This week we have Mack & Mabel on stage until Saturday which is an amateur production being presented by Ashton Operatic Society who previously staged the popular South Pacific at the Colieum.
There is a thriving amateur dramatic scene in the North West – Shaw Playhouse 2 won the Reader’s Choice award at Pride in Oldham a few weeks ago. Here at the Coliseum we regularly host productions staged by local ‘am-dram’ societies; earlier in the season Congress Players visited us with Oliver!. These groups are hugely dedicated; rehearsing and performing all in their own spare time simply out of passion for performing.
Theatre happens at every level and each level has its own world. For example there is professional regional theatre that the Coliseum produces alongside many of other companies of different scales across the country from small scale touring companies to international opera. On top of that there is a flourishing fringe theatre scene which includes new work being performed at the 24:7 Theatre festival, JB Shorts and Three Minute Theatre as well as taking new plays to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival , Studio Salford and Not Part of Festival.
There are also many budding actors out there studying at one of the accredited drama schools across the country. One of those is ALRA North (Academy of Live and Recorded Arts) based in Wigan through which we set up a partnership last September for the post-graduate production of Jane Eyre which toured to community venues around Oldham. We will certainly be building on the success of this new working relationship and plan to do another ALRA/Coliseum production in the future.
Then there is theatre that has an international appeal such as Nick Payne’s Constellations which transferred from the Royal Court to London’s West End and is now rumoured to be moving to Broadway. One Man Two Guvnors – originally starring James Corden - was also a huge success on both sides of the pond.
But at the end of the day theatre comes down to a performance by actors in front of an audience, whatever the location, genre or theme. Theatre happens at every level, from a school play to a sell-out run in Broadway and we’re all the better for it.
See you at the theatre.
Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director
Thursday, 28 February 2013
Friday, 22 February 2013
An award winning theatre...
A couple of weeks ago a team from the Coliseum headed to Queen Elizabeth Hall for the 2012 Pride in Oldham Awards and we won! We knew we were finalists but we were absolutely delighted to have won in the Business category.
I wasn’t able to attend as it was the opening night of David Copperfield so I stayed put at Fairbottom Street but as I understand it, the night was a fantastic success with people and businesses from all over the borough being recognised for their hard work and dedication. The awards were organised by Oldham Chronicle and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for creating such an inspiring event year on year it’s a brilliant way to celebrate some of the unsung heroes of Oldham.
We won our award for our “unwavering hard work during a massive refurbishment” and it’s a lovely accolade to receive as 2012 really was an exceptional year for the Coliseum.
The Coliseum has also been recognised in the Manchester Theatre Awards. The nominees were announced in January and we received a broad selection of nominations with Snookered getting three; for Best New Play, Best Studio Play and Best Ensemble and two for Star-Cross’d; Best Ensemble and Best Special Entertainment. Cinderella, Alfie, Taking Steps and The Hound of the Baskervilles all got a look in too.
The Manchester Theatre Awards is borne out of the now defunct Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards which was disbanded back in 2011. These awards were one of the largest theatrical prize giving events outside of London and offered true recognition of the high quality performance work in the North West and would have been sorely missed.
However, a panel of nine theatre critics set up a new organisation – no renamed Manchester Theatre Awards – that has given a new lease of life to the awards. The panel is made up of highly experienced theatre critics who watch plays at numerous different venues across Greater Manchester, recognising the huge amount of talent in the area.
Awards ceremonies allow us to stop and register how much talent and commitment there is in Oldham and the North West theatre scene.
See you at the theatre.
Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director
I wasn’t able to attend as it was the opening night of David Copperfield so I stayed put at Fairbottom Street but as I understand it, the night was a fantastic success with people and businesses from all over the borough being recognised for their hard work and dedication. The awards were organised by Oldham Chronicle and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for creating such an inspiring event year on year it’s a brilliant way to celebrate some of the unsung heroes of Oldham.
We won our award for our “unwavering hard work during a massive refurbishment” and it’s a lovely accolade to receive as 2012 really was an exceptional year for the Coliseum.
The Coliseum has also been recognised in the Manchester Theatre Awards. The nominees were announced in January and we received a broad selection of nominations with Snookered getting three; for Best New Play, Best Studio Play and Best Ensemble and two for Star-Cross’d; Best Ensemble and Best Special Entertainment. Cinderella, Alfie, Taking Steps and The Hound of the Baskervilles all got a look in too.
The Manchester Theatre Awards is borne out of the now defunct Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards which was disbanded back in 2011. These awards were one of the largest theatrical prize giving events outside of London and offered true recognition of the high quality performance work in the North West and would have been sorely missed.
However, a panel of nine theatre critics set up a new organisation – no renamed Manchester Theatre Awards – that has given a new lease of life to the awards. The panel is made up of highly experienced theatre critics who watch plays at numerous different venues across Greater Manchester, recognising the huge amount of talent in the area.
Awards ceremonies allow us to stop and register how much talent and commitment there is in Oldham and the North West theatre scene.
See you at the theatre.
Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director
Thursday, 14 February 2013
DVD extras at the theatre...
When coming to see plays at the Coliseum you might have been keen to find out more about how a production has been put together. An awful lot goes into every production that we stage and there are several ways in which you learn more about this process…
The first port of call is the production programme that we produce for each play. This is packed full of information about the play, e.g. articles on the writer, the themes of the story, how the production was designed, biographies if of each cast member etc.
We organise an In Conversation series which is hosted at Oldham Central Library ahead of an evening performance on a Wednesday for each production. During which I am ‘in conversation’ with someone from the production such as the director or designer. You can find out a little bit more about the play and look back at the career of the interviewee.
Back in the theatre we also have post-show discussions where some of the cast or director who talk about the process of putting the play together and what it’s like to play the different characters. These are proving to be really popular and I think they have a stronger resonance when they happen straight after the performance – and they’re free. A few weeks ago there was a post-show discussion with Maggie and Sue of LipService and the bar was packed!
You may have also noticed that we now have a listening station in the front of house area. Here you can pop some headphones on and hear a quick interview with one of the cast about David Copperfield.
If you are interested in delving a bit deeper into a particular playwright then you can come along to Theatre Works – currently focusing on Alan Ayckbourn. This consists of a series of eight practical based acting workshops that will culminate in a script-in-hand performance of one of his most famous plays. Theatre Works occirs weekly on Wednesdays from 6 February and costs £45 Full/£35 concessions (package includes a free ticket to see Sugar Daddies). The course started last week but if you contact the education team on 0161 785 7007 / education@coliseum.org.uk then I’m sure they can fit you in.
We have Discovery Days for school groups as well which allow students to work with the actors and members of the company before each matinee performance. Each Discovery Day will focus on the director’s interpretation of a play and elements of technical theatre.
The dates are all listed in our season brochure and online so make sure you don’t miss out on all the exciting ways you can get a little bit more out the productions at the Coliseum. And who said DVD extras are just for film and television??
See you at the theatre.
Kevin Shaw,
Artistic Director
The first port of call is the production programme that we produce for each play. This is packed full of information about the play, e.g. articles on the writer, the themes of the story, how the production was designed, biographies if of each cast member etc.
We organise an In Conversation series which is hosted at Oldham Central Library ahead of an evening performance on a Wednesday for each production. During which I am ‘in conversation’ with someone from the production such as the director or designer. You can find out a little bit more about the play and look back at the career of the interviewee.
Back in the theatre we also have post-show discussions where some of the cast or director who talk about the process of putting the play together and what it’s like to play the different characters. These are proving to be really popular and I think they have a stronger resonance when they happen straight after the performance – and they’re free. A few weeks ago there was a post-show discussion with Maggie and Sue of LipService and the bar was packed!
You may have also noticed that we now have a listening station in the front of house area. Here you can pop some headphones on and hear a quick interview with one of the cast about David Copperfield.
If you are interested in delving a bit deeper into a particular playwright then you can come along to Theatre Works – currently focusing on Alan Ayckbourn. This consists of a series of eight practical based acting workshops that will culminate in a script-in-hand performance of one of his most famous plays. Theatre Works occirs weekly on Wednesdays from 6 February and costs £45 Full/£35 concessions (package includes a free ticket to see Sugar Daddies). The course started last week but if you contact the education team on 0161 785 7007 / education@coliseum.org.uk then I’m sure they can fit you in.
We have Discovery Days for school groups as well which allow students to work with the actors and members of the company before each matinee performance. Each Discovery Day will focus on the director’s interpretation of a play and elements of technical theatre.
The dates are all listed in our season brochure and online so make sure you don’t miss out on all the exciting ways you can get a little bit more out the productions at the Coliseum. And who said DVD extras are just for film and television??
See you at the theatre.
Kevin Shaw,
Artistic Director
Thursday, 7 February 2013
Time to laugh along with Dickens...
Tomorrow night we raise the curtain for the first night of David Copperfield. We’ve been working through the technical side of the production throughout the week – moving from the rehearsal studio to the main stage to plot all the lighting and sound cues. This is always a tricky process as the rehearsal space is smaller than the main stage.
With this particular production the wardrobe plotting is a bit trickier than usual as there are so many quick changes backstage. All of the cast – except Jack Wilkinson who plays David Copperfield – have more than one character to play and the production is so fast-paced that there are is one occasion when an actor has just over 30 seconds to change from one character to another. So the wardrobe department have to make sure that every item of each characters costume is in the right place and on the right side of the stage so that the actors can quickly make a change. With the play being set in the Victorian period the costumes are intricate so there’s lots of little things to remember.
During the last few weeks as well as staging the play, developing the characters, atmosphere and rhythm, the rehearsal period has also been a matter of working out logistics. The design of the play means that there are a lot of props to move around the stage – suitcases and other luggage become pieces of furniture or other set pieces. This means that the cast need to know exactly where to put the all the separate pieces while making it look like part of the on stage action.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – this is a really fun adaptation. People who studied Dickens at school might have a negative perception of his work. Much like the way Shakespeare can be quite a daunting prospect if the only perception of his work you have is from the classroom. This production of David Copperfield is far from the staid lessons that you might remember from back then – it’s a zippy, witty production. There’s a reason why Dickens is one of Britain’s most famous writers.
Anyway, the production is in excellent shape and we will be doing a final dress rehearsal tomorrow afternoon.
See you at the theatre.
Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director
With this particular production the wardrobe plotting is a bit trickier than usual as there are so many quick changes backstage. All of the cast – except Jack Wilkinson who plays David Copperfield – have more than one character to play and the production is so fast-paced that there are is one occasion when an actor has just over 30 seconds to change from one character to another. So the wardrobe department have to make sure that every item of each characters costume is in the right place and on the right side of the stage so that the actors can quickly make a change. With the play being set in the Victorian period the costumes are intricate so there’s lots of little things to remember.
During the last few weeks as well as staging the play, developing the characters, atmosphere and rhythm, the rehearsal period has also been a matter of working out logistics. The design of the play means that there are a lot of props to move around the stage – suitcases and other luggage become pieces of furniture or other set pieces. This means that the cast need to know exactly where to put the all the separate pieces while making it look like part of the on stage action.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – this is a really fun adaptation. People who studied Dickens at school might have a negative perception of his work. Much like the way Shakespeare can be quite a daunting prospect if the only perception of his work you have is from the classroom. This production of David Copperfield is far from the staid lessons that you might remember from back then – it’s a zippy, witty production. There’s a reason why Dickens is one of Britain’s most famous writers.
Anyway, the production is in excellent shape and we will be doing a final dress rehearsal tomorrow afternoon.
See you at the theatre.
Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director
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