BSMTC Jesus Christ Superstar 2014 Trailer

This, people, is our fabulous trailer for our show Jesus Christ Superstar 10th - 16th November - get your tickets here
www.rhodesbishopsstortford.org.uk or call 01279 651746 for the Box Office

Oh the irony...

Hello theatre luvvies,
Isn't it just too ironic that I have been too busy at rehearsals to blog about going to rehearsals... ?

Anyway its been a while since I've written but I said to myself if I don't keep this up it's going to just wither away and die..and that would be sad.  We are now about 3 and a bit weeks away from our first night of JCS and the show is coming together now.  I am always amazed at how it really does start to gel in the last few weeks - we are now sharpening up our dance steps and lyrics and I feel a lot more confident.

Costume is pretty sorted - 60s hippy is not too difficult to do.  However, I thought I would share with you my lovely fabric painted jeans - which I decorated myself!  I bought a cheap pair of jeans and some fabric paints from Hobbycraft, enlisted the help of darling artistic daughter and voila!  What do you think?

I am really impressed by the performances from our leads - one thing you have to give with this show is a lot of emotion, night after night.  Judging from the performances I've seen in rehearsals the audience are in for a treat - and will probably feel a bit wrung out by the end.

A little clue for those of you who don't know the show - it doesn't have a happy ending. Just saying.

One of my favourite parts at the moment is when Pilate (played by Gareth Cheeseman) gets into kicking Jesus around and the mob are yelling crucify him - it really gives me goosebumps everytime - especially when poor Jesus (Richard Foster) is whipped 39 times.

Here is Richard giving his all as Jesus in Gethsemane...

And here are some of our lovely cast waiting patiently for their entrance - ha ha

I also really love the Superstar number - I think when we have a live band with us, this is going to be awesome.  There will be so much going on, on the stage, that I think it will be quite spectacular. I cannot wait until we have a proper rock guitar in there...

As a soul girl in this number ( I got promoted!) I am wearing a spangly tight dress and a blonde beehive wig - here is Wardrobe Manager Charlie Tarran modelling the wig ...I last saw this look on my mum who also had a similar hairstyle in the 60s - I know she reads this blog so she won't mind me saying!

I also want to leave you with this dilemma - whose side are you on - Team Jesus or Team Judas! I know who got my vote!

You can cast your vote on our Twitter page https://twitter.com/BSMTC and also check out our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BSMTCpage
for more news about our show and to book tickets visit  http://www.rhodesbishopsstortford.org.uk/events/jesus-christ-superstar/  where you can see our amazing show trailer!

Biblical, hippy or modern - the thorny issue of costumes

Hello fellow theatre luvvies,
I was thinking what to write the blog on this week - we are now into our rehearsal schedule but as we have only been doing music so far, we have yet to find out what vision our director has in store for us, including the issue of what we are going to wear and what look the show is going to have.

So this made me start thinking about costume.  We are all aware of the time Jesus Christ Superstar is set (33AD I think?), and some companies choose to stage it in biblical dress.  I have seen an amateur production of this where this was done, and it did not do it for me.  Maybe because I feel that this limits you to a sea of sandals and beige stripes with the odd palm leaf being waved around.We have agreed our production will be in modern dress - but what does this mean?  We have all been very influenced I think by the recent arena tour, where the cast wore modern dress - the look was of protestors and was heavily influenced I think by the riots in London a few years ago, and the protestors around St Paul's Cathedral.  Doing some internet research I came across all sorts of references so thought I would share them with you.

Firstly I found this brilliant bit of video from the costumer designer for JCS on Broadway in 2012 - I really like what he did as he has merged traditional dress with but there are touches of modern fashion - so it still looks funky and cool...

Paul Tazewell: Costume Designer For Jesus Christ Superstar Broadway 2012

What do you think?  I particularly like how he dressed Herod and Mary Magdalene - Mary really stands out in that yellow dress.

Love the suit Pilate is wearing too

This last picture shows Herod's song - love the use of the white piano but also how the girls and boys are dressed - sort of camp Roman??? Bit like 'A funny thing happened on the way to the Forum? '  Look at  that guy in the red tunic!!


Here is another take on costume from another society - the Hippy look...this is another way of doing it, referencing the time it was written and first put on stage - i.e. 1970s...Not too sure about this - could be in danger of looking a bit too much of its time?

 

Touch me, touch me Jesus!

I'm sure I've seen these guys in the British legion playing ukeleles on a Wednesday night

Now in this next picture, I am not sure what the hell is going on - back to the 80's anyone?  Pink DMs - a bit Bananarama? Although I am quite liking the Angels and the white vests with diamante crosses. But what is with those grey dresses the souls sisters are wearing?  Tell me, does this float your boat?

Do you really want to hurt me?

This was the only pic I could find of traditional Biblical dress and I must say I do like the Roman uniforms, but then I have always been a uniforms girl...but no, glad we are not doing it like this.

Doesn't Jesus look sweet though?

It thought this worked well, sort of - mix of old and new?  And that corset I bought could come in handy again...I am getting my money's worth out of that. I like Judas in black and Jesus in white.  Not sure about the guys in hats though, are they meant to be the priests or gangsters?

This is from the arena tour - hard not to copy it isn't it, as it is so good! - love the banners, love the modern look.  It would be really easy for us to do as we probably have the clothes at home - but what does our director have in mind?  I am sure he won't want to just copy it.

 

 

Gotta get my hoody out

Lastly thought I would leave you with this image of the priests - wouldn't this be great????Like something out of Star Wars???  Leather tea cosies for hats?

Got rehearsal tonight and wondering - will I ever get the notes right? The altos have got some real buggers to sing this year.

As promised in my last blog here is alto corner for JCS 2014!!  There are some more ladies but they are either on holiday or in the toilet....

A Night of Old Time Music Hall

I spent a really lovely evening on Saturday night watching my company BSMTC perform our annual Spring Show which this year was an Old Time Music Hall.  Our Spring Show was essentially conceived as a fundraising activity but what I really like about it is it gives members of our company who may not get leading roles in our main production a chance to shine. 

Music Hall is a very much a traditional British theatrical entertainment - with its orgins in London in the 1830s. It started off in public houses but grew in popularity and soon standalone music hall venues were being set up.  These theatres were designed chiefly so people could consume food and alcohol and smoke tobacco in the auditorium while the entertainment took place.  Sounds like a great night out to me - bar the smoking!

Music Hall made stars of people like  Marie Lloyd, Dan Leno, Little Tich and George Leybourne.  In fact Marie Lloyd was only 14 years old when she made her debut!  Songs from the music hall have become part of our culture - everyone knows My Old Man, You are My Honeysuckle and of course there are so many songs from the First World War too such as Keep the Home Fires Burning, Pack Up Your Troubles and Goodbyee. 

I was not in this Spring show as I decided to take a break - I started a new job in January and my commute is massive and tiring so I wanted to concentrate on getting established and settled.  But boy did I miss it!  I really wished I was up on stage on Saturday night as everyone looked like they were having so much fun.  What was really nice is that the older members of our company really seemed to enjoy performing in this show and there were some great comedy turns and beautiful solos.  A lot of my friends were in it and performed brilliantly - it was very well put together, colourful and fun. It's amazing what you can do in a village hall - with no scenery and just lighting to bring it all together.  The costumes really make a difference - I loved the cockney section with the pearly kings and queens the best.

My theatre pals Cat and Jay lead the company in The Lambeth Walk!  Oi!

In true music hall tradition we sat at tables, with our bottles of wine and beer and in the interval had fish and chips.  Simple but oh so enjoyable! My hubby always says he loves the Spring show because he likes the fish and chips. Not because he enjoys seeing his wife perform! I can't tell him off though as he took most of these photos for this years show and he made a really good job of it - I think I am going to offer his services to do our dress rehearsal pics for Jesus Christ Superstar which is our main show this year in November.  More on that in another blog post as we have our first show talk tomorrow night - Yippee!  To say I am excited is an understatement....we are all so looking forward to it.  I don't really care what I am in but I have a secret hankering to be a leper covered in blood - I just want to build my part up as much as possible so I figure I will get noticed if I am covered in blood! ha ha.  More of that later...

To get back to the Music Hall - here is the opening number from the show - Oh I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside - now we all know that one don't we?

Love the way the beach ball is in mid air in this one!

I had to include this one because I think it takes guts to wear a swimming costume like that - this was Swimmin' with the wimmin' - Richard came down with a nasty cold after the show - maybe it was the costume?

And this is of our lovely chorus girls doing Ta Ra Ra Boom Dee Ay.. Here's a little tip from me - get a corset if you are in a Musical Theatre group -  you will wear it loads....

 

And finally a picture of the BSMTC ladies doing a number from Oh! What a Lovely War  - fronted by my good friend Cat who was fabulous in the role of recruitment diva.  I keep telling her she should be on the stage....;)

What about you?  Have you ever been in an Old Time Music Hall - what songs did you sing? How did you stage it?

First ever blog post - why I love being in an amateur theatre company

Hello there fellow theatre lovers! 

Difficult to know what to start writing about first - as I have so many things I want to say, but as this blog is about amateur theatre I thought I'd kick off by telling you why I got into it in the first place. I'm a member of Bishop's Stortford Musical Theatre Company www.bsmtc.org.uk and joined up about 6 years ago. I'd always loved acting and singing but somewhere along the way after university I stopped doing anything - I was trying to establish my career, then I got married and had my lovely daughter Olivia.  I think I lost my 'mojo' and felt I did not have the talent or confidence to get up on stage. I left it for about 15 years! It all changed when I started working part time as a marketing manager in a local theatre. The venue I worked in was a council run place, and local groups hired it for shows etc so we played host to a lot of local theatre and ballet etc.  I got interested in one group, BSMTC as they were putting on a production of My Fair Lady and it was selling out - I managed to get a couple of tickets at the last minute, went along and was so impressed by the talent.  I sat in the audience wishing it was me up there in the costumes and under the bright lights -most of all it looked FUN. I really felt I needed something that was just for me - where I could be myself - not mummy, wife or career woman.

So I sent off an audition form and was asked to prepare a piece to sing and perform a poem or piece of text - I was so nervous I went and got singing lessons. I chose to sing a piece from Les Miserables - no, not I Dreamed a Dream,  I chose On My Own instead and a speech from Shakespeare.  My audition was on windy, cold night in a football club - I'd prepared the whole song, but when I turned up was asked to do only a section of it.  It was so cold my teeth were chattering so it was not the ideal audition environment, but somehow or other I got in.

My first steps back onto a stage were in a Spring Cabaret in a village hall which the company do every year as a fundraiser - I thought to myself -' I'll just stay in the background until I get my confidence back', but everyone was so welcoming I started to really enjoy myself from week one.  I soon started to see that other people were not afraid to get up there and really give it everything, so I felt - why not?  You can do it too!!  I think the closet diva started to emerge there and then - secretly I am a total show off!  After that  I got a part in Little Shop of Horrors which was my first big production in a proper theatre - I played Mrs Lucie the 'editor's wife' and was also in the chorus.  A soon as I stepped onto the stage on our first night I was hooked - I had the biggest surge of adrenalin and happiness ever.

Since then I have not looked back and my confidence has grown and grown.  I can honestly say have met the nicest people - I feel I have finally  found my 'tribe'.  They love acting, singing, dressing up, being crazy and having fun.  I have never laughed so much as I do sometimes at our rehearsals and I have made the best friends.

Joining an amateur theatre company was the best thing I ever did - I got my mojo back.

Here I am in my first ever big show Little Shop of Horrors as Mrs Luce with my fellow cast members behind the curtain on the last night - I am top row 6th from the left in the red hat.  That yellow thing is Audrey the man eating plant from outer space!

And here is another backstage pic from the same show...

Happy Days! 

What about you? Do you act and sing and how did you get into it?