A memento of the show, a two minute video capture set to the music of Laurence Hipkiss, can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku93SgnVfZI
An audio extract from the show can be found on my own website:
http://www.robertwarrington.com
(In the blog section Rain on Glass).
The show got a good reception from an audience that was larger than we expected, some of whom just seemed to drift in from the shopping centre on the day. Suzan and I would like to thank the audience for coming and everyone who filled in the audience questionnaire.
Thanks are also due to:
Laurence Hipkiss, for providing live music (at short notice) to play-in the audience and to cover the scene changes.
Joy Fellows, for help with gathering and transporting props.
Our signer, Jessica Heller, from the Walsall Deaf Centre.
Graham Worton, Dudley Borough geologist, for improving the script with his useful knowledge of the cave system under Wren’s Nest.
Our actors and director for all their hard work and committment.
Suzan’s next project will be a children’s show in collaboration with Rachel called The Recycled Puppet Show.
There will be further updates to this blog. Yesterday’s performance was filmed and hopefully we’ll receive this material soon.
Laurence Hipkiss
lozz@blackcountrypodcasting.com
Today’s rehearsal went well. Constraints of time and the nature of the space have inevitably limited what’s achievable but given that the actors and director produced excellent results today.
There’ll be a further short rehearsal tomorrow morning then tomorrow afternoon the show will be performed before a small but hopefully appreciative audience.
Good luck everyone.
Suzan Spence is an actor and playwright based in West Bromwich.
Her experience includes working in traditional and non-traditional theatre spaces, film, and forum theatre. Currently Suzan is in the process of setting up Drama and Some as a Community Interest Company for Sandwell. Suzan is a member of West Bromwich Library poetry group and a member of West Bromwich writers group.
Robert Warrington is a poet and playwright from Tipton.
His plays have beem commissioned by the Birmingham Rep and performed by Friction Theatre. His poems and micro-fictions have been published online and by Leaf Books. Robert is a member of Big Script, a group of West Midlands’ playwrights that meet fortnightly to appraise each other’s work and produce showcases. See: www.robertwarrington.com
Rachel Sambrooks is our director on this project.
She has her own theatre company, Blossom Theatre, based in nearby Birmingham. More about Rachel at: www.blossomtheatreco.com
Nikole Reygan will play Collette. Nikole has appeared in productions by Sampad Theatre Arts, Alexandra Theatre Company, Rage Theatre Company and Shalom Street Theatre.
Corinne Jarrett will play Gina. Corinne has appeared in two productions by the Royal Shakespeare Company while a student at Sandwell College.
Rory Nolan will play Peter. Rory has performed in productions at the Abbey Theatre, the Belgrade Theatre, and Blue Coat Theatre, and appeared in short films.
Luke Mason is a Sandwell College student who has appeared in many college productions, including Stags and Hens, Hymns, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Haroun and the Sea of Stories.
Auditions for Black Country Blues were held today at The Public in West Bromwich, just a stone’s throw from the empty shop space venue. I’d put an advert on the National Equity jobs website as well as ringing local drama schools and actors’ agents for recommendations. We had eleven candidates in all. Some Sandwell College students attended as well as professional actors.
It was a close call but we all decided on using Rory Nolan for the role of Peter and Sandwell College student Luke Mason for the role of Ashley. Luke
beat off some strong competition with his intelligent and authentic portrayal.
We can’t announce the final casting yet as we have more candidates to audition.
Designed by Matthew Banwell.
Drama and Some is a new theatre company based in the English West Midlands, in the area geographically known as Sandwell and colloquially as the Black Country. It was started by Suzan Spence, a local writer and actor. Suzan recruited me as her co-writer and we’re currently working on our first project, a play called Black Country Blues.
A free preview of the play will be performed on the 27th January (between 1pm and 2pm) in the Community Artspace in Queen’s Square West Bromwich. Anyone who wishes to come is welcome to attend.
In this blog we will give you background information and try to document the process as we move towards the performance. At the moment we’re in the middle of getting our posters and flyers printed. We’re also trying to finalize the script and put a cast together. So much to do, so little time, as they say.
