The Courtyard
Herefordshire's Centre for the ArtsHere’s the Hereford Times review of panto.
Of all the impressive things about this year’s Courtyard panto, perhaps the most impressive is how cleverly writer Lyndsay Maples has introduced a pantomime dame to a show that doesn’t usually include the broad humour associated with the role.
Lyndsay’s script and Estelle van Warmelo’s direction have combined to create an outstanding panto this year, one that loses none of the essential sweetness of the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast yet contains everything anyone could want in a panto. The Beast, played by Andrew Lindfield looks beastly and menacing on his bouncy stilts, and Arabella Rodrigo is an engaging Belle. Dancers Jessica Hathaway and Heather Scott-Martin as Belle’s sisters Chou-Fleur and Mange Tout were delightfully giggly and Jonathan Ball was convincingly French as her father. Lyndsay Maples returned to the dark side this year, after playing a good fairy in last year’s Jack and the Beanstalk, attacking the role of Brimstone with obvious relish.
But the highest praise has to go to Nick Smithers as Dame Foufou, a beautifully judged dame who had an instant connection with the audience. His reprise of Robert Webb’s now legendary Flashdance routine was glorious, and he proved that a successful dame doesn’t have to go way way over the top to get the dame dynamic spot on. His/her double act with Paul Lawrence-Thomas as Dame Foufou’s hapless son Lugg was a hilarious example of the traditional panto slapstick routine.
Add some truly dramatic special effects, a striking set and lots of great songs, dancing from Jessica, Heather, Craig and Jonathan supplemented by eight local youngsters, and you have an absolute cracker of a panto.
Beauty and the Beast runs until January 9 at The Courtyard. To book, call 01432 340555 or visit courtyard.org.uk
Notes From The Projection Room – Part 3
With the clocks changing the nights drawing in the Film Festival season is well underway. What better time to start thinking about some of the thought proving fare that is likely to grace the cinema screen over the coming weeks? To start we have to look no further than the latest film programme to “brighten” the dark winter months. Having made its debut at the London Film Festival Jane Campion’s Bright Star chronicles the tragic relationship between Keats, one of the finest romantic poets and a humble Hampstead seamstress. With her past record of both Cannes and Oscar success she is still only the second woman ever to be nominated for a Best Director award for The Piano in 1994. Bright Star begins its run at The Courtyard on 12th December. Another offering which comes with a strong pedigree is Sam Mendes’ Away We Go which opened this year’s Edinburgh Film Festival. Funny, positive and smart, it’s a film that marks a distinct change of direction for one of Britain’s most celebrated contemporary directors and will be shown as part of our latest season in late November early December.
Festivals are a great occasion to celebrate all that is good in film, not necessarily to everyone’s liking but to get onto a festival programme I always believe that the piece of work has had to persuade a hardened panel of critics as to its merits. With modern digital equipment meaning that just about anyone can make their own masterpiece without them we may just simple drown in the amount of film available. Small budget doesn’t mean bad film either. Take a look at ‘Paranormal Activity’, shot in documentary style, costing less than 15,000 dollars but went on to become one of the top grossing films in the States, amassing more than 7 million dollars at the US box office primarily down to people persuasion pushing for a theatrical release via the collective power of Social Networking sites.
Shortly after Christmas we will enter the run up not only to BAFTA and OSCAR season (I know not strictly festivals but they do highlight ‘quality’ for closer inspection) but to our own and greatly appreciated BORDERLINES film festival which in the space of 6 years has grown into the largest rural film festival of its kind in the UK! How great is that and of course as usual The Courtyard will be at the hub of it. As I write a list of contenders are being whittled down to a final shortlist and hot off the press I can tell you that being considered for inclusion are, Micmacs
The Vanishing of the Bees, An Education, Taking Woodstock,The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Katalin Varga, Precious to name but a few. Can’t guarantee they will all make it but as they have been shortlisted well worth looking out for. So some great films to look forward to over the winter months and of course, as usual let us know what you think!
Simon Nicholls
Head Projectionist
Courtyard Theatre Hereford 4/11/09
Students of the World Unite
Our Deputy Box Office Manager, James Batley, takes us through our new student membership scheme – Student Damage.
Are you tired of being a student and not being able get things on the cheap as much as you do already? Can’t afford to come and see the latest blockbuster because you spent that last fiver down the pub? Then fear not! The Courtyard is here for you. We pride ourselves on bringing Hereford the very latest in Comedy, contemporary dance and physical theatre, as well as classic musicals, plays, local amateur dramatic group productions and films. Of course all this comes at a price, which is why we have launched Student Damage, a new student scheme designed to help and entertain you, the humble student.
So what can we offer you? Well how does free membership sound, lasting the duration of your course plus a year extra on top? Or how about £3 film tickets, any film, any time? How about £5 standby tickets for all live shows, released the week of the show? Better still, why not come and take advantage of these special prices and help yourself to 20% off at the bar on all food and drink? Just show your membership card and get all these fantastic credit crunching, student damaging offers week in, week out.
To become a member simply email boxoffice@courtyard.org.uk with your name, D.O.B., address, phone number and the college/university you attend, give us a call on 01432 340555 or drop in and give your details. You lucky people.
Boxing Clever at the Office
So I’ve been asked to write a blog about the Box Office. Immediately I’m toying with the idea of not writing said blog because I’ve no idea what to write, or more importantly, where to begin. That’s not to say I don’t know anything about my subject, or indeed lack inspiration, it’s just difficult writing about your job and making it interesting and compelling. Again, that’s not to say that being the Deputy Manager of the Box Office at The Courtyard isn’t interesting (think I got out of that one?) but there is almost too much to mention, and seeing as the Box Office blog is to become a regular (and hopefully popular) part of The Courtyard’s blog, I can’t go ahead and spoil the best bits so early on. Imagine it like a soap opera, or a dark and edgy prime time thriller, like 24. I digress. So, what I’ve decided to do since beginning this piece (just now basically) is to fill you in on general Box Office goings on, who we are, what we do, and then hopefully after digesting these fascinating nuggets of information, you will come back for more in later weeks where I will be trying to describe how our weeks have been running. Either that or it’ll be something completely different. Let’s just see how this attempt goes first.
The Box Office comprises of John (manager) and myself (James, Deputy Manager), and we are assisted by Jackie, Ingrid, Robert, Emma, Daniel, Victoria, Gemma and 1, as yet unknown, new member of staff (if you want to apply then go to the website!). We all come under the Sales & Marketing umbrella run by Michael (Sales & Marketing Manager) which, in very simple terms, means that we have to sell tickets. We use a fantastically temperamental system called ProVenue DataBox which can, on good days, tell you everything you ever wanted to know about customer buying habits, sales figures, how effective a mail out has been, all the way through to selling the ticket. It’s our life and The Courtyard, and in fact a lot of other venue’s, would not run without it.
So, as I just mentioned, our prime objective is to sell tickets. What’s always fascinated me about venues is the inner workings of putting a show on, be it backstage, booking or indeed selling tickets. Together with the Marketing team we help to maximise the full potential of our product, be it with fancy displays, strategically placed flyers, our charm, manners, and helpfulness either face-to-face or on the phone. If you’ve ever bought a ticket from our Box Office then its plain to see that our staff care about what they sell, are knowledgeable and sometimes very convincing! I think the best analogy for the Box Office is as an engine, or at least some very large cogs within the engine of The Courtyard. Without the friendly smiles that greet you under the blue canopy when you first step in to the building, ready with your batch of tickets, where would you be? Being on the front also means you get to meet the myriad of wonderful people that come in to see everything from Abba Magic, to the latest blockbusting films, to merry nights of hilarity at the Comedy Club. All in all being a member of the Box Office team enables you to be at the forefront of customer service, sell an interesting and diverse product and have first choice on all the good stuff!
I now appear to have exceeded my word limit so I will take this opportunity to sign off and hope to keep you entertained the next time the Box Office blog is due.
Our Production Managers other talent…
Here at The Courtyard we have some great hidden talents and hobbies: Emma, on Box Office is an award winning Milliner, Ian our Gallery technician is a Blacksmith and Box Office Manager, John is a member of The Nova Saints. Carl our Production Manager is a keen photpgrapher and has recently launched his own website and we thought it was worth a plug on here – he will also be hosting a solo exhibition right here at The Courtyard in January 2010.
Go on…have a look at Carl Hulme Photography
Director’s Notes – panto auditions
When it comes to auditions for any production I am always acutely aware of the responsibility I have: firstly to find the right people for the show (and the right mix) and secondly I have a responsibility to the actors who have submitted their CVs and headshots. It is for them the difference sometimes between working and not working. One job can change a career.
I am therefore one of those fastidious directors who reads every detail on a CV, shortlists and then shortlists again. Martyn and I normally shortlist together then argue the toss on whom we call for audition and whom we leave on reserve.
Generally we audition in London, as it’s easier and cheaper for most actors to travel to. We have on occasion auditioned in Hereford but we acknowledge it’s a long way to travel and with no guarantee of work at the other end it seems more considerate to compromise on location.
The auditioning process itself is so unpredictable. We invariably enter the room with some sense of whom we’re rooting for and whom we think is going to be ideal. More often than not, we’re all completely wrong and somebody catches us off guard by being a longshot turning out perfect.
As was the case this year with auditions for Beauty and The Beast: we were looking for someone particularly tall so we focused on that when short-listing. Our dame is six foot five so the idea of the scary beast being dwarfed by her seemed ridiculous. Consequently, when we looked at Andrew’s CV we thought he had only an outside chance. He arrived somewhat dishevelled, out of breath, missing his sheet music and apologising profusely having rescheduled from the day before. Normally those would all be things I would firmly advise against for any hopeful actor wishing to be selected for a job! However in Andrew’s case we all knew immediately this was one of those occasions when the actor had simply experienced a whole series of unfortunate events and the fact that he was even there showed enormous tenacity and commitment! We also knew immediately he was the right person for the job… Sometimes it’s just like that. You just know.
And sometimes you end up in lengthy discussion with your colleagues trying to find the right balance. The panel on this occasion consisted of Martyn, Phil the choreographer, Nick the dame and me. We have too of course the lovely Heather who is our audition accompanist and gives very valuable feedback…
I’m sure it’s quite a daunting prospect to come in to us lot sat behind a table, pens and eyebrows at the ready and we are often given positive comments in response to the fact that we take the time to introduce ourselves and chat informally with our auditionees. Although it seems like basic courtesy we are informed that The Courtyard’s approach
to auditioning is unconventionally friendly. We have been told in fact that we make our auditions fun!
Well. If we’re going to spend nearly three months together we may as well make sure we all get on, wouldn’t you say…?
Technical Debates!
“Techies don’t make mistakes. We have unintentional improvisation”
Which is more important to the world of theatre – Lighting or Sound?
For us this question could only be pondered in one way, like most questions, down the pub with a pint in our hand!
Standing in the scene dock of the theatre the answer would seem substantially one sided, the floor covered with lanterns during the theatres annual dark time, which for technicians, means day upon day of electrical testing, repairing and refurbishing our entire lantern stock. In comparison you would be forgiven for believing sound does not matter in theatre with speakers and microphones nowhere to be seen, however sound plays an important role in any theatrical event.
It is very much a six of one, half a dozen of the other situation, if you were to go to a show and the lighting was fantastic, breathtaking in its beauty, but you couldn’t hear a word said on stage, it would be a less than thrilling theatre experience. In reverse if you went to a classical concert and there was no lighting whatsoever then you just may as well be tucked up at home listening to Classic FM.
In production, lighting is seen as being very time consuming, putting up the lights, pointing them in the right direction, not to mention the seemingly endless programming of a lighting desk. In comparison, sound can be seen to take a lot less time to set up, after all how long can it really take to plug in a microphone? The answer to this is of course not very long but behind the scenes endless hours can be spent looking for that perfect thunder clap because nothing else will do. With over 40 different channels of sound being mixed into the show and sound effects on top of those, it is most certainly not just as easy as plugging in a microphone (anyway all ‘lampys’ do is point a light in the right direction!)
Take the Courtyard’s last in-house production for example, The Wizard of Oz. The sound specification had ten children wearing radio microphones, an orchestra in the pit, ambient microphones to pick up the sound of the children’s chorus and seventy sound effects! On top of this there were monitor speakers on stage and in the pit so that the orchestra could hear the children and vice-versa and that was one of our smaller productions!
‘The lampy’ as so elegantly put by our ‘noise boy’ could be seen as getting an easy ride once into show mode, with only a big ‘Go’ button to push and watch the lighting seamlessly change from one scene to another. But it can still go wrong…Lamps can blow, batteries in microphones can die. A show can generally carry on without anyone noticing that 1 of 80 lights is not working but if sound goes wrong, everyone notices.
Anyway after two pints, and a long debate in the pub, we have agreed that “An actor without techies is a naked person standing in the dark trying to emote. A techie without actors is a person with marketable skills.” Mark Leslie
Thanks for reading us bicker and we will leave you with this small extract from the bible…
“And on the first day the Lord said ‘LX cue 1 Go’ and there was light.”
Take it easy,
Aaron Gillies – Courtyard Sound Technician
Dave Beever – Courtyard Lighting Technician
Notes from The Projection Room: 2
Another question that I get asked with relative frequency, and usually at a party is “What’s your favourite film?” As I’ve got older that question has become more difficult to answer, or so I thought until I started writing this entry when I realised it was now actually easier. Let me explain…
There comes a point in life, which prompts us all to stop and take stock for a moment. With a special birthday approaching I’m at that point. Over a cup of coffee, a recent conversation with a colleague got me thinking about the moments in life that shape our futures and make us what we become, the events that drive our passions. I guess they are less likely to be ‘eureka’ moments as at the time the significance is usually lost in the day-to-day ordinariness of the time. Of course there are the moments we cherish, the birth of our children, a career changing promotion, attainment of a personal goal, a degree maybe and of course these are truly memorable and so they should be and that’s the point they should be. Maybe that’s the same reason that some eagerly anticipated blockbuster is just a tad disappointing and why equally a chance viewing of an unknown film can be the most rewarding. Are you with me so far?
Ok so my favourite film comes from the former blockbuster category however because of my age at the time I knew nothing of its potential cinematic pedigree. Let me also put things into context. During a particularly fertile imaginative period of my youth, Thunderbirds on television (still only in black and white though but it didn’t matter life seemed to be lived in black and white back in the early seventies), the first manned moon landing of Apollo 11…so it was that my dad took me to see Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece 2001 A Space Odyssey. As I am fast approaching a ‘significant birthday’ you will probably appreciate that my must see film list is now rather long and diverse…so why is this my favourite film?
After thinking long and hard for me the reason is, quite simply, it was and still is groundbreaking both technically and cinematically and nothing has changed that over the last 40 years. At the risk of moving into clichéd territory it is both poetic and balletic and for me does everything that film should do. It looks stunning and sounds fantastic. It was filmed in 70mm, the high definition picture of its day, and presented on a huge curved screen designed to draw you into the picture, it literally took minutes for the curtains to expose the full screen! It had 6 track surround sound which again highlighted the superb sound effects and genius use of a classical score. Kubrick is still the only filmmaker I know who obeyed the laws of physics. No pointy rockets anymore and in Kubrick’s space no one could, definitely, hear you scream (just laboured breathing from within your space suit). Remember at the time television was small square and black and white and sound came from a Dansette record player with a pointy needle and one small speaker!
Now having shown my hand let me just warn you that 2001 does divide people, you either love it or you hate it. Before you decide for yourself and rush to your DVD player or iPhone to watch it -don’t! You will never get another chance to see it for the first time. Take your time and wait until you can see it the way it was intended to be seen, on the VERY big screen with re-mastered digital sound, then tell me what you think. Now don’t get me wrong I enjoy a blockbuster picture like the best of us but like the pop music of our youth I wonder which ones will stand the test of time and we will still be talking about in high regard in another 40 years time? Maybe, just maybe, there will be another gem amongst the ordinary. Let me know if you have any thoughts. And on the eve of ‘my significant birthday’ where will I be going? The National Film Theatre Southbank London to see my favourite film once again and reminisce. Thanks Dad!
Simon Nicholls
Head Projectionist
A Day in the Life Of…
…Front of House
There are four members of staff in the Front of House Team, we share out the daytime and night time shifts, and when at work we act as the Duty Manager. This means there is always one of us in the building whenever we are open to the public (9am – 11pm), we open up and close up the building. All four of us are First Aid at Work qualified so at least one of us must always be present to deal with any first aid issues and this can range from cut fingers, twisted ankles, epileptic fits and heart attacks! Admittedly more often than not we have to administer basic first aid, but with the sheer volume of people we have passing through The Courtyard during the year, we inevitably have some very serious incidents to deal with.
The Duty Manager also has to be available in case of an evacuation situation where they are in charge of co-ordinating a safe and efficient evacuation from the building. We are always on tender hooks when anything starts beeping as this is usually some pre alarm on our fire panel and generally means action stations. We may have to stop both the Main House and Studio shows, make a clear announcement to all present and get our volunteer stewards to clear the area, not a job for the fainthearted!
Generally we oversee the day to day activities in The Courtyard, reset rooms for various different room bookings, manage our team of nearly 100 volunteer stewards, meet and greet our patrons, deal with any problems and complaints, get everyone to their seats on time, give clearance to get the show started.
Opening up for the film
It’s a bit of a Jack of all trades job but that certainly keeps it interesting as there is always something different cropping up. We end up running around a lot and a great aspect of Front of House is you have contact with almost every department in The Courtyard. We also come into contact with every type of customer, dolled up for a night of Abba Magic, or dressed up for an evening of classical music, we have to be prepared for every eventuality on any given night. So our job really keeps us on our toes!
Deputy FOH Manager, Marie makes sure everyone gets to their seats on time
Typically in the way of sods law, if things go wrong, they all go wrong at the same time. You’ll have people sitting in the wrong seats, the car park ticket machines having a nervous breakdown, ice creams to sort out for the other show, a briefing to give stewards, someone has vertigo and wants to sit downstairs, someone has tickets to last week’s show and got the date wrong, a child has eaten too many sweets and has been sick upstairs, someone needs first aid…. ok, well maybe only a few of those things happen together, but you get the idea, we have to prioritise, get the shows running when expected and most importantly ensure everyone has a pleasant experience here.
Heather Salisbury
Front of House Manager
A Day in the Life Of…will follow the happening of our FOH team and let you in to all the unusual and somes outright strange events of The Courtyard. We hope you enjoy.
Notes from The Projection Room
When people discover what I do, the next question is always - “I bet you get to see hundreds of films?” and my answer is always the same – “Well sort of, but never in the right order and never all the way through!”
The truth is that the projectionist’s job may not be as glamorous as you think; if indeed you ever thought it was! I know at 14 years of age I certainly did, and on some occasions still do…or maybe I’ve just spent too much of my life in the dark…who knows?! The projectionist’s job is one where the better you are at it the less you get noticed. Nobody will thank you for showing the film in focus, with the sound at the correct level and the lighting moods changed so subtly that you don’t notice them going out. This is what the audience expect, and quite rightly. My motivation is always to never lose sight of the fact that many people have laboured for years over these films, with pre and post production sometimes lasting up to five years. You, the audience get one chance to see a film for the first time, whether with hundreds or sometimes just a few, and it’s a memory that can stay with you for many years, if not a lifetime. I don’t want your memory marred by poor focus or shoddy presentation. Whether I sometimes feel like it, it’s not my job to judge a film – we are here to present the film exactly as it was intended to be seen and give credit to all those hours spent creating it. Just out of interest who has actually sat through all the credits of a modern film? My goodness there is a lot!
For a projectionist think Wizard of Oz for a minute: the illusion created by a fierce angry ogre who shaped the lives of all who dared to approach him has some parallels. Sit down to watch a film in the right environment (forget your DVD with all its interruptions and distractions for a minute…) and you are transported into a world of dreams with your emotions manipulated at the filmmaker’s whim. However, go behind the curtain/porthole and it’s a world of noise, heat and all things mechanical. So before you decide to visit “The Projection Room” make sure you really want to see the mechanics of the dream factory because films may never be the same again once the “Wizard” has been revealed.
Simon Nicholls
Head Projectionist
Keep checking our blog for more interesting film facts from The Projection Room. Let us know your best and worse film experiences too, we would love to hear from you.
