Foyer Bits and pieces, Final Dress Rehearsal and the cast blog at last! Director's Blog 25

It's 4.30 pm, Owen, Phil, Olly and I are being very silly in the foyer at the Broadway Theatre! As we sit here the Christmas Tree is being decorated as the dusk is arriving. Chorus Two have just got here and seem pretty excited! 

There is a buzz about the place. The cast are on very good form! Lots of laughter,fun and anticipation as we go into our last and Open Dress Rehearsal! 

Today there are a few mini-blogs that I am planning to post in the comments box below from our Team Cinderella, and here also a slightly bonkers cabin-fevered video of Mr Phil, Mr Owen and I lovingly filmed by the writer Mr Olly who cleverly manages regularly to avoid being filmed - but watch out Olly - Your time will come!

Anyway here it is....... the sound is terrible, the screen too wide, and well some of the creative team just a little...............!

Have faith in the Creative Team leading this panto?  Well now you have seen the video I hope that maybe we can be forgiven? It is all just a little hysterical folks, and demonstrates coming out the other side of the post-partum blues - well that's my excuse anyway!

Its early in the morning of the next day (Thursday 29th November) and I am just picking up from where I left off in the foyer yesterday afternoon to add a small comment on last night's final open dress rehearsal. 

The audience for this show was very special.It was made up of 200 or so looked-after-children with their parents,families,carers and social workers. Its a commitment the Broadway has made over the past few years at the request of Anne Bristow (Corporate Director Adult and Community Services). And I think its a great idea.

It serves two important purposes. Most significantly it gives troubled families and their children a bit of light hearted fun and a break from all the pressures they are under,and secondly it gave Team Cinderella a chance to strutt its stuff to what felt like an almost full house of children and adults.

The excitement and fear levels amongst the children (and possibly some of their adults) reached fever pitch at times! How fabulous it was to hear and see these kids and their families having such a great time! 

I was sitting at the very back of the auditorium filing my finge nails as promised with Owen (well he wasn't actually filing my finger nails bless him, mind you he would have made a much better job of applying my red nail varnish I have to say!) 

The excitement in the audience made me suddenly feel a bit like we were on the Nemesis ride at Alton Towers!  I have to say I had never made the connection between a panto and a theme park before - but come to think of it Mr Phil seems to have done so! I believe he went to Disneyland Paris for a certain big birthday in August? So maybe that's what inspired his tunes? We will probably never know!

Sal wrote on our private facebook group this evening about how amazing it was to see the children's faces when they saw Cinderella's rag dress transform into a ball gown in front of their eyes. Its true isn't it that when you believe in magic, anything is possible?

The actors and chorus (to be lovingly called the Acting Company hence forth) no longer Principals and Youth Chorus any more, really seemed to relish the challenge! 

 Owen, Phil and I are also delighted to announce the two Team Leaders for the Young Acting Company Teams: 

Team One: Gabrielle Mason. 

Team Two: Coral Ironside.

Good luck guys! Keep your teams on their toes! ( oh yes but that's why they are there in the first place ....the show....on their toes!)

For me one of the most special bits of the show was when Marsha asked the kids in the audience to help her with a spell, and asked them if they had a wand to do so. This actually brought a tear to my eye, as of course we knew that none of them did. (And I don't think that the merchandise arrives until Saturday anyway). 

So Sal told them that if they didn't have a real wand, they could pretend. She asked them to wave their imaginary wands in the air,twirl them and then finally flick them to make the spell work. And they did. It was a magical and beautiful moment, but I must admit to having cried just a little at this.I hope that for them the memory of seeing and doing magic might stay with them for a little while.

Anyway enough is enough. I haven't posted any photos for a while, so here are some I took earlier You can see that I must have been a little potty as I decided to take a photo from my moleskine rehearsal notes book!

I don't usually share my notes with anyone other than our team, and believe me after the first dress rehearsal the other day I did have 25 pages of notes! 

So here is a glimpse! The writing is virtually ilegible as it was done in the dark  - and my eyes aren't what they used to be! 

And for the Young members of the Acting Company's grandchildren: 

Please forgive the out of focus quality of my amateur pics. There will be better to come from Theresa tomorrow, and these were done on my phone in the dark!

Cinders and Charming at the Ball

(Amy Green and Sharif Affifi)

If I were a Lady - Chorus Team Two

Ian Teague (Designer) and Alison Jacobson (Costume Maker) examine the intricacies of the transformation of Cinderella's dress.

Chloe Kenward (Lighting Designer) puts her final touches of magic to her inspired lighting design before jetting off to sunnier climes!

My trusty carer (aka Company Manager) looking just a tad emotional from his 300 + cues to call.

And last but not least my trusty Composer and Musical Director - Mr Phil in full rehearsal flow! Sorry Phil,. It had to be done!

So that's about it for today's blog. I will be updating over the next few days with more gossip from the green room and more unlikely photos!  

Please also do have a look at the min-blogs from Team Cinderella in the comments boxes below - will give you the sound of many other voices than mine! Thanks

See you tomorrow.