RTDA an update and explanation

So about two weeks ago LibraryGirl's laptop finally gave up the ghost, may it rest in peace, so I have been unable to update this blog and have now resorted to writing it on my Kindle. It is a bit difficult but I have been itching to post for over a week so it was this or nothing and nothing was not an option! 


So onto the RTDA and the great tome 'Approach to Theatre'. When I last left you I said I had read King Lear and let you know how I got on, well I got on . . . well. I found Lear to be a riveting tale that has a lot of potential as a farce if it wasn't so tragic. To start I have to admit I really didn't like Lear himself who acts more like a pectulant child than the King of England. He bases the division of his Kingdom on a daughters single refusal to showboat her love for him. The denouncing and demonisation of this daughter is a shocking scene akin to a public flogging. After all this when his other daughter's started mistreating him I just didn't care. He was a contemptible character and there was no tragedy for me by the end and SPOILER ALERT!!!




When his daughter he denounced at the beginning dies with him at the end I just felt like Lear got his comeuppence. In the main plotline there was no sympathy for Lear, his actions and his selfishness were his downfall and no amount of moaning was going to make him sympathetic. The illegitimate son and love triangle plotline involving Edgar and the two daughters Lear favours seems like a staple of ribald comedy that became popular in the regency period, and is still very popular today, that would be very funny if it wasn't for the underlying themes of patricide and regecide. There is my biggest problem with Lear, it is just doom and gloom throughout. King Lear does not have the morality difficulties that plagues Macbeth and it doesn't put you on the edge of your seat like Othello where you are watching and willing someone to stop that vile villain Iago. Lear is a flat play that depressed me and had no payoff at the end, I don't need a happy ending and Romeo and Juliet which had a similar ending, sorry more spoilers, at least left us with hope that the war between the families was over. Lear gives you nothing inspirational or good just bleakness.


Staging Lear at least seems cheap and simple. The settings are basically great halls and the great outdoors. A throne is pretty much all the scenery you will need so it really is a simple production and that is how I would do it. I would minimise the amount of set but have a huge throne to dwarf Lear to show how small a man he truly is. My direction for the piece would not be sympathetic to Lear I would side with the daughters initially but after act two I am not sure what I as a director could do but present the action as it comes. This play comes down to each individual audience member making their own mind up about Lear. I think to a point the daughters have a point in their quarrel with Lear but murder is never the answer. So does he deserve to die? I think a more appropriate question is how would I tackle this piece? I gave my initial ideas but I keep pondering about it, i've been pondering for four weeks, and maybe that is this play's redeeming feature for me.

Yeah well the Dog ate it! Excuses to the RTDA

Ok so if this was a Monday Morning about five years ago and I was supposed to hand in or produce some work that I was meant to have done for University and I wanted to stretch my deadline I would have come up with some excuse. I think my main excuse during my college and University years was 'My Printer is playing up again/My computer crashed and wiped the work' which was true due to the strange models of printers and pc's my Dad would purchase. Today I have no excuse really for why chapter two of 'Approach to Theatre' is not completed, I started doing it but didn't finish it. I read the introduction to King Lear and a whole load of information on its historical background, context and source. I even read about where the text originates from and how the great Tragedians throughout history modified the script to solidify their performances but not a stanza of Shakespeare's verse has passed my eyes yet. This is because I was busy this weekend. Busy doing what I hear you cry? Well here is what I was busy doing.


As I mentioned on Saturday we went into the manic and heaving town centre where we added several tomes to my collection of theatre books. However two other things were picked up during this trip to the shops. One was a video game called 'Heavy Rain' and the other was a dvd boxset of that 90s Fantasy television series 'Xena'. Saturday afternoon was then spent watching a couple of episodes of Xena and then copious amounts of Heavy Rain. Now this may seem like a complete waste of time however there were lessons to be learned and I found both very helpful.

Xena the Warrior Princess is about a former Warlord named Xena who is trying to right the wrongs of all the slaughter, chaos and general misery she has rained down on the Ancient World. Along the way she meets friends such as Gabriel who joins her in her roam around Thrace and Greece (I am only up to episode four) doing good deeds and kicking evil doers behinds. Now you may ask what on earth I could possibly learn from such a fantastical piece of television but there are real lessons to be learned from material such as this. One is conviction, the actors in this show give great conviction to their lines and Lucy Lawless (Xena) plays it very straight and honest. There is a certain campness to the whole show, I love it, which would probably make most theatre goers and people who worship the method and serious acting cry for the blood of the producers actors and anyone else involved but the truth is that Xena is well acted and it is a great example of entertaining television. If as a drama student I need to remember anything its that ultimately being an actor is about being able to entertain people and Xena entertained me. Also the way it is costumed and designed is very theatrical and that instantly gives it credit to help me with my understanding of design for film, theatre and television.

Now Heavy Rain may seem like a very odd thing to be writing on a theatre blog but this piece of video gaming is amazingly theatrical. It is essentially an interactive film noir in which you control the outcome of the story and characters involved. Set in an American city somewhere in the Northeast this story revolves around a man named Ethan and his relationships which are ruined by two tragic events. Now I loved this game and LibraryGirl and myself were hooked to the screen all evening and all of Sunday nearly too which is all very good I hear you all cry but again what does it have to do with the theatre? Well Heavy Rain wasn't really animated in the conventional way that video games are done, no its characters move because they were motion captured to move that way. Their faces were motion captured in the same way that Tom Hanks was in Polar Express so what you actually are watching as you interact with this epic movie is real actors playing out a real script. What this game has shown me is the subtle nuances within facial features and movements, because of the way it was constructed I was in the game more and I felt as if the fourth wall no longer existed that I was the characters. I just admired the whole game and the acting ability put forward. The voice acting was very good as well, in recent years people have praised games such at GTA IV for the acting involved but having played both these games Heavy Rain is vastly superior. I really need to work on my facial expressions and vocal skills if I want to be a good actor and that is what I learnt from playing this game.

So yes that is why I did not do my work, that is what led to my distraction. Am I sorry? No not at all because I did learn some things and I can go back to Shakespeare now. This week I will be back on track with King Lear being analysed. This time though I won't fix myself to a two day working period. With home schooling and education you have to balance everything within your day to day life and maybe thats the biggest lesson this weekend has taught me. So keep up with me as I continue working hard at the RTDA.

RTDA Term 1: Initiation and book 1. Day 1

Term 1: Initiation and book 1. Day 1



So today I began my very first day of ‘Room at the Top Drama Academy’ with my initiation and general introduction to the facilities provided by this fine establishment. After looking round the room, which took all of two seconds, I picked up the first text book of my course. I should say right now that I have not sat down and written a curriculum for this project my books are chosen for their titles and perceived content. So with that in mind here is the first title:

Approach to Theatre For Student Producers by Frances Mackenzie

This is from Samuel French LTD and was printed in 1957. It cost 5 shillings brand new but according to the inner page it only cost me 99p. This book was published fifty three years ago and the author according to the book was principal of the British Drama League Training Department as well as being the writer of other such weighty tomes on the theatre as 'The Amateur Actor' and 'Little Plays of Pigwiggin'. Now my brief research on the British Drama League, from now on reffered to as BDL, has revealed that it was started in 1919 and ran as that until 1972 when it changed its name to the British Theatre Association. Now the BDL eventually dissolved in 1990 because of financial situations that I do not know about but its work in promoting a British Theatre Festival continues to this day in the form of the All-England Theatre Festival. So I am essentially reading a book that has no idea of the revolutionary changes to the theatre in the UK post 1950s for my first exploration into how to participate in our industry. I am also worried about the language in the book, having already read the first three to four pages it seems that the role of a theatre producer and director of theatre are the same thing. This may lead to some confusion for my simple country bumpkin brain but it is certainly an interesting look at the way jobs were referred to in our industry back then. Anyway more on that and chapter one tomorrow of this brilliant book including a simply brilliant story about Cake.

Theatrical Events in Kent/London

Easter is on its way and as we make our way towards the holiday weekend that indulges our every wish for chocolate and a new beginning I have gone up to Dartford to spend a fortnight with LibraryGirl's family. Being just outside the Capital means I am basically staying on the fringe of theatre land and here at the moment there are some really interesting events lining up in the forthcoming months for the area.

Hall Place a 16th Century house built for former London Mayor Sir John Champney's has several events listed as coming to their beautiful property over the coming months. These include Chapterhouse Theatre Company on the 17th of June with their production of 'A Midsummer Nights Dream' by William Shakespeare. Then on the 26th of August the Cambridge Touring Theatre will be doing their musical version of 'Robin Hood'. On Sunday the 6th of June there will be a talk by 'Mr Mackett', played by an actor named John White, a Victorian School Master which is sure to be an interesting educational performance piece. Then on the 3rd of October John White will return as 'Master Peter Simpkin' a Tudor Privateer who sailed round the world with Drake. For more events please go to the very helpful and informative Hall Place website here. Or if you want to read their leaflet on upcoming events you can read their pdf file here.

The Orchard Theatre in Dartford is having a brilliant event on Sunday: an open audition for 9-19 yr olds who want to be part of a 250 strong cast in the summer youth project of FAME. If you want to take part you can find the information at this link here. In the evening of Sunday 28th of March the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will be playing Mozart, Handel, Grieg and Dvorak. On the 7th of April Rory Bremner will present his satirical stage show 'Rory Bremners Election Battlebus'. Then from the 14th of April until the 17th of April DAODS, Dartford's premier Amateur Musical company, will present The Wizard of Oz.

The Geoffery Whitworth Theatre a reperatory amateur theatre based in Dartford is currently in the middle of their 2010 season and is presenting next week their GWT Youth Theatre show 'Grimm Tales' by Carol Ann Duffy. From the 24th of April to the 1st of May they present 'Miser' by Moliere before moving through May and June with plays by Minghella and Nick Dear. This is a company with a wealth of experience with a real drive to put on good community theatre, I would highly reccommend attending any one of these shows or indeed all of them.

That rounds up my pick of the happenings in the Dartford area, however other people to look up include: The Riverside Players, The Miskin Theatre and Erith Playhouse.

As always, all comments welcome below and if you wish to contact me then email me at chrisandrewpilgrim@yahoo.co.uk

Xtofer

Just a Small One: The Tom Thumb Theatre Margate

Today's addition to the ranks of my 'Just a Small One' columns is the Tom Thumb Theatre in Margate which is one of the most well known small theatres in the country. It consists of a former double garage/coach house built in the late Victorian period which was converted in the 1980s to a theatre space. Between the 80s and late Noughties there was a drama club on the premises and an entertainment agency as well as the Theatre. Sadly the theatre closed and was put up for sale in 2009.

However the good news it that it is now open once again after being purchased last year. It was purchased by a family group who pooled resources to buy up this important venue. They now have their own theatre company based out of the venue called the Tom Thumb Players. It looks like things are on the up once again for the Tom Thumb Theatre and with only 60 seats (according to BBC Kent) it looks to be a nice intimate space. They also seem to be starting some really interesting projects including in April 2 'Play in a Day' for performers 11+ where they will get to create, rehearse and perform a play with professional actors in one day. Priced at £20 for the day it is a very well thought out little project and in this writers opinion the sort of workshop young actors and talents should experience. There is lots happening at the Tom Thumb in the next month or so, so please check out their website here. You can also follow them on Twitter and join their Facebook page/group by just searching for them on each site.

Its great to see a creative little theatre back from the brink of complete closure, I really hope they go from strength to strength.

As always feel free to leave comments below or email me at chrisandrewpilgrim@yahoo.co.uk

Xtofer

PS: Special thanks to reader Andrew for sending me the link to their website in the first place

A Meatloaf Bat Out of Hell Musical? Is it really happening?

So yet again the other day LibraryGirl and I were chatting and we were talking about music and Meatloaf came up. We got onto the subject of how come there is no Meatloaf musical or if there is why hasn't it been put on in London? Well a quick google search showed that there isn't but there is a few articles and buzzes about it. Then suddenly a memory stirred of huge posters with a gothic looking Toya Wilcox on proclaiming that they had the music of Meatloaf in their musical, this was a piece put together and developed by Meatloaf impersonator Steve Steinman this was 'Vampire Rocks'. Vampires Rocks was a huge success when it debuted in 2006 as a Concert combining music of artists like Meatloaf, Queen, Rainbow and many others. It was so successful that it had an arena tour of which there is a dvd available. It has since evolved into a mix between a concert and musical with a storyline weaving throughout the performance. It is currently on tour throughout the UK and...

CHEAP PLUG: its coming to Worthing at the Pavillion Theatre on Fri 5th of November, tickets now on sale at the Box Office contact 01903 206206.

Thats not all Steve Steinman has also developed a brand new Meatloaf based show with a 40 piece orchestra to perform the Bat Out of Hell album in all its Wagnerian Rock glory. So there are shows out there but the official Bat Out of Hell musical is nowhere to be seen.

Reports on a Meatloaf musical started really surfacing with some clout in 2006 when the court battle between Meatloaf and Jim Steinman, the original writer and collaborator of Bat Out of Hell 1 and 2, regarding Bat Out Of Hell 3 gave Steinman the rights to use the songs to make a musical based on the music.

Steinman had previously used the music, rewriting the lyrics, of some of his Meatloaf lyrics for his highly successful European musical Tanz Der Vampire. However when the show was being developed and modified for the Broadway Stage as 'Dance of The Vampire' it used more Meatloaf tunes and was taken out of Steinmans hands and put into the hands of an inexperienced team of designers and directors. I won't go into much detail, for that please go to this excellent article from the nytimes, but it didn't end well. Steinman was burned by Broadway and this has probably to a certain extent led to him wanting to keep things under his control. Steinman has in the past had great success as a composer, after all Bat out of Hell has sold over 43 million copies so far, but not only has he created his own Rock genre through his work with Meatloaf but he has written musicals such as 'Whistle Down the Wind' alongside Lord Lloyd Webber. So when Steinman announces he is going to be putting on a musical based around his best selling album, barring any complicated half baked storyline by Ben Elton (I am looking at you 'We Will Rock You), I obviously get very excited. In a blogpost from July 2006 Steinman wrote this:

Jim Steinman's BAT OUT OF HELL: LIVE ON STAGE", what I can say is, subject to final agreements, CHOREGRAHER is MARK DENDY, who to me is "best in the world now"; Costumes are by Eiko (Coppola's "DRACULA" and many CIRQUE shows); SET AND THEATRE DESIGN BY MARK FISHER (Cirque "KA","LOVE", WE WILL ROCK YOU, Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd etc.His site is stufish.com;) ANIMATION by the great GERALD SCARFE ("THE WALL" on film & stage, true genius, please see his site, "GeraldScarfe.com"); LIGHTING by MARC BRICKMAN (Springsteen, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel etc.). Im thrilled with this team! I'll announce more as it evolves.Direction is by WILSON MILAM (Tony award nominee for "THE LIEUTENNANT OF INNISHMORE", the first "splatter" stage show.)

Now reading the names involved excited me to the point of becoming obsessed with finding a definitive date and information regarding an opening or tour around the UK. I signed up to the official website which has nothing on it apart from a sign up form and I checked out Steinman's official website. I found nothing but further news releases. In 2008 there was article in Playbill in which Steinman claimed to be aiming for a 2008/2009 opening for the show in London, he also announced backing from Sony/BMG and that the set and lighting would be done by Industrial Light and Magic in their first ever stage design. This was later on followed by reports from the Mirror Newspaper that BBC presenter, X Factor Finalist and Classical singer Rhydian was to be cast in the musical. Then there was a very strange article, which I found that adds to my perplexion as it makes me doubt the validity of his work and whether or not this project is ever happening. Taken from this page this is the statement.

The APOLLO VICTORIA is probably our theatre choice! We’ll be replacing WICKED there. Its a gr8 theatre in a gr8 location! (Our final “due diligence” concerns making sure there’s ROOM ENUF for sets, 3D visuals, parkour, motorcycles, massive dance pieces,gymnastics, etc. We WERE going to build our own theatre, but the big problem was NO ROOM IN LONDON AT ALL for it and we did want to start there! Since things Arent finalized, anything can change, but the possibility of major involvement & funding from SONG/BMG or WARNERS, artistic involvement of ILM in their FIRST stage venture, and Stephen Clarke all make me really stoked. As far as financing goes, all is ahead of schedule!

Now I am sorry but this statement made me seriously question whether this show is going to actually happen due to the fact that Steinman claims they will be replacing Wicked. Wicked is one of the biggest West End successes of the past 10 years and it still packs in a huge audience everynight, its box office appeal is obviously strong as you never really see cheap seats for the show. In fact according to wikipedia Wicked is booked through to the 30th of April 2011 and has a major cast change this month. So either Steinman was talking about something he knew nothing about, hoping to cause some publicity and get people talking then I don't know what he was thinking. Building their own theatre would have been a bad idea, London isn't Vegas and has too many historical theatres for there to be any new ones. If he is adamant about building a theatre though he has to wait for one in London to be knocked down as they are the current rules regarding theatre building in the capital. The show sounds like a massive undertaking with a real spectacle aspect to it and as such a normal theatre is not going to be good enough for this piece in this writers opinion. My advise to Steinman is that he should take his idea to the o2 and take up residency there for say 3-4 months. If Steve Steinman could get his tribute concert/musical to tour stadium dates and arenas and pack them out then there is no reason it wouldn't work at the o2. Of course at the end of the statement he talks about financing, now presuming the previous statement in playbill about Sony/BMG backing the project was right it could be that during the recession that they backed out as it was seen as too much of a loss at a time when everyone was worrying about the state of things to come. Some may say that Sony is such a huge force in the music industry it wouldn't come to that, well EMI is $3 billion in the hole so I think in this economy Sony would have no problem cutting costs by dropping live show developments. So going through the internet it seems nothing is happening and then this story cropped up:

Pixie Lott has revealed that she may soon be starring in a West End production of Meatloaf's Bat Out Of Hell musical.

Posted in November 2009 this seems to be the latest and last news of this musicals development. Pixie Lott is obviously someone who with name value will make more people come to see the show and I hope she does join the cast if and when this show gets made.

So what do I think? Will it happen? Well one day I am sure it will, at the moment nothing is coming from Steinmans camp regarding dates, venues etc. However Meatloaf is huge in Europe and an album which sells 43 million worldwide is going to have a built in audience for a show. What about the content though? Can it be made into a piece of theatre? Of course it can, the lyrics themselves are very good in that they tell a story as qouted from blogcritics.org:

That was beautiful, man. Genius. See..he was telling a story. But set to music. It works on two levels! And you had to sing it just like Meatloaf, as if you were on a high school stage in the midst of some overwrought musical about love and loss and umm...motorcycle accidents.

They don't much like the album in retrospect but they make a very good point, this music is very angst ridden and proper teenage rock and roll with a bit of sex thrown in. The lyrics are classic in that they are perfect signifiers for teenage rebellion, motorcycles, summer, the beach, hell and beautiful women. In fact some of these songs today could get a resurgence, Bat Out Of Hell itself is still a huge number but with its original spoken opening 'You took the Words Right Out Of My Mouth' could appeal to the Twifans who are everywhere nowadays. However there is one song on the album that is very theatrical and is in my mind an 8 and a half minute piece of musical theatre.

'Paradise by the Dashboard Light' is a mega song that has 3 parts that I see as 3 seperate acts. The first act is a couple reminiscing about their most significant dates when they were younger. They sing about how 'hot' their love was and 'tender' and full of hope. Then in act two we go to the action heating up back in the past where they start getting physical in their relationship, the singing ends and a funky bass line kicks in with hushed moans playing underneath a baseball commentator who is commentating on a game but is actually making innuendo to the action between the boy and girl. The girl then issues an ultimatum to the boy that he promises to marry her and be with her forever or she will not take their physical relationship any further. He begs for time but she hounds him and he in a fit of lust and frustration agrees to her demands. In act 3 the boy, now a man regrets his choice and declares he is praying for the end of time so his promise is fulfilled. The girl agrees with him and joins in with his cries of praying for the relationship to end. The song finishes with them fading out as they focus on how good everything was between them before they got together physically and they foolishly entered into their destructive relationship. In my mind its like a Romantic tragedy and a powerful piece of musical theatre. I can imagine someone performing this as a duet in a musical revue but with a deeper context. This sort of writing proves that Steinmans work would work on stage. I just hope he does it sooner rather than later.

If anyone has any information regarding the Meatloaf musical please contact me or if you want to say anything then please leave your comments below.

Xtofer

Owners by Caryl Churchill: Review UPDATE

Caryl Churchill is one of the UKs greatest female playwrights and even today still garners controversy for her political views and work. Praise follows her and her reputation due to the huge success of 'Top Girls' has been secured in the annals of Theatrical and English history. Today I am looking at the first play Churchill presented at the Royal Court Theatre in 1972 'Owners'. Last week LibraryGirl and I decided to go through our massive play collection and our first stop was Churchill Plays: One. In her description of the development of the piece Churchill describes her inspiration coming from being with an old woman who had a young man turn up at the flat and offering her money to move. This was her catalyst for writing the play and the character Worsely.

Set in 6 very simple locations with a cast of only 9 (two of which can be played by SM's) this is a very simple piece to stage, and with the plot revolving around 4 main characters its a very simple play to follow. The characters are very interesting and whilst they can come across at times as simplistic or just plain crude they hold a lot of interest for me. When we began reading through the piece I felt that the characters came across as a bit hollow and lacking, although as we got further in I came to find certain characters to be extremely interesting. Clegg, a butcher married to Marion, is a grotesque man who conjures up images of the League of Gentlemens Hilary Briss but with an obsession of having a son to continue his business in his image. Alec, husband of Lisa and lover of Marion, holds a lot of interest for me. He is to me the opposite of Osbornes 'Angry Young Man' in that instead of being angry he is passive and morose, he seems to be unaffected by anything that happens around him. Marion is the central character and is a great early example of equal female businesswomen in plays. Marion doesn't just run your stereotypical female business, hairdresser, beauty salon etc no she runs her own property company as an estate agent in many ways. A strong powerful woman she very much cuckolds her husband Clegg, something he accepts yet hates, starts love affairs, pursues property ruthlessly and ultimately buys someone elses child. If this woman wants something she gets it. Then there is my favourite character, Worsley. Worsley is a suicidal estate agent who in my mind is in love with Marion and because he is puts up with her behaviour. Whilst this play is very dark in many places Worsley uses that darkness to produce some very good belly laughs as he talks about his attempts at ending his own life.

The story itself is very simple and it flows really well and doesn't seem too long. Its succinct and to the point. What is so interesting about this piece is that it was written in 1972 but its issues and story could easily have come from the 80s, 90s and even today in our pre and post recession society. This book is an indictment of capitalism and how money is not able to buy you everything in the end but it can open doors to purchasing  desired items. I found myself rereading the play and seeing the direct way you could link this in with todays recession and in many ways this play could be seen as a historical document about how the post Empire UK lost its international wealth and how its credit and housing markets have constantly caused problems with too few people controlling too much money.

Churchill has never been my favourite writer mainly because I marginalised her as a feminist writer. This is something I believe that has been a label put upon her by people who read and studied 'Top Girls'. However I really am looking forward to reading the next play in Churchill Plays: One 'Vinegar Tom' because I really enjoyed 'Owners' and because I know Churchill even today is pushing buttons with her work. Last year a piece she wrote for the Royal Court was condenmed by the Board of Deputies of British Jews as being anti semetic. Despite only being 10 minutes long this play has caused a lot of controversy. How can you not respect a woman who has been writing for 50 years and can still touch a nerve with her work? I look forward to continuing my reading of her work and hope to one day put Owners on myself.

Until then here is my adaptation of Worsleys final monologue in Owners.

UPDATE: Here is my treatment of Owners and how I would go about putting on the show. If you're interested please follow this link here.

Just a Small One: WCTheatre The Theatre of Small Convenience

Small Theatres are like wonderful little oddities, they are a novelty both in the way they are used and the utilisation of space. This tiny theatre which seats only 12, is decorated in the most elaborate and luxurious manner. It is like something from a Victorian fun fair but it is of course a Victorian Gentlemans toilet converted to theatrical use. I recommend you visit the website as it is truly a sight to behold, especially the special panoramic photo tour you can take of the interior.

For more information go here.

Studio Theatre's AKA Black Boxes and why I love them.

I have been incredibly lucky in my Theatre career so far in that I have performed at some very interesting venues with a variety of different stages; The Northbrook Theatre at STAC, The Assembly Hall in Worthing, The Nightingale Theatre in Brighton and many different alternative spaces in the West Sussex area. From your normal proscenium arch setup to Promenade pieces if it can be done with a stage I have generally done it. Now many people who know me and my tastes in the Theatre, which despite rumours to the contrary they have changed over the years, would probably believe that my preference would go hand in hand with the traditional staging that you can see in nearly all the major theatres the good old fashioned Proscenium arch. Sorry to dissapoint those people but after my first experience of the West End, the moment that showed me that I wanted to be an Actor, Starlight Express wasn't just a show it was a spectacle. The staging snaked around the entire auditorium with the rollerskaters racing on it and a huge bridge that descended from what seemed to be the heavens, to a ten year old whose only experience of the theatre was the panto at the good old Connaught Theatre this was mind blowing. It was there that I realised a raised platform with an arch isn't the only way to present theatre. Then when I started learning the ropes of the theatre with the Pilgrims Drama Group in Worthing we had to create our own theatre 'area' in a church hall with no in built staging. Generally this comprised of two folding tables each side of the acting area for the 'wings' with a sheet over each table with a basic backdrop painted on. It was only when the childrens group, of which I was a member, would work with the adults group to produce the yearly pantomime. Then we would borrow a mobile stage from my Middle School as well as their lights, and using members of the church's skills we would build our own set. It was a community and those small blocks of staging were my first taste of 'treading the boards'. Then my whole outlook changed when in 1998 we got the chance to do 'Ernies Incredible Illucinations' by Ayckbourne and Mavis, who ran the drama group, taught us about Alan Ayckbourne and his theatre in the round. I was instantly fascinated by the complexity and discipline required from being seen from all angles by the audience and having to act with every part of your body. I was hooked on this new idea and over the next few years through High School drama classes and productions, Blood Wedding by Lorca in particular, due to us only really having a drama studio I got to do lots of work in that style. What I didn't know was that I was participating in what is known widely as 'Studio Theatre' and how important this would become to my future development.

In 2002 I joined the Northbrook Theatre thinking I would get to be acting in the main theatre which was a classic proscenium arch style theatre which could be turned into a huge black box. Instead I found myself rehearsing and performing in rehearsal studios before getting my first chance at working in a real black box theatre in the play 'The Last Resort' by Chris Owen. The room was tiny and cramped, it seated approx 20 people once any sparce set was placed within it. It was amazing we had to sit to one side, everytime we went onstage the audience could see, everything was stripped back and showing. The lights and speakers were very obvious and you couldn't hide them but what struck me was the versatility of the space. You could do anything in there, as it was just completely black and it opened my imaginative mind. The exploration of the space when we performed 'The Last Resort' was minimal but being on top of the audience for a first year drama student was daunting enough. Working in there cut a lot of my bad habits out quickly, fiddling hands being the crime I was chastised for the most, and by the time our second show in there was put on I was ready. 'Taking Breath' by Sarah Daniels was our piece and for it we had a pretty audacious design considering the size of the space. The stage which was approximately 12 feet across and 8ft deep was split in two with one half being the first part of the story and the second was that of the final part of the story, we had to have a piece of set representing a tree home for enviromental activists and a hospital bed. The tree home was a pallet left in the top corner of the space on which the actors playing the activists had to sit and the bed was for the lead character who falls from the tree. This of course taught me all about the importance of the luxury of space and how constraining the amount of space an actor can use is a positive thing. The last time I performed in the black box space at Northbrook was for our production of 'The Crucible' by Arthur Miller. Now in this production I was very lucky in that I played two characters and in one scene I had to change costumes quickly and re-enter, now this was not just a challenge for me as an actor artistically but also logistically. There needed to be a place I could quickly change my clothes within a packed tiny little space, where the audience would not see me. They constructed next to the actors bench a tiny cubicle I could change in. A challenge met and it really inspired me to find solutions to spacial issues. The other thing that the Crucible taught me was that good design can sometimes alter percieved ideas of space. I remember when we first heard that we would all be in this tiny space doing a show we thought it couldn't work, and then when we were told it would be in the round I wasn't sure it could look clean and tidy, all those bodies in such a small space. However we ended up getting a stage which comprised of rostrum and had a good rectuangular space to play with. What happened was the claustrophobia of the space helped feed into the plays feelings of oppression and the trap that had been thrown up in the community. This was another revelation, if the play called for a small space or for a tight situation if used effectively a black box or small studio theatre can be a real boon.

In 2006 I got my first real chance at directing at the Nightingale Theatre in Brighton. Under the watchful eye of Prodigal Theatre's representative Thor and in conjunction with Lisa Perry my tutor at Northbrook I directed 'Don Juan Comes Back From the War' by Horvath. I won't go into too much detail as to what happened during this period as I have already documented it several times, however I was quite far out of my depth. The luxury however of having a beautiful space, in a luscious building within Brighton was not lost on me. I learnt more in that space about myself and directing/acting than I had done the previous 3 years of college. We used every little aspect of that space, from the bay windows to the fireplace. Every actor was on stage at all times, there were no breaks for them. We had them playing background characters to enhance the main scenes. The work produced was effective and the open to public performance went down well. It was an experience.

From then on I pretty much worked in a way that took the studio and in the round style as my main focus. It holds so many more opportunities to the performer and director who doesn't have or need an expensive set or intricate design. The final year of my BA Hons Course I was given many opportunities to direct and act and I found the studio and black box system simpler for my theatrical eye. I get it, I understood the way the mind works, how the fourth wall not being in place can truly lift a piece and allow the actors to bring the audience on a journey. When audience members can see each other across the acting space, keeping them focused on the performance is imperative and therefore everyone has to work much harder. However another thing I love about studio and black box theatres is the ability to focus on an image. My piece 'Love' which I wrote and directed in 2006 was a very simple idea and I believe verges on the line between installation art and theatre, I therefore dubbed it a piece of installation theatre (I know this is not the greatest phrase due to the lack of logic in the claim but I thought it sounded smart and good at the time) and had strict instructions regarding length of the piece and audience size. The black box and main theatre were not an option so we got a rehearsal studio and I blacked out the windows so there was no light in the room. Then we got our actress, Juline Pethig, to sit on a stepladder, which was covered by the white dress she was wearing and she held a heart shaped chocolate box. In the background there was a sinister heart beat pounding away very loudly and the bass on that track turned up. 10 audience members were brought in at a time, the lights were turned on and they were guided round the ladder and had only 30 seconds to see the piece before the light went off. When the light went off the heart sound stopped also. With no words and no action some people questioned my motives and justifications but if Samuel Beckett, and his avant garde theatre, could put on 'Breath' then my piece which was partly an homage to his artform was perfectly justifiable. It surprised my peers and tutors also who didn't believe I had that type of work in me.

My final performance at Northbrook, and a personal dream come true, was the adaptation of the Tempest that Jenna Stannard and I came up with from the original Shakespearian text and a Restoration version by Dryden. Faced with the opportunity to perform it in the traditional manor in the Northbrook Theatre, our set designer Scott Nimmo decided to put the piece in the round and create an island within the theatre space. We created an island in the Northbrook Theatre using two tonnes of sand... which blew most of our budget but I think it really helped the piece be effective. Judge for yourself.

Pictures courtesy of Kirsty Jeffery. Thanks Kirsty.

The other aspect of this was the great lack of space we had, the piece restricted where certain characters could or would go. My character Prospero would only move in his small corner of the island and it really gave us a bigger challenge. A normal set would have nullified a lot of the action in this piece and being in the round allowed us to really show off our talents.

Since leaving University and forging on with my own career I have been testing and trying my work in the round. Simply put I believe it is the most versatile work place for an actor. If you have never tried to perform in a town square in the round then you haven't had one heck of a funny experience. Last years fptheatreproductions living history piece 'The Worthing Tales' was performed in South Street in Worthing on a busy August Saturday morning. We were heckled, we were ignored, our space was walked through, we had the public come up to us during the performance and we had hundreds of spectators looking at us. It wasn't a typical piece of theatre for the town centre or even for the town but it was amazing having that public forum and was a true throwback to the days of the Medieval mystery play being done on carts in the Market place.

From left to right: Me, LibraryGirl, Charlotte Dunn, Richard Ford

However as much as I loved outside I crave a black box of my own to use and to cherish. After all with a black box you get a blank canvas, and all the basics you need to start painting the eventual masterpiece you want your work to be. That is why I love Studio/Black Box theatres, and it would take a lot to change my mind.

Xtofer

Just a Small One: Etcetera Theatre Camden

Etcetera Theatre is the smallest theatre in London. Situated above the Oxford Arms pub in Camden it is the same age as me and has been producing and presenting good quality work for the past 23 years. It has been used for many different uses from venue for the Camden Fringe to Edinburgh Fringe Previews, this is an embodiment of the true underground pub theatre spirit.

To find out more about the Etcetera Theatre Camden please look here.

Theatre Studies Find: 1st real FIND in my textbook... THEATRON 3D Theatre Architecture Models

It is not everyday that I find a tool for theatre studies that generally blows me away. Now Theatron is one of those tools which is very exciting for its interface and depth of knowledge. This tool basically gives you a history of theatrical spaces, how they work, were developed and how they looked all in a 3D model. Now this software was developed in 2000/2001 and as such it is basic looking compared to 3D modelling that is done today on computers, however looking and studying it is still important due to the wealth of knowledge it provides. I would say that this is an excellent tool for anyone studying GCSE level Drama or History (if studying Roman and Greek architecture) or even Diploma level Theatre Students.

Check it out at http://www.theatron.org/

For more information on theatron go to http://www.theatron.co.uk/

Xtofer

My Study Text 'Theatre Studies' by Kenneth Pickering and Mark Woolgar

It takes a while to understand and really appreciate the subject you learn and to master it is near impossible, once you have your degree where do you go? Do you continue and work towards a Masters Degree? Then what? Move onto your PHD? Or do you go into the real world and leave the academic world behind? Well I chose to leave the University lifestyle and enter day to day life and consequently did what a lot of people my age did and still do, worked in a job sector completely unrelated to my degree. The result of this was that for the past 2 and a half years vital knowledge and information I pored over hungrily at College has begun to ebb away from my conciousness. This leaves me feeling a bit stupid because I did work very hard but I didn't keep it up outside of my Univeristy life and there are people who work in the Theatre Arts sector and not remembering certain things or having any knowledge of other aspects can sometimes be the difference between being taken seriously and seen as a joke. So to combat this LibraryGirl suggested I study at home a Drama Course which could easily be found in the... Library and the book we sourced together was 'Theatre Studies' by Keith Pickering and Mark Woolgar which is a book that covers all the subjects required by undergraduate and diploma courses in Theatre Arts. I have so far found it to be very helpful in its writing and exercises for reminding me how to do certain things and subjects that may have fallen to the wayside in my acting and directing technique. I am enjoying it a lot and its just nice to be learning something once again. I  feel better to be able to back up my own knowledge much like someone backing up their computer files. The biggest boon though has been some of the subjects I don't know about and resources it has thrown up for me to talk about on here. So yes there is a lot going on in 'Theatre From My Head' right now from our 'Just a Small One' series on small theatres in the UK to our 'Curtains!!! Project' so keep your eyes peeled for more updates.

Xtofer

New Marlowe Theatre Canterbury: Curtains!!! Is going well.

As the regular readers of my blog will know I am currently researching the City of Canterbury for my Curtains!!! Project and its defunct theatre venues. Of course looking back on the past is important as we can learn from what came before but just as important is the theatrical future of the City.

In a sign of great belief in the city's Theatrical future they are building a brand new £23.8 million theatre complex designed by Keith Williams. Whilst they are without a main theatre this has meant they have had to utilise alternative spaces within the city which involves the whole community.

Whilst I am looking at the stories of all the past theatres its good to know the future is in good hands.

For info on the New Marlowe Theatre please go here.

Just a Small One: The Swallow Theatre Scotland

The Swallow Theatre in Whithorn Scotland is a tiny 48 seat theatre located on the Moss Park estate. It was created by converting a barn with various materials, at times the staging and raised chair areas were pallets and it used to run a bring your own chair scheme. However nowadays they have retractable seating. One of the most interesting aspects of this theatre to me though has to be the lighting which according to their website is powered by solar panels and wind turbines! Truly an ecological theatre then.

I think it looks really quaint and it has a great 'can-do' attitude in its creators. Please check out the website here.

Just a Short One: Wrasslin' by Anthony Schrag

Anthony Schrag: Wrasslin'

Imagine my surprise when going through one of my wrestling forums I find a thread on an artistic endevour. Wrestling for me is a guilty little pleasure and I have been a fan for years, enjoying the pageantry and blatantly overblown theatrics involved in the psuedo sport, however I was very surprised to read of a Performance Artist who was taking the subect of Wrestling on with his own bare hands. As talked about in the page at the link above Anthony Schrag was going to be available to be wailed upon, stretched, slammed and pinned for one round by anyone who so wished to have a go. He set up his little tent in Margate on the seafront with the aim of allowing people to 'Sweat and Smile' and to explore the level of teamwork and trust between two people who are opponents.

Whats so interesting to me about this? Well its probably the fact that this is a great example of both old school theatre/music hall and old school wrestling. During the summer seasons in many Seaside Towns there was the Wrestling Tent where people would challenge the wrestlers for a money prize. So to do it in Margate brings a real sense of irony for me. Lets hope he didn't get too hurt, after all Wrestling... its all fake isn't it?

To see more of Anthony Schrag's work please go to this website.

Xtofer

Eastenders LIVE: The Murderer of Archie Mitchell is Revealed A REVIEW

As everyone living in the UK knows Archie Mitchell, who died on Christmas Day in the Queen Vic, was a cad who deserved everything that happened to him. He finally got his comeuppence and that led to two months of speculation as to who killed him. Early indication was that it was his daughter Ronnie, whose child he hid from her and who was sexually assualted by her father as a child, who in true Lady Macbeth style went slightly mad over the past two months. Other suspects included Phil Mitchell, Ian Beale, Peggy Mitchell, Jack Branning and Bradley Branning. However as with all great Soap storylines, things are never so simple and last night things got very complicated as for the first time ever Eastenders had a live broadcast.

Now a live Television broadcast of a drama is huge news, and a huge ask nowadays. Its been nearly 50 years since live tv performance was the rule instead of the exception and so there was a huge chance that things could go drastically wrong.

As LibraryGirl and myself sat down to watch this new experience we already felt really tense. As a performer myself I can appreciate the nerves these guys must have been feeling at going live, then factor in the fact that this is the blowoff to one of the biggest storylines ever to grace the square and then the idea that there could be nearly 12 million viewers watching you and waiting for you to screw up. I would say that under that pressure I would be really feeling anxious. LibraryGirl was geared up for the story and wanted to see how good the actors were in a live setting.

As we started watching we were incredibly surprised at the seemingly breakneck speed that everything seemed to be going and then we saw our first mistake. Scott Maslen the heart throb Jack Branning had what he later described as a 'Matrix Moment' as he fluffed his lines and had that thing all actors dread where their brain goes 'where am I in the script... um whats the next line' but it sort of helped build my suspicions that Jack was the murderer. Did Maslen screw up the show? No not at all because he carried on and the acting by Charlie Clements who plays Bradley, Jake Wood as Max and Lacey Turner as Stacey kept that scene going along and the quick angle change on Stacey's face helped build the tension up.

We then moved onto other suspects as Bradley and Stacey started their doomed escape. Janine Butcher, played by Charlie Brooks, was still rushing around trying to make sure she didn't get arrested again and looking for the person who planted the missing engagement ring in her flat. Brooks was brilliant as Janine, it looked as if her parts had been pre taped in that she herself was flawless, her character came through perfectly and she didn't fluff any lines, her only problem was she tripped over her step on the way into her doorway. This was not a big deal, after all it just added to the frantic panic the character was feeling.

Other performers who fluffed up included Barbara Windsor who ran a couple of words together, a very easy thing to do when you only have a very short amount of time to shoot and its one take, she didn't react to it she just kept on going in her scene with Charlie Brooks. Samantha Womack apparently entered the corner shop in Albert Square to get paint thinner, picked it up and during her argument with Rita Simons who plays her sister Roxi left without paying for it, despite walking straight past the shop staff. There were a few snafus with the camera angles including under the arches between Stacey and Bradley. However the Sun Newspaper decided that the one they should mention in their coverage of the live show was that Jake Wood, who is brilliant as Max, was seen putting his fingers down his throat to make himself retch. Now I have to call the Sun on that one mainly due to the fact that it is barely noticeable because when it happens Jake makes the sound of retching and covers his mouth in a way that his fingers went in his mouth, he just wanted it to be more realistic and its not his fault that the camera caught him. Plus I am pretty sure not more than 2 seconds later, as people are leaving the Queen Vic there is a crew member in shot who looks round then touches what looks to be headphones, hidden under a hat of course, before we carry on with the show. Not to mention the awful pause before the stuntman leapt off of the Pub. It just seemed unfair to me for them to criticise Jake Wood.

Now onto what I thought of the episode. The show was fantastic it just was a tense laden show with some phenomenal acting. As such I am going to declare my top 5 MVPs (Most valuable Performers) from last nights live episode.

5. Steve McFadden

Phils story was he was paranoid his girlfriend, Shirley, was going to rat him out and that Ian had evidence that could be used to frame him for Archies Murder. This led to him tracking down Ian and attacking him and trashing his home looking for what he thought Ian had. McFadden much like Brooks was brilliant in that he was totally natural when it came to being angry Phil, thats what you get for really knowing your character.

4. Adam Woodyatt

Ian had gone home with Dot to talk to her about how she felt and he ended up showing her the video tape of all the then young cast members from 25 years ago. Then as mentioned above Phil came thundering in and Woodyatt is brilliant at being a snivelling coward. His work was great to watch as he and McFadden got physical but it was obviously well rehearsed and these two actors have great chemistry as enemies. You could also tell that he was having fun with it, not in a distracting way but you could just tell.

3. Charlie Brooks

Janine as I said before was rushing around trying to find out who framed her. She was just Miss One Take all night and was brilliant at her character work. This storyline has, whilst making us want to all give Janine a slap for being so evil, in many ways shone a slightly sympathetic light on the Janine Butcher character something that perhaps she needed to keep her fresh.

2. Lacey Turner

This was a really hard choice as it is very close between her and Charlie Clements as to who was better but for me she comes second. Stacey Branning was trying to escape the square with her husband Bradley thanks to the betrayal of her best friend Becca. She ran around and revealed all to Bradley who tried to help her get away but in the end she admitted all to Max... she killed Archie. A really strong performance and Lacey Turner has shown herself to be a very powerful young actress who I hope when she leaves Eastenders, eventually, gets some good dramatic roles.

1. Charlie Clements

Yes Bradley passed away last night trying to escape the Police. When he fell from the top of the Queen Vic there couldn't have been many dry eyes in the millions of homes tuned in to the show. Clements work really helped this storyline move along, his slow disintegration since his return was a truly beautiful piece of acting and his abililty to just pick that up last night and truly put the ending to his story with a great piece of performance was great. The last line he uttered was perfectly pitched and a wonderful note to go out on. The show will sadly miss the gravitas and cheekiness the the Bradley character and Charlie Clements brings to it.

So what was having a live soap like? It was excellent, the excitement of the story was amped up to 11 just because of the unpredictable nature of the performance. Would I do it again? Yes I would, but with some modifications. The main modification I would make is to have it only involve a couple of characters and perhaps 2 or 3 sets. It was wonderful seeing the crew and cast pull off this mammoth task with such great results but there was a feeling of chaos at times. Lets take June Browns solo episode, now that could have easily been shown live and as long as the storyline is strong enough viewers will still tune in. Make it a 1 or 2 room show and then do a live, it will be cheaper and easier to pull off. Also there are certain things that need to be edited for future broadcast, I know we will see clips of Bradleys death and the ending of this episode for years to come but they need to do an edit to make it flow better from the last Bradley line to his fall. I would call this a success and think its a brilliant experience for the actors and is something they should be given the chance to do. Eastenders has done a great job in the lead up to this episode and I hope the fallout is just as good.

Live Eastenders was a truly brilliant event that showed that Soap actors aren't just pretty faces for TV and that a lot of them can do the job when needed. Catch it on Catch up if you haven't seen it or look at it on iPlayer because it is well worth the watch.

Now if only more TV shows had this dangerous event like feel.

Xtofer

http://www.bbc.co.uk/eastenders

arthurlloyd.co.uk a wonderful site on Theatre and Music Hall

arthurlloyd.co.uk is a website that I have been using more frequently in recent months as I have been researching various venues across the nation. It is a wonderful website full of magnificent information with over 2000 pages of information and 5000 images of Music Halls and Theatres from years past. Created by a descendant of Arthur Lloyd, a Music Hall Entertainer who wrote songs such as 'Married to a Mermaid', this site is part biographical evidence of Arthur Lloyds life and career and part information of theatres and music halls from all around the country. It is a fantastic resource with plenty of information to keep you glued to the site for hours on end. This is the type of rare resource that helps us all keep in touch with our theatrical heritage and remind us of the unfortuanate losses the theatre world has had in the past 50s as well as chronicling of its glorious past. I would highly reccomend anyone this site and its helpful forum.

So please go to:

http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/

and enjoy!

Xtofer

Curtains!!! Or A New Life for Old Theatres: Chatham Theatre Royal

Curtains!!! Or A New Life for Old Theatres: Chatham Theatre Royal

Before I start on my post regarding the sad story of The Theatre Royal Chatham let me give you a bit of background on what inspired this piece.

A few months ago LibraryGirl and I were spending time with her parents and we were discussing things we enjoyed about theatre and what I could write about on here. We had spent the day walking round London looking at the many different historical sites that you can find just turning a corner in that magical city and we hit upon the fact that there could be dark theatres in London which would make for an interesting subject to talk about, study and perhaps walk around. After all if a theatre cannot survive in Theatre Land then what luck does any theatre in the provinces have? We looked into the subject and came across the website of the Theatres Trust which is a fantastic resource, it led onto us finding out about Urban Exploration and rare photos of dark and abandoned theatres (and pretty much any other kind of building you care to mention) then today we were in Badger Books in Worthing and we found a book that seemed to be perfect for this little project of ours 'Curtains!!! Or A New Life For Old Theatres' a book about endangered theatres in the UK.

Curtains!!! an organisation underneath the banner of SAVE Britains Heritage was formed in the late 1970s to combat the awful statistic that of the 1000 Theatre Royals, Grands, ALhambras and Empires that had been so prevelant in the UK between 1900 and 1914 85 percent had been destroyed or badly damaged as they had been altered for other uses. It also claims that in 1982 only a tenth of the remaining 150 or so were still in use as theatres. Now inside the book it lists all sorts of fascinating information with a listing of 70 at risk theatres in which it eplains some of the history and architectual changes of the theatres along with giving their addresses and original architects information.

I googled Curtains!!! and found nothing, it seems the organisation has ceased to exist which is a real shame as another part of their organisation was a travelling exhibition that gave lectures about the situation and had many bits of history on the many venues that they wanted to save. I would assume that with the increased prominence of the Theatres Trust they either were amalgamated into the TT or were seen as surplus to requirement.

So going from the book I will be looking at what has happened in the past 30 years since it was published to the 70 endangered venues listed. So we start with the Chatham Theatre Royal.

The Chatham Theatre Royal was built in 1899 and was designed by the architect G.E. Bond who also designed many other buildings in the area including the former Chatham Town Hall, St Andrews Church, The Century Cinema in Dartford and the River Medway Conservancy Board Offices.

The Theatre Royal in Chatham could seat approximately 3000 audience members and was by all accounts a lush and luxuriant venue, something that is obvious even when you look at the highly (and upsettingly) degraded interior of this neglected venue.

Chatham Theatre Royal was a venue that had all the stars pass through it at some point, Rex Harrison, Ken Dodd, Charlie Chaplin, Stan Laurel, Norman Wisdom and Gracie Fields all graced its stage with their acts. The Theatre was so big and popular that according to local reports they had to build a brand new road just to accomodate the traffic approaching the venue. Unluckily the fact was that the Theatre Royal could not sustain its box office success and by the 1950s attendance figures had dropped to the point that they finally pulled the plug on it being a performance venue in 1955. It was then turned into several little shops on its bottom level including as a furniture shop which included displays on the stage. Then in 1960 a fire ravaged much of the stage and stalls area. In the 1980s there was a movement out to try and protect the building and revamp it as a better venue for Chatham than the considerably smaller and less grand Central Hall.

The fight to restore The Theatre Royal raged for 20 years but Curtains!!! prediction came true

'However the Theatre Royal is probably too far gone to make restoration economically feasible'

In 2002 the Theatre Royal Chatham Trust had to withdraw its support of the venue as the building was too rotten to feasibly be saved, a travesty considering the fact that it was a Grade II building. These types of building should be saved not left to rot.

There happened to be various bodies and people trying to save this once beautiful venue since the 60s before the Trust came into being in the 80s but they couldn't stop progress it seems. A beautiful old building with a heritage linked to the local area was allowed to rot so that its land could be sold off for Housing Association redevelopment in 2002. In March 2009 they demolished the theatre a sad day but unfortuanately it was necessary as it was really just a shell of former glory, a testament to past magic and variety.

The saddest part of this story for me though is the fact I have heard it so many times over and over again. Last month I spoke about my disgust at the situation regarding Farnham Rep and how wrong it was that local authorities can just say no to people who want to use purpose built venues. When a venue has a trust behind it trying to raise the money, raise its profile for the sake of saving a usable building so it can be appreciated and used by future generations and the local authority decides to ignore that fact until that building has to be knocked down, Government Protection or not, so it can sell the land on for housing developments I think its stupid. Why bother allowing a building to die slowly, why not just pull the plug? Chatham Theatre Royal was allowed to mould and fester before it was finally pulled down and that is not the way these buildings should be remembered.

It is however ironic that Chathams alternative venue with Jazz Lessons, Community Theatre and smaller scale productions is the Old Town Hall designed by Bond, his work still influences theatre in the area. At least that venue is safe.

However on the old address of the once grand theatre 102 High Street you will today find Cutting Crew Hairdresser. I think that just says it all.

Anyone who feels the same as I do should visit the Theatres Trust Website and find out how they can help save local theatres.

Pictures of the inside of the Theatre Royal were sourced from http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/ and http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/ headtheatre.blogspot.com does not condone or encourage the illegal entry of derelict or private property. It is potentially life threatening and illegal.