There are many issues and ideas I feel like discussing with people about this production. Unfortunately some of them become spoilers. In fact most of the issues lead to suggesting or giving away something. For example the actors are playing characters who are in many cases hiding something. To discuss the journeys or issues we have to work on always leads to some truth or lie in the play. One actor is looking at a very incriminating secret that impacts on their performance all the way through. Even their presence at Monkswell Manor is an issue. Another is hiding their knowledge for reasons that become clear. But there is very little else I can say. What is interesting though is the process of sorting out how equivocation is treated in performance without giving anything away and without giving anything undue weight either as a clue or a red herring. The team are approaching his well. Tomorrow's rehearsal will include an introduction of characters by the actors. The introductions will include information in creating a consistent past that leads them to the time and date of the murder, also it will help explain their equivocation if they are innocent. The rehearsal may also include actors changing parts to see how we can play with motivations and responses and build on the frame we have. We'll also return to looking at issues of time, that is manners and social mores in 1952 England. For example men standing when women enter the room, how people sit, and is cross-legged acceptable, and class issues.
02 March 2013
17 February 2013
The Mousetrap -some bits and pieces
Some interesting bits and pieces:
It is over 60 years since it opened, the first performance was 25 November 1952.
The West end production has had over 25,000 performances.
Remarkably it broke the record for the longest run of a play in the West End way back in September 1957.
The original cast included Richard Attenborough. there have been too many famous actors to name but Kiwi Alice Fraser was Mollie in the 21st year of the play (1978).
Up until 2010 outside of the West End, only one version of the play could be performed annually.
Agatha Christie thought it might run as long as 14 months. It was originally a short story then a radio play.
Each year the cast of the West End production has changes but by tradition at least one actor stays on each time.
Canterbury Repertory was to have produced the first NZ production in 2010- but the earthquakes mean this will be the 7th production.
Tom Stoppard's play The Real Inspector Hound parodies many elements of The Mousetrap, including the surprise ending- I've directed Hound and the connections are interesting.
It is over 60 years since it opened, the first performance was 25 November 1952.
The West end production has had over 25,000 performances.
Remarkably it broke the record for the longest run of a play in the West End way back in September 1957.
The original cast included Richard Attenborough. there have been too many famous actors to name but Kiwi Alice Fraser was Mollie in the 21st year of the play (1978).
Up until 2010 outside of the West End, only one version of the play could be performed annually.
Agatha Christie thought it might run as long as 14 months. It was originally a short story then a radio play.
Each year the cast of the West End production has changes but by tradition at least one actor stays on each time.
Canterbury Repertory was to have produced the first NZ production in 2010- but the earthquakes mean this will be the 7th production.
Tom Stoppard's play The Real Inspector Hound parodies many elements of The Mousetrap, including the surprise ending- I've directed Hound and the connections are interesting.
Going like clockwork
The experience directing every play is unique, and not in ways I expect. This one, the script requires strong continuity attention, more so that the Real Inspector Hound, or any of the Shakespeare's, Ayckbourn's or others I've worked on. The recent plays I have started with 'shaping' not blocking per se then into detail work. Macbeth, the neo-panto, the one act plays, and Fringe Festival plays have all lent themselves to this approach. The Mousetrap hasn't. The play is more like a clockwork device that has to be calibrated and then wound up, the complex issues around the characters and their relationships and attitudes require precision. Rehearsals seem to need a blocking and detailing approach right from the start. This week we were going to have Act 2 shaped. We still might. There are a few section that need rehearsals of 2 hours for 2-3 pages. This week rehearsals will include, the first small group discussions, a visit to the venue, the setting of the March rehearsals. Next week the characters will be invited to introduce themselves in a rehearsal designed to complement the group work. The group work is to help the actors understand each other, and build trust and teamwork. The character introductions is designed to develop this further. Today (Sunday) the rehearsal was, again, brilliant. At one point I thought again how pleased I was at one of the casting decisions. Sometime you can't but help thinking you've got it right. There's a lot to do, a lot, but the team on and off stage are really strong. Each rehearsal leaves me buzzing. Ang the Prod Man (:p) and I tend to debrief after each one. She has been working on the set issues, and I'm very happy for her to get on with it. I'm really impressed with the ASM Jess and we get the SM tomorrow. Some parts of the play are far too good with actors already flashing brilliance in moments of profound performance. The charm is wound up!
11 February 2013
The other actor
Having done a lot of work with theatre outside traditional theatres and in non theatre spaces I've become used to the use of them. I've tried to approach these spaces as if they are actors in the play and see what they can bring to the production. Wellington Fringe festivals had me using empty offices, a tv studio, cafes, a travel agent and writing plays for an empty office, a cinema and an auction house.
The Elmwood auditorium, a disaster of a space, I used in different ways, including having a 30m deep stage for Macbeth. St Michael and All Angels Church is another case. I know this church better than any other, having been to school there, (including school services once a fortnight when I was young and once a month for he last few years) and being in the choir on Sundays for 4 years and being an altar boy and then thirifer for 2. My father's funeral was there and I've been to other funerals and weddings. It suits The Mousetrap, set in a Monastery the wood panelling and church features add to the production. But it's a pig In terms of many features for this script. The challenge is to use the space effectively, without proper wings and issues getting from one side to the other of the stage. I want to see how we can make the silent cast member a star of the show.
The Elmwood auditorium, a disaster of a space, I used in different ways, including having a 30m deep stage for Macbeth. St Michael and All Angels Church is another case. I know this church better than any other, having been to school there, (including school services once a fortnight when I was young and once a month for he last few years) and being in the choir on Sundays for 4 years and being an altar boy and then thirifer for 2. My father's funeral was there and I've been to other funerals and weddings. It suits The Mousetrap, set in a Monastery the wood panelling and church features add to the production. But it's a pig In terms of many features for this script. The challenge is to use the space effectively, without proper wings and issues getting from one side to the other of the stage. I want to see how we can make the silent cast member a star of the show.
31 January 2013
caught by The Mousetrap
Aside from the many bad puns directing Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap will be in good taste.
The ultimate in country house English murder mystery productions this is an exciting challenge.
But first some background
The play has been running for 60 years and over 25,000 performances in London. The old rules stipulated that while the West End production is running only 1 other show can be performed anywhere in the world and all productions must be professional.
Some time in 2010 some of the aspects of obtaining rights changed and every highschool in the US seems to have put it on badly.
Canterbury Repertory was to have the first NZ production, scheduled for Nov 2010. But the earth moved, the world changed, the theatres collapsed and somewhere between 6 and 10 productions have been held up and down NZ, including a High School in South Canterbury. Perhaps the biggest insult was the Australian production that toured and in their publicity gave away a part of the mystery presumably because they were devoid of other ways to be noticed.
As there are only 4 remaining theatres in Christchurch I'm aware of, we're performing at a non theatre venue: St Michael and All Angels' Anglican church. This is fantastic as it looks like an old Monastery in some of the features so that will work well. More on the venue another time.
Our performance dates: 11 till something later in April.
This production.
At the time of writing it's the first week of rehearsals. The auditions threw up actors that took my breath away. I went in with some ideas of who and what I wanted and this was thrown to the wind. I will return to this as well in another post.
First rehearsal as Wednesday. I made the decision to start the rehearsals at the end not the beginning of the play and it worked very well, apart from one actor in hospital. I've never seen or heard of rehearsals starting at the end of the play but given the issue of how characters need to react to each other this seemed a good place to start.
I wanted to make sure we all know and understand where we're going and get the appropriate equivocal, enigmatic or complex reactions identified before we go back and sort out Act 1 through. And to know the character arcs. When I was doing one play some years ago I remembver not getting to the second act till halfway through rehearsals and not having a full script I had no idea how it ended.
Today I met the woman doing hair and make-up and I also met with the designers for the poster and art work. Faith had a lot of ideas and the look for hair and make-up is promising.
The brilliant ideas the designers (G&A Nelson) presented was hinged on a Noir theme. Given the aim is to have the audience's spines tingle this is looking like a great direction.
I'll come back to Repertory and how good they are, and the cast and these issues later but this is a great start. Angela the production manager has been fantastic and I just need to get her to pencil in the 'what the hell are we doing and why?' week in sometime in March. Only pencil though it might not be necessary.
The ultimate in country house English murder mystery productions this is an exciting challenge.
But first some background
The play has been running for 60 years and over 25,000 performances in London. The old rules stipulated that while the West End production is running only 1 other show can be performed anywhere in the world and all productions must be professional.
Some time in 2010 some of the aspects of obtaining rights changed and every highschool in the US seems to have put it on badly.
Canterbury Repertory was to have the first NZ production, scheduled for Nov 2010. But the earth moved, the world changed, the theatres collapsed and somewhere between 6 and 10 productions have been held up and down NZ, including a High School in South Canterbury. Perhaps the biggest insult was the Australian production that toured and in their publicity gave away a part of the mystery presumably because they were devoid of other ways to be noticed.
As there are only 4 remaining theatres in Christchurch I'm aware of, we're performing at a non theatre venue: St Michael and All Angels' Anglican church. This is fantastic as it looks like an old Monastery in some of the features so that will work well. More on the venue another time.
Our performance dates: 11 till something later in April.
This production.
At the time of writing it's the first week of rehearsals. The auditions threw up actors that took my breath away. I went in with some ideas of who and what I wanted and this was thrown to the wind. I will return to this as well in another post.
First rehearsal as Wednesday. I made the decision to start the rehearsals at the end not the beginning of the play and it worked very well, apart from one actor in hospital. I've never seen or heard of rehearsals starting at the end of the play but given the issue of how characters need to react to each other this seemed a good place to start.
I wanted to make sure we all know and understand where we're going and get the appropriate equivocal, enigmatic or complex reactions identified before we go back and sort out Act 1 through. And to know the character arcs. When I was doing one play some years ago I remembver not getting to the second act till halfway through rehearsals and not having a full script I had no idea how it ended.
Today I met the woman doing hair and make-up and I also met with the designers for the poster and art work. Faith had a lot of ideas and the look for hair and make-up is promising.
The brilliant ideas the designers (G&A Nelson) presented was hinged on a Noir theme. Given the aim is to have the audience's spines tingle this is looking like a great direction.
I'll come back to Repertory and how good they are, and the cast and these issues later but this is a great start. Angela the production manager has been fantastic and I just need to get her to pencil in the 'what the hell are we doing and why?' week in sometime in March. Only pencil though it might not be necessary.
25 January 2013
01 December 2011
Launching the NZ Dictator Party
Picking up on the new wave, of just not voting, I'm thinking of starting a new political party... the NZDP or NZ dictator party.
People who don't want to vote would be encouraged to just one final vote: for me and some cronies, and my one promise 'I'll abolish voting and be dictator.'
I can then offer a bright future similar to Yemen, pre-2011 Libya, Myanmar, North Korea and Syria.
If I can't get over 50% which, by my calcuation, I should get by 2017, I might see if I can start the Proxy party. Vote once, for me, and I'll hold your votes to cast as a block for the party of my choice (probably me again).
A remarkably clever parody or satire of just such a political move is in the hilarious Peter Cook movie The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rise_and_Rise_of_Michael_Rimmer (written by Cook, John Cleese, and Graham Chapman)
I think what we're really seeing is a byproduct of the growth of multinationals and people seeing themselves as consumers not citizens. I don't vote for Burger King, X-box or Facebook why should I have to vote for government? I can easily see many people being quite happy with government being replaced by a savvy marketing-led consumer business.
And frankly nothing would improve appetite for democracy so much as not having it.
17 November 2011
11 October 2011
Weeks of the living dread
It started like any other day. I wasn’t even aware there was anything different. Well there were more beeping car and house alarms when I woke up. And barking dogs, but there are always barking dogs on all sides where I live. But there was the sound of no traffic. I ventured out and saw nothing. Clearly there had been something odd going on; houses abandoned, deserted streets, and empty V cans blowing down the road like tumbleweeds.
I had slept in before but never to find this. Then a car from a side street appeared, small black flags fluttering as it speed away – “watch out – get off the street!” the terrified driver yelled at me as he sped passed.
Then I saw ‘them’ following, a large group of stomping people moving down the road, pale and fixated. Silently they shuffled towards me vacantly, menacingly, and I realised they were no longer of this world, they were the undead. Wearing dark green scarves the overseas rugby zombies wearily trod along the FanTrail on the way to Eden Park, wanting blood.
It’s been going for a while now, some weeks. A strange disease has taken over and taken our neighbours, our friends, and our loved ones from us. Losing their brains to the RWC syndrome, nothing makes sense anymore and no-one is safe from photos, tv cameras and the collection of international media.
Once sane ordinary Kiwis now sport silly little flags from their vans and cars, flapping about like Whale Oil flaunting name-suppression orders. And if you haven’t noticed people can only talk about one thing, ‘did Mike Tindall cheat on Zara?’ and other important RWC related news.
The newsmedia is mostly about the invasion but as yet no medical cure has yet been found. Like the Christchurch earthquakes we need to just ride it out till it stops, and therein lies the challenge.
As someone who is so far immune to the affliction, I have gathered with others in safe areas to discuss what we can do to keep ourselves from falling. One-by-one though we’re peeling off, struck down by the cup in horrible ways. One of my friend’s wives started harmlessly watching the first few minutes of Australia versus Ireland, and now all they both do is jabber about loose mauls and Sexton. I assume that’s rugby not some swingers club they’ve joined.
I’m the last person to comment on rugby, having only ever watched two games; a televised Lion’s game in late 1970-something, and a club game in Sri Lanka, but I have learnt how to talk rugby. In the 80s and 90s I discovered I would get nods by talking vaguely about Canterbury’s character as ‘a hard working and determined desire to win’ and Wellington’s as ‘moments of brilliance followed by perplexing ineptitude’. Auckland was ‘brilliant season followed by a patchy one’ and Waikato ‘lots of heart but lack of skills and follow through’. These would always promote a longer discussion where additional platitudes seemed to satisfy everyone.
If you mostly confine yourselves to talking about the ‘AB’s’ (That’s the un-trademarked name for the All Blacks) I’ve divined the following phrases should keep you safe; ‘McCaw is a legend’, ‘Good game but teams need to cut the penalty count’, and ‘We’re lifting our game with every match’. Of other teams, “I’m not convinced, what do you think?” People will cover the rest of the conversation for you.
Now it’s time to keep our heads down. we’re all safe unless we lose. Then it will really be time to head for the hills.
25 September 2011
Let's get to bottom of really serious conspiracies - NZ Herald
Over the years I've dealt with many journalism students or recent broadcasting graduates on the case, chasing the big scoop.
The suspicious questioning, bushy-eyed enthusiasm and strong belief in their assumptions, about how things they don't understand actually work, is heartening but at the same time depressing. A significant proportion of them are convinced they have stumbled on to Watergate, or at the very least you're-bloody-hiding-something-gate. If only it were true. They'd be best turning their minds to the more obvious conspiracies, the ones we all care about. So, in the interests of encouraging young journalists, I'd like to nudge them in the direction of some coincidences that we simply want explaining. Starting with toothpaste and toothbrush manufacturers. How is it that every year they can find another "major" dental hygiene issue requiring a new toothbrush or mouth paste or gel? Surely they worked all this out years ago and an evil fear-mongering manipulator is rolling them out annually to make mega profits. And why are all the toothpastes mint-flavoured? Is there a cunning vendetta against the mint industry to prevent them successfully getting mint into our food by making it remind us of a dentist? You decide. Why haven't we won the Rugby World Cup since 1987? Consistently we've had the world's best team. Have the plaintive cries of those who think Kiwis are too preoccupied with rugby been heard at the highest level? Is there a conspiracy of unknown powerful operatives with white cats who ensure we keep losing to give other sporting codes a chance? Graham Henry's continued appointment can't be a series of coincidences. Why is it every time a patriotic New Zealand business does well the people at the helm suddenly feel compelled to sell the company to someone offshore, generally Australia? Coincidence? Or perhaps it's proof of a secret provision in CER we were never told about. Perhaps the NZ dollar and economy is kept so awful in comparison to Australia as part of a long-term agreement. Consider this - there is no way our governments would perform so badly for so long if they really wanted to maintain our economic sovereignty.
We know that increasingly young people have no faith in government, and while everyone pretends it’s a concern, government runs expensive campaigns to help young people but steadfastly never mentions who has funded or organised the campaign. Be it safe sex, responsible drinking, combating depression, or getting an education the government hides behind ‘if they knew it was us they wouldn’t listen’.
So youth are expected to believe that some magic fairy is behind all this work, and in doing so get increasingly dismissive of what government does, become increasingly libertarian in their beliefs and resist paying taxes. Is this a right wing Treasury plot to destroy government using its own campaigns? Whatever is behind it – it’s fiendish.
Somewhere in Wellington there must be a deep throat, committed to safe sex messages but willing to tell all.
Finally, here's the greatest puzzle.
Every year, as news gets more complicated and requires more understanding of human nature and the past, newsrooms get smaller and younger.
Experienced, savvy news reporters are let go and 15-year-olds are brought in.
Have you seen the TV news? It's almost like there's been a slow but sure news-hack rapture, or more like Logan's Run, the sci-fi programme where everyone over 30 is put to death to keep society young. It's no wonder young journalists see themselves needing to be suspicious. They know they're not long for this world.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10754120
24 July 2011
Sam Fisher: Stage jokes backfire before you can say 'sick day' - Herald
5:30 AM Sunday Jul 24, 2011 It must be hard being a stand-up comic. Not because it's difficult, although in my limited experience the eerie silences when I've finished are quite awkward. The difficulty is knowing what you can poke fun at and what you can't, as social mores wax and wane. Life is moving so fast it's possible things that were funny at the start of a routine may be off limits by the finish. Look at the evolution of the term "gay". For many generations it meant carefree, but late last century it became a term of abuse for sexual orientation, then a positive word for homosexuality, and now it seems another generation is using it to mean stupid. By next Thursday it may have come to mean enlightened, before turning into a synonym for Antichrist by Friday lunchtime. Another example was highlighted once during a course I was on. It disintegrated when a social activist in her 50s aggressively took the facilitator to task for referring to us all as "guys". She refused to step down when the younger women insisted "guys" meant everyone, including women, leading to one of them calling her an old interfering hag. To this day I'm not sure whether "old interfering hag" was meant as a term of endearment or positive reference for a wise middle-aged woman - but it certainly wasn't taken that way. It is probably time for some lateral thinking, maybe a weekly forecast on what you can and can't use for comedy for at least the coming week. It could become a regular feature, like the weather. Here's how it might look. "You can't use racist terms this week as they make the deliverer look stupid, and comments that are anti-women are so out of favour you could lose your senior lobbying role before you can say 'sick leave'. "Criticising religion will get you rested for several weeks - unless you're making fun of Christians, which can be used in columns with gay abandon. (You can choose the meaning you attach). Cloud banks cover a number of 'one true religions' and raise too many insurance risks for the working comic. "By Tuesday, age will still be fair game, although if you're using this to discriminate in employment it has to be dressed up as 'won't fit into the team' or another euphemism. Baby-boomers changed our attitudes to older people in the 1970s and will get as much respect as they gave the elderly in their day. "It will stay fine to pick on very skinny or obese people, but get in early as the study of epigenetics (how our specific genes and food types interact) may take this off limits by the weekend. "Surprisingly, the outlook for viciously abusing people with red hair (particularly former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks) remains good. This symptom of the Celtic gene pool is fair game and use of the word ginga is only deemed hurtful to people who need to toughen up. "Making fun of journalists who worked for News of the World is fine at any time. They've been taking the piss for years. "The long-range forecast is positive for continuing to make snide comments about men's inability to multitask. "Rude comments about intelligence and geekiness are expected to come into ascendancy in the future. 'The prediction for next week is the best target for jokes could be the freakishly extroverted show-offs who want to publicly make fun of others - so columnists, stand-ups and buskers wrap yourselves up well and stay indoors. It may just not be funny any more."
17 July 2011
Untitled
I feel another career-change coming on. Since there is little of any practical value I can actually do, branching into motivational career seminars seems a great way to make money. Sorry, that came out wrong; I mean, it would be a unique challenge to empower and assist colleagues in management to have their organisations punch above their weight, create powerful learning workplaces and delight their customers. There has been a bit on the news wires lately about the way different generations behave in the workplace. The general thrust seems to be that Generation Ys are the most amazing, collaborative and talented generation in the history of the modern workforce - provided you promote them to chief executive in the first six weeks. They can leap tall bureaucracies, are faster than a screaming Baby Boomer and can stop a committee with their sheer strength, but they aren't interested in the mundane tasks and rigid hierarchies that Generation X or Boomers crave. Having employed and supervised people, I should be able to provide my own insight into the differences between the generations. That should lead to a popular blog and the ability to charge hapless managers for my motivational Powerstaff management TM ©programme. I have no experience in industrial or any other form of psychology, but I have watched two episodes of The Mentalist and all of The Office. So it is not hard to deduce that the current theory is that regardless of the ages of the team you work with, you assume anyone who works for you is likely to be an idiot. This is the Groucho Marx theory: "I wouldn't join any club that would have me as a member". It can easily be translated to "anyone who's already here must have nowhere else to go". So the general approach is to treat them like rubbish. Not with Powerstaff. In the case of Gen Y, they haven't been around long and promoting and giving them all the best work will be seen as being a good corporate mentor. Forget Gen X - they're never going to amount to anything as their age cohort is too small and most of them didn't use computers until they were 15. They don't count. Boomers are important as they all have good lawyers, so you need to be nice to them and restructure them out. But like all good programmes, Powerstaff is more helpful than that. Here are further things to watch for. Gen Ys want to make all the decisions, which challenges the Boomers as they are used to doing that. So you package the decisions that don't matter and let the under-30s set up collaborative working groups to solve them. They'll do this cheerfully and although they'll all sweat, the loudest, best looking, and most confident will propose the solutions. Gen Ys are also interested in what trips, conferences and cool assignments they can score. I had one some years ago who borrowed a work car all day to go flat-hunting. Just keep the trinkets clearly obvious and you'll be fine. Gen Xers like conferences so they can travel a bit by adding on their leave and maybe get lucky while they're there. They have no future and no power so just let them have leftovers. Boomers like power and training to add to their CVs - I can recommend a great course on the inter-generational office where they can learn to empower and assist colleagues in management to have their organisations punch above their weight, create powerful learning workplaces and delight their customers ...Herald on Sunday
Sunday July 17, 2011 Sam Fisher: Career enhancement a triumphant motivator
By Sam Fisher 0 comments 5:30 AM Sunday Jul 17, 2011
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/employment/news/article.cfm?c_id=11&objectid=10738958
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