This past week was all about 8Squared: Night of New Writing. We had auditions Wednesday and Thursday. There was much to organize to prepare for auditions. We set up an online registration form, made a schedule and prepared sides. Sides are the short sections of the script the actors read from in the audition. After the two evenings of auditions the writers had to decide which actors they wanted for their plays. Then we sent out offer emails to the actors selected, offering them the part. As confirmations came in, we created lists and contact sheets with all the details about who is in and where we have vacancies. It really is a lot of admin. Not so glamorous but necessary for organization and keeping track.
Tomorrow we have a company table read. A table read is very often the first rehearsal of a show. The whole company is in attendance and the actors read through the script (or in our case, scripts) out loud. This is where everybody gets to know who is who and and gets a glimpse of what the show will look and sound like. For us as producers, it will give us an overview of our program. We will time each script to make sure it fits in the 8 minute time frame and we will use the overview to decide the running order of the show.
After this launch, we as producers will retreat from the rehearsal process and leave the individual plays to sort out their rehearsal schedule and work on their pieces. While they rehearse, over the next few weeks, we will be setting up the box office, securing resources and personnel for the technical and dress rehearsals and the performances. We will also be sending out messages via social media to advertise the show. So, there is still much to do!
When I'm not answering emails and sorting out 8Squared business, I have been turning to Sherlock Holmes to unwind. Lately, I've become quite engrossed with the most recent BBC series called Sherlock. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Each episode is a little mini film. Binge watching can be a bit difficult because of the length of each episode. But that's good. I can unplug from 8Squared for a couple hours and let Sherlock do the thinking and give my brain a break. I can spread this retreat out over several days and allow for a recess regularly. If you haven't seen Sherlock, I highly recommend it.
This coming week is full of meetings and projects. I'm teaching my own class on Thursday so, there is much to prepare! Friday is a very special day but, I'll tell you more about that next time!
In the meantime, enjoy the long weekend!
Take care!
-m
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Musical Theatre Intensive, Oxford Adventures and A Few New Shows
This week we had a three day intensive for our Musical Theatre Writing class. This marks the end of class meetings for this elective but we still have our final project to finish in these remaining weeks of the term. A 15 minute musical must be written and will be performed at a very low tech event, the last week of term. I am looking forward to this project. I'm paired with a student composer, a German musician whose last name is Wagner so, I feel I am in good hands.
This week also brought trips to the theatre. Tickets were bought for our class to attend a show Thursday evening called The Government Inspector. The play is a classic Russian satire by Nikolai Gogol and the adaptation we saw is by David Harrower. Harrower and I have a history. I worked with him on a play for the Masters I did in Scotland at the RSAMD. The Government Inspector was a touring production from Birmingham Repertory Theatre and was performed at Stratford East Theatre. Our class will tour Stratford East this coming week and it was wonderful to see the space in action prior to our tour.
Saturday was a big day. My friend, Trish and I took a little adventure over to Oxford. Oxford is an easy trip from London. It is only about an hour by train. Both Trish and I had been to Oxford before but, it had been many years for both of us. I wanted to seek out a piece of family history my cousin told me about. In the dining hall of Oriel College, which is one of the colleges that make up Oxford University, is a stained glass window with the coat of arms of one of our Wiliford ancestors. Edmund Wylsford was a vice chancellor at Oxford around 1515 and his legacy is represented in the stained glass window at Oriel College. We also took a walking tour of Oxford and were guided through some of the town's highlights. It was a lovely day and wonderful to get a little history lesson.
Today I saw two shows. Both were part of the Wandsworth Arts Fringe Series. The matinee was called In Celebration of Mo. The playwright is my friend and fellow 8Squared producer Dale Neuringer. The evening show was called I'm Not Jesus Christ by Maria Manolescu. I don't know the writer of the that one but Trish does and that's how I came to the show. Both shows were at pub theatres. Pub theatres are popular here in London and are what they say on the tin, a theatre in a pub. Many are small black box like performance spaces upstairs from the bar. This makes post show drinks super easy and is a great way for the pub to increase its foot traffic.
This week is full steam ahead. I have meetings and appointments and lots of work to do on all my assignments, projects and presentations. I'll let you know how it goes. In the meantime, have a look around your area and see if any pubs or restaurants also offer any artistic programs.
Until next time!
Take care!
-m
This week also brought trips to the theatre. Tickets were bought for our class to attend a show Thursday evening called The Government Inspector. The play is a classic Russian satire by Nikolai Gogol and the adaptation we saw is by David Harrower. Harrower and I have a history. I worked with him on a play for the Masters I did in Scotland at the RSAMD. The Government Inspector was a touring production from Birmingham Repertory Theatre and was performed at Stratford East Theatre. Our class will tour Stratford East this coming week and it was wonderful to see the space in action prior to our tour.
Saturday was a big day. My friend, Trish and I took a little adventure over to Oxford. Oxford is an easy trip from London. It is only about an hour by train. Both Trish and I had been to Oxford before but, it had been many years for both of us. I wanted to seek out a piece of family history my cousin told me about. In the dining hall of Oriel College, which is one of the colleges that make up Oxford University, is a stained glass window with the coat of arms of one of our Wiliford ancestors. Edmund Wylsford was a vice chancellor at Oxford around 1515 and his legacy is represented in the stained glass window at Oriel College. We also took a walking tour of Oxford and were guided through some of the town's highlights. It was a lovely day and wonderful to get a little history lesson.
Today I saw two shows. Both were part of the Wandsworth Arts Fringe Series. The matinee was called In Celebration of Mo. The playwright is my friend and fellow 8Squared producer Dale Neuringer. The evening show was called I'm Not Jesus Christ by Maria Manolescu. I don't know the writer of the that one but Trish does and that's how I came to the show. Both shows were at pub theatres. Pub theatres are popular here in London and are what they say on the tin, a theatre in a pub. Many are small black box like performance spaces upstairs from the bar. This makes post show drinks super easy and is a great way for the pub to increase its foot traffic.
This week is full steam ahead. I have meetings and appointments and lots of work to do on all my assignments, projects and presentations. I'll let you know how it goes. In the meantime, have a look around your area and see if any pubs or restaurants also offer any artistic programs.
Until next time!
Take care!
-m
The ancient and unique look of Oxford's streets
The Oriel College Dining Hall
The full stained glass window in Oriel's dining hall
Edmund Wylsford's coat of arms
The Tower of the Five Orders at Oxford's Bodleian Library
Oxford's War Memorial Gardens
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Streetcar Songs and Script Submissions
And we're back. Another wild week has whizzed by.
Musical theatre writing has been intense this week. We crafted a song for Blanche in Tennessee Williams' Streetcar Named Desire. This gave me an excuse to finally watch the famous film version with Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando. It was tricky trying to write a song for Blanche because Williams already layered in very specific music in the piece and Blanche is a complex character. Not to mention the play is a master piece already and one doesn't want to mess with a good thing. It was a fun challenge and my composer partner and I were please with the outcome.
This week's assignment pairs me with a new composer and we are to base the scene and song on the short story the Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl. Class will meet 3 days this week instead of the usual 1. A director and actors will come in and workshop what we have written. I'm excited to see how it goes.
8Squared is full steam ahead. The script submission deadline was Friday and the weekend has been spent organizing the entries and assigning them to external evaluators for review. The producing team also needs to read the submissions so we can discuss the plays, the evaluations and create the program for the presentation. So between writing my own work and reviewing others, I've spent lots of time with my dramaturg hat on this weekend.
My thesis is another plate that is spinning. We are laying the ground work for the research we will undertake starting this summer. Questions and theories, positioning statements, definitions of key terms, annotated bibliographies, outlines and personal development plans are all being formulated.
The weather in London has been glorious these past weeks and I even saw some azaleas in bloom near school which reminded me of South Carolina. I am hoping to spend more time outside in the near future. I'm so close to Hampstead Heath and Primrose Hill, it seems a shame not to spend more time there. But alas, the library has seen much of me this past week. The life of a grad student I suppose.
For now, I must get back to reading scripts. I'll let you know how the song writing goes. In the meantime, have a look around and see if any new musicals are being presented in your local theatres.
Until next week...
Take care!
-m
Musical theatre writing has been intense this week. We crafted a song for Blanche in Tennessee Williams' Streetcar Named Desire. This gave me an excuse to finally watch the famous film version with Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando. It was tricky trying to write a song for Blanche because Williams already layered in very specific music in the piece and Blanche is a complex character. Not to mention the play is a master piece already and one doesn't want to mess with a good thing. It was a fun challenge and my composer partner and I were please with the outcome.
This week's assignment pairs me with a new composer and we are to base the scene and song on the short story the Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl. Class will meet 3 days this week instead of the usual 1. A director and actors will come in and workshop what we have written. I'm excited to see how it goes.
8Squared is full steam ahead. The script submission deadline was Friday and the weekend has been spent organizing the entries and assigning them to external evaluators for review. The producing team also needs to read the submissions so we can discuss the plays, the evaluations and create the program for the presentation. So between writing my own work and reviewing others, I've spent lots of time with my dramaturg hat on this weekend.
My thesis is another plate that is spinning. We are laying the ground work for the research we will undertake starting this summer. Questions and theories, positioning statements, definitions of key terms, annotated bibliographies, outlines and personal development plans are all being formulated.
The weather in London has been glorious these past weeks and I even saw some azaleas in bloom near school which reminded me of South Carolina. I am hoping to spend more time outside in the near future. I'm so close to Hampstead Heath and Primrose Hill, it seems a shame not to spend more time there. But alas, the library has seen much of me this past week. The life of a grad student I suppose.
For now, I must get back to reading scripts. I'll let you know how the song writing goes. In the meantime, have a look around and see if any new musicals are being presented in your local theatres.
Until next week...
Take care!
-m
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Wonderful Workshops, Lyrical Lines and a Super Show
This past week was very busy and the term shows no sign of slowing down. Tuesday I headed back to ITC (Independent Theatre Council) for an all day workshop in leadership and people management. Alasdair Cant was our instructor and was absolutely brilliant. Mr. Cant is a workshop leader and consultant that specializes in training managers to create positive work environments, bolster morale, improve communication and resolve conflicts in the workplace. The students departed the workshop with a renewed sense of confidence and a selection of "go to" tools to help them in a variety of workplace situations.
Thursday the producing course had a session on fundraising in the morning that really broke down some of the fundraising options for shows and companies. In the afternoon, we headed to Southbank Centre to meet up with one of our regular lecturers, Sunita. Sunita ran a session on leadership and management adding to a really helpful week of "boss training". As producers, we will manage employees and contracted artists and we will be responsible for making major decisions that will effect the future of our companies. Exploring different management styles and leadership methods is essential to our training.
Friday brought the return of the musical theatre writing class. Over the course of the week we were instructed to write a song inspired by an assigned painting. I had great fun creating the lyrics in an AABA song format and incorporating some of the "must haves" needed for a song in the musical theatre context. There is another song due this week, this time based on a Tennessee Williams play. I can't wait to see what my writing partner and I come up with.
Friday evening I met my friend Remi and we went to a play called Ken at Hampstead Theatre. Ken is a biography play about Ken Campbell, a legendary theatre maker on the British cultural scene from the 70s until his passing in 2008. Remi wanted to go because he previously worked with the actor who played Ken. Plus, we heard the show was fantastic and it was! Ken was a colorful character and it's always fun for those of us in the industry to hear about the industry and the exploits of our predecessors.
Another full week lies ahead. Coming up, the production team of 8Squared: A Night of New Writing will wrangle all the script submissions from the writers and send them out to our team of script evaluators for feedback. Thursday we will have some student led sessions where our peers will share some of their knowledge and experiences. I'm really looking forward to Thursday because so far this year, we haven't had much opportunity for sharing sessions.
I'll let you know how it all goes. In the meantime, spring has sprung and outdoor summer theatres will be in operation. Have a look and see what outdoor arts presentations are available in your area.
Take care!
-m
Thursday the producing course had a session on fundraising in the morning that really broke down some of the fundraising options for shows and companies. In the afternoon, we headed to Southbank Centre to meet up with one of our regular lecturers, Sunita. Sunita ran a session on leadership and management adding to a really helpful week of "boss training". As producers, we will manage employees and contracted artists and we will be responsible for making major decisions that will effect the future of our companies. Exploring different management styles and leadership methods is essential to our training.
Friday brought the return of the musical theatre writing class. Over the course of the week we were instructed to write a song inspired by an assigned painting. I had great fun creating the lyrics in an AABA song format and incorporating some of the "must haves" needed for a song in the musical theatre context. There is another song due this week, this time based on a Tennessee Williams play. I can't wait to see what my writing partner and I come up with.
Friday evening I met my friend Remi and we went to a play called Ken at Hampstead Theatre. Ken is a biography play about Ken Campbell, a legendary theatre maker on the British cultural scene from the 70s until his passing in 2008. Remi wanted to go because he previously worked with the actor who played Ken. Plus, we heard the show was fantastic and it was! Ken was a colorful character and it's always fun for those of us in the industry to hear about the industry and the exploits of our predecessors.
Another full week lies ahead. Coming up, the production team of 8Squared: A Night of New Writing will wrangle all the script submissions from the writers and send them out to our team of script evaluators for feedback. Thursday we will have some student led sessions where our peers will share some of their knowledge and experiences. I'm really looking forward to Thursday because so far this year, we haven't had much opportunity for sharing sessions.
I'll let you know how it all goes. In the meantime, spring has sprung and outdoor summer theatres will be in operation. Have a look and see what outdoor arts presentations are available in your area.
Take care!
-m
Sunday, May 1, 2016
Projects, Productions and People
This past week was full of activities. Monday started off the week with a trip to the opera. Well, a trip to the cinema to see a live stream broadcast of The Royal Opera House's production of Donizetti's Lucia Di Lammermoor. I was excited to see the show because my friend Remi is in it. Remi and I have known each since my grad school days in Glasgow at the RSAMD when we were both on the same course. Remi has a non-vocal role which is called a supernumerary actor in the opera world. He was a servant who bustled about and cleaned up and carried. It was great fun to see him on the big screen and involved in such a notable production. The opera was directed by Katie Mitchell who is a currently regarded as one of the top directors of the day. On Saturday, I was able to catch up with Remi in person and got to hear all about his experiences with the show.
Wednesday brought me to a different kind of musical experience. One of my classmates is working with a production company and was gracious enough to provide some of us tickets to see their latest offering. The show was a musical revue featuring the music of writing team Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire. Closer Than Ever was originally released in 1989 and it was lovely to finally see a production of it. The performance was presented cabaret style in a intimate restaurant with a stage and starred four singers accompanied by a piano and an upright bass. It was a nice night out and good to see a show produced in that kind of format and venue.
Classes, meetings and work sessions made up the rest of the week. Friday was a highlight with the kick off of our musical theatre writing class. I love sinking my teeth into structure and form so I look forward to these sessions. By the end of term, we have to create a 15 minute musical that will be performed at a scratch night in June. What's a scratch night? A scratch night is the term used to describe a public performance of new ideas for artists to test their work on a live audience. Good stuff!
More classes and shows are coming up this week. I'll let you know how it goes. In the meantime, have a look in your region and see if there are any scratch nights on offer where you can get a sneak peek at works in development.
Take care!
-m
Wednesday brought me to a different kind of musical experience. One of my classmates is working with a production company and was gracious enough to provide some of us tickets to see their latest offering. The show was a musical revue featuring the music of writing team Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire. Closer Than Ever was originally released in 1989 and it was lovely to finally see a production of it. The performance was presented cabaret style in a intimate restaurant with a stage and starred four singers accompanied by a piano and an upright bass. It was a nice night out and good to see a show produced in that kind of format and venue.
Classes, meetings and work sessions made up the rest of the week. Friday was a highlight with the kick off of our musical theatre writing class. I love sinking my teeth into structure and form so I look forward to these sessions. By the end of term, we have to create a 15 minute musical that will be performed at a scratch night in June. What's a scratch night? A scratch night is the term used to describe a public performance of new ideas for artists to test their work on a live audience. Good stuff!
More classes and shows are coming up this week. I'll let you know how it goes. In the meantime, have a look in your region and see if there are any scratch nights on offer where you can get a sneak peek at works in development.
Take care!
-m
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