ReAct Academy of Theatre Arts - end of first year

My daughter's academy of theatre arts came to the end of its first year last week, with awards and an end of year show. It was a great success, as shown in this report in tonight's Lancashire Evening Telegraph.

Click the image twice to increase its size to read.

Birthdays: Sir Christopher Lee and the late Vincent Price

It would have been Vincent Price's 100th birthday today. As it is, today sees Sir Christopher Lee reach 89.

Coincidentally, two days ago it was also the anniversary of Peter Cushing's birth.

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui

Last night was the final night for this production at Oswaldtwistle Civic Theatre. Everyone enjoyed it, and I was pleased that my wife, Linden was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers afterwards and a box of chocolates for all the work she put in to create the four fourteen foot banners used in the play's finale and 29 armbands for the cast.

It's been a great production and I have enjoyed virtually every minute of it, from the twice weekly rehearsals to the final week, when we performed the play every night for seven consecutive nights, including the final four before an audience. Tired now, but I would certainly do something like this again. Oswaldtwistle Players are a great group to work with, with some outstandingly talented members who it's been a real pleasure and privilege to have worked with on this production.

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui

We've now got just two rehearsals left before he play opens on Wednesday night. Looking good. There's plenty of humour and action in it, and the audience will certainly have no time for dozing off with all the gunfire - not that I imagine any of them will be tempted anyway!

This is only the second play I have ever been involved with as one of the actors - and I am enjoying virtually every minute of it. We were at the theatre from ten o'clock yesterday morning till gone five at night. The stage, though sparse, looks very impressive. I'm especially pleased at the fourteen foot banners that Lin made for it. Not to mention all the armbands for the cast!

Paul McGowan plays the lead as Arturo Ui, whose rise to power as the leading gangster in 1920s Chicago mirrors the rise to power of Hitler. Paul is brilliant in the role. Chris Knight, as director, does seem to have a knack to get the best out of the cast too - which is quite large.Despite all the pressures he must be feeling he seems to have kept his good humour - not to mention his sense of humour too!

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui

A photo of some of the cast in the Oswaldtwistle Players production of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, which starts this coming Wednesday for four nights at the Civic Theatre, Oswaldtwistle.

Front left is Paul McGowan who plays Ui. Next to him, with the machine gun, is Chris Knight, our producer. I'm stood just behind him at the edge of the photo, arms folded and looking as grim as I can manage as a gangster bodyguard. Our first dress rehearsal is Sunday at the theatre.

MURDER! MAYHEM! HIGH DRAMA AND LAUGHS!

Popular award winning local actor Paul McGowan takes the title role of Chicago mob leader Arturo Ui in this blackly comic satire set in the late 1920’s. Arturo runs his protection racket with a Hitler-like ruthlessness. With his murderous gang he takes control of the greengrocery wholesale business in Chicago using extortion and intimidation .

First Chicago, then Cicero and then...? Nothing less than world domination in the cauliflower trade.

 OSWALDTWISTLE PLAYERS present this classic and chillingly funny play

 at the newly re-furbished Civic Theatre (it’s very nice now),

Union Rd, Oswaldtwistle BB5 3HZ

The Resistible Rise of ARTURO UI

by Bertolt Brecht, directed by Chris Knight

April 6^th to 9^th 2011 at 7.30pm

Tickets:-   Adult £8, concessions, £7. with a special first night price of £6 all seats

Discounts available for block bookings.

Available from:-

The Tourist Office, Accrington Town Hall,

The Civic Arts Centre, Union Rd, Oswaldtwistle,

Edmundson’s Sweet Shop, 172 Union Rd, Oswaldtwistle

On-line at www.ticketsource.co.uk/oswplayers

Or ring 01254 236057

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui

We had another good rehearsal last night. We have started to use some of the blank firing handguns that will be used in the production to get us used to the noise - they really do go off with a hell of a bang. And, even though you know they are only firing blanks, it's still a bit unnerving to have one pointed at you at close range, knowing it's going to be fired.

Lin was asked to make 26 Nazi-style armbands (with the letters UI instead of a swastika) and 4 fourteen-foot banners for the stage for a Nuremberg-like finale. The armbands are finished and three of the banners only need the large white circles with the letters UI sewing onto the red matrerial. I took one of the banners to the rehearsal. It looked pretty good when it was stretched out in the hall.

We had some photos taken last night. I had to sit in my gangster-bodyguard role with a fake machine gun resting on one knee, looking mean!

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui

We had a really good rehearsal last night. For the first time one of the blank firing pistols that will be used on stage was brought along. The noise and smell of cordite was impressive. When the guns get fired they'll certainly wake up any dozy members of the audience! For the production, which includes quite a few violent deaths, there'll be pistols and machineguns. I have two rolls in it. In Scene 1b I play a character called Sheet, who owns a shipyard that others want to buy off me for next to nothing. Sheet is murdered off stage by the gangsters. I then play a gangster bodyguard for one of the gang leaders, Ernesto Roma, who is based on Ernst Rohm, the main target for Hitler's Night of the Long Knives. When Roma is murdered, I along with his other bodyguards get gunned down by machinegun fire. All good stuff.

RIP Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart - Nicholas Courtney 1929-2011

For those who watched the earlier series of Doctor Who, Brigadier Lethdridge-Stewart will be a familiar name. He was a stalwart of that series, especially during the Pertwee years.

The sad news is that Nicholas Courtney, who played him throughout the series, died aged 81 on February 22nd.

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui - poster

I couldn't resist showing the poster that's been produced for The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.

Kicking the Flu Bug

Still suffering a bit, though I have continued to go to work for the past week. And went to last night's rehearsal for The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. Thankfully the room where we do that was a lot warmer than last Thursday! We did the whole of Act 1, which is more or less me done, as I am only in one scene with my main character, Fleet, who gets murdered off stage shortly afterwards. I got a small additional part last night as body guard number one for Arturo Ui, but all I had to do was stand behind him with my arms folded after introducing the Actor character with the one line: "It's an actor, boss. Unarmed."

Need to get stuck into some more writing. Haven't done anything since Christmas. Must also look into what's happening with my long delayed collection from Midnight House, which seems no nearer being published, especially since the Midnight House site has been down for months now.

Currently reading Lee Child's thriller 61 Hours. I have a soft spot for his Jack Reacher novels.

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui - First Rehearsal

We had our first rehearsal for The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui last night in the upstairs concert room of Lock Street Club (St Mary's Parish Centre) in Oswaldtwistle. Two hours without any heating! Needless to say I didn't remove my coat, scarf or gloves - and was still perishing by the time I got home two hours later - which was a good excuse for a hot toddy!

Still, it went well and it was interesting as this was our first full read through.

I only have a small part, Sheet, a shipyard owner whose one appearance - alive - is in scene 1, b. He has 48 lines of dialogue.

But I have also been promised a few other small parts later in the play after my character makes his off stage demise, a victim of the gangster Arturo Ui.

Our next rehearsal is on Tuesday. I intend to make sure I have learned my lines thoroughly by then. No excuse for not doing really.

Animated Accrington

This is a film about some of the artistic activities that have been taking place in the Accrington area this year, including my daughter, Cassandra's involvement organising the Flash Mob.

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui

I went to an audition for this play by Bertolt Brecht on Monday night with the Oswaldtwistle Players at the Civic Theatre across the road in Oswaldtwistle. I was phoned tonight by the play's director, Chris Knight, who told me that I've got the part of Sheet, a shipyard owner - plus a number of small parts later in the play after my main character is bumped off. Rehearsals start in January.

This will be the second time I've had a part in an Ossy Players production. I had one several years ago in MacBeth Did It, when I played a millionaire drunk who ends up with the witches' couldron on his head, wandering about the stage (and sometimes nearly falling off it).

The play will run from April 6th to the 9th next year.

Alice - The Musical

Last night's performance was the best yet, with an enthusiastic audience and some brilliant performances from the young cast.

There are some new photos here.

Alice - The Musical - Opening Night

Last night, despite the ice and snow, was opening night for Alice - The Musical and, thankfully, it went well. All the cast turned up and, though the previous night's dress rehearsal had its occasional problems, opening night went as smooth as it could have been, with an appreciative audience.

Then back home to catch up on the latest Dexter and The Walking Dead!

Ingrid Pitt

Sad to hear that Ingrid Pitt has died. We saw her earlier this year at the World Horror Convention in Brighton, when she looked far from well then. She was in a wheelchair, but showed great spirit.


My favourite movie of hers has got to be The House That Dripped Blood, where she played opposite the late John Pertwee, hamming it up as a horror "actor" for all he was worth. She joined in with gusto.

Youtube video of Cassandra dancing at the ReAct studio

You wouldn't think she was six months pregnant (baby due in February)! This was a practice run for the Flash Mob event held in Accrington town centre on Saturday.





This was her comment for this practice video: "Hi... this is me, (pregnant dancing girl on vid)... if you are interested in learning the routines for the Flash Mob event please use these to learn from. I am performing them the correct way, (not a mirror image) so you will have to think and not just copy. I punch my left arm first for instance.

If you have any questions post them on here.

Cassandra"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZWkilPyKJo

Alice the Musical

Here is a link to ReAct Academy to see pictures of the rehearsals for Alice the Musical.

Quiet lately

I haven't entered many new subjects this week. That's because I've been busy with other things, notably my wife's annual tax return, a VAT return on the bookshop and creating props for my daughter, Cassandra's forthcoming production at the Oswaldtwistle Arts Centre of Alice the Musical. I have been making a ridiculously large tea pot and cups out of papiermache, which, as anyone who has ever done this before will know, is a long drawn out, slow process. Still a lot to do on it, including a final sanding, then painting.

Bad News for the British Film Industry

Just when things were really getting better:

 BBC News

This is a damn shame. There have been some brilliant British movies produced in recent years because of this.