Backstage Blogger

This week's news from the Coliseum...

2012-03-08T06:26:00.001-08:00

We are now fully operational at the Old Library with a host of big rooms – much bigger than we were used to at the Coliseum. The wardrobe department has a fantastic space – much more in keeping with similar workshops at other theatres across the country, unlike the glorified corridor that we had back at Fairbottom Street. The rehearsal room is also much bigger which means we don’t have to imagine the extra stage space. When I was describing the library building to Robin Herford ahead of his arrival to direct Taking Steps, I warned him that it wasn’t in peak condition but when he saw it he said how much better it was than the dingy church halls he’s used in London for West End shows. The space is exactly what we need and it’s with great thanks to Oldham Council that we’re able to use it.

Last week I travelled over to Lancaster with the cast and company of The Hound of the Baskervilles to perform on the production’s set for the first time. Imitating the Dog – the company that are designing the play – had put together the set at Lancaster University and set-up the projections that form an essential part of the production. The overall effect is absolutely stunning – it really is like nothing else I’ve worked on at the Coliseum. The use of projections mean that the action can just zip from one location to another. One minute we might be in Baskerville Hall and the next we’re 221b Baker Street and then Dartmoor.

The cast couldn’t wait to get on the set and start working through bits of the play. This is a real treat, especially considering that we were only in the second week of rehearsals. Usually the cast don’t get to see the set and work through the play on it until the fourth week of rehearsals. This is the first time we’ve been able to work through the play on a set so far ahead of opening night. It’s particularly important for this production because the projections and other design elements are so intricate that the sooner we start working with them the better.

We’re nearly at the end of the final week of rehearsals at the Lawrence Batley Theatre and I’m really looking forward to seeing the harmony of all the multi-media elements with the cast in front of a live audience.

See you out and about.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Time for a story...

2012-03-01T02:52:00.000-08:00

While I’ve been rehearsing The Hound of the Baskervilles it struck me how different an experience it is to read a novel and watch a play of the same story. At the moment I’ve been getting the play on its feet and I will often refer back to the original novel. The way in which readers experience the novel will be totally different from an audiences’ experience of the play although the story is the same. Reading a novel is a solitary experience and you visualise the action in your head however watching a play is a shared experience with the story tellers in the same room, every night is unique – with no two performances alike.

The tradition of storytelling is as old as civilisation itself, theatre has developed from when ancient cultures told stories orally over a camp fire, drawing figures in the sand, acting out sections and playing music. Fast forward to today and people now visit the cinema, read a book or watch TV and it has been argued that there are seven basic plots that every story can be attributed to. These seven plots are universal and apply to novels, films, plays, any form of storytelling and more than likely date back to that camp fire. Each involves a particular journey that the story’s hero must go on.

First up there’s ‘Overcoming the Monster’, the hero must destroy the evil figure that is threatening their way of life. Pantomime fits into this perfectly, especially Jack and the Beanstalk, but James Bond is another example of the hero overcoming an evil figure or indeed The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Next is ‘Rags to Riches’ – another one that can be applied to panto, Cinderella for one, but Pretty Woman is a brilliant example. In this story we meet the hero in poverty or anonymity who goes on a journey which ultimately ends up with riches and notoriety.

In ‘The Quest’ the hero learns of some great fortune or trophy that they are determined to find it. But the journey is never easy and the hero usually recruit a band of companions to help along the way. Examples of this plot include The Lord of the Rings and Watership Down.

Number four is ‘Voyage and Return’ where the hero is transported out of their real world and into a fantasy land from which they must find their way back. Alice in Wonderland and Gulliver’s Travels are perfect examples of this particular plot.

The next one is ‘Comedy’ which sounds fairly obvious but it’s more about the situations that the hero and other characters find themselves in and the comedy that can be mined from that scenario. Taking Steps – our current production at the Grange Arts Centre - is a great example of this.

‘Tragedy’ is as simple as it sounds, the hero does not get what he wants. Romeo and Juliet and Wuthering Heights are some tragic stories that fit this.

The final plot is ‘Rebirth’ which sees a young hero be tempted by evil until they see the error of their ways, the Harry Potter series is a great example of this.

The most popular stories are the most simple that appeal to our basic human emotions; hope, loss, peril and they all fit into these seven categories. People have always told stories and storytelling is an integral part of society. Of course, live theatre is one way of telling a story and you can’t beat that unique shared experience – but I would say that…

See you out and about.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Panto in February...

2012-02-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

It may only be February but here at the Coliseum we’re already making headway into next Christmas’ panto – Cinderella.

I made offers of parts to some of the cast that appeared in Dick Whittington only a couple of weeks after the production closed and they snapped up the chance to work at the Coliseum again. Fine Time Fontayne signed up first and he and I will be writing the script together during the year. Fine Time has already written a first draft which he sent over to me to look at and re-write. We’ll then spend an afternoon going through that version and divide it into different segments which we take away and work on individually.

An early draft will also be sent to both the designer and the musical director so that they can start work on the production as well. The designer has their work cut out for Cinderella, the ugly step sisters in effect are two dames with two sets of intricate and wacky costumes. The dame usually has nine costume changes throughout the show so this year there will be nearly twice as many. Dave Bintley, he musical director will start to think about what songs to include, Fine Time and I will leave notes in the script such as [ENSEMBLE SONG HERE], [LOVE DUET HERE], [BADDIE SONG HERE]. While the show always has current pop songs, we always include some classic tunes as well and these are some of the first to be chosen and it’s important to find the right song for that particular moment in the story.

The rest of the cast that have confirmed include Richard J Fletcher as Buttons, Justine Bailey as Prince Charming, Liz Carney as the fairy and Simeon Truby as an ugly step sister. Dick Whittington was Simeon’s first pantomime at the Coliseum, working alongside Fine Time, we saw the potential for a great double act as the ugly step sisters. The chemistry between the two actors who play those parts has to be just right and I am confident that Simeon and Fine Time will deliver some fantastic routines.
I always mention how much work goes into creating the Coliseum’s annual pantomime and here’s the proof. There was maybe one week in January when panto wasn’t on the agenda but it really is a year long process – and there’s a good reason for that. One third of our visitors from the whole year come to panto and it accounts for nearly 30% of our annual earned income.

For now though it’s back to Conan Doyle and The Hound of the Baskervilles rehearsals…

See you out and about.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Refurbishment Blog #02: The Theatre is Empty

2012-02-21T01:45:00.000-08:00

The doors are sealed and the Coliseum has been handed over to the contractors. The last time I went into the theatre it was beginning to look a little forlorn. There were no seats at all in the auditorium – they’ve all been given away to good causes – which has left the room feeling curiously small. The heating has been switched off and everywhere you look there are holes in the walls and floors where the search for asbestos continues.

It’s very strange seeing the theatre so empty – the Coliseum crew have removed everything – a task that felt impossible only a few months ago – and all of our equipment is now safely stowed at our new home in Oldham’s Old Library, which is also now the home of our technical team and the actors that are currently in rehearsal for both Taking Steps and The Hound of the Baskervilles. We’re also running our busy box office at 12 Albion Street in Oldham’s town centre. Business goes on as normal, with Taking Steps opening last week in Oldham and Hound four weeks away from its first performance in Huddersfield at the Lawrence Batley Theatre.

I’m really impressed by the way the Coliseum staff have risen to the challenge, actively seeking creative solutions for the difficulties that have inevitably been thrown up and already thinking ahead to how we can make the Coliseum a better place to work when we move back in September.

Over the next few weeks the most destructive phase of the work will be done. Many of the interior walls and ceilings contain asbestos – either as a component in insulation boarding, or sprayed onto other structures to improve fire safety. We’ve worked safely with these structures for years, making sure the mineral was encapsulated and controlled, but it will be a relief when it is finally removed from the building. We estimate that the majority of interior walls and ceilings are going to be taken down over the next ten weeks, including the ceiling to the auditorium – an enormous task in itself.

These works will expose parts of the building that we have been prohibited from entering for many years, including the roof void and the area under the main stage. This will allow us to make a thorough inspection of the structure and determine precisely what will happen next.

On a lighter note, we’re about to receive samples of new auditorium seating to assess for both comfort and look. The big question of the moment; what colour should they be!

David Martin
Executive Director

This week's news from the Coliseum...

2012-02-16T05:01:00.000-08:00

We’re all getting used to our new temporary way of working with rehearsals over at the old library, box office open on Albion Street, performances at the Grange Arts Centre and the Education and Outreach team have also adapted the way they work to make sure the Coliseum’s education programme continues. Our theatre classes usually take place at the Coliseum but as the building is being refurbished the team have had to find new venues to host these groups – much like having to find the new venues to produce our plays.
It was really important that the new venues were accessible and easy to find but more importantly that the classes were all still delivered with by the Coliseum team. Classes will take place at Oldham Central Library, Oldham College and Oldham Theatre Workshop until summer 2012.

Drama Daze - a weekly creative drama group that gives children 5 – 12yrs the chance to tell stories, make props, dress up, dance and play games – and Play in a Week will take place at Oldham Central Library. ActingLAB, our adult drama class, and ReadIT, a book group with a theatrical twist, will also be meeting at the library as well as our young person’s steering group and Pathways (a career service for young people interested in working in the arts).

Over at Oldham College DigiLAB and TheatreLAB – our youth drama groups – are working on their performance of Tunnel Visions that will be performed at Earl Mill at the end of April. Finally Full Circle, our theatre group for the over 50s, has found a temporary home in the Oldham Theatre Workshop building.

Finding these new venues has not just been about finding some spare space; it has also given the Coliseum the opportunity to create new partnerships with different organisations. For example, at the Oldham Library, the Coliseum is now delivering a new monthly drop in session - Play Makers – as part of the library’s family programme. The Coliseum also delivered a professional development week at Oldham College which formed part of the performance studies students course work.
As with the different productions in our season, it’s also really important that the Coliseum continues to offer these popular classes - many participants come back term after term and this term is no different. If you would like more information about any of the classes then get in touch with the Education and Outreach team on 0161 785 7007 or education@coliseum.org.uk.
See you out and about.
Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Holmes, Hound and Huddersfield...

2012-02-09T06:35:00.000-08:00

The cast of The Hound of the Baskervilles arrive to start rehearsals on Monday. This production kicks off the new season I am really looking forward to getting the show on its feet. When I first read the script I thought it was a brilliant adaptation by Clive Francis and knew straight away that this was something I wanted to stage – the theatricality of it was irresistible and the content true to the original novels.

The recent popularity of the Sherlock Holmes stories on TV and in film makes our production fairly fashionable, the Holmes character is ripe for reinvention but at the base of it the Conan Doyle stories are simply fantastic mystery tales. Conan Doyle popularised crime fiction and detective stories, the recent success of novels such as the Stieg Larsson Millennium trilogy has prompted a boom for crime fiction in general and the Sherlock Holmes stories stand up against these new popular stories. These classic tales can be reimagined time and time again.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was one of many writers during the late 1800s – early 1900s producing timeless English literature. Other writers of that time include Wordsworth, Lewis Carol, Thomas Hardy, Bram Stoker, H G Wells and Joseph Conrad. All of these writers produced universal stories that have been adapted for TV and film many times.

This production has also developed our relationship with the design company imitating the dog who have a done a fantastic job of creating the eerie environment I envisioned when I read the script. The Hound of the Baskervilles - like all good plays - could be performed on a bare stage because the writing is so good but the projection techniques that imitating the dog will be using really enhance the suspense of the script and really develops the sense of danger in the story; the moors of Dartmoor, the fog, the enclosed community. All of these add a real claustrophobic feeling to the play.

The Hound of the Baskervilles will be a great introduction to the characters to anyone who doesn’t know the stories – although you be hard pressed not have either seen the film or TV series over the last year or so. The show opens at the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield on 12 March and runs for a week before it goes on tour across the country. Remember you can book a seat on a coach through our box office to get form Oldham to Huddersfield.

See you out and about.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Refurbishment Blog #01: It's Started!

2012-01-27T06:41:00.000-08:00

It’s started! We’re actually moving out. The final performance at the Coliseum was a five-hour epic from Ken Dodd on Sunday 15th January. On Monday morning the trucks arrived and the whole Coliseum team has become involved in stripping down and emptying the building.

We’ve set up a temporary base in the Old Library on Union Street in Oldham. This is a fine Victorian Building, in very good condition and has been leant to us by Oldham Council for the duration of the works at the theatre. We’re now rehearsing Alan Ayckbourn’s Taking Steps there and both the cast and the crew appear to be very comfortable in their new home.

We’re also redecorating a shop at 12 Albion Street in the Town Centre which will become our new box office this time next week. We’ve a busy schedule of performances to sell, as we will continue to produce and present plays all the time the Coliseum is closed. With every day that goes by the Coliseum gets emptier and emptier and equipment and furniture moves to its new home.

I’m delighted that we have found very good use for the old theatre seats, which are being replaced in a few months as part of the refurbishment. We have donated seats to Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre, a newly-refurbished cinema in Lincoln and even the Old Vic Tunnels in London! It looks likely that not a single seat will go to waste and I’m really proud that we managed to recycle them.
It’s now full steam ahead on the refurb. Our landlord, Oldham Council have placed an order with the main supplier, Globe Management Services, sub-contractors are being booked and we handover the theatre on Monday 13th February. This is the day the asbestos contractors move in….

David Martin
Executive Director

Moving and Awards at the Coliseum

2012-01-26T07:55:00.000-08:00

There is a huge sense of change and excitement around the organisation at the moment. The big move out of the building has been in the planning stages for nearly a year and now it’s all starting to feel very real (and exciting). Last week the production teams were making sure the Old Library was ready for the Taking Steps cast to start rehearsals on Monday. All the props from the store have been moved over and are being stored on the old library book shelves… but we have not alphabetised them though. The marketing and admin teams have made sure the green room (where the actors have their breaks) is welcoming with production photography and posters on the walls and nice comfy sofas.

It’s an absolutely beautiful and spacious building, we’re certainly not used to having an awful lot of room! The cast have a fantastic rehearsal area and are settling into the building. A couple of familiar faces in the cast include Jackie Morrison and Maeve Larkin who were both in Private Lives this time last year. The rest are all new to the Coliseum.

Steven Pinder in Deathtrap

Speaking of Private Lives, the Manchester Theatre Awards nominations were announced last week and the Coliseum has received eight including Best Production for Private Lives and Best Actor for James Simmons who played Elyot. Harry Livingstone got a nomination for his role as Jim in The Glass Menagerie as well as Emma Matthews for her role as Sylvia in Stepping Out – both for Best Newcomer. Our regular designer Foxton also got some recognition for the fantastic work on Deathtrap and Stepping Out. Dick Whittington also got a nod for Best Special Entertainment and Dancing at Lughnasa (a tour we received from The Original Theatre Company) received a nomination for Best Visiting Entertainment.

While Taking Steps reaches the end of the first week of rehearsals, work on The Hound of the Baskervilles continues. I went over to the Lawrence Batley Theatre for their season launch last week where we open the show before taking it on tour. I had a chat with the artistic director on stage about the production and why I chose to programme it. I held auditions recently and have nearly finalised the cast and cannot wait to get started with rehearsals. Remember, if you’re worried about how to get to Huddersfield we’re laying on some coaches which with a pick up from Bradshaw Street car park.

See you out and about.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

This week's news from the Coliseum...

2012-01-19T04:42:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow night sees the final performance from a group of young people who have been working on an exciting project about the 125 year history of the Coliseum. The project began last year when we held a Reminiscence Event, the night was a great success with a packed auditorium full of people sharing their memories of the theatre. Special guest Kenneth Alan Taylor (ex-Artistic Director) and front of house manager David Rustidge - who is longest serving member of Coliseum staff – were the master of ceremonies. There was also a screening of a fascinating film of the Coliseum in the 1950s from the archive.

The project has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Young Roots programme which is specifically designed to engage young people with their local heritage. The young people involved in this project have been creating the performance over the last few months which has been inspired by Coliseum’s history. The 15 strong cast have been meeting once a week to put together the piece and this evening is the technical rehearsal – setting up all the light and music cues - for tomorrow night.

The show will open with a video trailer which will include clips from different stages of the project and what the group have been up to. The group will then zip through the last 125 years of the theatre (not an easy task!). There will also be the first unveiling of the exhibition display that was commissioned as part of the whole project. The display includes a selection of archive production photography and programmes from over the years along with little snippets about the Coliseum’s past. People who take part in the various educational drama groups - from Drama Daze (our weekly drama group for 5 – 12yr olds) to Full Circle (our creative classes for over 50s) - were consulted about how the stand would look and what should be included. It looks fantastic and you’ll be able to have a look at it when it’s erected at our new Box Office site at Unit 12 on Albion Street.

The project has also included the cataloguing of the Coliseum’s archive which is now in the process of being digitally scanned and logged at the Local Studies and Archives building on Union Street. There has also been a series of community workshops based on the archive at Barnardo's Asha Project and the young artists at Square 1 Recording Studios have created a soundtrack for the show. Students from University Campus Oldham who have recently formed a new production company – New Generation Productions – have created the visual effects for the performance.

I’m looking forward to seeing all the different aspects of the project come together on stage tomorrow evening.

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Taking Steps out of the building...

2012-01-12T06:55:00.000-08:00

We’re packing our bags, ready to leave our Fairbottom Street venue. The last panto performance is on Saturday night and on Sunday Coliseum favourite Ken Dodd will be the last performer at the theatre before we return in October.

We’ve been moving various props, furniture and other exotic theatrical equipment to the old library on Union Street since the summer. All the backstage teams will be working there, the wardrobe department will be sourcing and making the costumes for each production and technical stage management will also have their workshop there. The library will also be set up with a large rehearsal space. This is a fantastic way to make use of this beautiful historical building that would otherwise be empty.

The box office staff have been busy relocating everything to Unit 12 in Tommyfield Market where you’ll be able to buy your tickets for the new season. We’re making sure that the place will be full of eye catching displays about the theatre so you’ll feel at home when you pop in. It will be open to the public in February with the box office team ready to help.

We’ve also made sure The Grange Arts Centre is ready for opening night of Taking Steps in February. There will be a box office open from an hour before the show starts every night as usual so you can purchase tickets on the night. The Grange Arts Centre is easy to find too, located right next to Oldham College and Oldham Academy North on Rochdale Road. If you’re not sure how to get there just ring 0161 624 2829 for more information or drop into the box office at Unit 12.

A lot of people have asked me what changes will take place to the building while we’re out - a little worried that it’ll become super modern with glass walls and wacky designs. I can assure you that is not going to happen. If you’re a regular to the Coliseum you’ll already know that the auditorium can very often be either too hot or too cold so the main changes to the building will be to improve the heating and ventilation. The auditorium will also be entirely re-seated to make it more comfortable and more leg room with better views of the stage.

Until then, make sure you catch the pantomime before it comes to an end for another year.

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Anyone for Snooker?

2012-01-05T07:01:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, 2012 will be a very busy and exciting year for the Coliseum and I can’t wait to get started. Once Dick Whittington finishes on Saturday 14 January our production team will be moving to the Old Library where they will be based for the next six months preparing our productions which will be presented at The Grange Arts Centre, Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield and in the open-air at Alexandra Park. The first production of the New Year is Snookered at University Campus Oldham. This is a brand new play by new playwright Ishy Din which we are producing in association with Tamasha Theatre Company (Wuthering Heights).

Ishy Din, writer of Snookered

New writing is the life blood of the theatre industry and it’s extremely important that it is supported and developed; without new plays live theatre would become simply stagnate. There are many different ways new plays get staged. Established playwrights usually have a good relationship with various theatres and either approach the theatres directly to talk about a new idea or a theatre might seek them out to ask them to create something for them. The Coliseum also supports writers by offering small commissions to playwrights so they can work on their ideas. They will develop storylines, characters and some sample scenes which we can work on; hopefully we will then move to a full commission which will result in a new play being stage at the Coliseum.

Upcoming playwrights work their way up through different writing groups such as WritingLAB here at the Coliseum, North West Playwrights and BBC Writer’s Room. These groups help nurture their talent and are an integral part of the playwriting industry. Ian Kershaw, for example, was a member of our writing group and we nominated him as one of fifty writers to receive a year’s training and mentorship from Royal Court Theatre in London. He is now a regular writer on Shameless and is currently working on Star-Cross’d, a re-working of Romeo and Juliet for our summer production in Alexandra Park.

Ishy Din is another playwright with a long standing relationship with the Coliseum; he came second in the writing competition we ran with Tamasha in 2007. Ishy is a taxi driver and had never written a play before but we discovered he has a brilliant an ear for characters, no doubt developed by listening to people in the back of his cab. Both the Coliseum and Tamasha have been helping him develop his talent by offering him mentorship from more established professional writers - and now Tamasha have commissioned him to write Snookered.

As Ishy says, ‘I used to be a taxi driver and now I’m a playwright who drives a taxi.’ I am really proud of what Ishy has achieved over the last few years and I’m sure Snookered - which goes on national tour after it opens in Oldham – will boost his career even further.

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

A big panto thank you...

2011-12-23T01:40:00.000-08:00

I love the traditions of Christmas – family gathering together, turkey, tree, tinsel and of course the trip to the pantomime. We’ve still got some tickets available over the next week. This year’s show is a cracker, I can’t remember when we had such positive feedback from both adults and children. As we reach the half-way point in the seven week run I think it’s time to say thank you to all the dedicated and fantastic staff that have made the show possible.

Every department works tirelessly to make sure the production is a huge success. The wardrobe team work with the show’s designer right at the start of the year to begin making the eye-popping costumes. Once the show is up and running they are on hand every day to get the actors (especially dame Fine Time Fontaye) into their outfits for the quick changes and fill the washing machine at the end of each performance.

The stage management and technical teams make sure every show goes on without a hitch, setting all the props (and there are hundreds) in the right places backstage and lugging the wacky scenery on and off stage. Musical director David Bintley and the band have produced a brilliant musical score – King Rat’s song is something which has to be seen to be believed.

Front of house is just as busy, the Coliseum’s Front of House Managers and ushers make sure all the school groups, parents, grandparents and kids find their seats. The box office phones are ringing off the hook and the bar staff are serving up Bailey’s lattes by the dozen. Not forgetting the wonderful housekeeping team that clean the auditorium top to bottom twice a day, six days a week for seven weeks. That’s a huge number of bin bags.

Elsewhere in the theatre the education and outreach department have been going out to local schools to deliver panto workshops – teaching the pupils about the traditions of pantomime. The marketing department have been working their socks off to make sure everyone knows about the show. The admin team work out the casting logistics resulting in a fantastic ensemble for this year’s production.
And let’s not forget the superb cast who have all brought their own unique talents to the production as well as working terrifically as a team. Producing the annual pantomime is a real team effort and this year has been tremendous fun. Tickets are still available so do make sure you catch the show before it ends in January.

There’s just enough space for me to wish you all a happy Christmas!

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

New Spring Summer Season 2012 Announced!

2011-12-15T08:59:00.000-08:00

We had our Season Launch on Monday and now our plans have been revealed I can start telling you a bit more about all the exciting things the Coliseum has in store for 2012.
The season opens with the an adaptation of the classic novel The Hound of the Baskervilles for which we are working in collaboration with design specialists imitating the dog who project images onto scenery. This is a stunning way to swiftly move the action from Baker Street to the misty moors and Baskerville Hall as well as creating the supernatural hound.

I’ve already been to several production meetings and I cannot wait to get rehearsals started. The Hound of the Baskervilles opens at Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield and will then embark on a nationwide tour for ten weeks taking the production across the country. Don’t worry about how you’ll get to Huddersfield though, we are organising coaches to get you there from the Coliseum.

Following on from The Hound of the Baskervilles we’ll continue to produce shows at The Grange Arts Centre near Oldham College. Alfie and Dumb Show will both be performed there in-the-round and it will give everyone a great opportunity to experience a different theatre space. Alfie is a co-production with other in-the-round theatres across the country so it gives us the opportunity to collaborate with other professional theatres we haven’t worked with before.

The final performance of the season is a brand new play by local playwright Ian Kershaw called Star-Cross’d which will be performed out in the open air in the blazing summer heat at Alexandra Park in the centre of Oldham. Ian has a great knowledge of the area and the play is written specifically for the Coliseum. The audience will walk through the park following the action and the route will make the most of the park’s features i.e. the Lion’s Den, Boating Lake and Pagoda. Yesterday Ian took us on a tour of the park along the route so that we could get a full idea of what the experience will be like for the audience – it will certainly be spectacular. Star-Cross’d will be a fantastic large scale production complete with brass bands, dance troupes and the largest cast the Coliseum has ever seen.

There is a huge range of other exciting events planned for the New Year and I’m looking forward to this brand new chapter in the Coliseum’s history. To read more about the plays see the season preview above.

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

This week's news from the Coliseum...

2011-12-08T05:16:00.000-08:00

Last week I told you about our fantastic panto chorus, which is made up of two teams of nine girls who work alternate days during the pantomime run. They are all looked after by a team of dedicated chaperones. The Coliseum employs a team of six chaperones each year who work in shifts to support and organise the girls over the three months they are with us. Half of their role is to make sure that the girls are on stage in the right costume at the right time and the other half is to ensure the wellbeing and happiness of the teams.

As I mentioned last week the chorus give up a lot of their time to be part of the Coliseum panto and the chaperones aren’t exactly working the usual office hours (and they don’t get to wear a fairy outfit). They fit their shifts at the theatre around their other responsibilities like university and jobs. With the teams made up of very different ages, ranging from 8 – 15 years, thinking of things to entertain all of them is a bit of a tough job. The chaperones also provide a shoulder to cry on and someone to talk through things with – it’s incredibly important that the girls have emotional support throughout their time at the Coliseum.

At the moment the over 12s are doing an Arts Award which is an accreditation that recognises a young person’s achievement in taking part in an arts project. There are four parts to the award; they’ll write about their experience in the panto, review a play, lead a dance class and write about someone in the arts that inspires them. Other activities that the girls have been up to include making Christmas cards and a post box for them to go in, making fruity cocktails and a fairy for the Christmas tree. The tree takes pride of place in their dressing room and as there are two teams, each one gets to decorate half of the Christmas tree – that’s democracy for you. They also get to watch a great deal of festive films in the cosy DVD corner. All of these activities are thought up and organised by the chaperones as well as making sure that the girls are suited and booted on time for their next entrance on stage.

The chaperones are just as important as any other aspect of the panto and we couldn’t do it without them.

See you at the theatre.
Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Let's hear it for the chorus...

2011-12-01T07:28:00.000-08:00

Pantomime is now up and running, playing to packed houses – the audiences are very much enjoying it and getting really involved, lots of cheering, booing and singing throughout. Panto is the biggest production in the Coliseum calendar; 79 performances over seven weeks with a cast of seven, along with two teams of nine girls in the chorus.
This brilliant chorus is essential to the pantomime, I couldn’t do it without them. They are made up of talented local dancers who all got their part through an open audition that we held in September. I auditioned over 200 girls and there was an enormous amount of talent to choose from – it was a tough job whittling it down to just 18.

The girls’ ages range from 8 – 15 years. They have been incredibly dedicated, coming in every week for evening and weekend rehearsals. Once the production is open they work in two teams and perform on alternate days for the rest of the run. Before the schools break up they will have the responsibility of catching up on school work while they have spare time at the theatre. Their dressing room has a nice cosy corner with a TV for relaxing and a quiet area for homework to make it easier for them to fit everything in.

This year we have three sets of sisters in the chorus and I’ve made sure that both sisters are in the same team to make it a little easier for parents. Eight of the girls have been in the chorus before – for one of them this will be her 8th year – and the other ten are all new to the Coliseum.

During the run they and their parents give up their time voluntarily. They work incredibly hard and with the help of Bev our chorographer they never fail to surprise me with what they can achieve. They have so much pride in what they do and always give 100%.

By performing in panto the chorus miss out on a lot of festive events so their chaperones make sure they get lots of Christmas treats at the Coliseum; secret santa, pyjama parties, shopping trips. This is a fantastic experience for all of them, not only are they improving their performance skills but they are learning what it’s like to work in a theatre alongside professional actors. Over the three months the girls make life-long friends with each other and the Coliseum.

The panto wouldn’t be complete without the chorus and I want to thank them all for their dedication and hard work.

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

This week's news from the Coliseum...

2011-11-24T03:51:00.000-08:00

Not long until Dick Whittington opens on Saturday and I can’t wait. This week has been tech week when we transfer the production from the rehearsals room to the stage – and what a week!

After a morning rehearsing with the cast on Monday, I spent the afternoon and evening working with the lighting designer deciding where the light is on the stage, what colour they are and what impact the light has on the feel of the scene. I also collaborate with the sound designer choosing sound effects ranging from the sounds of the sea to dramatic music. Talking of music, the musicians also arrived at the beginning of the week and the orchestra pit was set up at the front of the stage for them. You may not realise it but it’s always there only just covered up by the stage and it is quite rare for us to use it in production and pantomime is a great reason to do so.

On Tuesday morning we worked through the scene changes; backdrops coming in from the roof and scenery from the wings and costume changes - the dame’s quick changes into her fantastic frocks will be timed and tested backstage for practicality. The slop scene is also mapped out, we’ve been rehearsing it in the rehearsal room for a few weeks but it’s only when it’s finally on the stage that we can all see how the routine will work – not without some of the cast getting a bit messy in the process. There’s also a huge range of slapstick routines to work through including the famous pantomime bedroom scene which is so complicated to explain you’ll have to come and see it for yourselves, I guarantee it will make you laugh.

During the technical rehearsal we stop and start as and when something needs to be checked or double checked but the dress rehearsal carries on as if it’s a real performance. Tomorrow we’ll have two dress rehearsals which are the final run-throughs of the complete production before the opening show on Saturday.

There’s always a heightened level of excitement during the week running up to panto, it is the biggest show of the year after all. We’re essentially staging a new musical every year from scratch and it’s certainly worth it – I can’t wait until it’s complete with a full auditorium on Saturday.

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

This week's news from the Coliseum...

2011-11-17T06:35:00.000-08:00

The Dick Whittington cast had great fun at the annual reindeer parade in Oldham town centre last Saturday. It was the first time the cast got to frolic around in their fantastic costumes – all made by the Coliseum’s wardrobe team who started work on them as early as May. The dame’s cupcake dress was stunning, King Rat’s costume suitably evil, Dick Whittington donned the thigh high boots and Fairy Bowbells with her trusty glittered covered wand – the whole cast looked very festive and fitted right in with Santa and his reindeers.

Everyone along the parade was eager to see the Coliseum characters, the cast have so much interaction with the audience during pantomime performances that they were in high demand and they made sure that they stopped to say hello to as many people as possible. I heard such positive comments from everyone about how much they’re looking forward to the production which of course will be bigger and better than ever and mixed with the same magic as always.

While I’m in panto rehearsals (glitter, gold coins and fairy wands litter the rehearsal room), I’m also putting the finishing touches to the new season. Our time out of the building for refurbishment will include performances at venues around Oldham, the next step is to get the season brochure together for you to find out about our superb programme of plays. The work on the season brochure not only includes working with a designer to create the eye catching imagery that you see on posters and leaflets, but all the extra material about where the productions will be in the spring/summer season.

The Coliseum’s marketing officer, Laura, has been pulling together all the various bits of information about this exciting season which will be like nothing the Coliseum has done before. They will be performances staged in completely different ways at different venues. Not only will it be something new for the audience, it will be a fantastic experience for staff at the Coliseum - working in fresh environments, changing the way they operate and having the chance to try something new.

For now though, it’s back to panto rehearsals. Just over a week to go and you’ll all be able to come and see all the magic in its full glory on our stage.

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Let's get this party started...

2011-11-03T08:40:00.000-07:00

We start thinking about pantomime fairly early on in the year at the Coliseum but this week it is officially the start of the festive season and the whole company are bracing themselves for more than two fun filled months of organised chaos. The cast arrived on Monday, we had a read through in the morning and they started learning the songs by the afternoon. It’s a great way to break the ice and brings the whole company together straight away. The two chorus teams arrive in the evening - all 18 of them.

Choosing the songs for the panto each year also starts fairly early – the cast and band need time to learn them of course! If you’ve been to a Coliseum pantomime before you’ll know that we use a lot of current songs. Some consider it to be untraditional to use pop songs but the roots of panto go back centuries and the songs used back then will have been the modern songs at the time. So the Coliseum’s production is a modern twist on these traditions.

Each year the show will include a big opening number - or ‘curtain raiser’ - to get everyone in the party mood. For Mother Goose (2009) it was 'I’ve Gotta Feeling' by Black Eyed Peas. There is always a love song between the principle boy and girl, for Sleeping Beauty (2010) we used 'Just the Way You Are' by Bruno Mars. After the interval there will be another curtain raiser kick off the second act plus there’s songs for the fairy and baddie. Towards the end of the show there’s a pop medley (something quite specific to the Coliseum) – it’s great to see the audience recognise each pop song as the opening lines are sung. It’s also fantastic to hear the whole auditorium sing along to each song they recognise completely unprompted – certainly part of the Coliseum panto experience.

When it comes to actually picking the songs I need to make sure they are age appropriate –some songs can be a little x-rated so I have to filter them for the family audience or sometimes alter a few of the lyrics in the verses. I also have to ask around to find out what’s popular – basically asking anyone under a certain age (ahem). My 12 year old daughter is a great help and the other week the office was awash with colleagues suggesting all their favourite songs from the year so far. I had to get my notepad…

It might only be week one of rehearsals but as a company we’ve been planning this production for months and once the curtain goes up on Saturday 26 November there’s no looking back. See you there!

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

In the spotlight with Oldham Young Carers

2011-10-31T10:30:00.000-07:00

We are a group of young carers who have been learning about drama with Oldham Coliseum. As part of our project with theatre, we have learnt about how the they sell their shows by making posters. We also interviewed Russell Richardson, an actor from Coliseum play Deathtrap, to find out more about the play and what it’s like to be an actor.

Is Deathtrap a horror play?

Russell as Porter Milgrim in Deathtrap
It’s a thriller with lots of shocks. You can hear the audience go “ARGH!”
What is your character’s attitude like?
I play Porter Milgrim who is a happy guy. He’d love to be a playwright and is in awe of the writer character in the play.

Do you get to choose your character?
The only I decide is how he sounds, I was chosen by the director at the audition to play this specific part.

Who designs your outfit?
Someone called the designer. As an actor you can have your say but the designer decides what the set looks like and what you wear.

Does your character sing?
He would probably love to but no, it’s not in the script.

Do you dress up in silly clothes?
Sometimes – depending on the play. I like it actually, but for this play it’s an ordinary suit and tie for me.

How many rehearsals to you have?
Three weeks, Monday to Friday, 10:00am – 6:00pm.

What’s more fun to play, a goodie or a baddie?
A pantomime baddie is great fun. It nice to be booed and then tell everyone to shut up!

What is your favourite play?
Waiting for Godot

Do you prefer TV or stage work?I prefer stage work but TV work is good for the career. Theatre is what I really like though.

What’s your most common role?
A policeman on TV.

How many plays have you been in?
Can’t remember – a lot! Lots of Shakespeare; Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

What’s it like to be an actor?
Exciting. It can be terrifying as there’s an enormous amount to remember but it’s a nice way to earn a living.

What inspired you to be an actor?
At school I discovered I liked acting. Then I went onto drama school and there was a teacher there who was really supportive and made me want to pursue it as a career. I started when I was just 22 years old.

Have you ever forgotten your lines?
Sometimes but actors help each other out. It’s just really important to keep calm.

Is it scary on stage?
It can be and it should be. If I’m not nervous I worry.

Do you get tired?
You do even though the play is only for a few hours a day. But those hours are a very concentrated period. You can’t sit down, you can’t relax, you can’t stop for a cup of tea.

What’s your favourite thing about the Oldham Coliseum?
It’s a really friendly place to work and I love it. It’s the first place I came to see theatre when I was younger and this play is the first time I’ve worked here so I’ve come full circle.

Russell was great to interview and we learnt a lot about what is like to be an actor.

- Oldham Young Carers

Now and then...

2011-10-27T08:54:00.000-07:00

The Coliseum recently held a reminiscence event to celebrate the last 125 years of theatre, with over 500 people in the audience sharing their memories. Kenneth Alan Taylor (the Coliseum’s ex-Artistic Director) hosted the event. Kenneth and Front of House Manager David Rustidge spoke about the old days of the Coliseum and it was really interesting to see how much the theatre has changed over the years.

Kenneth first appeared at the Coliseum back in 1959 and back then the theatre operated as a theatre club so all productions were for members only. The demand to come and see productions at the Coliseum was so high that there was a never ending waiting list to be in the Theatre Club.

Actors - including Kenneth – would perform a different play every week. The company would run through a dress rehearsal on the Monday afternoon and perform that night. They would then start work on the next week’s play the following day, working on each of the acts through the week. Saturday would be busy with a matinee and evening performance and then on Monday the process would start all over again. No technical rehearsal – this is when all the lighting and sound effects are planned out – instead the company would just have work through it during the dress rehearsal.

The cast would provide their own costumes for every play. Easy for the males who normally would just need to find a dinner jacket or lounge suit– not so easy for the females who would have to have a seemingly endless supply of evening gowns each week. In fact, one actress was employed purely on the strength of her own costume hamper.

These days it’s very different, we spend over three weeks rehearsing the play with four days set aside to get the lighting and sound right. We also have our own wardrobe department making and sourcing costumes and our set is built by professional carpenters.

Of course, a lot of other things have changed during those years, notably the amount of things on offer for people to do in their spare time like TV and cinema. In spite of all the 3D and special effects there’s nothing that can compete with the experience of live theatre – action taking place literally in 3D right in front of your eyes. It’s a testament to this unique experience that the Coliseum is still going strong after all these years.

The main thing that struck me on that evening of celebrating the Coliseum’s history was to see just how proud both Kenneth and David were of what the theatre was doing back then and how much they still value to work that we produce here. I’m proud of how far the Coliseum has come, introducing an extensive programme of education and outreach activities and championing new writing, but this wouldn’t have been possible without all the dedication and hard work that has gone on throughout the last 125 years.

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Location, location, location...

2011-10-21T01:35:00.000-07:00

This week I’ve been visiting various places around Oldham looking for potential sites for the Coliseum’s summer show that we’ll be producing while we’re out of the building. I was looking for an exciting and unusual location to use as a performance space. The play is currently being written by Oldham born playwright Ian Kershaw who penned Union Street in 2007 and is a regular writer on the TV series Shameless.
The Coliseum will be working alongside Oldham Theatre Workshop to produce the show. Ian attended one of their workshops last week to introduce the young people to the project as they will all be heavily involved in this exciting project.

James Atherton, Oldham Theatre Workshop’s creative director, Ian and I explored several potential sites around the borough together. There are many things to consider with this type of production, not only does it need to be physically possible to stage a play at the location but the atmosphere and geography of the place should inspire the writer and have a direct impact on the story. Ian had actually been to a lot of the places already and he was able to talk about his ideas for the story and how the play might be put together. This is a brilliant opportunity to find new ways of staging plays; we were not only developing the story but also exploring all sorts of other aspects such as the different ways the actors can join the action and what possibilities open up if the audience are able to walk from scene to scene. At the moment we think the new play will be an open air production – get your umbrellas out! In the next few weeks I’ll be approaching lots of different community groups, dance troupes and brass bands to see if they can get involved in the play, making sure the whole community are part of this fantastic event.

Thank you to everyone who came to our 125 year anniversary event last Wednesday. It was a really interesting and valuable experience to hear so many different memories and stories about the Coliseum from not only past performers but audience members too. If you missed out, don’t worry, they’ll be another event towards the end of the project in January.

Katie Moore (Laura) and Harry Livingstone (Jim) in The Glass Menagerie

The Glass Menagerie opened last night. The production has got some great reviews from its run in Stoke, here’s my personal favourite: “…it sparkles every bit as much as the animals in Laura’s glass menagerie.” and it certainly does. I’m looking forward to hearing what our audience think of it.

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Stages come in all shapes and sizes...

2011-10-18T05:26:00.000-07:00

The Glass Menagerie cast and company have arrived in Oldham from the New Vic Theatre in Stoke and the play opens at the Coliseum this Thursday. The New Vic’s auditorium is configured in-the-round – which means that the audience are seated on all four sides of the stage (like Taking Steps will be at The Grange in the New Year). This is different from the Coliseum stage which is known as an end-on proscenium arch stage, where the audience faces the stage, at only one end and the proscenium arch which is the frame you watch the play through. The Palace and Opera House in Manchester have this type of stage.

Model box of The Glass Menagerie end-on set at the Oldham Coliseum

The most exciting thing about our collaboration with the New Vic for And a Nightingale Sang last year was working in a different shaped auditorium. The challenge of a different shaped stage is nothing new for touring companies that travel the country putting on their shows at a variety of venues – it’s an everyday occurrence. For example, Northern Broadsides Theatre Company are based in the Viaduct Theatre in Halifax which has a traverse stage. Traverse staging has the audience seated on opposite sides of the stage facing each other with a corridor of stage in between them. Yet Northern Broadsides will tour to any venue regardless of the type of stage, adapting for whichever scenario.

Model box of The Glass Menagerie in-the-round set at the New Vic Theatre

It’s not all about the shape of the stage and auditorium; it’s mainly about the audience’s experience in those different spaces. Something that makes theatre stand out from a lot of other art forms is the sense of a shared experience. If you can also see other members of the audience you can see their reactions to what’s going on in front of them. The intimacy of watching live action take place before your eyes with reactions in real time is something extremely unique to performance art, no matter what the space is like.

Working with designer Michael Holt - who has a long history with both the Coliseum and New Vic Theatre - on The Glass Menagerie has been fantastic because he knows both spaces inside and out having worked at both theatres many times in the past – he knows the dos and don’ts. Couple this with the fact that both theatres produce similar work with a similar style, the collaboration has been a great success. It just a case of waiting for the curtain to go up on Thursday night.

See you at the theatre,
Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Come and tell us your stories about the Coliseum...

2011-10-06T08:09:00.000-07:00

Next Wednesday 12 October the Coliseum is hosting a special event to celebrate the last 125 years of the theatre’s rich history. This is part of a much larger project that has been made possible through funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund which helps communities learn more about their local heritage. The premise is to make the country’s heritage more accessible to everyone. The money we’ve received has been allocated from the Young Roots programme which is specifically designed to engage young people with their heritage.

As part of the project a team of young people will record a collection of oral history clips with people associated with the theatre’s history including staff members, actors and our audience. They’ll tell the team their fondest memories of the Coliseum. The group will also organise a historical exhibition which will be displayed at the theatre – this will include images of old programmes, posters and other materials from the Coliseum’s history.

The group of young people got together for the first time a few weeks ago and have been working with staff at the Coliseum to organise the 125 year anniversary celebration event along with project leader Carly – the Coliseum’s outreach officer. On the night we’ll be sharing photographs from the archive, screening a film of the theatre’s history and hearing stories from special performers who have graced the stage. Kenneth Alan Taylor will be hosting the evening – and I’m sure, telling us a few secrets about the theatre – along with some entertainment from Bernard Wrigley.

This evening of memory sharing will contribute to a piece of theatre that the group will devise during the project and they’ll perform it in the new year. There will also be a DVD made of the whole process which will itself become part of the archive.

One major part of the project that I haven’t mentioned yet is that the entire Coliseum archive has been boxed up and transported over to the Local Studies and Archives building on Union Street. Every last scrap from the very beginnings will be carefully catalogued. This will all be digitally scanned as well so it’ll be much easier for the people to access it – which is the whole point of the project! If you’d like to attend the event on Wednesday ring our box office on 0161 624 2829 and book your free ticket.

I must mention the fantastic tour of Equus that London Classic Theatre have been performing at the Coliseum all week. It’s a haunting and moving piece of the theatre and certainly worth a look before the tour leaves us on Saturday.

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Calling all ambassadors!

2011-09-29T07:31:00.000-07:00

The Coliseum receives an enormous amount of support from individuals and groups across the borough. This varies from our Front of House volunteers as well as people who volunteer with the Education and Outreach and other departments, people who participate in our education activities, customers who donate their time and money and - of course - audience members. We have recently launched an ambassador scheme which aims to utilise this support and help spread news about what’s going on at the theatre.

Coliseum ambassadors will serve as an unbiased voice for theatre and share their experiences of the theatre with the wider public. We’ll be asking those interested to help do things such as distribute posters and leaflets, blog about us and post on our social networking pages. Incidentally, you can follow us on Twitter @OldhamColiseum and you’ll find us on Facebook as Oldham Coliseum Theatre. Ambassadors will be able to spread positive news about the Coliseum on a personal level which is really valuable to getting the word out there about all the different things we do.

The role of a Coliseum ambassador is unpaid but there are a lot of benefits rolled into the programme. You’ll be able to get free tickets to see selected Coliseum productions so you can recommend shows with confidence – you need to know what you’re talking about! Ambassadors will also get the chance to work alongside the Coliseum’s team of professional theatre staff with opportunities for regular training and advice about working in a professional theatre. You’ll see behind the scenes and get a chance to boost your CV.

If you’re interested in joining the Ambassador Programme then get in touch with Claire Phillips, Head of Marketing at clairephillips@coliseum.org.uk or call 0161 624 1731 to discuss it further.

Scene from The Glass Menagerie rehearsals at the New Vic in Stoke.
Harry Livingstone (Jim) and Katie Moore (Laura)

The Glass Menagerie – our next Coliseum production is being produced with the New Vic Theatre and I’ll be travelling down to Stoke tomorrow evening to see the opening performance. Last week the cast came up to Oldham to visit the Coliseum and see Deathtrap. They absolutely loved it and it was great to see both casts in the bar afterwards talking about the production and how things were going in Stoke. Deathtrap is only on until Saturday so make sure you come and see it before the curtain comes down on the final performance.

And finally; we have found our chorus for panto. Auditions were held last Sunday with an overwhelming turnout – more girls than ever turned up to be in for a chance to appear in Dick Whittington this winter. The level of talent was sky high making it pretty difficult to narrow it down to just 18 but the successful auditionees have now been contacted and will be coming into to be fitted for their costumes in the next few weeks.

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Time for some business planning...

2011-09-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

It’s that time of year again - business planning time. This plan is an extremely important tool that steers the entire organisation for the next three years. It outlines the key objectives that the theatre aims to meet during those years such as a different type of programming or developing the theatre’s audience. It’s really exciting to explore what the Coliseum could be doing in the future.

We started thinking about the business plan for April 2012 – 2015 earlier this year when the theatre applied for National Portfolio of Organisations (NPO) status from the Arts Council. This was part of the restructure of Arts Council funding that has been introduced following savage government cuts. Thankfully the Coliseum came out of the process unharmed and was one of five building based theatres nationally that actually had their funding increased.

The planning starts with our senior management team but it will eventually involve everyone in the organisation. We had a staff day last week during which everyone contributed ideas to the vision of the Coliseum. This is really valuable as myself and other senior managers can find out what’s important to staff and they can have their say about how we operate which is a fantastic opportunity.

The staff day was also a great chance to visit the new venues that the Coliseum will be inhabiting in 2012 - there’s been a lot of talk about it but there’s nothing quite like the reality of seeing where you’ll be actually be working for six months. We visited the old library on Union Street which will be our producing hub while the Fairbottom St. building is refurbished. The library will host all aspects of production including wardrobe, technical stage management and rehearsal space. We then visited a potential box office venue in the town centre – nothing is confirmed yet but we’re hoping to have a central booking office that will be convenient for you to book your tickets. Later we took a tour around the Grange Arts Centre to see where we’ll be producing Taking Steps in February.

Now, a worrying amount of audience members have come up to me to talk about the theatre closing in the New Year. Let me take this opportunity to make this very clear, the Coliseum is not closing in 2012. The company will be producing theatre in and around Oldham while the Fairbottom St. venue is refurbished and we will return to our usual home in October 2012.

While we’re still here though, make sure you come and see our current production of Deathtrap. The show is getting a great response from both audiences and critics. Pop into the theatre and see what everyone’s talking about.

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Confidence and thrills all from the Coliseum

2011-09-15T06:39:00.000-07:00

You may have read the article in the Chronicle last week about the inspiring work being done by Remploy based on Ashton Road. Remploy is a nationwide employment service for people experiencing complex barriers to work. Working with leading employers and through their own businesses they enable individuals to identify, develop and make the most of their abilities to enjoy rewarding and fulfilling employment.

Our Outreach Department at the Coliseum has recently undertaken a project in partnership with Remploy to use drama techniques to increase participants’ employability. Our drama activities are designed to develop the confidence of the project's partcipants, take them out of their comfort zone and challenge them both physically and psychologically. These included learning stage directions, understanding voice projection and vocal techniques, improvisation as well as actually learning lines from the John Godber play Teechers.

The participants were all unemployed, lacking motivation, money and confidence but were willing to challenge themselves to better their future. The group came from a range of backgrounds with a variety of different experiences of trying to gain employment.

At the end of the project the group performed an extract from Teechers in front of students from Huddersfield University who evaluated the success of the project and Remploy staff. The participants left with a great variety of new skills and had fun while gaining them.

Back to the main stage, Deathtrap has been open for a week now (where does the time go?) and the audience response has been fantastic. As with any play, you never quite know how the audience will react but seeing the audience’s reactions as they watch Deathtrap is a great experience. On a few occasions the twists and shocks have made people literally jump out of their seats. If you haven’t already seen it, I’m sure many of your friends and family who have are dying to talk to you about it but can’t let slip any of the plot for fear of spoiling it for you. Come along and find out what happens for yourself.

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Ghost lights, the Scottish play and why the Green Room is called...the Green Room

2011-09-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

Last week I let you into the vast world of theatre traditions and superstitions, many of which originate from the very early days of theatre and performance. There are just so many that I could write several columns on the subject but I’ve cut it down to just two, so here’s the second round.
One of the most famous theatre superstitions is to not say Macbeth in the building otherwise it brings bad luck. Some think this is because of the witch craft and sword fights in the play. An infamous story from the Coliseum’s history is actor Harold Norman’s death who performed in the play in the 40s. The safety tip fell off the end of the sword used in a fight scene and Harold ended up with a fatal stab wound, dying in hospital a few days later. It is reported that he had actually uttered the word Macbeth many times before the house opened that night.

The real reason it was bad luck was because the play is considered to be a seat filler and would only be programmed when a theatre was in financial trouble - usually closing soon after. Although that’s not the case these days, actors and crew will still refer to it as the Scottish play in the auditorium to make sure the current production is not cursed. There have even been stories of cast members acting out odd cleansing rituals if the play is spoken including turning three times, spitting over their left shoulder, swearing, or reciting a line from another of Shakespeare's plays.

Theatres leave a ghost light on stage during the night after everyone has left the building. The superstitious reason for this is to keep any ghosts in the building happy resulting in less hauntings for the theatre. There are even far-fetched tales of ghosts putting on their own plays in the dead of the night. In reality though, the practical use of this light is simply to prevent people from falling into the orchestra pit, bumping into the set or knocking over props. It could be said that by preventing this it stops actors and crew from harming themselves and becoming future ghosts – but I’m not too sure about that.

Many of the superstitions have derived from practical reasoning but that need has disappeared and the traditions have remained. For example; the green room is named such because it used to be painted green as that colour is relaxing for the eyes and for the actors and green costumes are considered bad luck and this stems from the practical fact that the colour green absorbs light, so if an actor wearing a green outfit was standing onstage next to someone in white then they would fade into the background and not be seen.

The list is endless but I’ll stop there. Even in the 21st Century many of these odd rituals still take place at theatres across the country.

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Do you really want me to break a leg?

2011-09-02T05:26:00.000-07:00

The world of theatre is full of odd and rather eccentric traditions, phrases and rituals many of which have been out of date for several decades but they have left a legacy in the theatrical industry. You may know the sayings but not the reasons actors abide by them so here’s a quick rundown of the most common ones.

It’s unlucky to whistle on stage and this harks back to the early days of theatre when sailors were used as backstage crew while their ships were in port. Sailors knew how to rig and change scenery and this is why we use the terms ‘crew’ and ‘rigging’. They also used a series of whistles to communicate scene changes and if actors were to whistle on stage then they might confuse the cues. Whistling on stage is still deemed bad luck even though – now in the 21st Century – we use headsets to speak to each other backstage.

When people use the term ‘step into the limelight’ it refers an early type of stage lighting where lime was heated until it glowed and illuminated the stage. The stars of the show would step into the limelight to be seen and a phrase was born…

Actors often wish each other luck by saying ‘break a leg’ and there are a few theories as to the origin of the phrase. The first is that it’s bad luck to say good luck so the opposite would be to wish someone to break a leg. Another is that when an actress does a courtesy at the curtain call she is breaking the line of her leg so you’d hope she breaks a leg on stage. Another refers to the narrow cloths at the side of the stage that are called ‘legs’. If the cast get several encores then the legs will have to be raised and lowered many times so if they’re lucky they’ll have so many encores they’ll break a leg.

A tradition that we stick to here at the Coliseum is to not say the last lines of a pantomime production during rehearsals. When we come to the end of a panto dress rehearsal and the characters wrap up the story with rhyming couplets, the cast just say “dah dee dahs” rather than the actual lines. This is because the show isn’t complete without the audience so it’s unlucky to finish without them. It makes for an interesting experience for someone who’s watching the rehearsal and doesn’t know this tradition.

There are many more of these traditional superstitions and sayings so next week I’ll tell you about a few more.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Blood curdling screams and memory sharing...

2011-08-25T02:54:00.000-07:00

It’s all a bit nerve wracking here at the Coliseum. We’re nearly at the end of our second week of rehearsals for the thrilling Deathtrap and blood curdling screams can be heard all over the building. Actors have taken to strangling each other all week – but of course it’s all in the script. There are few fight scenes which are starting to take shape. Renny, our regular fight director, has been working the actors through the sequences and how to use the props (including a gun, garrotte and cross bow) without actually causing themselves harm. Its tricky stuff, the last thing you want to see on stage is an unconvincing death scene.

Less screaming over in the Education and Outreach Department where there are a couple of new recruits; Richard Hall has just taken the position as Head of Participation and starting in September Paul Adams will fill the role of Creative Development Officer.

Richard previously worked for the Festival of Diversity. Paul has a long standing relationship with the Coliseum and it’s fantastic to now have him as a full time member of the Coliseum team. He has worked on many different Coliseum projects over the last few years and built up a great deal of experience from working with young people, delivering workshops and studying Performance Theatre at University Campus Oldham which has an affiliation with the Coliseum.

Paul also has also set up his own theatre company – 2Tour Theatre – based in Mosley and they are currently working with dementia patients at Calderdale Hospital on a project to recreate their memories. This new company will represent stories told by patients to help the staff better understand who they care for. Another example of how fantastic art can be in contributing to people’s wellbeing.

Now a seamless link onto our memory sharing event we’re holding in October. We have recently been granted Heritage Lottery Funding which will enable local young people to explore the rich history of the Coliseum, archiving past publications for public viewing and creating a performance.

The first event from this project is on 12 October when we’ll be hosting a reminiscence event; sharing photographs from our vast archive, screening a film of the theatre’s history and hearing stories from special performers who have graced the Coliseum’s stage.

The event will be a chance for our patrons, staff, past performers and audience members to come together, share memories and celebrate the past 125 years and the many more years to come.

If you want to come and join us then book your free tickets via the Box Office on 0161 624 2829.

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

This week's news from the Coliseum...

2011-08-18T06:55:00.000-07:00

After our period of annual maintenance we’re getting back into the swing of things this week, the cast arrived on Monday to start rehearsals for Deathtrap. It can be a little like the first day at school – some of them know each other, most have worked here before, although Russell Richardson who is playing lawyer Porter Milgram is completely new to the Coliseum, but you may recognise him from his many appearances at Bolton Octagon. Regular attenders to the Coliseum will recognise Helen Kay who performed in Absurd Person Singular and One for the Road and Roberta Kerr who was more recently in Blithe Spirit and Quartet. Steven Pinder, who lots of you will recognise as Max Farnham from Brookside, returns after a great performance in our production of Absent Friends. Most of the cast are locally based and regularly attend our performances and they know all about the Coliseum, its atmosphere and its audiences. Andrew Cullimore who plays Clifford has worked at the Coliseum before on rehearsed readings and our writing festival Wordsmith but will be treading the boards on our main stage for the first time this September.

Steven Pinder (front, left) in Absent Friends 2010

On the first day of rehearsals staff from all departments came down to the rehearsal room for a quick meet and greet. The play’s designer talked through a scaled set model – Deathtrap is set in a converted barn with the walls adorned with guns, handcuffs, maces and battle-axes so – as you can imagine – the model looked really impressive. I can’t wait to see it on the main stage. He also showed us all his costume designs. Both the set model and the costume designs give a genuine impression of what the production will eventually look like – although most of the cast are mainly interested in what they’ll be wearing! Next we had the first read through of the script. This was the first time the cast had all been in the same room and we started to get the words off the page and the play on its feet.

Deathtrap is a classic thriller and there’s a great amount of comedy thrown in as well as surprises. This is a fantastic play to work on and it’s been a while since we had a thriller here. The production is fast-paced which will keep the audience guessing right up until the last scene - just when they think they might have it sussed out, another twist comes out of nowhere. As a director I need to make sure the shocks really do shock, there’s a moment when I can guarantee you’ll jump out of your seats…but I can’t anything away!
See you at the theatre,

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

A Summer of Steel Wire Ropes...

2011-08-09T04:52:00.000-07:00

For many people summer means long hot days, relaxing in the garden or on a beach somewhere glamorous, like Filey. For the hardworking and handsome members of the Technical Stage Management team it means dirty sweaty days, inspecting and testing our lifting equipment, organising and repairing our masking flats, and this year, preparing our equipment for the move out of the building.

The inspection and testing of our lifting equipment is something that we do every six months, during the summer, and again after Pantomime. It involves the inspection of every moving part of our counterweight flying system, checking for any imperfections in the steel wires that hold the lighting and scenery over our heads for the rest of the year. Just to throw some numbers at you, the inspection of the flying system involves the individual checking of:

· 750 metres of Fibre Ropes

· 3km of Steel Wire Ropes

· 20 cups of coffee (6.5 litres I reckon)

· 214 Pulley

· And over 1000 separate nuts and bolts

The Counterweight Flying System

The grid space where we spend some of our summer

All this before we get to the separate rigging steels, slings, and fixings that we use to fly scenery and lighting. After many years of practice it still takes two of us 40 hours, not including brew breaks, to check all our equipment to comply with LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations).

This is also the time we get to make any necessary repairs to our black masking flats, often the only decent repair we can make is to re-cover the whole thing with new material. This is something we need to do every few years and it’s a job that takes up the whole stage, which is why we have to do it during our ‘Dark’ period.

So next time you see that there are no shows on at the Coliseum for a few weeks, remember that the Technical Stage boys are still working as hard as they do when there is a production on, unless of course we are on holiday. In Filey.

- Technical Stage Management Team

Our Creative Development Officer talks about a recent project...

2011-07-21T04:03:00.000-07:00

Hello,

My name’s Amy and I work as the Creative Development Officer in our Education and Outreach department. I have been working with our Outreach Officer, Carly, on a creative project for a group of young people who do not usually have the opportunity to attend the theatre.

We worked in partnership with Nacro, a crime reduction charity, to arrange for a group of young people to get involved in theatre, many of whom are homeless and not in formal education, employment or training.

It’s rare that we get to bring groups like this into the Coliseum, but with support from the Big Lottery’s Young People’s Fund, we have been able to offer an access fund to cover the cost of lunch, transport and resources. This is so important. For this type of group, if support isn't available, these aspects can become real barriers to taking part. The support from the Big Lottery and from Nacro staff meant the group could come to the theatre each session to work in our studio space, where professional actors are usually in rehearsal. This made the project feel really special for participants and staff alike.

We began the project with a fun series of creative games and exercises, to help participants relax and get to know each other, before moving on to develop characters and storylines. It’s really important at the start of this type of project for group members to have fun and feel like they are achieving something straight away. They grew in confidence during these first few sessions, learning that they could take part, create, and have fun doing it!

We then started to explore possible themes for the project. The group decided that homelessness was the common topic that united them all and chose to focus on this. They wanted to challenge stereotypes of homelessness through the project, and were given the chance to perform their work as part of the Coliseum Open Day on Saturday 2nd July 2011. This opportunity, although daunting for some members of the group, gave us a positive goal to aim towards and the motivation to produce something that would both entertain and challenge the audience.

With this in mind, participants set about making comedy sketches and writing rap music about their experiences of homelessness. They wanted to challenge negative ideas of homeless people by demonstrating their own creativity and sense of fun. Group members also worked in partnership with Square 1 Recording Studio and Training Academy to create a track to accompany their performance.

Participants had a lot to deal with on the day of the performance at the Coliseum’s Open Day and generally coped really well under pressure. They performed their piece to 60 people, many of whom made the point of congratulating them afterwards. We were so proud of what they achieved, as were Nacro staff. The group went on to enjoy the rest of the Open Day, getting their faces painted and having a go at learning circus skills!

We are so pleased with the impact that this project has had for members of the group. Although it has been very demanding, they have been really engaged and positive about their experiences. Each individual feels that they have developed transferable skills to take away from the project and many have been surprised by how much they’ve enjoyed doing drama! We’ve learned a lot from them as well.

We are now working with participants to develop their CVs and to complete their Bronze Arts Award portfolios, so they can hopefully top off their achievements with a nationally-recognised level 1 qualification at the end of it all.

Here are a few quotes from the participants:
“The production was aimed to relieve the negative stigma attached to youth and homelessness. Even if the audience didn’t understand what we were trying to get across, we all still had fun.”

“I’ve learned that I can take part in things.”

“Thank you so much for putting up with our antics!”

“I would love to do performance art again.”

More than meets the eye...

2011-07-21T02:38:00.000-07:00

Did you know that on top of the eight main house shows we produce at the Coliseum we also host a variety of other community events during the year? Opportunities are available to everyone, from children to the over 60s, to showcase their work on our stage. A majority of these happen during the summer once our season has come to a close. We have supported this type of work for many years and will continue to do so for years to come.

Last week the theatre was awash with nearly 300 children from local primary schools who had been working on a Shakespeare for Schools project over the last term. The name Shakespeare can be a little daunting – especially at school – but this was a fantastic way to introduce young people to his work. Nine schools were involved altogether and the children performed extracts from the Bard’s best known plays on the main stage to an audience of family and friends. The corridors were echoing with the sounds of “Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?”

On Monday we hosted A Celebration of Dance where secondary schools showcased their work that they have been rehearsing all term. The show was a mix of different dance styles; tap, jazz and street led by Laura Mulholland who choreographed the spectacular dance sequence in Totally Over You - the youth show that kicked off our spring/summer season. Many of the kids involved would never have thought they’d get the chance to perform on the main stage at a professional theatre.

Dance sequence from Totally Over You

Tuesday saw the return of the totally unique over 60s Silver Stars talent show organised by Age Concern. I was on the judging panel again trying to pick a winner from the singers, dancers and musicians. I really look forward to it because there’s always such a great atmosphere in the auditorium and our staff love popping in and seeing who’s on stage.

Tonight we have Judith Barker’s Imagination – a showcase of the fantastic work being produced at her self-named drama school. Judith has a long history with the Coliseum and is a friend of the theatre; she appeared on stage for several years when we had a resident company of actors alongside her husband Kenneth Alan Taylor. We’re always delighted to welcome her back and support her talented pupils one of whom did a brilliant turn in Brassed Off in 2008.

Next week sees the return of Oldham Theatre Workshop in their annual summer slot. We have a long association with OTW and I always look forward to seeing their show. This year it’s Prom! The Musical set on the night of a school prom (surprisingly enough) where things don’t run smoothly…

As you can see, there is a vast range of activity that goes on at the Coliseum besides the plays we produce. We regularly welcome amateur companies to perform during our season and also have a wide range of drama groups that also get the chance to perform their work here. It’s really important element of what we offer the local community.

See you at the theatre,

Kevin Shaw

Artistic Director

Sizing Up Saucy Sarah

2011-07-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

The lovely ladies in our wardrobe department are putting together the first stages to one of the pantomime dame costumes for Dick Whittington. Saucy Sarah (that’s the pantomime dame not one of the wardrobe ladies) is to be dressed as a portion of fish and chips. The cast don’t start with us for some time yet so they were on the lookout for a stand-in (a victim basically).

I’m roughly the same size and height as Fine Time Fontayne so got roped in for a basic try on of the costume. What could be more normal for a slightly overcast Wednesday afternoon at work? On goes the padding to bulk me up to resemble Saucy Sarah’s voluptuous dimensions, that in its self is quite a weird experience and although on a diet I was pleased that I still needed the padding.

Then we add the prop costume - it’s going to look amazing. Celia, our designer, was there to oversee proceedings even at this early stage and it’s looking like we are going to have yet another visual feast ahead of us. The prop chips have been made, they're huge and covered in sparkly gold lamé. Already I can predict jokes, maybe something like “people round here have a real chip on their shoulder” etc etc. Oh the joy of panto and its only 18 weeks till it opens.

As it turns out I quite like dressing up anyways… happy days.

Jonno

Deputy Stage Manager

This week's news from the Coliseum...

2011-07-14T02:26:00.000-07:00

This week has all been about casting. We’ve held two sets of auditions, for two very different productions.

First up was Deathrap – Ira Levin’s chilling comedy. We have five characters to cast and it’s an interesting challenge to find actors that can work together creating entirely truthful characters. It is essential that the audience believe in the situation for the thrills to work. We’ve seen about 6 or 7 people for each part from hundreds of suggestions. They read extracts of the play and it’s nothing like what you see on X-Factor of Britain’s Got Talent; I try and get the best out of each auditionee by making them feel calm and confident. I want them to leave thinking “that’s the best I could have done”.

So far we’ve managed to cast the terrific Stephen Pinder as playwright Sidney Bruhl. You may remember Stephen from his appearance in the 2010 production of Absent Friends as well as his time in Brookside as Max Farnham. Helen Kay, who appeared in both One for the Road and Absurd Person Singular here, will play his wife Myra Bruhl.

We also held auditions for Dick Whittington. We’ve already cast a couple of parts; Fine Time Fontayne and Richard J Fletcher are returning to the Coliseum reuniting a fantastic double act. Their comic timing is faultless and they both bring buckets of experience with them. Fine Time has been working in panto for many years as a performer, writer and director and Richard was trained in physical theatre which he superbly shows off on stage mastering the prat falls and slap stick routines. We have a few more characters left to fill and we saw a great range of actors yesterday. I can also confirm that we have the brilliant Andonis Anthony returning to play evil King Rat.

Richard Fletcher in Sleeping Beauty last year

Auditions for the chorus will be on Sunday 18 September. This is a great experience for young girls to get involved in a professional production. Hundreds apply each year so not everyone will get in. In fact, last year a girl was cast having unsuccessfully auditioned for the previous five years. She went away, worked hard to improve and appeared in Sleeping Beauty. Each year the teams rise to the occasion and add a huge amount to the show. It’s fantastic to see them interacting with the professional cast and learning from them.

It might be July but we’re already in panto mode over here at the Coliseum.

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

This week's news from the Coliseum...

2011-07-08T02:01:00.000-07:00

Our Open Day on Saturday was a huge success (pics in blog below) – if you came along I do hope you made the most of all the exciting activities we put on throughout the day. Hopefully the day will have given you all a real insight into all that goes into to putting a production on the stage at the Coliseum.

As we draw to the end of our spring summer season we have had quite a few events in our small studio space. One of these was by our weekly performance group ActingLAB who have been working with previously unperformed scripts and produced them for the first time last night. The group work incredibly hard over three terms to prepare for this final performance. I managed to grab a seat last night to see the emerging performers showcase the plays and it’s great to see how well the group work together put on a an engaging production.

Elsewhere, Carly and Amy from our education and outreach department have been working with an organisation called Nacro, a crime reduction charity. They arranged for a group of young people accessing Nacro services to take part in a project at the Coliseum over the last few weeks. Many of the participants are homeless or accessing temporary accommodation. The project aims to encourage the individuals to learn from each other and their different experiences, supporting them to develop communication, problem-solving and team-working skills.

They have been working with image theatre which is a really simple way to present ideas by striking a pose that represents a certain feeling or character. It works especially well with participants who might be nervous about expressing themselves. Using this technique the group challenged stereotypes of young homeless people and authority figures and from that the project took off. They developed comedy sketches and writing rap music about their experiences of homelessness and presented a mini performance piece on that theme at the Open Day last Saturday.

This weekend is the Mela; live music, street dancing, fun fair and puppets - should be a great day out! The Coliseum team will be there ready to tell you all about our big move and the new season. They’ll be joined by members of Rifco Arts who are bringing the glittering Britain’s Got Bangra to the theatre in November.

Another date for the diary this weekend; Saturday is the last performance of A Fine Bright Day Today and the last Coliseum production of the season. Make sure you catch it before it’s too late.

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Open Day – What a success!

2011-07-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

We exclusively opened our backstage doors to the public on Saturday and, boy, did they make the most of it! People were waiting to get in before 10:00am to take a look round all the fantastic activities on offer during the day.

We've had nothing but positive feedback so thank you all for coming.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words so I'll just let them do the talking...

This week's news from the Coliseum...

2011-07-01T06:15:00.000-07:00

In the last couple of weeks we’ve had the world premiere of A Fine Bright Day Today, announced our new season, popped up at the Oldham Carnival, I even looked over the first sketches of the costumes and set model for Dick Whittington (it’s June!).

I’ve been dying to talk about the new season, it’s great to finally get the new season announced. We know what the programme is months before season launch but we have to keep our lips. Now we can get all the information about the fantastic productions up on our website for you to look at.

After panto we’re temporarily moving out of the building due to it needing essential refurbishment. We’ll be producing Alan Ayckbourn’s hilarious Taking Steps at the Grange Arts Centre in February 2012 which is near Oldham College on Rochdale Road. The space seats 336 people, so it will feel the same size as the Coliseum but they’ll be an entirely different and exciting experience for audiences as it’s set in the round with the audience seated on all four sides of the stage.

While we’re operating away from Fairbottom Street you can still reach our box office on 0161 624 2829 or at boxoffice@coliseum.org.uk and we’ll find a venue in the town centre where you can pick up your tickets.

I’m thrilled with the reception of our current production A Fine Bright Day Today. There’s a great sense of achievement not just for me but for the whole company when a show gets such rave reviews from The Guardian, M.E.N. and the Chronicle. The audience also love it – there have been regular standing ovations which is a huge stamp of approval. If you haven’t seen it yet, there’s still another week to go.

In the meantime we’re knee deep in Coliseum t-shirts, pens, coasters, bags and balloons ready for Saturday’s Open Day. You’ll get a chance to walk behind the scenes of A Fine Bright Day Today, take a look at the set models and compare them to the real thing on our stage. Easy to read maps of where all the activities are taking place are being printed, the final rehearsals for our drama groups are happening as I type, the bar staff are getting their stirrers, shakers and straws ready for cocktail making and - most importantly - the glitter has been delivered ready to be used on the fairy rainbow wands that you can make on the day.

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Behind the scenes on A Fine Bright Day Today

2011-06-27T04:21:00.000-07:00

Sam as Rebecca in the production

Hi I’m Jonno the Deputy Stage Manager at the Oldham Coliseum Theatre.

Our current production is A Fine Bright Day Today which has a cast of three seasoned pros. Sam plays the role of Rebecca and during the course of the play her boyfriend Pete is mentioned several times but he’s never actually seen.

I’m on the floor for this production; basically back stage running around dealing with props and so on. And in true stage management style I go on stage in low lit scene change lighting to re-arrange small bits of furniture at the end of each scene.

On the first preview performance I went on stage ransacking my brain as to which vase goes where and “do I move the tea cups or is that another scene?” and I could hear ladies in the front row saying “Oh that must be Pete” Of course I’m not Pete! I look nothing like what we are led to believe Pete looks like, unless Pete permanently wears black, with a Coliseum logo and a radio headset. Anyways, according to the script he spends all his time in the pub whilst I in actual fact can be found between cues in the stage management office catching snippets of the Wimbledon Highlights (there aren’t an awful lots of cues in this show).

People joke about life back stage at a theatre being less than glamorous but on this occasion – with A Fine Bright Day Today - I have to say it simply isn’t true. Lovely cast, Wimbledon Highlights and of course fabulous scene changes.

Perfect end to this season at the Colly.

Jonno
Deputy Stage Manager

An introduction to the new season by Artistic Director Kevin Shaw

2011-06-23T03:25:00.000-07:00

Hello all, here goes my first blog post...

On Monday I revealed the fantastic line-up of productions in store at the Coliseum this autumn - it’s a season of real contrasts, each play is a classic of its genre written by a master of their craft. I can’t wait for rehearsals to start.

We’ve got a thrilling production to kick off the season; the darkly comic Deathtrap by Ira Levin is a real edge-of-your-seat drama full of laughs plus some genuine screams from the audience – you will love it.

We also have The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, one of my top five favourite playwrights of all time. It’s a funny yet heartbreaking portrait of a 1930’s family in crisis - you’d be hard pressed not to get caught up in the heartfelt drama of the story.

The final Coliseum production of the season is Taking Steps by Alan Ayckbourn, I think this is one of the funniest plays in the English language. One of the secrets to the comedy is the fantastic staging – it’s a real visual feast. The story takes place over three floors in a dilapidated mansion house. You may wonder how we would fit this onto a stage, the solution is that the three floors are next to each other. We’ll perform the play at The Grange Arts Centre which has an ‘in the round’ auditorium with the audience seated on all four sides of the stage. It’s much easier to stage that it is to explain, all will become clear when you see the show.

We also have some fantastic touring productions, all chosen to complement our in-house shows. Firstly, we’re hosting London Classic Theatre’s production of Equus, the ‘psycho-drama’ which some of you may recognise from the recent revival in the West End with Daniel Radcliffe in the lead role. We will then be teaming up with Tamasha to co-produce the world debut of their new play Snookered by Ishy Din. Ishy won our writing competition, it’s wonderful to see his work now being performed nationally. Finally, Rifco Arts will be presenting their high energy, award winning musical Britain’s Got Bhangra which sold out their recent run at The Lowry so if you missed it here’s another chance to catch it.

The reason we’ll be staging Taking Steps at the Grange Arts Centre is because in January we are temporarily leaving our home in Fairbottom Street, while some vital refurbishment work takes place. We’ll be at the Grange Arts Centre for most of spring in addition we have plans for a large scale open air production in the summer, which is in the early planning stages, so watch this space for further details. Finally we will return to the refurbished theatre in the autumn. Phew!

For full details of our new season and the exciting move out of the building visit www.coliseum.org.uk or call the Box Office on 0161 624 2829 or just pop in and pick up a season brochure.

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Welcome to the Backstage Blogger

2011-06-16T04:23:00.000-07:00

As well as our new website we also have a re-vamped blog to keep you in the know about everything going on behind the scenes at the Coliseum.

The next year will be very exciting for the Coliseum; in January 2012 the company will be moving out of the existing building on Fairbottom Street while essential refurbishment takes place at the theatre.

The Backstage Blogger will keep you informed of all the action while we prepare for our big move. They'll be weekly updates from the theatre's Artistic Director Kevin Shaw plus little snippets from staff about what they're up to.

Watch this space...