So after many months of silence, my director's chair has once again been unfolded. I've been given a fantastic opportunity to direct four numbers for a revue show themed around movie songs. Exciting stuff, I am adapting these songs:-
Skyfall
I Just Can't Wait to be King
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
Hellfire
Skyfall was tricky as I am a bit fan of Adele and her and couldn't picture anybody doing her justice. My solution to this was to arrange the song for a full female choir, I waited until auditions had commenced before starting the arrangement to see what sort of voices I had and potentially pick solos, of which there are several. My Team Skyfall are absolutely phenomenal! You can't beat them. I've also been working with a Latin American dance partner to produce a rumba duet at the beginning of the song, which was an integral element for me as it conveyed the charm of 007 and his liaison with Bond Girls past and present. It's clear to me that Skyfall is my favourite number to work on and am very excited about sharing it with the public.
Another number I'm working on is "I Just Can't Wait to be King" from Disney's "The Lion King". This is a bit more difficult as I have to work with a chorus of dancers without a choreographer. My routine closely follows the movie, however I can only dream of the animal tower that rises in the song's finale. I'm drawing emphasis to the comedy of the two cubs overpowering Zazu. I've also given a lot of Simba's solos to Nala in order to balance them out. Both of the actors playing these roles are incredibly talented and it seemed unfair to give so much to one compared to the other.
Those of you who grew up with Maggie Thatcher, Queen and cheese music will all be familiar with the phenomenon that is "Monty Python's Life of Brian". This is the source of my third song, "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" which most of you will remember as the unorthodox ending where several crucifixion victims faced with a slow and painful death cheer themselves up with a good ol' sing-song. Needless to say it is one of my favourite Python tunes. This is the number I have least concern about as I have such a detailed image in my head of what I want. Due to budgetary restrictions we are no longer on a middle eastern mountain decorated with crosses; however the scene now relocates to a colourful student world where we cheer ourselves up when all our student loan has gone on water bills, alcohol and ready-meals; or when we can't bring ourselves to finish off that essay that's lurking at the bottom of our desk.
My last choice was Hellfire, which I chose to accommodate somebody who wanted to try singing but couldn't quite hit those top notes. "Hunchback of Notre Dame" is possibly my favourite Disney film. I am an enthusiast for musicals that deal with dark topic matter, hence why it is my dream to direct Spring Awakening and Carrie before I die. My choice for Hellfire is to create a dream world where the fires of hell (my wonderful chorus) are condemning Frollo whilst Esmeralda dances for him in his dreams. This number has potential to be a powerful aria with the right direction and force. I'm leaving this one till last as the others are a lot more high maintenance.
All these need to be ready to perform in just under a fortnight, which is both scary and exciting. I will be bringing you all the news from rehearsals as they happen, and performance details.
As well as this venture, I have been lucky to take on the roles of co-producer and stage manager for a local production of Ella Hickson's BOYS, a play about the difficulties of transitioning from student life to the adult world. This rather unusual show had me laughing one moment then crouched in a corner nursing my feels at another, it also gave me a whole new perspective on what to do with sushi. Having said that, this is the last time I take on so many roles in such a small space, I seem to forget that I also have a degree, Student Union publicity duties and now a job at a cocktail bar on campus. Once this show is over, you probably won't hear from me in a while, although I do have some exciting plans for the future, which I won't announce until they are set in stone.
Ever so glad to share my experiences with you all!!!
An aspiring director xx
Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
A little detour...
I won't keep you as long as last time with my first entry *cough* essay *cough*. I appreciate that you all have lives. I just wanted to update you all on my most recent ventures since the opening welcome.
Since then, the results of my audition have been released. I've been given the role of Cameron, who is a Scottish tour guide. This is my first project involving a non-musical play, and it's truly exhilarating to be on new turf. At the same time, it's rather daunting, not just because of my appalling Scottish accent. In musical theatre, the songs come out at moments of high emotion for dramatic effect, in straight theatre you don't have this tool. For example, in Matilda: The Musical there is a scene where Miss Trunchbull is calling Matilda all the names in the book, much as we recognize Roald Dahl's stereotypical use of insults in his books. In the musical, they make use of Matilda blocking it out in a way I see as the music being her barrier on the outside world, she then sings a song titled "Quiet" which is about what I've just described and going somewhere "Quiet". This effect would be rendered useless in a play version, however I feel as if this isn't the best example as my ideal alternative without music would stay incredibly loyal to the musical's version.
Ok I'm getting away from the point. Back to Mary Rose!
I've been researching the play rather thoroughly since hearing the news, there doesn't seem to be much information online, I assume because it's a less well known play. I guess I will find out a lot more once I attend the read through. At first glance, it seems to be a ghost story, which I am very excited about taking part in, I myself am known among friends for my obsession with the horror genre, especially on stage. In my audition, I was given a script to read out which seemed to introduce the story, it seems to be about a girl who vanishes mysteriously on an island only to turn up many years later having not aged a day. I'm sure there's more to it than that, but I shall soon find out.
As promised, this was just a short (in comparison?) post to catch up with how things have been going. It sure is looking to be an exciting summer with all these projects.
Sunday, 14 April 2013
What a great audience you are!
Hey everybody, it truly is good news that you've decided to give my blog a look. I thought I'd take this first entry as an opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Ben and I am an aspiring theatre director from Bath, Somerset. I am currently studying maths at University, which is a bit of a detour from my chosen career, but could potentially open doors to working in London, where opportunities to direct are to be found around every corner. I have been involved in several amateur productions during my childhood, my earliest experience is the role of Jacob aged 10 in my primary school's production of Joseph. I was over the moon with the opportunity, but now I don't really remember much of it (It was almost 10 years ago after all).
I wouldn't want to bore you all with a chronicle of every production I've taken part in over the years, but I'd like to tell you a bit more about the wonderful experiences of production team work that I've received recently. A year ago I had the opportunity to perform a song that I had written for a musical I was working on. I musically directed a small ensemble and choir, and conducted the piece for it's premiere at a church where I used to live. This was the first of many experiences that welcomed me into the behind-the-scenes world of theatre. When I came to university, I wasted no time in joining the musical theatre society. This was meant as more of a casual detox initially, however as opportunities arose, it has become more clear to me that what I really want to do with my life is show the world my visions of this world's theatrical masterpieces.
In November 2012, the society hosted a variety show to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, we rehearsed from 7pm Friday and performed 7pm Saturday. This became known as the 24 Hour Musical, and is my first experience of independent directing...well...almost. The roles were a lot less defined here than you would expect from many shows, I wasn't explicitly a director, but a musical director and to some extent a choreographer, however the latter title I stayed clear of, being a rather obvious weakness of myself, I worked with a qualified choreographer on the numbers who was incredibly helpful and I couldn't have gotten to where I was now without her. For the show, I did two numbers, "Come What May" from Moulin Rouge and "I'd Give My Life For You" from Miss Saigon. Both of these are incredibly difficult songs, especially under the pressure of such circumstances. My attack on "Come What May" stemmed from Christian's obsession with Satine, I visioned his love for her speaking to him even when she wasn't around him, to portray this, the choreographer I worked with created and performed a marvelous solo dance that expressed his romantic feelings as he sung the first verse and chorus. When the singer who played Satine took stage, the dancer left and I staged the rest in romantic context.
I knew from the start that I wanted to do it again, and as the production closed, applications to direct the group's March 2013 show were opening. No surprise, I applied. That year, the society performed a dual show, Bad Girls and the Full Monty, which alternated every night. I was incredibly lucky to be offered the opportunity to direct Bad Girls, and take on a cameo role in Full Monty. Auditions took place in December 2012, I particularly enjoyed sitting down and watching everybody perform, casting was a long and difficult task on the other hand having seen so many talented performers, many of which didn't get roles. We announced our cast the next day, however rehearsals didn't commence until February, 5 weeks before curtain up. For those of you who aren't familiar with the material, Bad Girls is based on a popular ITV drama set in a woman's prison, the story revolved around a sadistic and manipulative prison officer who was bending the rules to escalate to the highest position in the prison, and the implications his actions had on the inmates and his fellow staff. I took the opportunity to portray the prison as an empty box, full of restrictions, but nothing to make these poor women feel at home. This also helped cooperate with the production team for The Full Monty, who took a minimalist approach to their set, we made benefits of a 6 foot riser at the back of the stage, and a glitter curtain which was used in both shows. Scenes in Bad Girls were rather comic, and strayed from the dark atmosphere of the TV series, I admit I felt better working with dark material, but with what I was given, I took the initiative to milk the comedy. A particular favourite of mine featured a song called "All Banged Up", in which the girls lamented on the lack of male action behind bars. I spoke to the choreographer and discussed including a Tango where the girls were leading the male POs. Looking back on it, I felt as if the scene required an open minded audience to be appreciated, I however found the scene rather amusing due to a very talented group of actors. Working on this show was such a great opportunity which I dearly miss, I am so grateful for the opportunity and am so pleased to work with such a talented team on my first show. The London cast recording of Bad Girls is on Spotify and Youtube if you so wish to listen, and there's a filmed version of the London production circulating. It's well worth checking out.
So that takes us up to today. If you're still reading, I've either got to say "Thank you for your interest" or "You need to go out more!". As of now, I am working on the society's variety show, due to be performed in May 2013, I am not on production team due to previous commitments, however I am very excited to being involved as a cast member. Recently, I auditioned for a different society's production of two shows being performed at Bath's Fringe Festival in June, Alice in Wonderland and Mary Rose. My audition went ok, but as I was leaving the room, the director asked me to join production team as a producer. I was unsure as to whether to accept this offer due to it being very different to directing, however I decided to take up the offer. Work on this production doesn't start until June, but that will be my next adventure behind the scenes of a performer.
I'm certainly repeating myself here, but thank you for your time and interest. I will probably let you all know more about my experience as a producer, but this blog is about being a director, and whenever that opportunity returns I shall be waiting. Until then, I'd be happy to share my thoughts on any shows that I have the pleasure of seeing or just general comments on what's hot and what's not in theatreland.
Adieux mon amis
Ben
One aspiring director.
I wouldn't want to bore you all with a chronicle of every production I've taken part in over the years, but I'd like to tell you a bit more about the wonderful experiences of production team work that I've received recently. A year ago I had the opportunity to perform a song that I had written for a musical I was working on. I musically directed a small ensemble and choir, and conducted the piece for it's premiere at a church where I used to live. This was the first of many experiences that welcomed me into the behind-the-scenes world of theatre. When I came to university, I wasted no time in joining the musical theatre society. This was meant as more of a casual detox initially, however as opportunities arose, it has become more clear to me that what I really want to do with my life is show the world my visions of this world's theatrical masterpieces.
In November 2012, the society hosted a variety show to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, we rehearsed from 7pm Friday and performed 7pm Saturday. This became known as the 24 Hour Musical, and is my first experience of independent directing...well...almost. The roles were a lot less defined here than you would expect from many shows, I wasn't explicitly a director, but a musical director and to some extent a choreographer, however the latter title I stayed clear of, being a rather obvious weakness of myself, I worked with a qualified choreographer on the numbers who was incredibly helpful and I couldn't have gotten to where I was now without her. For the show, I did two numbers, "Come What May" from Moulin Rouge and "I'd Give My Life For You" from Miss Saigon. Both of these are incredibly difficult songs, especially under the pressure of such circumstances. My attack on "Come What May" stemmed from Christian's obsession with Satine, I visioned his love for her speaking to him even when she wasn't around him, to portray this, the choreographer I worked with created and performed a marvelous solo dance that expressed his romantic feelings as he sung the first verse and chorus. When the singer who played Satine took stage, the dancer left and I staged the rest in romantic context.
I knew from the start that I wanted to do it again, and as the production closed, applications to direct the group's March 2013 show were opening. No surprise, I applied. That year, the society performed a dual show, Bad Girls and the Full Monty, which alternated every night. I was incredibly lucky to be offered the opportunity to direct Bad Girls, and take on a cameo role in Full Monty. Auditions took place in December 2012, I particularly enjoyed sitting down and watching everybody perform, casting was a long and difficult task on the other hand having seen so many talented performers, many of which didn't get roles. We announced our cast the next day, however rehearsals didn't commence until February, 5 weeks before curtain up. For those of you who aren't familiar with the material, Bad Girls is based on a popular ITV drama set in a woman's prison, the story revolved around a sadistic and manipulative prison officer who was bending the rules to escalate to the highest position in the prison, and the implications his actions had on the inmates and his fellow staff. I took the opportunity to portray the prison as an empty box, full of restrictions, but nothing to make these poor women feel at home. This also helped cooperate with the production team for The Full Monty, who took a minimalist approach to their set, we made benefits of a 6 foot riser at the back of the stage, and a glitter curtain which was used in both shows. Scenes in Bad Girls were rather comic, and strayed from the dark atmosphere of the TV series, I admit I felt better working with dark material, but with what I was given, I took the initiative to milk the comedy. A particular favourite of mine featured a song called "All Banged Up", in which the girls lamented on the lack of male action behind bars. I spoke to the choreographer and discussed including a Tango where the girls were leading the male POs. Looking back on it, I felt as if the scene required an open minded audience to be appreciated, I however found the scene rather amusing due to a very talented group of actors. Working on this show was such a great opportunity which I dearly miss, I am so grateful for the opportunity and am so pleased to work with such a talented team on my first show. The London cast recording of Bad Girls is on Spotify and Youtube if you so wish to listen, and there's a filmed version of the London production circulating. It's well worth checking out.
So that takes us up to today. If you're still reading, I've either got to say "Thank you for your interest" or "You need to go out more!". As of now, I am working on the society's variety show, due to be performed in May 2013, I am not on production team due to previous commitments, however I am very excited to being involved as a cast member. Recently, I auditioned for a different society's production of two shows being performed at Bath's Fringe Festival in June, Alice in Wonderland and Mary Rose. My audition went ok, but as I was leaving the room, the director asked me to join production team as a producer. I was unsure as to whether to accept this offer due to it being very different to directing, however I decided to take up the offer. Work on this production doesn't start until June, but that will be my next adventure behind the scenes of a performer.
I'm certainly repeating myself here, but thank you for your time and interest. I will probably let you all know more about my experience as a producer, but this blog is about being a director, and whenever that opportunity returns I shall be waiting. Until then, I'd be happy to share my thoughts on any shows that I have the pleasure of seeing or just general comments on what's hot and what's not in theatreland.
Adieux mon amis
Ben
One aspiring director.
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