Panto in February...

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

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...

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...

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