On influences and Peter Brook specifically: Director's Blog 53B

Peter Brook Is a pioneering theatre and film director born in the UK 1925 but has lived in France for the past forty years.

Following on from today's first blog 53A, I wanted to just expand a little on why Peter Brook is probably the most influential director for me and a major inspiration on the way I like to work.

Some of what follows is from an academic source: Student Pulse with some additional comments in brackets from me.

(Student Pulse provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines.)  

An actor is on stage. He begins to speak, and as he does so the hearts of the audience (are moved). The actor is pronouncing his love to a woman through song; or he is swearing revenge against the man who killed his father; or he is staring at the back of his best friend's head, just before he pulls the trigger.

The audience feels for each situation. They are swooned by the man pronouncing his love; they are angry at the man who killed the actor's father; and they feel pity for the man who is forced to kill his best friend. When the audience can truly feel these emotions and sympathise with them–the actor has succeeded. 

When the audience sits bored, listening to a recital of words with no emotion, the actor has failed. This idea is the soul of Peter Brook's work as a director, actor, and writer. (And to me!)  To Brook, the human connection is the essence of good theatre.

Brook defines the human connection through many different mediums, one of which is directing. He claim's “the supreme jujitsu” style of directing “would be for the director to stimulate such an outpouring of the actor's inner richness that it completely transforms the subjective nature of his original impulse”.

What he is describing is non-directional directing. In order for the actor to authentically feel what his character is intended to feel, he must discover those emotions on his own, without the director telling him what they are. The director's job is then to attempt to call forth existing emotions within the actor.(Hence the huskies exercise with Rubella and the Uglies, and the silver thread exercise) If this can be done successfully, then an authentic human connection will be made between the actor and audience.

Brook did away with conventional methods of acting, staging, and performance. He replaced “quasi-realistic settings” with “bold scenography that often revealed the mechanics of the stage and created startling visual effects” (Hence my conversations with Ian about the set and costume design through the summer) 

Brook would often use acrobatics and highly physical elements in his performances, shifting emphasis from oration to action. Simply, it was a matter of letting actions speak louder than words. 

After seeing Brook's famous production of King Lear, one reviewer stated: “So believable was the acting that audiences were often too stunned and terrified to applaud”(Aronson). 

His goal was not necessarily a new one, in fact many of his ideas were borrowed from his avant-garde contemporaries, but Brook was unique in his ability to present these ideas on stage. He did this through experimenting with the very nature of theatre, perhaps most famously with his creation of the Theatre of Cruelty Workshop within the Royal Shakespeare Company.

First conceptualised by Antonin Artaud, the Theatre of Cruelty sought to “abolish the separation between the audience's space and the performance space”(Kramer, 1). 

Through a series of violent lighting, staging and acting, the Theatre of Cruelty would astound the audience–shock them– into a state that transcended just entertainment. It would place them into a new consciousness, hopefully leaving them with some type of revelation within themselves. In this form, the word “cruelty” did not necessarily mean violence or torture or some other aspect that is often associated with it; to Artaud the word “cruelty” was used as a “cosmic rigour or implacable necessity imposing itself on the bodies of the actors” (Kramer, 2). Peter Brook put into action the ideas of Artaud.

In Brook's Theatre of Cruelty, the same characteristics of this shock-and-awe technique were abided, but unlike Artaud, Brook was able to make the concept clear on stage.The Theatre of Cruelty Workshop that Peter Brook founded was not only more successful than Artaud's demonstration of the concept, it also had a somewhat different aim.

While Brook did use the techniques that Artaud put forth in writing, he was not as spiritual as the Frenchman. Artaud believed that his cruel theatre could act as a guide to enlightenment; it was an instrument to all of society for a spiritual awakening. Brook's belief was simpler: his “goal was to reinvigorate the theater through a theatrical vocabulary not tied to language”(Aronson, 1). Rhetoric would no longer serve as the main device for communication. Brook used all aspects of theatre to stage this: lighting, set, props, costumes, and most importantly, action. All served to present the audience with a real, raw, and emotional experience.

One exercise that Brook practised in his Theatre of Cruelty Workshop involved an actor attempting to portray a certain state without using physicality at all:

“We set an actor in front of us, asked him to imagine a dramatic situation that did not involve any physical movement, then we all tried to understand what state he was in. Of course, this was impossible, which was the point of the exercise” (Brook, 49). (Internal Punch - don't think I did this with panto cast - but maybe at the end of show party?)

Exercises such as this encompass what Brook's version of the Theatre of Cruelty was. Through the physical, human nature and emotions are authentically evoked. We sympathise more with the crying woman whose body is wrenching in sobs than we do with a woman who is standing still, struggling to produce a tear.
This style of emotion-through-action took no consideration of the accretion that the last century's Theatre produced. No longer was emphasis on the spectacle. Brook had no interest in theatre that imitated reality: “we are” he claims “more conscious of what is imitative than what is real”(Brook, 34). 

If the production's goal is an imitation of reality, than it will never go beyond that. Instead, Brook insists, reality itself must be the goal. In his chapter “The Holy Theatre” in The Empty Space (My bible on directing for over 25 years)  Brook describes this theory as the “invisible”. 

The “invisible” is an act of communication between actor and audience produced out of the need to impart some emotion. The audience may not consciously acknowledge the fact that they are being moved by the emotion, yet they are still moved: the invisible. Brook says “it is like crossing an abyss on a tightrope: necessity suddenly produces strange powers”(Brook, 50). Through the invisible, the actors goal is to access the “hidden impulses of man”(Brook, 71), ultimately establishing a human connection that is inherent in the audience. 

This is not to say that Brook did not use abstract methods to achieve this accessibility. In fact, abstractness in performance became a trademark for Brook's productions: 

Sensationalism in his production of “Marat/ Sade”; glamour in the 1970 Midsummer Night's Dream. These are the productions that Brook will be remembered for. New York Times critic Clive Barnes said that Brook's Midsummer Night's Dream is a “theatrical production that is going to be talked about as long as there is a theatre”(Barnes, 1).

Brook forgot convention, and aimed to go beyond anything that audiences had already experienced. He changed, and not without controversy, the effect that the theatre can produce. In his own words, he attempted to “divide the eternal truths from the superficial variations” (Brook, 16): The “eternal truths” being the “invisible”–the inherent emotions in any human–and the “superficial variations” being the way in which to present those truths. “I can take any empty space and call it a bare stage,” Brook says, “A man walks across this empty space while someone else is watching him, and this is all that is needed for an act of theatre to be engaged” (Brook, 9). Thus he creates something honest: a human connection. And from that connection the audience's inner emotions are called forth–they are moved.


Aronson, Arnold. New York Times. NY Times, 25 May 2005. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. .

Barnes, Clive. "Historic Staging of a Dream." New York times [New York] 27 Aug. 1970. Print.

Brook, Peter. The Empty Space. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1968. Print.

Kramer, Andreas. "Antonin Artaud." Ebsco Host. Web. 1 Dec. 2009.

On Directing and changing dresses! Director's Blog 53A

Hi All

No blog yesterday as I thought I had left my laptop in the pub!  Only to discover it under the seat in my car on my way to Tonbridge to spend a few days with my mum and dad.

One of the things I have really enjoyed during the run of the panto has been just how many of my friends and family have pitched up to see it, and many from quite a distance away. This means that you get to see them, have a drink and a catch up, usually in small groups and to my surprise and delight friends and family at almost every show. Its lovely and feels a bit like a very long party, without the work!

Its also great and sometimes very helpful to get their specific feedback on what works and what could be better.The dress transformation is typically a topic of interest, usually with people saying they love it and not being able to work it out. The children in the audience of course don't need to know the mechanics because they "know" its magic, certainly if they are under 8 years old!  

Imagine still living in that place? 

The feedback about the dress really makes me happy because it is precisely what I wanted to achieve from the beginning. In fact, Phil's friend Tim Major, producer of the Broadway pantos from 2004-2009 came to see the show on Saturday, which was great. I thought it especially generous as his company was not invited to renew its contract for the panto for 2010 when the theatre management took it in-house. Tim and I had the beginning of a really good conversation about the difference between the training kids get in acting and singing and dancing. We were just getting to an interesting bit when MJ arrived to call beginners. 

I caught up with him a little bit in the Spotted Dog after the show where a few friends and most of the cast went for a jar. And I am sure that there were a lot of technical things he would have seen with a director's eye, but in the short time before I left the pub he was gracious enough to praise the dress transformation. 

Much like the praise from Richard Ireson from Narrowroad Creatives Agency, it means a lot when another professional rates something that highly, especially when you know that they have directed the very same show. I was especially pleased with Tim's comment as he has a long term relationship with the theatre and is a close colleague and partner of Phil's. They work together at the Finch Stage School, so Tim knows Stacey, Amy and Ella.

It might be a little ungracious of me however, given the all round praise the transformation has received, that its still not quite perfect enough for me. This is certainly nit picking as its definitely more than good enough! The technical delivery by Amy is excellent now, the co-ordination of hand and eye direction, the distraction, the glitter etc all add to lead the audience's attention. And I love it!

My only wish, and I have discussed this at length with Ian, Zoe and Alison is that the dress was a little more sparkly, and also that there is a different one, exactly the same for the ball, with more on it. We have been so concerned and with our novice "dress transforming" skills, we have chosen to keep it really simple, and I think that's right. 

What it means of course is that next time Ian is interviewed to design Cinderella for another company, he will be able to take this secret technology and technique with him! Which is great. Phil, Owen and I too! Let alone all our cast, crew and chorus!

On the way down to Tonbridge yesterday I was reflecting on a lot of things, one of which was about what source material had been useful in putting the show together. I always enjoy reading work about how other directors work. 

My major influences have been the Director Peter Brook, (The Empty Space), Jerzy Grotowski (Towards a Poor Theatre, Towards a Poor Culture), Antonin Artaud (The Theatre of Cruelty) Tadeuz Kantor (The Dead Class - the play), Eugenio Barba (Eugenio Barba is an Italian author and Director of the Odin Theatre Denmark.) and working with Steppenwolf and Remains Theatres in Chicago, Triple Action Theatre where I worked for three years and quite a few more.

I realised when I took on this project that I knew very little about the practice of Musical Theatre Directors. So I found a great book - The Showmakers: Great Directors of the American Musical Theatre by Lawrence Thelan.

It was a fantastic read as it contains ten long and intensive conversations with 10 of the greatest American musical directors. It was like a very long and delicious meal for me to read it. It has a long chapter for each incluidng Harold Prince Jerome Robbins, Tom O'Horgan, Richard Maltby Jr, Graciela Daniele - and more. Its interesting that only one of the ten is a woman though! Quelle surprise! I loved the book because it felt like a place I knew and I could see that my concern about there being a difference in the two ways of direction was total rubbish. And the other thing that was exciting in their stories of directing was the nature of the intrinsic need for collaboration in musical theatre, which does distinguish it from straight theatre. And it is precisely the collaboration that I have enjoyed so much. I am used to standing alone in the director's shoes when I realise a text. This experience was more like playing and I can honestly say that it felt like a true sabbatical! 

It is actually quite hard to find out what exactly other directors do in the rehearsal room, unless you have a good friend like Joss Bennathan, Arc's Associate Director who let each other into their rehearsal rooms, where its possible to exchange ideas and practice. 

On the panto of course the benefit I had was working with Owen as my AD and Choreographer as we really did get to share our respective practice. That's a real blast!


Anyway - that's it for this morning...... unless you fancy travelling with me to Blog 53B which will expand on my total admiration for my biggest influence, Peter Brooke.
If you don't fancy more about the theory and practice of directing, then have a lovely day and catch up tomorrow!

Yours truly on press night with lovely Young Acting Team 2, Ellie, Jess, Coral, Olivia, Stacey and Sam - You are brilliant! 

So Why are the arts so vital in this time of Austerity?: Director's Blog 52

Good morning all!

So this morning I find myself musing on some bigger questions as I think about and begin the implementation of our next steps. The question that I wake up with on many days is this. What are the arts for in an age of austerity?. Who gives a damn at the end of the day?

With squeezed budgets and pressure on resources, why should anyone be bothered with the arts ?

Could it possibly be because they are a fundamental and intrinsic part of what it is to be human? And because everyone is still at it? Cultural appetite is stronger than ever, despite the gloomy predictions of a couple of years ago: record cinema box office figures, a buoyant West End, sell-out exhibitions in London, a strong Royal Shakespeare Company, and much more.

Culture attempts to explain our experience and where we're up to, from Lucy Prebble's play Enron to Up in the Air with George Clooney. It's the most imaginative, creative way of talking about what's happened, and about what's likely to happen; it goes deeper than any government white paper.

The arts, like sport, are a necessary, universal diversion and a solace, whether that's burying yourself in Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall or going to see a musical or as in our case a panto!Culture gives us community like sport does. It's the big shared experience, through concerts, theatre and the huge British appetite for festivals. Alongside the huge expansion in the availability of culture online this hunger is for the real – actual, live contact with artists and other audiences.

I have to admit to not being very happy with the word "austerity". I think its one the government has made up, and because it is ubiquitous we all buy into it in one way or another and make it a self-fulfiling prophecy. Don't get me wrong I know as well as we all do what the last four years has been like. But you know it doesn't take long for communities to internalise these messages and to act accordingly, manifesting the very thing that none of us wants. It has the power to kill creativity if we are not careful and then we all end up believing it as the real truth. 

Artists are part of a great tradition of outrage and protest. Even Shakespeare and Chaucer, while not oppositional artists, gave us a sense of the moral base of life: reading them was an enlargement of experience. Art will continue to exist without government or local authority support – but it is tremendously important they give that support even so, as a means of placing value on culture. 

Artists do and have always faced much worse than austerity: elsewhere in the world artists risk their lives simply by telling the truth. They have survived censorship, war, the Great Depression and continue to survive agains the impossibility of dictatorships and personal intimidation and will always do so.

Then there are always the devil's-advocate questions. Why pay for the arts when we can't pay for hip replacements? How democratic is culture anyway? Is the dole not the greatest sponsor of the arts we've ever had? Do artists really speak truth to power (what about Wagner)? And if the arts would exist anyway, why give them government funding?

Maybe its the case that too much Arts Council funding goes to the big London institutions such as the Royal Opera House, and not enough to the regions, where organisations lke Arc and the Broadway Theatrre are much more vulnerable. I am delighted that in our case in Barking and Dagenham The Arts Council seem to be addressing this through the granting of over £800,000 for a Creative People and Places programme to encourage and inspire greater involvement in the arts here.

And how inclusive are the arts really? Well there's Poems on the Underground, which which might be described as "the most democratic artistic intervention of the last 20 years. And Danny Boyle made a good fist of it this summer with the Olympics Opening Ceremony! Ironically though, the smaller organistations like ours that work best with their local community are also the possibly the most vulnerable. None of it quite makes sense.

We all recognise the problems the arts now face, so what are the priorities? If we want to make a difference, where should our energies be focused? On outreach work with schools? through local centres of artistic excellence, through encouraging greater grass-roots donations?. I have to say that like many I am deeply concerned and angered by the ever deepening cuts and i do believe we have to find a way of translating this basic human need to this philistine government which by all evidence appears to serioulsy undervalue the arts and their core place in our society. I believe that in tough times, improving and guaranteeing access to the arts is more important than ever.

That's my short political rant for the day. 6 Shows left! Can't quite believe it.

On Paulo Coehlo's Alchemist: Director's Blog 51 B

I am back into reading an eclectic mix of books too, fiction and non-fiction in easy searching.The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is one such book. I hadn't read it for about five years but it fell off the shelf the other day, so seeing this as an omen I re-read it for the fifth time, and I plan to re-read it every year for a long time to come. This little book about a shepherd traveling to Egypt to find his treasure is so full of wisdom that I learn something every time.

These questions about where and what next were on my mind, and by thinking them over I make myself ready for answers. 

An old Chinese proverb says “When the student is ready, a teacher will appear.” 

The Alchemist, or Paulo Coelho if you like, has been a teacher for me.

Here are seven lessons from The Alchemist, that have the power to inspire new ideas and to change  life for the better.

1. Dreams get the creative juices flowing

It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.

It’s not the dream coming true that makes life interesting, it’s the possibility of it happening. The journey is as important as the destination. However without a destination (your dream) the journey is without direction and loses its meaning. So dream that dream, and pursue it.

2. You knew what you wanted when you were young

It (destiny) is what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their destiny is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realise this destiny.

Think about what you wanted to be as a kid, what was your dream?

3. Pursue your dreams, the universe will help

Whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It’s your mission. And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.

There are a lot of names and explanations for this phenomenon, but they main thing is that it’s so true. If you have a dream and really want to achieve it, look at the world with an open mind and you will recognise all the signs and all the people that will help you along the way. You can call it the Law of Attraction, or destiny, or the power of visualisation, or synchronicity, or whatever. Share your dream with people and focus on realising it, and you will get help.

4. Pursue your dreams, don’t fear failure

Only one thing makes a dream impossible: the fear of failure.

People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don’t deserve them, or that they’ll be unable to achieve them.

A couple of quotes from the Alchemist I particularly like are:

Don’t fear failure, expect success. Fearing failure will do two things:

It will prevent you from taking action, and without action you’re not moving

It will increase the likelihood of failure happening (as you so actively visualise it)

Reframing failure also works for me. I like this saying  “It’s not falling that we call failure, it’s neglecting to get up again.”

5. Make decisions and learn from the journey

Making a decision is only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, they are really diving into a strong current that will carry them to places they had never dreamed of when they first made the decision.

“There is only one way to learn,” the alchemist answered. “It’s through action. Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey.

Making a decision and committing to action are not results, they are the start of something powerful. They set forth a chain of events, a strong current, that takes you further on your journey. Enjoy that journey as it will take you to places you did not expect, and provide you with the lessons you need to realise your dream.

6. Love makes us better

When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.

Love never keeps someone from pursuing their destiny.

Love will not get in the way of realising your dream. If you let love be the reason for giving up on your dreams, you will blame love for it later in your life. You’ll look at the one you love with an underlying feeling of remorse, which in turn will sabotage your love. If we love we strive to be become better than we are, better as a partner,as a parent or as a person. The love will only deepen when we allow ourselves and others to pursue their dreams and love them for the journey they take.

7. You never lose control

“What’s the world’s greatest lie?” the boy asked, completely surprised. “It’s this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That’s the world’s greatest lie.”

This one is so important. You never lose control! There are always decisions to make, always actions to take. There may be stages in our journey in life that will be difficult and that need perseverance. Stay in touch with that dream, and never ever give in to the feeling that you can’t do it. You are in in your own driving seat!

That's it for today! (Rather long - but pithy I feel Paul? No post yet?)

A Cloak, Chariots of Fire and Feeding the Imagination: Director's Blog 51A

Good morning friends I know and those I don't! Thank you for reading this blog and for sharing in the Arc Team Cinderella journey. Its been amazing.

Yesterday's shows were great, although the smallest houses of the run. No great surprise as we all move from the Christmas magic to the reality of cold and dark January mornings and the hidden promises of spring. None of us probably relishes this shift in mood whilst its happening, but I guess we all know secretly that this is just the way things are in the grand constellation of our lives together.

The smaller houses (not that small actually, we have just got used to packed audiences!) simply reflect this shift. For me today it was also special as my dearest friend and mentor Amari Blaize was in the house with her lovely family, Amanda, Khanysile and Joshua. 

Amari has been my almost daily sounding board for many years, and for the past six months has accompanied me on this Cinderella journey. She knows precisely what this has meant and she has offered me the gift of an active ear and sometimes too much directorial advice than is good for her (or me for that matter), but she gets it and consistently surprises me with her observations! I was more delighted than I can say that she and her family loved the show! Indeed Sile asked me where she could get some of that magic glitter stuff so that she wouldn't have to worry about changing her clothes every day! Oh Sile, you are silly!

It was also great to see Cllrs  Jeanne Alexander and Tony Ramsay the Mayor at the show today with their family and in a private capacity without chains! Although as Tony said to me after the show, the ice cream usher did recognise him and whisper so to her companion! Oh the price of fame!

The final 9 shows are actually booking well as I had hoped they would, supported by the ticket offer campaigns and the local reviews. It looks like we will meet our financial target and at the very least break even on the budget. So we can say we did it, artistically and financially and more importantly that we switched on a small bright light in our community for a few weeks. I am very proud of that.

There was however a little tomfoolery around at Team Cinderella HQ yesterday. Firstly, the lovely Alison arrived just before the interval of the second show with a beautifully sewn cape for Prince Charming to wear after the ball as he goes in search of his princess. 

I know I know, why on earth am I remotely bothered about introducing a new bit of costume at this late stage? Well I can only say that I am always seeking to improve and tweak. Some kind audience member mentioned to me about 2 weeks ago that they thought it strange that Charming wears the same clothes all the way through including at his wedding. I thought that Ian and I  had put in enough by having him wear just his ruched shirt for the ball, but when listening to the comment, I realised that he does in fact wear his jacket throughout except for this.

So I have to admit hassling my lovely designer for yet another rather late change, and true to form he came up with another solution. A cape. I have to admit that I wasn't actually expecting a cape to arrive, how could it?  Zoe had moved on to the panto at Windsor and Alison was on another show too!

But with her usual "can-do" approach to costuming and with no budget left, dear Alison sent me a message yesterday to say she had in fact made the cape! She arrived in the foyer just before the interval, cape in hand and husband left in the car waiting for her. Now the cape is rather beautiful and in the same rich fabric as the trousers. 

I determined by way of thanks to Alison and because of my belief that we needed it to see if we could sneak the cloak into Act Two for the Prince's Friends in Me number with Dandini. 

It was a joyous and exquisite moment when Alison, Phil and I went backstage and summoned the lovely Sharif for an impromptu fitting! Well actually it all went downhill from there. Sharif donned the cape and began to dance. It was the campest thing, honestly! As he shuffled we all began to laugh hopelessly. Our romantic lead turned into Dracula in front of our very eyes. It was side splittingly wonderful. And indeed the purple fabric only leant more credence to the image! 

I was very naughty, and did something I have rarely done, if ever. I asked him to give the cape a go for Friends in Me, and NOT to tell Dean that he would be wearing it until they went on stage. That is seriously unprofessional on my part! Indeed inviting a fit of corpsing and hysterics from the actors on stage is something that is a no go area for any director. But here I was inviting it! And I make no bones about it. As long as they could deliver the song as it should be for the audience without compromising the number, then the idea of Sharif strutting his stuff, cape flowing behind him was a vision I could simply not resist!

And so it was. Oh my goodness, I laughed till the tears were rolling down my cheeks as I watched him do his soft slipper routine with Dean, (so much so that Phil had to shuush me!) who in his inimitable fashion rode the gag wonderfully. There was sheer delight in both their faces which did nothing but add to the fun for the audience, even if they didn't know it! Funnier too perhaps was the Young Company's reaction in the number. 

Little lovely Jess who had stepped into Team One (for Brooke who had got a dart in her foot on Christmas day!) was beside herself after the show. She loved the cape and suggested that we keep it in (sorry J we won't be doing that!). She gave me a little directorial advice, namely that when Marsha puts the Prince's finger up his nose in the riddle freeze she should also put in some vampire teeth!  Dear Jess really made her mark with me as a fledgling director yesterday!

I promise we won't do it again, and I hope Alison will understand that her special trip from Muswell Hill was not wasted! We will definitely use her beautiful cape again, just not in this show!

The other bit of tomfoolery was instigated by our MD and Dean! Again, like me, Mr Phil is a stickler for discipline and concentration. However this did not stop him I am afraid from plotting a little ruse with Mr Kilford.  There is the moment in the resolution when the action of the show is stopped by Marsha once again, in order to mend the shoe and get to the bit where the guy gets his girl.  During this freeze, Dandini carries on a stool for Cinderella to sit on so that she can try the slipper. Well for one show only, the audience got to witness Mr Phil playing Chariots of Fire, whilst Mr Kilford, aka Dandini moved in runner-like slow motion to place the stool at Cinderella's feet.

Although sadly I missed this precise moment of musical genius, I did have the pleasure of hearing about it after the show! They coped of course - because that's what actors do, against all the odds sometimes. And this was odd!  Marsha made some joke about how long it was taking and there we were at the slipper fitting with the audience none the wiser!

I really shouldn't be sharing this with you, dear reader, but I think we have been hanging out together for long enough now to let you in on the silly secrets we sometimes make. 

That's it now though! No more. I have allowed my standards to drop, and as for Mr Phil......... I leave it to you to decide.

The rest of my time yesterday was spent thinking and planning for the future, the next big (or small) idea for life post Cinderella as my trusty Arc team now call it. All a bit scary really, but I have got used to scary over the past six months in particular.

When coming up with new ideas for shows or projects we always have to return to the source of imagination. Olly disappears for days into his head to excavate his imagination and always comes up with something surprising and different whatever the project. I have always loved working with him on new ideas precisely because his imagination is so rich and fertile and at times frankly extraordinary (I refer you to the slipper sniffing).

And for me - I am a magpie. I search wherever I can for the next idea. It is always an accident of fate, an unexpected meeting, show, film, conversation or simply a cup of coffee with an old friend in a cafe somewhere in Essex! But if you are on the lookout, its all there to be revealed.

Having just reread this blog - I see that it is in fact two blogs as once before, so although this has been read today (well at least maybe scanned!) I am now migrating the next bit about books and ideas for the next venture to Blog 51 B

So come with me if you fancy a little about the Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo! 

Stepping out of Cinderella World... And So What next? Director's Blog 50

Hi all

Its really becoming palpable now that the panto is almost over. I was in yesterday for the first show and chatting back stage for a moment with Sally, Andy and Ian. I said so 38 down only 11 to go. And Sal said 'Don't go there! I can't even bear to think that its nearly over". I said I felt the same and so did the girls (Men!).

Its such a trick this making a show thing. It really doesn't matter how many times you have done it you can bet it will get you again! Its a bit like promising yourself you won't have another kid after the trauma of giving birth to the first! But hey you always forget don't you? Nature has its own special way of making us forget.

It alway starts as a project scope, budgets, timelines, milestones, risk assessments, personnel and recruitment, contracts and much more. And then at some almost imperceptible moment it transforms into a creative process. 

For us at Team Arc scouting ahead of the Team Cinderella  birth began mostly with Nita and I pouring over schedules, learning new things about the law and child performers, fearing that we might not get the CRB's  and licences back in time for the chaperones and negotiating all sorts of real world stuff. 

By necessity of course there has to be a moment when we have done enough of the basics and set the foundations for us to be able to move into what I like to call Imaginal Space. This is slightly different from imaginary space, in that its the space in which we actually go and live for the period of creating, rehearsing and performing the show. There's no real alternative actually unless its one that doesn't include passion and love. It is not imaginary in that it is actually a place we all recognise. It becomes its own micro-climate and system.

I think its probably the same as being part of any team enterprise aiming for the same goals, creating something that did not previously exist. Perhaps the only difference is the intensity and speed of putting a show together. 

Like any other 'making something' project all the ingredients are the same. Perhaps one of the most terrifying things though with this is that there is no Research and Development money so to speak of, so you have to hope that you can make it work, and you can only really know when its too late and its out there!  So this is both scary and also totally addictive. Its the biggest rush and the biggest fear. Failure is always just a second around the corner, as is success of course. But in the end both are simply transitory. All things pass.

So contracts signed and creative process underway from August, we now find ourselves looking at the final manifestation of all those elements in the form of something so tangible in the show that its become its own little institution. We built it all together this Team Cinderella thing. Without every single person's commitment and belief in the project it would have floundered. People have invested all sorts of things and brought exactly what they needed to do so to the project. 

I have worked with many teams over the past 28 years since Arc was born and many not at Arc. And maybe I am waxing a little lyrical here as I am just a little emotional and could perhaps also be accused of self-indulgence, but I can honestly say that this is the best team I have ever been a part of. So its set a huge challenge for the next team I play for!

It is a powerful and special thing in large part also because it is time limited. Six months to vision, invent and make it isn't very long. And then at the end, the set gets taken down,the lights go off and the left over programmes get binned. The people who were so special to each other for this window of time go their separate ways. They promise to stay in touch because no one wants to let go of the great feelings they may have had. But we all know that whilst some people will have made friendships for a life time, and some may even work together again, (Watch this space for the new Ugly Sisters Duo Panto Producers worldwides!) The reality is that once its over, its over. It stays in our memories of course, and in our blogs! (all 50 of them!) and on our CV's!

This has been a particularly special one for me. Its meant a lot because its been a journey of professional and personal growth, which started as the scariest thing I have ever taken on. In spite of directing over 50 plays, I hadn't done this musical theatre thing ever! Imagine that, what foolhardiness! But its been a total blast. I have busted through prejudices I didn't even know I had. And I have relished in the new creative partnership forged between writer, composer/MD and AD/Choreographer/Designers and am hoping that this will find a new form of some sort going forward.  I have also found the Partner Production Manager to die for and I remain a stalwart fan and hope that Chris will join me in many projects in the future!  

And of course the truth is that many of us will come back together to work again, because that is how it is in this business. Always a blend of the new and the old. And some of our wonderful Young Company performers who have developed hugely will find themselves once again on the the stage, and maybe even with us.The future bodes very well for them.The thing is too - its all about love, hence I guess the word Amateur which we are all essentially, just some of us happen to be lucky enough to get paid to love! (Not sure about that one!) 

And so off to show number 39 this afternoon ( its been more than 39 steps believe me!)

Have a good one and remember that the Two for One Ticket Promotion that started at 8am today for 24 hours!

Twelve Shows Left!, Promotions And Feedback! Director's Blog 49

Good morning Boxing Day People!

I hope you have slept well after having your fill of turkey, trimmings, chocolates and alcohol and that you aren't feeling too worse for wear!

I had a lovely time en famille, which included a post dinner walk in the woods with my daughter Grace and our dog Bella. I tell you this only because this was the nearest to a show I got yesterday, when in my bold attempt to go first in crossing a flooded bit of park I landed up to my knees in freezing dirty water and almost fell into the "puddle" totally! No thanks to my daughter watching on saying she didn't want to get her coat dirty! So much for filial love. I have to admit to us both collapsing into helpless laughter as she didn't help me to empty my wellie full of water!

Anyway such is a family Christmas!

Turning to things Cinderella - I was delighted to welcome Richard Ireson from Narrowroad Creatives Agency to see the show on Christmas Eve. He thoroughly enjoyed it and said he thought it was very good, and that the dress transformation was the best he has ever seen in over 40 years! So thanks to the Mississippi College  Forever Productions  from which I barefacedly stole the technique! 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jYXc4YYsTY&feature=related&noredirect=1 version


So now 37 shows down and only 12 left! This is the typical in between Christmas and New Year week when we play with our toys, eat bubble and squeak and go for long walks to mitigate the expanded waistlines!  So perhaps also time to think about spending the last of your pennies on coming to see Cinderella. I have posted today on all my social media channels to let people know about the three special ticket promotions which will be available over the next two days. You might want to let friends and family know that there will be a limited release of promotional tickets but they will need to book quickly as there are only 300 tickets available for the rest of the run. Also people will not be able to cancel already reserved or paid for tickets to take advantage of these promotions.

I am giving you a sneak preview here so you can have the heads up to let people know. If you know people who don't do social media all you have to do is let them have the promotional booking codes.

Here is the information you will need:

Broadway - Arc  Productions Cinderella

Christmas/ New year Ticket Promotions:

To be posted on all Social Media channels. 

Cinderella Ticket promotion One: Two for One

Booking window  8am on Thursday 27^th December - 8am on Friday 28th December

Special Promotion: We have a limited number of Two for One Cinderella Panto tickets available to book between 8am 27th December  – 8am  28^th December. You will only be able to take advantage of this promotion during this 24-hour window.

Book your special offer tickets for any performances between December 27^th – January 2^nd subject to availability.

Simply email boxoffice@thebroadwaybarking.com to book your Two for Ones quoting the code “Cinderella Ticket Promotion One” Your tickets will be confirmed within 24 hours.

Or call the Box Office
Open for telephone callers Monday - Saturday 10am - 5.30pm and up to half an hour before show start times on show nights. Call 020 8507 5607. Or if you are in the area, just pop in during these hours.   

All promotional tickets will be subject to availability on a first come first served basis. The Broadway Theatre reserves the right to withdraw this promotion at any time during the 24 hour promotional window 

Cinderella Ticket Promotion Two

Children in character costumes from Cinderella get in free!

Booking window  8am on Thursday 27^th December - 8am on Friday 28th December

Special Promotion: We have a limited number of Children in Costume Cinderella Panto tickets available to book between 8am 28th December – 8am 29^th December. You will only be able to take advantage of this promotion during this 24 hour window. This offer is available only in conjuction with a minimum of 2 full paying tickets for the same performance.

Book your special offer tickets for any performances between December 28^th – January 2^nd subject to availability.

Simply email boxoffice@thebroadwaybarking.com (Is this correct Chris/Denise) to book your two for ones quoting the code “Cinderella Ticket Offer two ”

Your tickets will be confirmed as soon as possible and  within 24 hours.

Or call the Box Office
Open for telephone callers Monday - Saturday 10am - 5.30pm and up to half an hour before show start times on show nights. Call 020 8507 5607. Or if you are in the area, just pop in during these hours.   

All promotional tickets will be subject to availability on a first come first served basis. The Broadway Theatre reserves the right to withdraw this promotion at any time during the 24 hour promotional window“  

Cinderella Ticket Promotion Three

Senior Neighbour Tickets

Booking window  8am on Thursday 27^th December - 8am on Friday 28th December

Special Promotion: We have a limited number of Senior Neighbour Cinderella Panto tickets available to book between 8am 28th  – 8am 29^th December.  Use this offer to invite someone you know or a neighbour who might not otherwise get to see the panto and bring them with you!

You will only be able to take advantage of this promotion during this 24 hour window. This offer is available only in conjunction with a minimum of 2 full paying tickets for the same performance.

Book your special offer tickets for any performances between December 28^th – January 2^nd subject to availability.

Simply email boxoffice@thebroadwaybarking.com (Is this correct Chris/Denise) to book your two for ones quoting the code “Cinderella Ticket Offer Three ”

Your tickets will be confirmed as soon as possible and  within 24 hours.

Or Call the Box Office
Open for telephone callers Monday - Saturday 10am - 5.30pm and up to half an hour before show start times on show nights. Call 020 8507 5607. Or if you are in the area, just pop in during these hours.   

All promotional tickets will be subject to availability on a first come first served basis. The Broadway Theatre reserves the right to withdraw this promotion at any time during the 24 hour promotional window

Go get them in!

Have a lovely Boxing Day.

                                                                                                                                                                                         

Christmas Eve Foyer Meet and Greet: Some Team Cinderella photos by Donna Kelynack

Amy and Sharif with Anya and other lovely Children

Anya and friend

The Uglies  - Andy Gillies and Ian Crowe and a lovely child

Composer/MD Mr Phil with Gabby (Team Captain)  and Ella Young Company One

Christmas drawing for Team Cinderella by Theresa Snooks

And the Uglies again!

And Team One Captain again with Ella and Freya

Mr Phil with Gabby,  Ella, Freya and Anya (baby mouse little mouse sister) and Mr Dean Kilford

Anya - Baby mouse baby sister!

Mr Phil the Maestro Speaks...... at Last!

Phil Gostelow: Composer and Musical Director - Cinderella at the Broadway Barking 2012/13

Linda Finch, the Head of the Finch Stage School (where Amy, Stacey and Ella train and Rosie used to train, and where I have taught for 8 years) came to see the show tonight. In all honesty, I was dreading it! Not because Linda is unfair or deliberately harsh, but because she has incredibly high standards.

Her CV before taking over the school her mother ran from 1933 (so we enter our 80th year in 2013!) included working as a dancer in the West End choreographed directly by Bob Fosse. She played Anita in West Side Story and choreographed the Benny Hill show for years, not to mention some 40 odd years of panto experience, playing everything from Principal Boy to Evil Stepmother.

Linda is someone for whom I have enormous respect. She has over 30 years in the business at the top flight! I think this is something our students sometimes forget when she is demanding forever increasing levels of perfection!

Anyway, the background now set I return to the point..!

Linda, her daughter Nancy and her grandchildren were in tonight. I was more nervous about Linda's comments than I was on Press Night. But I needn't have worried! She was transfixed and loved the show! She thought the approach was unique and wonderful, loved the the songs, thought Amy was great and really liked how much the kids did.

She loved all the actors, and commented on the clear direction that meant each character absolutely hit their job without crossing into the wrong territory (for example, the fact that Amy never steps out of Cinderella for any gags or aside comments meant the children in the audience never lost the illusion or the magic of the character).

Her main praise though went to Ian and Andy our Ugly Sisters. 40 years of panto, including being in, directing, choreographing and just watching over 15 productions of Cinderella, she said that they were hands down the best Ugly Sisters she had ever seen!

High praise indeed. So very well done to everyone.

Reviews from Important People, The Impermanence of all Things and the Power of love: Director's Blog 48

Good morning.

So its Christmas Eve - always my favourite day of the Christmas festival. It promises of togetherness, Father Christmas, chimneys and maybe midnight mass. It resonates with all the years that have gone before. Most of us remember our past Christmasses, if not the specifics or details of each one. Whatever our faith or lack of faith we know that this to be a touchstone for family, love and gratitude as well as presents and too much to eat. It is also perhaps a rare pause to be in true communion with those we love. 

So its that day again then. Sadly the converse of the joy, firelight and Christmas magic is the loneliness and sadness brought into sharper and often excruciating focus for those who for whatever reason do not experience sitting within the heart of this family love.The feeling of being excluded so visibly expressed through every twinkly, decorated window on the street. 

So many people carry a quiet sadness within them and its not just the obvious ones who find shelter at Crisis for Christmas. Its those who live alone or in damaged and painful relationships. It doesn't discriminate - it can be any of us, young or displaced, separated or simply not loved. Often its the more visible elderly whose story and narrative, indeed identity are locked in some photos on the sideboard and maybe a few letters bundled together in a drawer. And those who suffer with mental and physical distress, and those for whom this is likely to be their last Christmas, and for those who will expectedly or  unexpectedly leave us over these few days. 

I know many of us may give a quiet thought to them as we express our thanks that at least this is not us for the moment and we sit hopefully with the bright lights, warmth and the fragility of our lives and our love for each other. Its all really rather humbling this human being/living thing. The love is enduring, the detail transitory. I think today I am going to look at how we might access some panto tickets for neighbours to invite people who live alone.

Anyway less of that and to be more upbeat!

Yesterday was interesting. I arrived at the theatre to find a very irate Mr Phil. Yep his high time-keeping expectations had been transgressed by the absence of half of the Young Company at the half. They were stuck in traffic, and I imagine they were just as wound up. I have to admit it was a little bit of a challenge for me to keep a serious face  speaking to Phil as he stood there in his bright, now famous red Rudolph Christmas jumper with a silly pom-pom nose. But I just managed it! Well it was actually a serious issue to deal with.

Anyway, ever the consumate professional I did join in with his annoyance, although I wasn't quite as irate as he was! We were in that fire fighting mode of having to come up with contingency plans. I secretly quite enjoy that. I shouldn't probably say this but as someone rather addicted to drama I ...... please fill in the rest.

TC Company/Stage Manager MJ was fantastic at keeping everyone calm and collected, coming up with the contingency plan where those Young Company members who were already in their dressing room could pick up the lines for the others in their first number - Wonderful Day.  Actually the kids arrived with 2 minutes to spare, get into costumes and there they were in their first number. Not warmed up, but there! Phew.

The other thing that was going on with my MD's temporary storm, was that someone was in the house yesterday whose opinion of the show mattered to him more than any critic's. Indeed he posted on TC private Facebook page that this performance was more important to him than press night. 

I won't go into any detail here as its not for me to do so, although I am hoping to persuade him to allow me to post his comments as a blog. Its the longest comment he has ever put on the Facebook page as no attempts from me or anyone else have succeeded in getting him to blog! 

So this shows just how important this was for him especially as he was convinced that this special person would not like the show! 

But guess what she loved it! 

There you go Mr P, the power of alchemy. I am delighted for you.

I am looking forward to today's show, I have someone coming too that could have a big impact on my career going forward, so its my turn to feel just a tad nervous!

There will be a blog pause of course tomorrow - or at least I think there will be, and you wouldn't be online anyway would you dear reader... would you?  

With love and peace to you all for Christmas and my gratitude to all who are on this journey with me.


And so that's me over and out for this morning. 

(Rather short and pithy I feel today Paul?)