with the group for a couple of hours before I arrived, so I felt rather like the 'new boy at school'.
Today was all about rhythm - inspired by one of Roger Eno's compositions, we were taught clapping rhythms, drum heartbeats, and chanting. The rhythms weren't easy to start with - is that a clap-clap-sniff, or clap-sniff-sniff? - but by the end of the day it was all sounding rather impressive.
The group is coming along really well. They haven't met the main cast yet. That should happen on Tuesday evening, and I think the cast will be more scared of meeting the Ancient Britons than the other way round! We're hoping to see most of them at Rendlesham Forest on Saturday, where we're having a picnic.
In the meantime, I have lots of video editing to get on with. RSI, anyone?
Jon Tavener, Theatre & Outreach Manager
BENTWATER ROADS: A filming day.
Wednesday 02 June 2010
A blazing hot day, and I'm out on the road. To Wantisden Church to film some scenes that will form part of the show. Ellie, the daughter of a friend of one of the office staff, is playing Young Charlie in these scenes, and had been given a 70s style dress to wear.
Ellie was an absolute star - never complaining, and very excited about the whole thing. The scenes we shot today will be edited and fomatted to look like an old cinefilm, and involved Ellie exploring the church and graveyard. Avoiding nettles was the biggest issue of the day, as Ellie brought Young Charlie to life. She does look very much like a younger version of Nadia, who is playing Adult Charlie in the play.
Ellie's dad John was on hand to help Ellie recreate the scenes from Charlie's distant past, and both of them were very patient, as we set up shot after shot in and around the church. As the sun blazed outside it was a relief to enter the cool of the church, and Ellie took great delight in exploring this dusty old church that will play such an important part in our show.
With all the shots in the can, I said goodbye to Ellie and her dad, locked up the church and went to the Hush House, our performance venue on the base. It wasn't long before the Eastern Angles van appeared on the horizon, and the actors arrived to catch their first glimpse of the unusual venue they will be performing in. We spent the next couple of hours exploring the space, and the wonderful sci-fi tunnel which forms the backdrop of our poster image. The actors got used to the unusual acoustics and then Ivan the Director took them through the wonderfully moving final scenes of the play.
Meanwhile I joined Assistant Director Alan as he wandered around the outside of the Hush House with his sound recorder. He found a large metal box structure that, when hit, gave off a wonderful gong sound that reverberated around the Suffolk landscape. Perhaps a clarion call for our Ancient Britons?
Just time for a quick chat with Valerie, who will be mounting an exhibition about the church within the Hush House, before heading back to Ipswich to look through the footage I had taken that day. The actors meanwhile moved on from the venue, over the perimeter fence to check out the church for themselves. A couple of actors felt brave enough to climb the stone steps up to the tower, where they were treated to a panoramic view of Wantisden and the base. It wasn't long before EVERYONE put their vertigo behind them to share the tiny tower top and take in the beautiful views of the Suffolk landscape.
A beautiful day. Let's hope this is the kind of weather we get in July!
Jon Tavener, Theatre & Outreach Manager
BENTWATER ROADS: REHEARSALS BEGIN
Tuesday 01 June 2010
The company has arrived - and my, isn't there a lot of them! The day begins with plenty of coffee and introductions, before settling down for a readthrough of the play. With a cast of 9, and a creative team of almost twice that number, we had to struggle to find enough chairs for everyone. The readthrough on day one of rehearsals is always an exciting time. We hear the characters' words spoken for the first time by the people who will be playing them.
The readthrough reminded us how good the play is - with lots of spinetingling moments. We open in exactly one month from today, so the pressure is on everybody almost immediately, not to mention the fact that the creative team has been working on this since the beginning of the year, and the Director and Writer began their work a number of years ago!
Once lunch was devoured, the company went off to their rehearsal space, the designer starts discussing costumes with his assistant, and I began to edit some of the video I had captured during the morning.
To work!
Jon Tavener, Theatre & Outreach Manager
