Seeing RED at Cambridge Arts Picturehouse

I've been stuck in the house with laryngitis and a chest infection my doctor says could be pleurisy, so I jumped at the opportunity to get out as soon as I was starting to feel better. "Jumped the gun" might be a more accurate description as I turned up on Sunday thinking it was taking place then. A smirking usher put me straight.

Run by the Film and Digital Media Exchange, presented by 4K London who have one of the first RED One cameras in the UK, this was a chance to see RED One in action, followed by a hands on
demo at Anglia Ruskin University. Having heard the latter was full up, I'd committed to leaving after the initial event, so I was a little peeved when they announced the invitation-only session was now open to all. Having said that, the pros in the audience were talking a language a little beyond my understanding. Perhaps it was just as well I didn't turn up and embarrass myself.

The demo impressed me; apparently shot in the City of London at the weekend in a variety of light conditions and with no sign of the noise I noticed in the 2K version of Blade Runner projected here before Christmas.

"The Audience are morons"

in situ: The Winter's Tale - Term 2, Week 5

I arrived this evening whereupon the whole class stopped and sang "Happy Birthday" to me. I don't think this has happened since I was six years old, so it was unexpected but very cheering.

We continued our exploration of the vaudeville style as a way to represent Bohemia, using the modern-day US-style situation comedy as a reference point.

"The form of acting American sitcoms are based on is 100 years old," director Richard told us. He further explained how you must speak slowly and clearly, accentuating dialogue with actions that literally portray what you are saying: "[it's as if] the audience are morons."

One day voice workshop with Noah Pikes

Richard our director has decided we need some help with our vocal work, so this term includes a one-day workshop with voice teacher Noah Pikes, founding member of Roy Hart Theatre.

We spend the day working on selected exercises from Noah's workshop The Whole Voice, chosen for their relevance to the scenes we've developed in the previous term and the past few weeks. I find I'm regularly tempted to locate my voice in my chest to increase the power, but Noah tries to encourage me to find something lower, in the stomach. By the end of the day, I'm starting to understand, but I doubt I'll be using that voice at any upcoming conference appearances.

I spend the following week repeating Noah's "uuuuuu-ooooooo-iiiiiiiii-eeeeeee-aaaaaaa" exercise, causing my eleven month old daughter great delight, before succumbing to laryngitis five days later.

I hope it's just coincidence.

The Winter's Tale: Term 2, Week 4

The Winter's Tale: Term 2, Week 4

More varied work on the paranoid choruses

Exit, pursued by Simon Smith and his Dancing Bear

in situ: The Winter's Tale - term 2, week 3

I wrote about our brush with Judy Garland and vaudeville last week.

This week we took a turn into Dennis Potter territory, trying out "This Year's Kisses" by Nina Simone and Alan Price's version of Randy Newman's "Simon Smith and his Dancing Bear". The latter has some particularly nice beats which a bear-suited actor can fill with a few nifty dance steps.

We spent the majority of our time focusing on the paranoia choruses which we've only fitted in at the end of previous sessions. Different partnerships came up with imaginative ideas... perhaps it's just my impatience that makes it seems things are moving slowly. It's only week 3 of nine, after all...

Exit, pursued by a bear singing Judy Garland

in situ: The Winter's Tale - term 2, week 2

I mentioned "The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert" last week. Last night I found myself lip-synching to Judy Garland. Well if it's good enough for Rufus Wainwright...

Our director is looking for ways to transition between scenes, so we are now experimenting with Judy and Johnnie Mercer singing "Friendship" (Antigonus and the bear), Bryan Ferry's version of "Jealous Guy" (Leontes), Bobby Vee's "Take Good Care of My Baby" and Screaming Jay Hawkins version of "I Put A Spell On You".

Anyone new to experimental theatre expecting something akin to Rowan Atkinson's "Alternative Car Park" is in for a surprise.

in situ: back to work on The Winter's Tale - term 2, week 1

I got off to a poor start last term, missing the first week of The Winter's Tale and then injuring my back, so this won't be as complete a record of rehearsals as I had hoped. Nonetheless, the term went well and we had something worth presenting by the end. Sadly we've lost some good actors for the new term, but the new slimmed-down group might make it easier to get to know everyone a bit better.

Throughout last term my partner kept jokingly suggesting the inclusion of song-and-dance numbers, so it is slightly unnerving to find we're exploring that territory tonight. We spend time in twos and fours teaching each other naive and simple dances which we are going to use to show the happy nature of Bohemia in contrast to the paranoia of Sicilia.

The second half of the evening we spend lip synching in pairs to Dean Martin and Peggy Lee singing "We Was". I'm happy being partnered with Rachael because she's great at letting go, but watching some of the all-male couples it soon becomes apparent the more deadpan and sincere you look, the funnier it is.

Let's hope someone finds a louder CD player for next week.

[Update]

Of course, "Non-professionals often use lip-synching as a form of musical pantomime in which the performer moves his lips to a musical recording done by someone else. This form of lip-synching is often performed by drag queens and, more recently, drag kings."

Which puts us firmly in "The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert" territory (Northern, obviously).

Nice one!