Who is an ambassador?

Well, hello hello, my Dears! Hope you are all well!

Today, I want to talk to you about an Ambassador's role at the Coliseum. What does that involve and who can do it?

Naturally, we think of the definition: an Ambassador is a Representative, someone who connects with the public, promoting and representing the views, values and ideas of the company.

All of which, in this case, can be summarised in the Theatre's Mission Statement. "To produce a high quality entertainment for people from different cultures and help build a cohesive society".

One must agree, this is something we all need.

When I say, an Ambassador connects with the public, I mean a good representative not only promotes his/her company but also carefully listens to the needs the public to which the theatre ultimately serves.

An Ambassador is, sort of, like a bridge.

Of course, the role would certainly benefit from your pretty detailed understanding of the process, and some crazed obsession with literary works wouldn't go amiss.

I could go on and on reciting all the relevant interests but there wouldn't be enough time in the world, and I hope that, perhaps, dear readers, some of you have recognised yourselves in this description! :-)

However, there is a whole other side to the role of a Coliseum Ambassador, particularly for those who are new in the world of Dramatic Arts. One of the benefits being a chance to experience lots and lots and lots of new things. Even though the Theatre asks of you to give your time and thought to the cause, it returns it all and ten times more!

And, what exactly, is listed in the Recruitment section of the Coliseum website. So go on, have a nosey!

http://coliseum.org.uk/index.php/Oldham/opportunities/recruitment

I am very grateful you took these precious minutes out of your day to read my short (very short indeed!) blog. Thank you for that, I hope you enjoyed it!

Until the next time...

Jane
Coliseum Ambassador and Front of House Volunteer

A quick run down on the history of Cinderella...

Our panto – Cinderella – continues to entertain audiences. We’re in full swing, counting down to Christmas and the New Year.

There are many many different types of performance that has influenced pantomime and made it what you know panto to be today.

There are also many nuances and variations of the different tales that make up the canon of panto productions and Cinderella is no exception. This story goes back centuries and there are several ancient versions of it originating from all over the world.

In Ancient Greece there is a tale of young Rhodopis who was bathing when her sandal was taken by an eagle and dropped on the lap of the King. The King sought the land to find the owner of the sandal and eventually asks Rhodopis to be his Queen.

Back in 860 in China another version of the story was written called Ye Xian about a hardworking girl who befriends a fish that is a reincarnation of her mother who was killed by her step mother and sister. The bones of the fish become magical and produce a beautiful outfit for a New Year Festival. She loses her slipper at the festival and when the King finds it he traces it back to her and falls in love.

Over in the Philippines there is a story of Maria who wins the heart of the prince at a party and – again - has to overcome the cruelty of her stepmother and sisters.

The Vietnamese version - Tấm Cám –is a little darker. Tam is bullied by her stepmother and sister, the magic fish from the Chinese tale reappears and the bones protect Tam and lead her to the King’s heart. However, Tam ends up boiling her stepsister alive and then tricks her stepmother into eating her.

French writer Charles Perrault laid the foundations for fairy tales from existing folk tales including Cinderella. The story first appeared on stage in the beginning of the 19th Century as part of the New Grand Allegorical Pantomime Spectacle at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. 

There was also an opera called La Cenerentola based on the Cinderella story which was first performed in 1817. This went on to influence the King's Opera in Covent Garden’s Easter pantomime Harlequin and Cinderella or the Little Glass Slipper. There is also a ballet of Cinderella written by Sergei Prokofiev.

No wonder Cinderella is one of the most popular pantomimes – a worldwide tale. The Coliseum’s version is no different and this year we have a bevy of dames, three to be exact, the stepmother and two evil step sisters (who you’ll be hard pressed to tell apart, they look identical). There’s no cannibalism though, just a great night out.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

A short history on the history of Pantomime

We’ve just opened Cinderella and it’s now pantomania until 12 January. Cinderella is a fantastic pantomime and it has been argued that all stories fit into seven basic plots and Cinderella fits into one called ‘Rags and riches’. The foundation to each pantomime narrative is about a downtrodden hero getting the recognition he or she deserves with a few evil stepmother, fairies and giants thrown in.

Panto is a very specific type of production – albeit very silly – and is influenced by many different types of performance including Commedia Dell’Arte and Music Hall and are always based on fairy tales.

Commedia Dell’Arte dates back to the 1600s in Italy and France where actors would improvise their way through a plot with collection of stock characters such as Harlequin (principal boy), his true love (romantic lead), Pantaloon (over protective father), Pulchinello (the father’s hapless servant) and Clown (the unsuitable suitor). Pulchinello evolved into Mr Punch from Punch and Judy and the influences can be seen to this day not only in panto but in sitcoms such as The Simpsons and Faulty Towers.

The rise of Music Hall performance developed the popularity of slapstick and influenced Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy and their classic routines are pure pantomime. Another key similarity between music hall and pantomime is the use of songs of the day which is something the Coliseum sticks by. Although based on old traditions, panto has to keep re-inventing itself with modern references and songs to keep with the times otherwise it wouldn’t remain popular.

Slapstick also derives from something known as Italian Night Scenes which were mime pieces because Italian performers couldn’t speak English. This and Commedia Dell’Arte developed into Harlequinade which is very similar to the pantomime routines we see today but with no dialogue.

The first use of the word Pantomime emerged in the early 18th Century in a “ballet-pantomime”. Harlequinade had become so popular that the Theatre Royal at Drury Lane mounted their own pantomime. In 1773 the Theatre Royal staged the pantomime that has a direct descendant today – Jack the Giant Killer.

It may sounds obvious now but fairy tales are also a huge influence. French writer Charles Perrault laid the foundations for fairy tales from existing folk tales. He popularised these stories such as Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots, Bluebeard, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. Many of these were then re-written by the Brothers Grimm.

The specific tale of Cinderella has its own history, and I’ll tell you about it next week.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

REVIEW OF THE SEASON (so far)

Good Morning! Good Afternoon! Good Evening to you all, dear Readers! Hope you are well!
Let me take this opportunity (the opportunity to write a blog) to write a little review of the season so far.

It is just my humble opinion so don't judge me too harshly!

For starters, let's give a round of applause to everyone who was and still is involved in the renovation of the Coliseum. Many years from now this will be written in history books. Imagine a glimpse of electronic pages of a history book some 100 years into the future. May even mention a few names!

I wonder if the author of that book will mention anything about that air conditioning at the opening night of The Importance of Being Earnest that almost froze everyone?! ;-) Fixed now of course…

This brings us to the next topic, the shows and our experiences.

By the way, how was the view of the stage for those who were lucky to sit in the centre seats in the stalls where the centre aisle to be?

I, personally, haven't had a chance to inspect the view from there yet, however the circle still steals my preference!

Now, Oliver, was amazing!! Way to go, Congress Players, way to go!!! Please come back with more!
All in all, so far, organisation has been excellent, 10 points (out of 10);

Customer Service, 10 points; have you yet spotted the new front of house volunteer staff? I have heard they are an awesome bunch!:)

Performances and Directing, professionalism from the start, 10 points!

Right now, it is 1.25 am and I am finding myself grinning through writing this short review feeling all warm and fuzzy inside...

That just says that my personal experience so far has obviously been a very positive one. Wishing same to all!

Jane
Coliseum Ambassador and Front of House Volunteer

Serious fun...

It’s just one day until the first performance of Cinderella – oh yes it is – one day! What a mad few weeks we’ve had putting the show together and I’m sure they’ll be another mad seven weeks ahead of us as the show goes on.

I’ve said this many times before but the Coliseum’s annual panto is the biggest production of the year, not only because of how long the show runs (until 12 January – tickets still available) but also the scale of the production.

The wardrobe department have made 25 costumes for the principal cast and three costumes for each member of the chorus (two teams of eight). You don’t need me to tell you that that’s a lot of costumes, and they’re all made from scratch.

The production team have had to source or make all sorts of odd props including giant mallets, huge quantities of fake food, the most ridiculous being a magical moving fox’s tail.

The education department have been organising panto workshops for schools in the area, delivering much more than they would normally do for a Coliseum production.

The LX department have been finding just the right clock chimes sound effects – you’d be surprised just how many variants there are.

The amount of weird decisions that we have to make as a team during panto make you wonder what an odd job working in theatre (especially panto) is. Is that the right type of glitter? Is this the most appropriate sound of screeching tyres? Should we use mallets or frying pans to hit the dame with? Last week, one of our biggest problems was trying to fit Fine Time in a trunk without damaging his wig.

There is an internal logic to this madness though – these are all important decisions to making the quality panto that you will see on stage. Panto might look easy and improvised but it’s serious fun. There’s a thought process behind each gag and scene making it look effortless on the night. Whether it’s panto, Chekov or Shakespeare, the motivation behind the characters in the world of any specific play is really important.

These panto problems are really quite fun to have to solve.


Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Praise for Oldham...

We’re now in the third week of panto rehearsals which means that opening night is just over a week away. You will have also had a first glimpse at the dazzling pantomime costumes designed by Celia Perkins.

The Reindeer Parade is one of many events that Oldham Council have organised for the festive period. There was the fantastic fireworks display which took place last Monday is returning with a bang (excuse the pun) after a hiatus of over ten years. Still to come there’s the Christmas Lights Switch-On on Sunday 18 November with local Olympian Nicola White, a member of Team GB’s Bronze winning Olympic Hockey team. She’ll be pushing the button with Rastamouse – anyone with kids will know exactly who that is.

They’ve also lined a great selection of themed weekends including Fairytale Christmas, Winter Wonderland and finally a Victorian Christmas Weekend complete with carousel and Dickensian characters.

Oldham Council gets some bad press – as with most councils across the country – but they do an great deal of positive things for the people of Oldham including all the events that they have programmed. The Coliseum wouldn’t have survived were it not for the continued investment from the Council. They also support organisations such as Oldham Theatre Workshop and the Gallery and Library which is a fantastic space. Although disruptive their work on the Metrolink will pay off and revitalise the town once it’s finished. Plus they provide the great resource – Go! Oldham – which is a free promotional service that lists events going on in the borough for people under 20 years old.

Oldham has a lot to be proud of, not only does it have a thriving professional theatre, art gallery and university campus, the town also holds a ‘Best City’ title and solver gilt award for community involvement from the Britain in Bloom awards which they won this year. And who could forget the beauty of the Alexandra Park where we performed Star-Cross’d. The staff at the park keep the space looking fantastic all year round and the Victorian features made great set pieces for the Coliseum production.

Anyway, back to panto. Today we’re trying out the slop scene in rehearsals, with real slop. We need to make sure the whole routine works ahead of tech week even if it is a bit messy…

See you at panto.

Kevin Shaw
Artisitc Director

Time to get festive...

It’s all go here at the Coliseum as we near the end of the second week of panto rehearsals and the cast of eight have been working incredibly hard.

During the day they work on the script with me, songs with musical director David Bintley and choreography with Beverly Edmonds and then in the evenings the company work with the juvenile chorus. This year (as with previous years) the girls got their place in the company through the open auditions that were held back in September. They are really important for the production and are skilled dancers – some of whom have been in the Coliseum panto several years developing those skills and they undoubtedly add to the scale and quality of the production.

We still have two weeks to go until the first of the 79 performances over a seven week run. It can sometimes be a daunting thought considering the scale of the production but the traditional Coliseum panto is the biggest event on the theatre’s calendar – loved by people of all ages – so all the hard work is always worthwhile.

The festive spirit has well and truly landed here at the Coliseum, especially with the Reindeer Parade on Saturday in the town centre. All the Cinderella cast will be suited and booted in their intricate costumes put together by the talented wardrobe department. Myself and the marketing team will be hot on their heels handing out flyers for the show. It’s great to hear such positive comments from everyone who comes to see the parade about how much they’re looking forward to the panto and that they come every year. So make sure you get a good spot on the parade route to catch a glimpse of the cast.

The scenery and prop makers are working incredibly hard to respond to the many requests coming out of the rehearsal room. New ideas pop up all the time while we’re rehearsing and our team are brilliant at getting making them all a reality (and quickly).

We’re all still getting used to the new look theatre. We’re still rehearsing over in the Old Library but the cast can’t wait to get back to the theatre and start bringing the building to life with the sounds of “He’s behind you!”

See you in the theatre.

Kevins Shaw
Artistic Director

Wilde about Oscar...

We’ve not even been open a week and we’ve already had two shows on our stage! Last weekend was the spectacular Curtain Up at the Coliseum – an absolutely fantastic two evenings full of celebration for all things Coliseum. A humbling experience – people really do love this place!

This week London Classic Theatre has brought us The Importance of Being Earnest. On until Saturday this is a tale of mistaken identity set in 1890s London. A comedy of manners, full of mayhem and lots of fun. It is one of Oscar Wilde’s most famous plays and the final one he wrote. Light in tone this is considered Wilde’s masterpiece and remains his most popular play.

Oscar Wilde is one of the most famous English writers (even though he was born in Ireland) with works including Lady Windermere’s Fan, An Ideal Husband and The Picture of Dorian Grey – the last of which propelled him into the limelight.

Wilde also became famous for being prosecuted and imprisoned for being a homosexual – something that was a crime in Victorian England and was illegal up until 1967. Wilde was outed by The Marquess of Queensberry – the father of Wilde’s lover.

While this scandal of story dominated Wilde’s personal life his contribution to the English literary cannon is really important. His plays get performed regularly around the country – here alone his work has been performed many times over the years. Much of his writing has been transferred to the big screen, in fact there was a film made of his life staring Stephen Fry as the playwright.

Wilde’s work is sometimes viewed as light weight and I won’t argue that his unique way of bringing characters to life with zippy dialogue, witty observations and comic timing makes his work timeless. But his writing is so much more than that. The social satire is totally on point, commenting on the society of his day (the very society he wanted to belong to). His subtle reflection of the trappings of the upper classes is brilliant and something that makes him one of the best writers of the 19th Century.
See you in the theatre,

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

The curtain is ready to go up...

It’s finally here – opening night! Tomorrow is our big opening night and I cannot believe how quickly the last ten months have zipped past. Tomorrow evening we’ll be raising the curtain for the first ever production in the newly refurbished theatre.

The cast and company have been working hard over the last two weeks to put the production together. I said it before but I’ll say it again – everyone has been absolutely fantastic and they have gone the extra mile to make the show that you’ll see this weekend (if you’re coming along).

Many of the cast have said how glad they are to be part of this exclusive production and that got me to thinking about how many actors mention how much they enjoy working at the Coliseum. We make a commitment to employ actors from the North West and in return they commit to what the Coliseum is aims to deliver and are always very complementary about the theatre and working in Oldham.

The actors certainly aren’t coming back time and time again for the wages – little tip; if you want to make a fortune don’t work in the theatre. I think it’s a combination of the people who work for the theatre and the audience who see the play. It’s no secret that an Oldham Coliseum audience is quite unique. One of our actors once said: “This is my favourite place to work. You don’t get audiences like this anywhere else. Here they don’t come and sit back saying ‘entertain me!’ but they come for a genuine night out.” And that’s so true. Our audiences are one of a kind and the Coliseum really belongs to them. We are one of the only theatres where the cast will invite the audience to the bar for a drink after the show.

Plus the atmosphere in the rehearsal room is always really positive as well. The whole process never really feels likes work. As you may already be aware, we work with many of the same actors in our productions and I think this adds to the reason why people like working here. Actors that are new to the Coliseum will often be in the same cast as a Coliseum regular and very quickly learn the way the Coliseum operates and becomes part of the team in no time at all. I create an atmosphere where actors are able to fail and feel that their ideas are heard.

This is one of the main things I am so proud of about the Coliseum – this reputation for being such a welcoming theatre.

See you back in the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

One week to go...

I’m currently nearing the end of the first week of rehearsals for Curtain Up at the Coliseum which opens on Friday 26 October for two nights only.

I started working on the show a couple of months ago once we’d said goodbye to the cast of Star-Cross’d. I then sat down and started drafting the running order for the evening, deciding what productions to include and who should be a part of this special event.

It wasn’t a simple task as the Coliseum has staged hundreds of plays over the years. I wanted to include not only the most popular productions we have staged but also a variety of different theatre styles; musical, drama, comedy. I also wanted work around a (fairly loose) theme of the Coliseum ‘through the ages’ so I have included some classic productions from the past as well as extracts from more recent plays.

Next I needed to think about who would be in the ensemble cast. This means they won’t be playing just one character for the evening; instead they’ll be part of various scenes and numbers from different productions throughout the evening (so that’s an awful lot of lines and cues for them to remember!).

If you haven’t already heard, the cast includes Kieran Buckeridge (Travels with my Aunt, Dick Barton, Wind in the Willows), Adam Barlow (Star-Cross’d, Kes, The Road to Nab End), Gemma Wardle (Up on the Roof, Union Street, Sweet Charity), Sue Devaney (Sleeping Beauty, Good Golly Miss Molly), Nicola Bolton (Stepping Out, Wizard of Oz), Catherine Kinsella (The Memory of Water, Stepping Out) and the inimitable Kenneth Alan Taylor (I could list all the plays he’s been in but it’s nearly 300!).

The ensemble will be joined by a host of guest appearances including Coronation Street stars Julie Hesmondhalgh (Hayley Cropper), Lisa George (Beth Tinker) and Shobna Gulati (Sunita Alahan).

This week we’ve been running through the various sections of the show which includes a good helping of musical numbers (many of which you’ll know and I’ll bet they’ll be some singing along on the night). Howard Gray - who worked on Private Lives, Up on the Roof and Satin ‘n’ Steel - will be heading up a three piece band to accompany the cast (and they’ll be taking to the stage a few times during the night too).

The cast and band (and guest stars) have all been fantastic and it’s humbling to see how excited they are to be part of this special event that will go down in the Coliseum’s history. And I’m pretty excited too. It will be fantastic to see the auditorium with people in it again, especially an audience full of such support for the theatre.

See you at the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artisitc Director

Directing for JB Shorts

JB Shorts is taking place at Joshua Brooks in Manchester this week. If you haven’t heard of it before it is a small scale theatre festival where top TV writers from the North West showcase new work that lasts just 15 minutes – hence the name.

JB Shorts consists of six short plays in total that will all be shown in one evening, including one written by Ian Kershaw who wrote Star-Cross’d the outdoor production we staged in Alexandra Park this summer.

I am directing one of the plays written by Carole Solazzo and Christy Horrocks called Seeds which is set on the eve before a priest’s ordination and he’s starting to get second thoughts…
Carole is a great supporter of the Coliseum being a former participant of the Coliseum’s writing group and she has now become regular writer for Radio Four series The Archers and on BBC One’s Doctors.

Carole asked me a few months ago to direct the play and I jumped at the opportunity to be part of the project which is part of the Greater Manchester theatre scene. Ordinarily I would be directing the first production of the autumn/winter season at the Coliseum but as we’re opening slightly later than usual this year due to the refurbishment I was able to say yes to Carole.

The Seeds cast are all local actors who put themselves forward to be considered for roles in the JB Shorts programme. It’s a small cast of three and they have all been brilliant to work with. While they are all fairly young, they have all got a good deal of experience of working in both large and small scale productions. Being part of something like JB Shorts is a great opportunity for an actor, not only for experience but the chance to meet other directors and writers from the North West.

If you want to catch this year’s programme, the plays will be performed at Joshua Brooks in Manchester until Saturday 20 October and it’s just £6.00 a ticket.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Nearly time to raise the curtain...

The theatre may be closed but there’s an awful lot happening at the Coliseum in the run up to our re-opening at the end of October.

I am currently finalising Curtain Up at the Coliseum - an evening of celebration of the Coliseum which will reopen the theatre. There will be a great selection of extracts from popular Coliseum plays including Sweet Charity, Me Mam Sez, Brassed Off and The Wizard of Oz with a couple of surprises along the way. I have cast a group of brilliant actors who have all played that the Coliseum before and they will perform favourite scenes from the different productions. The cast includes Kenneth Alan Taylor, Sue Devaney and Gemma Wardle. Look out for some more special announcements…
If you want to be part of this special fundraising event, tickets are £25.00 (or £20.00 if you are season ticket holder).

In the meantime, not only is the auditorium and bar being refurbished, the back stage offices are all part of that refurbishment too. Every wall is getting a new coat of paint, carpets are being laid and everyone is have a proper clear out. Needless to say, it’s very busy backstage at the moment and we haven’t even got a production on!

Even though we’re planning the re-opening, the company is also looking back at our recent season out of the building. We hold a retrospective meeting for each of our own productions; discussing how the production was received by audiences, aspects of the set and design (things that worked or could have been improved) and anything else that should be noted and referred to when producing a similar production in the future.

The retrospectives for the last season have an added element which is the new venues and different ways that we had to work under the circumstances. What did we learn from producing a three month tour that travelled to nine different venues? What was it like to work with companies or theatres we had not previously collaborated with? How did we strengthen our relationships with the different venues at which we performed? All of this and more is discussed because it is essential to learn from everything we’ve done since January - especially as this year has been an exceptional year in the Coliseum’s history. This all helps feed into whether we’ll do another tour, or look into the possibility of doing another outdoor performance.

Thank you for all of your support during the year and I look forward to seeing you back in the theatre in October. If you can’t wait until our official opening, the Box Office will be back in their usual home on Monday 22 October so from that date forward you can pop in and book your tickets back in the theatre.

See you back in the theatre.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

How exclusive is theatre?

A few weeks ago Kevin Spacey wrote in The Stage bemoaning the lack of young people attending theatre and that theatre “has become an exclusive club”. This comes after Spacey has just secured a sponsorship deal which allows his theatre – London’s Old Vic – to offer £12 tickets to people under 25 years. He carries on to suggest that if there is no one to replace the current generation of theatre goers then the theatre industry won’t survive.

Now, I for one think there are more nuances to this argument. I’ll be the first to agree that the majority of theatre audiences across the country are over 45 years old – but this doesn’t mean theatre is a dying art form - or worse doesn’t attract young people. When I started working in theatre many years ago the question always being asked was “How do we get young people to attend?” with a sense that theatre won’t survive without them. Fast forward and the question is still there.

There are several reasons for this, one being that theatre is low on some young people’s list of things to do in their spare time. Some might want to be on stage rather than watch it, others just want to socialise or take part in more active pursuits. Once they get a bit older they may become parents and time and money become an issue – as well as trying to find a babysitter. When the kids have flown the nest, that’s when people start to relax again and think about what they want to do with their new found spare time.

The truth is that a majority of people mature into becoming regular theatregoers but that doesn’t mean young people don’t watch theatre. The Coliseum is offers a lot for young people and we actively encourage them to get involved in the theatre whether that’s on stage, backstage or coming to watch a play. A Night Less Ordinary (the Arts Council free ticket initiative) was a great success here and it genuinely had a direct impact in young people seeing theatre in Oldham.

The work that we do with young people not only increases their confidence and skills for life but also engages their interest in theatre, some might go on to be the next Benedict Cumberbach, some might attend theatre more regularly but some might have an interest in theatre ignited that they’ll revisit later in life.

Theatre is universal – far from an “exclusive club”; the themes and emotions that run through each play can resonate with all ages. There is a myth that young people find theatre intimidating but nothing is further from the truth. Once young people are through the door they engage with the play and experience just like everyone else. 

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Back to school...

It’s back to school time for young people across the borough. As with every new term, both Oldham College and University Campus Oldham host an introductory week to welcome students and let them know what opportunities there are in the local area.

Look out for the Coliseum stand at UCO’s Fresher’s Fayre on Tuesday 18 September. They’ll be a range of organisations with information on how you can enhance your university experience with extracurricular activities.

If you are enrolling at Oldham College next week, members of the Coliseum team will also be on hand to let you know about all the different ways you can get involved at the theatre which will not only be fun but will look great on your CV.

The Coliseum has large selection of opportunities for young people who are interested in drama and the theatre. This includes TheatreLAB for young thespians and DigiLAB for people more interested in the technical side of theatre. There is also a group for 5 – 12 year olds – Drama Daze – that is perfect to develop kids’ skills and confidence. Not forgetting Full Circle, our ever popular over 50s group.

Not only are there a wide range of drama classes for all ages and abilities, there is also the chance to volunteer and be part of the Coliseum team. So if you are looking for new and exciting ways to spend your time this academic year, make sure you contact our education and outreach department at education@coliseum.org.uk for more information on everything we have to offer.

Usually here at the Coliseum we would also be starting our ‘new term’ with the first production of the autumn/winter season. However, the building is still undergoing the final stages of the renovation work so we’re holding tight until the end of October when we can open our doors to the public.

Of course, I’m keeping myself busy directing the tour of Jane Eyre which opened this week. The cast had a fantastic run at Shaw Playhouse, Oldham Central Library and tonight they’re playing in Chadderton. If you want to catch this community tour of Charlotte Brontë’s classic love story then we’ll be at Slaithwaite Civic Hall tomorrow evening and Marsden Mechanics for our last performance tomorrow. Call 0161 624 2829 to book your tickets.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

We're back with Brontë

I’m currently in the third week of rehearsals for the ALRA (Academy of Live and Recorded Arts) tour of Jane Eyre. The small scale tour sets off next week to Shaw Playhouse before travelling back to Oldham, Chadderton, over to Slaithwaite and finishing in Marsden.

The production will be performed by 12 postgraduate students from ALRA and the cast will take part in all areas of the production as this will form part of their coursework. ALRA is one of 22 drama schools across the country that are in The Conference of Drama Schools (CDS). The students in the cast of Jane Eyre are on a 15 month postgraduate course that they have chosen to study having completed another degree (whether that be in drama, English or even economics). Anyone who is serious about a career in acting will study at a CDS approved school, even after completing a three year degree elsewhere.

This particular production is a community tour which is reminiscent of ‘mumming plays’ which have been around since the birth of theatre. These basic plays involved troops of actors roaming around the country and performing on a village green with everything they need in the back of their cart.

This type of theatre utilises the creativity of the cast rather than relying on sound, lighting and stage effects. All the actors will remain on stage for the whole performance and play several characters. They’ll also provide all of the sound effects such as the wind on the moor or a ticking clock and move a stool or prop to suggest a change of setting. 

A community tour is quite a challenge for the company as the cast have to be very adaptable. Each venue we are performing at will have different sightlines and the entrances and exits to the stage will change. The actors will have a hand in all aspect of the production including the get-in and get-out where all the equipment is off loading from the van and set up on stage (and then taken down again).

It’s a great challenge for the students and I’m sure they will gain a lot from the experience. The rehearsals have been going really well and they have all shown a great level of discipline and are eager to learn about the industry.

Make sure you catch the show at one of the venues on the tour between 4 – 8 September; Shaw Playhouse, Oldham Central Library, Over 60s Club, Chadderton, Slaithwaite Civic Hall and Marsden Mechanics. Tickets available from the Coliseum box office on 0161 624 2829 or here.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Reds and blues

We’re in to the second and final week of our production in Alexandra Park – Star-Cross’d and I would just like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone involved in the project. From the start I knew this was a very ambitious idea but I’ve been taken aback by the commitment and professionalism not only of the principal cast and crew but of the whole company – especially those who have given up their time to be part of Star-Cross’d.

Talking about Star-Cross’d, this week I wanted to write about the design and costumes of the play and how they work as part of the narrative. Designing a production is not a simple task and we use the best theatre designers in the North West to work on our productions. Alison Heffernan has designed Star-Cross’d and her most recent Coliseum production was The Road to Nab End which was another large scale piece. For Star-Cross’d Alison has taken a lot of inspiration from Bollywood to create a carnival atmosphere – you’ll see this straight away when you arrive at the main entrance to the park. She has also seamlessly incorporated the park's permanent features into the design; for example the Lion’s Den (which is beautiful anyway) looks stunning dressed up at the Capulets’ banquet hall.

All the costumes are very subtle – the complete opposite to pantomime. A lot of plays that we produce – apart from pantomime – are set in the recognisable world. This means that the characters all wear clothes that fit in to both the time period and location of the play. Star-Cross’d is set in 2012 so the clothes that the characters wear are up to date but they also reflect the character. Alison has made sure that the Capulets all wear something from the red pallete; maroon, orange, ochre, cherry etc. And the Montagues all wear something from a blue pallete. The idea behind this is so that if you plucked one of the characters out of the play and placed them in the park on their own they wouldn’t look out of place and blend in with everyone else. It’s only when the characters from the different families all come together that it will be more obvious which family they belong to. Something quite different from the idea of gang motifs/costumes like the warring gangs of the Sharks and the Jets from West Side Story.

The costumes are also mix of Asian and western cultures. The Montagues – including Robbie (Romeo) – all wear what any Oldham teenager would wear. In contrast the Capulets wear dazzling traditional Asian dress which adds to the contrast between the two feuding families.

The overall effect is a fantastic visual experience and looks wonderful. The show closes this weekend so do make sure you come and see the totally unique production before it’s too late.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

We're nearly back home...

Last week we announced our brand new Homecoming Season which you may have read about on these pages last week. We open our newly refurbished building to the public on Friday 26 October with a two night gala celebration of the Coliseum, looking forward to an exciting future ahead of us. This grand re-opening show will be performed by a company of Coliseum favourites presenting key scenes and songs on stage from the theatre’s history as well as previewing some of the productions. On Saturday 27 October we will also be hosting another of our highly successful free Open Days to invite everyone back into the building and give you a chance to snoop around and see what’s changed. They’ll be activities, talks and backstage tours throughout the day so make sure you don’t miss out.

The first Coliseum production of the season will be Dickens’s David Copperfield adapted by Alastair Cording. This fast-paced, exciting adaptation is just as gripping as the original novel. For those of you who don’t know, Dickens’s stories were originally serialised in magazines which is why the end of each chapter ends on a tense cliff hanger – to make sure people would buy the next edition. This makes an excellent transfer to stage.

Following that we have Sugar Daddies by Alan Ayckbourn – a very popular playwright with the Coliseum audience. It’s one of his later plays with a bit of a darker tone but still full of all the famous Ayckbourn humour. Director/designer team Robin Herford and Michael Holt will return after their fantastic portrayal of Taking Steps at the Grange Arts Centre.

Blonde Bombshell’s of 1943 is the last Coliseum produced play of the season and something that I think really complements the other shows. It’s a feel good musical play - complete with a swing band - that will sit nicely next to the classic David Copperfield and humorous Sugar Daddies.

So those are just the Coliseum productions and I’m already running out of words. I’m really looking forward to welcoming back tours from both London Classic Theatre and LipService. We also have a small scale tour of Jane Eyre with students from the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts which I’ll talk more about next week and a huge variety of one night events from stand up comedy to a night of brass bands.

I have to say I am really looking forward to returning to the building and getting it up and running again. While our time out of the building has been great fun and full of new opportunities, I can’t wait to bring the company back together to welcome our audience back through the doors of theatre.

See you out and about.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Get a head start in a career in the arts...

I often get asked about job opportunities at the Coliseum and how people can improve their chances of getting a job in the theatre industry. The simple answer is that it’s not easy as it’s such a sought after industry to work in. However, there are an awful lot of opportunities out there that will boost your experience of theatre, or better understand the different roles that work in theatre such as the stage manager, press officer or director etc.

Here at the Coliseum we provide Pathways - a careers service which helps young people find pathways into a job in the arts. The service offers mentoring from professionals already working in the theatre and is overseen by our Creative Development Officer. Talking to and gaining advice from industry professionals is one of the best ways to find out more about an industry that you want to work in– whatever industry that may be. So far the group have had sessions with actor Andonis Anthony who you may recognise as our King Rat from Dick Whittington, director Joyce Branagh who is a regular at the Coliseum, her most recent productions here include The Sunshine Boys, Satin and Steel. They have also had a session from a casting director who works on Coronation Street and theatre designer Foxton who’s design skills can be seen in our current production Dumb Show at the Grange.

In July we are organising a pathways careers conference at the Grange Arts Centre called YouLEAD. This event will provide advice and support for people aged 14 – 25 years looking for work in the creative arts. The event will help young people in the borough learn how to engage, work and create a pathway in to theatre and related industries and also look further into what opportunities Oldham has to offer them.

From 5pm – 6pm there will be a networking event where attendees can talk to key people working in the arts in Greater Manchester, make contacts, pick up advice and maybe even a few freebies. Then there will be a series of talks from Oldham organisations including Theatre Workshop, the College, the Sixth Form College and the Youth Council.

This is a fantastic chance for anyone wanting to get a head start in their career. YouLEAD is on Wednesday 18 July at the Grange Arts Centre with networking from 5:00pm – 6:00pm and the event begins at 6:00pm. If you are interested or know someone who is and would like some more information or would just like to book your ticket then contact Paul Adams on pauladams@coliseum.org.uk. The event is completely free and certainly worth a look.

See you out and about

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Lighting up the park...

As you may already be aware, we are producing an exciting open air production in Alexandra Park this July. It will be a reworking of Romeo and Juliet with the star crossed lovers coming from Oldham instead of fair Verona (we’ve appropriately named the play Star Cross’d).

The process of lighting an outdoor production is completely different to that of a usual production on the main stage. When the play opens at 7:30pm it will still be light and the sun will go down during the evening. The production team need to know exactly when the light will start to change and when they need to start to add extra light. To make sure that they get this right a few weeks ago the production team took a tour of the park under the same conditions the park would be in the other side of the summer solstice. Arriving at the park at half seven the team moved from scene to scene in real time – staying at each location for the same time the scene would take to play out. By doing this they knew which scenes needed what type of lighting (if any) and how much.

One of the unique aspects of outdoor theatre is watching the action unfold as the sun goes down. It can be a really magical experience. The extra lighting that will be used as part of the production will be very subtle and we’ve come up with some really exciting ideas – especially for the production finale at the lake. Make sure you don’t miss this magical event which opens on 12 July.

Back to this week, on Tuesday Dumb Show opened at the Grange Arts Centre which will be our last production at the Grange where we have performed several plays during our time out of the building. The staff at the Grange have been absolutely wonderful and have made our time there really enjoyable. It’s been fantastic to be able to put on plays in the round with the audience on all four sides of the stage. It’s given us a chance to programme plays that really lend themselves to this type of staging. Dumb Show has had some great reactions from audiences who caught it this week.

This week has also seen the final preparations of our homecoming season which will be announced at our season launch. To find out what we’ve got planned for our return to the building come along Monday 18 June at the Grange.

See you out and about.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Preparing for a play: Ski lessons, falconry and Elvis impersonators…

Last week a reporter from Oldham Chronicle came to interview the cast of Dumb Show for a feature in the paper. However, we all ended up interviewing her. For those of you that don’t know, Dumb Show is about the relationship between tabloids and celebrities. With that in mind the cast and I had a fair few questions to throw at the reporter about press ethics, how journalists get hold of a story and where that fine line is before breaking the law.

So far I have been researching entrapment law, legality issues and the Press Complaints Commission but being able to talk to Helen from the Chronicle is even more valuable as we got an understanding of what motivates journalists and where they draw the line.

Researching for each production has changed over the years, when I first started work at the Coliseum I spent a lot of my time down at the reference library reading up about the background of playwrights and productions. Now I mainly research on the internet but there’s still a lot of other ways to get more keyed into the atmosphere and feel of a play.

For example, for The Road to Nab End, Philip (writer), Alison (designer) and I took a Nab End tour of Blackburn (where the play was set) by historian Simon Entwistle, taking in many of the places described in the book from which the play is adapted.

For Kes a falconer spent a day with the actor playing Billy and a kestrel teaching him how to handle the bird. Although we didn’t have a real bird on stage this really helped understand how the bird would move and react.

The cast of On The Piste took regular skiing lessons over at Rossendale ski slope ready for when they skied down the fully functioning ski slope on the main stage; Nick who played the Elvis impersonator in Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis actually met a professional Elvis impersonator; the cast of Brassed Off all visited the local bands in their band hall where they practiced and last summer’s production A Fine Bright Day Today was set in a fictional northern coastal town so the writer and I went to Fleetwood to get a feel for that type of location and community.

All of these things – which are unique to each production – help get a real sense of the various different aspects the play (such as the characters, their occupations and where they live) The web is a great resource but you simply can’t beat the knowledge and experience from meeting a professional and visiting real locations. All of this is essential to help bring the world of the play to life. 
See you out and about.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

“There was much shock from the audience at the final kills on the stage.”

I rarely watch every single performance of each production that I direct. I’ll usually watch the first few shows and see it a couple more times throughout the run to make sure it’s still looking good. After each performance of each production the stage manager will produce a show report documenting anything that shouldn’t have happened during the show. This could be a missed lighting cue or an actor stumbling over their lines, you never know what’s going to happen and that’s one of the joys of live theatre.

Most of the time the audience will not notice that anything has gone wrong but it’s important to keep a record of what happens to see if there is anything that needs addressing (for example if there’s a cue that keeps getting missed is there a reason behind that? How can we prevent it happening again?). These reports are a way that I can keep track of what’s going on during the run of the production.

The reports are always formal in tone and refer to the actors as Mr Smith, Miss Jones etc. They will reference lighting and sound cues by number and reference the point in the play by the page in the script. These reports are then looked at ahead of the next night’s performance.

Sometimes, however, the report can be a lot funnier than intended. The audience has just as much of a role to play in live theatre as the actors on stage, take a look at a few examples:
“As Mr Bowerman fell to the floor during the diabetic episode a female member of the audience could be heard saying “Oh Dear!” very loudly.”
“There was much shock from the audience at the final kills on the stage.”
“When Mark hugged his dad there was an audible ‘aaah’ from the audience.”
“When Ms Alshibaya stepped forward to do the curtain speech a man in the audience shouted “Not in French”, she told him he had ruined her joke.”
“At the top of Act 1 Mr Healy delivered his line “Good evening Werneth, how ya doing?” and a man in the audience replied “Fine thanks”.”
“Honey the guide dog was sitting in her normal spot at the front of the stalls and was clearly quite alarmed at the garroting sequence and the log attack. She did however like Helga ten Dorp.”

Sometimes the stage manager will comment on how well a complicated sequence might have gone:
“The blood bag in the garrote sequence was excellent tonight.”

And of course, there are also little slip ups on stage, but a professional actor knows how to recover:
“Pg. 24 – Ms Matthews fell over onstage just before her exit, she ad-libbed “that floor’s a bit slippy Mavis”. She was uninjured.”

Panto has a mind of its own – it’s our most complicated production of the year so there’s a lot that can go awry. But sometimes it’s not the set, props or cues that malfunction, it can just be a member of the company:
“Just before the safe scene – Sarah the Cook made the ad lib as she left “This next bit’s a bit dull but don’t worry we’ll be back on in a bit”. This derailed Dick. The audience loved it as she found it impossible to compose herself. We did eventually get back on track.”
Of course, the preferred words on any show report would be: “A good, clean show.”

See you out and about.

Kevin Shaw
Artisitc Director

It's gazebo time...

As the summer is fast approaching we’re getting ready to appear at the first of many events that are happening around Oldham over the spring and summer.

On Saturday members of the Coliseum team will be heading to the Failsworth Carnival to pitch up our new branded gazebo. They’ll be providing some great activities and workshops for kids and there will be lots of staff on hand to talk to the public about what the Coliseum is up to. We’ve recruited the valued help of volunteers, ambassadors and members of the youth steering group to help at the event.

Last year we had a pitch at both Oldham Mela and Oldham People’s Carnival. The Coliseum is a vital part of the community and therefore support these local community events.

After the Failsworth Carnival we’ll be at the Saddleworth Show on the 9th June and at Whit Friday on 1st June (a date is everyone’s calendar I’m sure). We’ll be doing something exciting at separate contest throughout the day; Uppermill, Diggle, Dobcross, and Delph. I can’t say much more than that but if you’re going to be there make sure you look out for us. Delph and Lees bands will be part of our outdoor production Star Cross’d that will be in Alexandra Park this summer.

We’ll also be at the People’s Carnival again on the 24th June which has been taking place since the 1900s and always raises huge amounts of money for charity; it’s one of those events you simply have to be part of.

And on the 8th July there’s the Oldham Mela at Alexandra Park which is a Sanskrit word meaning “to meet”, which is exactly what the Mela offers; a great opportunity for communities to come together in a festival atmosphere to enjoy food, music and dance. They’ll also be extracts of Star-Cross’d on the main stage.

The Coliseum team including volunteers will be at all of these events with a variety of activities. If you’re off to Failsworth on Saturday then make sure you come and find the Coliseum gazebo and say hello. There will also be someone from box office on hand if you would like to buy your tickets there and then.

In the meantime, rehearsals for Dumb Show started this week and the play is already starting to take shape. I also held auditions for Star-Cross’d last week and that’s coming together nicely. There are lots of things to juggle at the moment; brass bands, community chorus, new drafts of the script, Dumb Show rehearsals, signing off the new season brochure, organising season launch and the small matter of making sure the refurbishment is on track. Phew.

See you out and about.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Young hearts, run free...

Preparations for Star Cross’d are really getting going now. For those of you that don’t know what the play is about, it’s a modern re-telling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet set in Oldham. The writer, Ian Kershaw, is from Oldham and has found the perfect tone for the production.

This will be the Coliseum’s first ever large-scale outdoor production – it will be performed in Alexandra park and the audience will follow the action promenade style from scene to scene. The logistics of staging an open air production – let alone one that moves around – is quite complicated. A lot of the production team (myself included) have worked on outdoor productions in the past and we’re having to approach it all from a completely different angle than our usual main house productions.

All of the lighting, sound and other electrical equipment needs to be fully weather proofed as they’ll be exposed to the elements for two weeks. The path that the audience follow through the park needs to be full accessible for everyone and very clearly lit. There’ll be ample parking and numerous ushers to make sure everyone knows where to go. Because of the promenade aspect the audience won’t have set seating to watch each scene from so – while they’re welcome to bring a fold up chair or cushion – the company and cast will make sure they are led in the right direction but anything could happen!

We also have to take in to account the time of the sunset each day, factoring in when the light will fade and whether the action will face towards or away from the sun etc. The weather will play a major role in the production. In fact Shakespeare mentions weather throughout a majority of his plays and this was because they were often performed outside (The Globe in London is an outdoor theatre) so he would factor in the weather so that it formed part of the dialogue.

Last week we booked two local brass bands who’ll be playing dance music or acoustic versions of modern songs in the play, the casting process is also in full swing and we’re putting together the community chorus from talented young people from across the borough.

This is going to be a fantastic production – unlike anything we’ve done before. If you’re unsure about any aspects what an outdoor promenade production will be like just get in touch with the box office on 0161 624 2829 or at boxoffice@coliseum.org.uk.

See you out and about,

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

This week's news from the Coliseum...

As well as a board of trustees (a group made up of professionals with specific skills that guide the decisions of the theatre), the Coliseum also has a youth steering group which is made up of 15 under 26 year olds. The group is a key resource that influences the way in which the Coliseum attracts young people to the organisation.

The steering group was formed just over two years ago when the Coliseum received funding from the Big Lottery for a three year project to support the ideas and creative direction of young people in Oldham. The funding focused on ensuring young people influence the development opportunities available to them at the theatre. Our drama group TheatreLAB and digital theatre group DigiLAB were also a result of this funding as well as the steering group as well as Pathways, our career service for people looking for a job in the arts.

The group meet twice a month to talk through all aspects of the Coliseum, examining every element including production, education and outreach, front of house and marketing. It offers young people a platform from which they can voice their views about how the theatre works. Their ideas feed into the way we operate with the overall view of attracting more young people to the Coliseum.
All of the members of the steering group are involved in the Coliseum in some way or another – members of DigiLAB and TheatreLAB etc. As part of the group they attend the opening night of each production and talk to the audience about the steering group and how they’re involved in the theatre. Two elected youth reps also attend the organisation’s board meetings where they can offer advice on the strategic development of the company and also feedback their ideas directly to the board.

Different departments in the theatre also regularly consult with the group for their views on certain aspects of their own work. Last week the marketing team went in to speak to the group to get their opinion on the season brochure – whether it appealed to young people, what they thought of the front cover, what do they think of the content etc. This is really useful information that will inform the marketing team when they start putting the next season brochure together.

The steering group is a really valuable part of the Coliseum and as the funding from the Big Lottery comes to an end this year, we’re looking into ways to make sure the group is part of the Coliseum’s future.

See you out and about

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

This week's news from the Coliseum...

As part of our out and about season Coliseum productions being performed all over the place this week. Last night The Hound of the Baskervilles opened in Harrogate - the sixth venue on the tour. I went along to opening night and the show still looks stunning. Either myself or David Martin (Executive Director) make sure we attend the opening night at each venue on the tour as it’s important to support the production during the two month tour. I get regular updates from the production team about how the show is going. This could include technical aspects, what it’s been like to work at other venues and also news on the morale of the cast – making sure they’re still happy.

It’s also important to make sure the production that opens at Harrogate Theatre is the same production that audiences saw at Lawrence Batley Theatre back in March. Over time productions have a tendency to take on a life of their own in response to the audience’s reaction. I want to make sure that any changes to the production fit in with what we originally set out to achieve during the rehearsal process. The work we did during that rehearsal period is really key to how the production looked on opening night and that work still needs to be there right up until the last night. Incidentally the last leg of the tour is at Buxton Opera House so if you missed it while it was in Huddersfield you can still catch it there.

There’s another Coliseum production opening at Earl Mill Arts Centre tomorrow evening. This is a brand new location for the Coliseum to use and the youth performance of Tunnel Visions will be taking place there over the weekend. This is a really exciting production – the audience will move round a disused mill space in a train carriage travelling through time. The team behind the show have been working on it since the beginning of the year and I’m really looking forward to see all their ideas come together.

And over at the Grange Arts Centre Bill Naughton’s Alfie is still charming audiences at our fantastic temporary home. Saturday night is the last performance so if you haven’t yet had a chance to see it don’t miss out.

Brassed Off 2005

A little bit of exciting news to end this week’s column; I am happy to confirm that Steve Huison will be playing Barry in Dumb Show – which opens at the Grange in June. He’s probably best known for his role in The Full Monty and as Eddie Windass in Coronation Street. Steve is no stranger to the Coliseum, he played Phil in the 2005 production of Brassed Off and also appeared in Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay in 2008. He’ll be working alongside Kate Coogan (Stepping Out) and Leigh Symonds (The Hound of the Baskervilles) - I’m really looking forward to starting rehearsals.

See you out and about.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

This week's news from the Coliseum...

We’re approaching the half-way point of the refurbishment of the theatre. The contractors have been keeping us updated about how it’s all going and all is on schedule for our return in September. When we were first planning how the company could operate around the refurbishment works it became clear fairly quickly that we simply would not have been able to present plays in the Fairbottom Street venue while the building work took place.

We could have skipped a season and not produced any plays while the refurbishment took place but we decided against that. We were determined to continue to programme shows for our audience and it also gave us the unique opportunity to try out new things and experiment.

For example; The Hound of the Baskervilles has been our largest national tour to date – something we’ve not done before – and the use of imitating the dog’s breath taking video projections in the production was also a first for us. We’ve also been able to programme productions that are specific to in-the-round staging which is the configuration at the Grange Arts Centre where we are performing a majority of our spring/summer season. Anyone who came to see Taking Steps will understand why that play benefits from having the audience on all four sides of the stage.

One of the most exciting projects of the season will be our open-air production in Alexandra Park where we’ll be staging a brand new adaptation of Romeo and Juliet - Star-Cross’d - in the summer as a finale to our time out of the building. Producing an open-air play has been a personal aspiration of mine for years and while we were looking for new venues the park was mentioned and it seemed like the ideal opportunity to finally realise the idea.

The refurbishment has also given the Coliseum the chance to create new partnerships with organisations across the borough, especially with Oldham Theatre Workshop, the Oldham Library and Gallery and Oldham Council’s Arts and Events team.

Working on split sites across Oldham has taken a bit of getting used to. It’s a bit odd not to have the rehearsal room just down stairs from my office or the auditorium and box office in the same building. But this is a very minor thing in what is turning out to be a very exciting season. We took a calculated risk when we decided to programme a season while the building was being refurbished but so far everything we have experimented with has been a success and will influence the way we do things in the future.

See you out and about.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

Refurbishment Blog #03: Where have all the walls gone?

I’ve just been round to a meeting with the main contractors for the Coliseum refurbishment and they’ve shown me some extraordinary pictures.  Neither they nor we are actually allowed into most of the building now, as the asbestos removal is now well underway and access is severely restricted.  The asbestos removers have taken many photographs, some of which are reproduced here.

The auditorium now has far fewer walls than it had a week or so ago and the bulk of the main ceiling is slowly being removed, revealing the original tongue and groove structure that dates from 1887.  Some extraordinary features are being discovered and the whole exercise is becoming quite archaeological.  We’ve found a second, higher ceiling in the upstairs bar although we have no idea why or when this was covered up and there appears to be a far more shallowly raked structure underneath the current floor in the Circle.

Work has started on the front of the building – scaffolding has gone up and the areas of damaged rendering are slowly being chipped away to reveal the brickwork underneath.  The re-rendering of this façade will greatly improve the look of the theatre and also keep out the rain.

We are rapidly moving towards what we’ve started to call the “Asbestos Bridge”.  This is the time, at the end of May, when all the demolition work is completed, the building is declared safe and we finally get access to all of those areas that have previously been hidden by asbestos.  It is then, and then only that we will fully understand the nature of the entire project and know precisely the extent of the rebuild that will lead to the reopening in October.  I’m looking forward to crossing the Asbestos Bridge in comparative safety!

After we’ve crossed this bridge, we’ll be allowed back in the building to see how it’s all going.  This should be in about eight to ten weeks’ time.  I suspect that the Coliseum will be looking at its most forlorn by then as we reach the end of the most destructive phase of the works.  This is when we turn the corner and begin the re-construction.  The actual rebuilding should be well under way in time for the theatre’s 125th birthday on June 20th.  Nearly time to get the colour charts out and plan the re-decoration!

David Martin
Executive Director

This week's news from the Coliseum...

I am currently working on the casting for Dumb Show, the next production on at the Grange Arts Centre in June. The play is about Barry – ‘Mr Saturday Night’ – who is propositioned by two bankers offering him the five star treatment he thinks he deserves but all is not what it seems… This black comedy is a fierce satire on the ethics of celebrity culture and I’m looking forward to start working on it.

I’ll be holding auditions soon for the three characters and this process can be a nerve wracking situation for actors as it’s their job interview. They will be performing to a couple of people in a rehearsal studio which is of course not what they’ll actually do if they get the job which can make it all even more stressful. In fact some people can be great in the audition but never quite as good when they get on stage. I must point out that I try and get the best performance out of every auditionee, it’s certainly not like X-Factor or Britain’s Got Talent.

In the audition the actors have to demonstrate a real understanding the character that they are hoping to play. A lot of people think that the hardest thing an actor has to do is learn their lines but that is not the case. It’s like saying that the hardest thing a plumber has to do is know how to use a spanner. The learning of lines is the absolute basic; it’s everything else that makes someone a professional actor and perfect for the part.

Actors must tap into the internal life of the character and understand what their emotional state is for each scene (especially the one they are acting out for the audition). They must also understand the character’s place or status in the play and their relationship with the other people on stage. One of the signs of a great actor is their ability to listen while on stage. Understanding that the scene is not about them and their place in the grand scheme of the play’s narrative is key. It’s about understanding where the audience should be focusing their attention and not interrupting that.

All of this is made even harder when a production has actors playing a variety of roles. Jim Cartwright’s Two is a great example of this where two actors play a total of 14 characters. It’s not just a case of putting on a hat/fake moustache/wig etc. The actors must employ the different mannerisms, physicality, rhythm, tempo and the accent and tone of that particular character.

Overall the portrayal of any character must be believable to the audience within the reality of the play. If they don’t believe what an actor is trying to portray then the whole play falls down. This principle applies to all types of theatre from panto to Shakespeare, farce to drama. So when actors prepare for their audition they have an awful lot more to do than learn some lines.

See you out and about.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

This week's news from the Coliseum...

As we hurtle towards April (where is 2012 going?) LipService’s hilarious Move Over Moriarty opens at the Grange Arts Centre next week and we are getting ready to open our second production of the season – Bill Naughton’s Alfie – which opens on 11 April.

Towards the end of April Education and Outreach will be producing a performance at Earl Mill Arts Centre in Hathershaw, Oldham. Tunnel Visions is a site specific performance where audiences will travel through a converted mill space in a replica train carriage. This large scale project has taken inspiration from the Lydgate Tunnel which closed in 1963 and will use new technologies and new writing, the performance will transform this old mill space.

Site specific theatre is a really exciting way of working and each production is unique to the space in which the performance takes place. There are theatre companies across the country that only produce site specific theatre For example; Grid Iron Theatre company perform in disused warehouses, parks and town houses. In fact, Star-Cross’d (our open air summer production) is a site specific production, being performed in promenade at Alexandra Park. For Tunnel Visions, audience members will take a seat in a train carriage and travel around the space stopping at various points for different sections of the performance, travelling back in time coming across anything from dinosaurs to suffragettes.

Each performance will last 30 minutes and there will be 11 performances over the course of Friday 27 and Saturday 28 April. Tunnel Visions has been devised and will be performed by the Coliseum’s TheatreLAB and DigiLAB groups which are made up 30 of young people under 25yrs. DigiLAB focuses on the digital and technical aspects of theatre production. Since the groups were formed they have worked on a variety of productions including main house shows and interactive performances which have all embraced digital technology. Imitating the Dog – the design team behind our current tour of The Hound of the Baskervilles – will be working on Tunnel Visions using projections to create the different time periods. This will be a great opportunity for the members of DigiLAB to develop their understanding of technical design even further by working alongside this innovative company. Anyone who saw Hound will know what stunning effects Imitating the Dog can conjure up.

This will be a really exciting piece of theatre and writer Rob Johnston has also recently won the King’s Cross Award for New Writing 2011. The whole company have been working really hard to make the performance a success and I’m really looking forward to boarding a carriage for the first show.

See you out and about.

Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director

This week's news from the Coliseum...

Last week we completed our run of The Hound of the Baskervilles at the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield. I am delighted with the show and was so pleased to see so many of our regular audience members making the journey ‘over the tops’ in the coaches we provided. This week The Hound of the Baskervilles is playing in Bury St. Edmunds for the second leg of its ten week run.

Meanwhile all our staff our gearing up for the return of our new writing festival Wordsmith. Wordsmith12 will run from the 4 – 12 May and during that time we will present a series of performances, masterclasses and rehearsed readings at both University Campus Oldham and Oldham Central Library.

One of the highlights of this year’s Wordsmith will be a performance of True by Emma Rydal, which won the Audience Award for Best Play at last year’s 24:7 Theatre Festival - Manchester’s annual festival of new theatre making which has become a well-respected fixture on Greater Manchester’s theatre calendar. We are delighted to be teaming up with 24:7 on this to give this new play further life and exposure, and I would recommend it to anybody.

We will also be hosting a series of rehearsed readings of some new scripts during Wordsmith. This means that the writer of the piece, along with a director and a team of actors, will spend a day rehearsing the script, then perform to an audience in the evening. Theatre is a collaborative process, and rehearsed readings are a brilliant way for writers to garner invaluable feedback from other people working in the industry and, most importantly, the audience.

For any budding playwrights we are delighted that the brilliant Amanda Whittington, writer of among others Be My Baby, Ladies Day and Satin ‘n’ Steel, will be hosting a masterclass designed to help you hone your skills and develop your writing. After that, Amanda will be In Conversation with me, where I will be interviewing her about how she became a playwright and her subsequent career.

Wordsmith is a really important part of what we at the Coliseum do. It gives important exposure to new pieces of work and gives audiences the opportunity to see plays at various stages of development. New plays are the lifeblood of the theatre and Wordsmith is an excellent way of focusing the Coliseum’s energy on the various aspects of new writing.

There is lots more happening during Wordsmith12. For more information or to book tickets please contact our Box Office on 0161 624 2829. To discover more about new writing at the Coliseum please call Nicola Place on 0161 785 7007.

See you out and about.

Kevin Shaw
Artisitc Director