A big thank you must go out to Olympus Fish & Chip Restaurant (37-39 Great Moor Street, Bolton BL1 1SW) who have been kind enough to help us out with the chips that will be featured on stage during the run of Road. If all this talk of chips is making you hungry why not pop on over there and grab some - not only are their chips stage trained (!) they are also delicious. Thanks again Olympus....
Monday, 25 February 2008
When the Chips are Down!
A big thank you must go out to Olympus Fish & Chip Restaurant (37-39 Great Moor Street, Bolton BL1 1SW) who have been kind enough to help us out with the chips that will be featured on stage during the run of Road. If all this talk of chips is making you hungry why not pop on over there and grab some - not only are their chips stage trained (!) they are also delicious. Thanks again Olympus....
activ8 update
Play in a Week
Half Term, which I am sure for many teachers and pupils now feels like a distant memory, brings with it activ8's Play in a Week project. This project is an opportunity for young people to not only make friends but also teaches them new skills as they get to grips with crafting a complete performance. Working with a team of professionals the performance brings together various disciplines including acting, story-telling, music, movement, costume, props and even face paints!
21 young people from all over Bolton came together for 5 days to work on Roald Dahl's revolting rhyme Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This modern adaptation of the classic fairytale featured funky music, hip-hop moves, a 'wicked' queen, magic mirror and seven gangster dwarfs with a mild gambling addiction! Here's a snippet from the script:
Oh where, oh where had Snow White gone?
UPDATE: as promised you can see some of the photos from Play in a Week below
And finally....
Thursday, 14 February 2008
Manners cost nothing.....
Molly's Muddle - Special Offer for Schools
Let me introduce you to some of the marvellous characters you might expect to meet on Molly's adventure! Here's Molly....
This is Jack, Jumping Jack to give her her full name. She likes jumping.....
And this is Professor Knowall. Great name and even better hair!
Big Adventure's Director, Matt Lawley-Brown said; "The play has been written specifically to be a positive influence in the lives of the kids who see it. It has been lots of fun to create and produce. We're really looking forward to its premiere at The Octagon before taking it into schools and other venues around the country."
SPECIAL OFFER ALERT
As Matt mentions above, Molly's Muddle is going on tour. The Molly's Muddle team will come to your school, perform and put together a series of related activities including workshops, assemblies, lessons and other exercises relating the the themes of the play.
If you are a teacher and interested in finding out more about Molly's Muddle for your school, then this might be of interest. Book tickets for the premiere of Molly's Muddle on Saturday 23 February, here at the Octagon, and you can get £50 off a school booking. Just let the Big Adventures Team know at the end of the performance.
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Road - Casting News
This is our road! But tonight it’s your Road an’ all! Let me help you get your bearings. There’s the town, there’s this Road, then there’s the slag heap. This is the last stop. All of life is chucked here.
Road tells the story of life on one road in a depressed northern town in Thatcher’s Britain. Scullery, our drunken guide, wanders aimlessly up and down his derelict road, pointing out the grim features of the landscape and setting the scene for the glimpses to come of its inhabitants’ lives.
Noreen Kershaw, a prominent director of both television and the stage and a well-known actress in her own right, returns to the Octagon to direct Road. Noreen has worked as a successful actor and director for many years. Most recently, she directed the December 2007 Liverpool Nativity. For television she has directed Shameless, Emmerdale, Heartbeat and Coronation Street. As an actress, she is recognised for her recent role as WPC Phyllis Dobbs in the BBC smash hit Life on Mars. She also directs Spring and Port Wine, which follows the production of Road, and features many of the Road company. As I am feeling indulgent (and I love it!) you can see footage from Life on Mars below - Noreen features about 1 min 40 in...
Her cast ranges from established favourites to Octagon newcomers. Well-known and much-loved John Henshaw takes the lead as Scullery. John starred in Steve Coogan’s Parole Officer and has had starring roles theatre’s across the country. He is also the face of The Post Office adverts! Here he is in action....
Paul Simpson makes a welcome return to the Octagon after appearing in the MEN Theatre Awards Best New Play 2007 winner And Did Those Feet and Jim Cartwright’s son James Cartwright makes his Octagon Theatre debut. Julie Riley, Tony Bessick, Joanna Higson and Eve Robertson complete the cast.
Wednesday, 6 February 2008
Tuesday, 5 February 2008
The Crucible - What's Being Said.....
I have gathered a few reviews so far from current production of The Crucible. First up a quote from a member of the audience:
There have also been reviews in The Bolton News (read it here), Manchester Evening News (see here), The Stage (here), Lancashire Evening Post (here), another at Reviewsgate (here), Manchester Confidential (here) and last, but by no means least, The Guardian.
We also got a nice review from The Metro (4 stars). I can never find their reviews online so I have included a transcript below. It appeared in the Metro Life section on Monday (yesterday) if you have a copy!
Having successfully staged other Arthur Miller classics A View From The Bridge and Death Of A Salesman, Octagon Artistic Director Mark Babych has now turned his head to The Crucible with stirring results.
Utilising an 18-strong cast, but fairly simple staging, Babych lets Miller's acute allegory of political witch-hunts speak for itself, trading smoke and mirrors trickery for powerful, measured performances.
First staged in 1953, at the height of senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist crusade, it ostensibly focuses on the 17th-century Salem witch-hunt, when the fabrications of a group of young girls, led to the death of 20 people. Miller, who was himself targeted by McCarthy, uses this set-up to explore questions of faith, community, the fallibility of our leaders and the importance of personal truth.
Though this is definitely an ensemble piece, there are several stand-out turns, including Catherine Kinsella's eerie performance as malevolent teen Abigail Williams, Mairead Conneely's superbly stoic Elizabeth Proctor, Sean O'Callaghan's snivelling Reverend Parris and the beautiful, brooding Chook Sibtain as flawed hero John Proctor.
Babych may be doing nothing new or particularly daring with this straightforward staging, but this classy production of a classic play has real contemporary resonance: its core message of loyalty to one's principles and peers is as relevant today as it was 50 years ago.
Online Ticketing Upgrade
Our Ticket Office phone lines and the office itself will be still be functioning normally, so if you want tickets, rather than clicking a button and making a virtual purchase why not call the very lovely real people at our Ticket Office on 01204 520661. They're a friendly bunch.
Friday, 1 February 2008
Bewitching Photography
I found the seating layout particularly effective during the court scenes. I must admit to squirming in my seat on numerous occasions, not due to that fact I wasn't enjoying the show but I felt, as an audience member, I was also part of the court. A silent witness to the events taking place on stage, and powerless to prevent the tragic outcome or expose the accusers! Anyway I think that's enough from me. Why not take a look at some of the production photos? Ian had his work cut out on this one, what with a cast of 18 to focus on and a round stage, but he has pulled it off with some fantastic images. Thanks Ian.