Category: Leicester

14/48 Wolves is now underway, running away like a steam train rather than pootling along nicely..

Actors have been drawn, directors have their rehearsa ool spaces, conversations with bands and tech have been had..

And the Wolverhampton version of the actors hats are:

And lastly, despite being on blogging, I find myself firmly entrenched with The Love, Kitty and Aaron on the design team foraging at Gazebo Arts..

And the most tantalising shopping list of all…

• A paddling pool
• A rocking chair
• Chains and padlocks
• Strawberry jelly
• Medieval costume
• A duster
• A placenta
• 3 adult nappies
• A suit jacket
• Post-apocalyptic set dressing
• Knives and forks
• A glass of whisky
• 3 trainers
• A green VW camper van
• Binoculars
• A snowy-topped mountain..

All for the 3:30pm tech runs..

Remind me why we do this again?!?!

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Slight delay in script delivery due to technical difficulties but when The Pove says “Can you do 10 copies of each page…?”

Then you reply with “Yes ma’am!”

Directors are now discussing, designers are plotting and I just overheard “I might use the floor lights as the entrance to the vagina…”

Well, we always say Go Big Or Go Home… And it doesn’t get much bigger than that!

Next step… #ActorsDraw

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So half the family have travelled down to @neilreading ‘s stomping ground, Arena Theatre in Wolves! The Force Foxes are outnumbered maybe 2:1 but we couldn’t have been made to feel more welcome. Kit has got a beautiful stage to play with, Doug has got a grand piano to play on and the writers have got the theme of “Out of the Darkness” to playwrite about! The Directors and Actors at the Halls got the party started following a trip to ASDA.

And by collaboration, I mean drinking..

We’re especially pleased to have Kerri and @jodipaulwooster over from Seattle, cooing over the novelty of a plastic shopping bag.. until it struggled under the weight of all their wine purchases. Blagging “free” cups from the Seattle Coffee Co. was a home comfort though!

And we really do owe our thanks to Kerri who introduced 14/48 to @amychrister1 and this got the ball rolling.

Now we’re back in Wolves 10 years on, with Neil’s incarnation being SO NEIL, it’s untrue! Happily assisted by The Pove, Fran, John and many more.. the swag is excellent, the welcome was superb and the drinks are flowing..

Much love to our family who are missing tonight but welcome to all the new members!

Time for bed… Well, not for everyone… Good luck to @ivoryfishbone and all the other writers who will work through the night to create the scripts for our first night..

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If someone told me I couldn’t participate in 14/48, it would be akin to finding out I’ve got an incurable disease, or was actually born a man.

14/48 is the home of absolute sleep-deprived madness, with tantrums, myriad insane props and bits of script that YOU JUST CAN’T GET INTO YOUR HEAD.

But would I change it? You bet.

Joking. I wouldn’t change a single thing.

This Saturday, being the first ever 14/48 Takeover – four new plays from a bunch of writers all aged between 8 and 13 – was no exception (and to my rather patronising surprise, there wasn’t a single whiff of ‘Frozen’ / One Direction about any of it; sorry for that, kids).

Without quoting every script word for word, I can’t tell you exactly what wonderfulness graced the stage of The Y Theatre, but I can give you a brief run-down of my favourite moments and quotes (they won’t mean much if you weren’t there, but you know what? YOU WEREN’T THERE so that’s your fault):

– Martyn Pole (the God-like technician) and his ‘Irritable Owl Syndrome’ (see picture below, in which Martyn prances around the theatre with an irritable-looking owl).

– “But dad promised me he’d stopped looking at the occult!” Sheer genius.

– A rapping goblin (“Have you ever seen a rapping goblin? Well, there’s always a first time.”)

– Martyn (again) testing out a rope swing.

– Douglas Deans’ short shorts. So, so wrong.

– Anthony Morgan’s maniacal laugh.

I could literally fill an entire website with the stuff that made laugh in the last 24 hours, but who’s going to read that? Suffice to say that this weekend has been utterly fab. Congratulations, guys – especially the writers. You’ve done yourselves proud.

Hurrah for 14/48. Long may it continue 🙂

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Tech rehearsals are well underway, with lighting and band cues all set for three of the four brand new plays. The final set of actors are taking to the stage now, all on schedule for the debut and closing night performance at six pm!!  

 

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Seriously, if you can make this, do!Kids are welcome, and the plays our young writers have created have thrown up some of the most ambitious challenges we’ve faced here at 14/48 Leicester.

We have one show, and one show only at 6pm to do these writers proud. Be there.

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As alluded to in my last post, there’s much technical wizardry goes into the 14/48 performances (along with oceanic quantities of caffeine). Both of these feature in the exciting behind the scenes image below….oooooooh!! Said wizardry will soon be called into action as the tech rehearsals will be kicking off shortly, this will inevitably involve more lighting cues than you can shake a pointy stick at (if you like shaking pointy sticks at things obviously). 

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I can’t title this post as I’d like to – it would give too much away… But suffice to say the house band are stretching their prog-folk legs and channeling arch experimentalists Gong to soundtrack one of the four plays (I’m sure the 8-14yr old writers will get the reference!!) For anyone not familiar with the 14/48 process, the house band will be providing a live musical smorgasbord, underpinning the whole show 🙂   

 

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So, it’s not even 10 o’clock yet and rehearsals are in full swing, the band are making band-type noises and confusingly technical conversations are being held all over the place. Obviously I’m sworn to secrecy but it’s fair to say that tonight’s four performances won’t be lacking in imagination!! The pressure’s definitely on but everything’s starting to fall into place.

   
     

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The mustering of professional talent, raring to go (well once fully caffeinated anyway). In ten hours time four brand new ten minute plays will be performed to a paying audience for the first and last time!!! 

 

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