Friday, September 28, 2007

Peek-A-Boo

Some lovely moments at rehearsal last night.... Trixie appearing from under the bed, Alice trying to play hockey, Colette looking all innocent, and Mr Thompson sneaking around like the devil incarnate!

Well done to Sybil and Belinda (Joan and Caroline) for winning the school cryptic music quiz. Your prizes of red wine and club orange were well merited. If anyone can guess this one by Monday, "Andre Previn vacuums without the lights on"... they will win a drink for their troubles.

Other things on my mind today...... What was Irene really doing in Wexford????? Does Diane really need to go to the Gym with all the exercise she gets at rehearsal?? Why did Rachel have pink fluffy socks backstage at Midsummer Nights Dream anyway?? And shouldn't we just move the rehearsals out to Greystones seeing as half the cast live out there?

Anyway, got to go...will leave you with today's joke....

There are three types of people, those who can count and those who can't!

Bye bye,

Love and half time oranges!

Paul

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Hammer & Sickle

Ah the Bolsheviks!!! Thanks to all the suggestions flooding in for what Mr Thompson's various gardening implements should be.... some of you should be very proud.... and some of you should be quite frankly ashamed of yourselves! Battery powered implements have no place in an all girls school like Grangewood.

Excellent rehearsal last night.... the structure and flow of the piece is beginning to materialise... Some moments are making sense now and little character traits are developing. I think that a limp Mr Scoblowski is a good idea around schoolgirls!

Big shout out to the understudies, Jane, Sarah Jane and Claire, you're doing a terrific job..... and well done to Jean and her wicked schooldays for giving us the tune of The Ash Grove to the opening chant, it works a treat.

Hope to see some of you tomorrow at the Pavilion in Dun Laoghaire, otherwise see you Thursday for Act Two.

Love and Vanilla Sandwiches,

Paul

BAD SCOOL JOKE OF THE DAY; Did you hear about the cross-eyed schoolteacher? She couldn't control her pupils! Boom! Boom!

Friday, September 21, 2007

Please Sir, Can I Have Some More?

Jam Tarts, Lemon Slices, Fairy Cakes and lashings of Fizzy Pop..... A spiffingly good midnight feast!!1 (even if it was at 8.00pm) Lights out, pyjamas (or silk dressing gowns) on,.... stories about Women In Black, jolly good stories about schooldays..... sixth formers snogging second formers, (we won't mention names but Rochfortbridge is obviously a den of iniquity)..."I'd Do Anything, For You Dear Anything", (maybe she deserved the rash!!!), hiding alcohol down your jeans or in shampoo bottles, (Ah the taste of Clinic), animal skulls in beds, live cows in sitting rooms....This Is Not Grangewood Behaviour!!!

Enjoyed the rehearsal last night....perhaps it was the sugar rush from the tuck, but I think there was plenty of energy in the performances, especially Trixie!!! Will she be cheering Ireland in the rugby tonight with the same fervour?

Have a good weekend.... see you all Monday for Act One.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

So Much Talent, So Few Parts

Hello all,

Your new Director here.... or Felicity as I like to be called in the privacy of my own home on a Friday evening. It's being a while since I directed for LPP. An Inspector Calls in 1999 was the last time, but I am so happy to be back. I was stunned by the turnout at the auditions, and even more stunned by the amazing talent available. Usually in AmDram, with a cast of this size, we are begging people to get involved, whereas turning exceptionally good actors away was unfortunate, but I hope the unlucky ones will return to us again someday.

I'm extremely pleased with the cast that I have, and after three rehearsals things are moving along nicely. It's great to have the experienced Leeson Parkers, like Alan, Jackie and Carol along for the ride, as well as the enthusiastic, talented Newbies.

As for the play, it should be a romp... if we can apply the energy and fun in the rehearsal room on to the stage, the audience are in for an enjoyable evening.

See you all on Thursday and don't forget your Pyjamas!!!!

Paul

p.s. Things we learned this week......

The play is full of innuendo....or is that just Alan?
Jackie knows loads of old songs....
Sybil has no real friends.....
Miss Gibson was a Grangewood girl.....
Hockey is the cure of all the world's ills....
Winnie Irving is full of spunk.......

Friday, September 07, 2007

Casting into the wee small hours

Wow... what a turnout. It think that was a record.
We cast our next play 'Daisy Pulls It Off' last night. Paul Cullen is directing this autumn for us, returning to the fold after several years. Paul has been a member of Leeson Park Players since 1986 and is a highly experienced director, drama teacher, band manager... We're delighted he agreed to 'come back' to us - not that he ever Really went away.
The new cast has a few Returners too which is brilliant, and a few Newcomers. There were so many people to hear and consider though that the end of deliberations had to occur sitting in the car in the carpark as we'd run over time and were chucked out of the room. Anyway, job done - difficult though it was.
So, on to rehearsals and fun and learning lines and struggling with learning lines and finding props and building sets and putting on costumes and make up and running around in the dark backstage and focusing lights and On With The Show!