Our spring production will be the new comedy Single Bride.

Scarlett is tired of waiting for her partner to propose, so she decides to organise a single wedding. But her plans go wrong from the outset, as she accidentally ends up with her boring, bossy colleague as bridesmaid.

Scarlett’s mother isn’t coping well with life after her husband’s stroke, so she reacts the only way she knows how: by trying to ruin and upstage her daughter’s plans. Scarlett’s partner wants nothing to do with any of this nonsense, but ends up being dragged out on a surprise stag night by Scarlett’s mollycoddled brother.

We follow their stories through the disastrous stag and hen nights, and on to the wedding ceremony itself.

There are fun major roles for both women and men, plus a couple of more minor parts.

There will be seven performances during the period 17–28 April 2012. A detailed rehearsal schedule will be drawn up after casting. Rehearsals will mainly be on weekend afternoons, starting 4 or 5 February.

In view of the tight schedule, it would helpful to know if you’re intending to audition, although it’s quite okay to simply show up on the day. ALL REPLIES TO ZOË (zoe@finnbritplayers.com).

If you’d like to be involved backstage – or would like to audition, but cannot attend the auditions – please do contact Zoë.

Please be ON TIME for the auditions!

We have Tunturikadun vieräilunäyttömö (previously Puoli.Q) booked from the 17th-29th April, but no firm proposal for a main spring production. If we still have nothing by the AGM, we may have to cancel the spring production, which would be a great shame following our 30th anniversary year.

If you have an idea (that you are willing to direct), then please contact the committee ASAP. We have people willing to help bring your vision to life, but need to have proposals by the 15th January, with an approval and auditions held before the AGM on the 28th January.

So, now is the time to ask not what the Players can do for you, but what you can do for the Players!

Contact us at fbp@finnbritplayers.com

Dear Players,

You are invited to the Finn-Brit Players’ Annual General Meeting on 28 January 2012, at 4 pm

Now, with the year coming to an end, it is time for the Finn-Brit Players’ membership to convene for the most important Players’ event: the AGM, where the future of the association is decided: membership fees are set, a new committee is elected, the old one evaluated and the new budget adopted. This year, we will continue last year’s successful format for the AGM: food, FREE DRINKS (alcoholic and soft!) and entertainment will be served!

You can download the agenda for the 2012 AGM here. Please come along and have your say. The society belongs to its members, and this is the best chance to voice your opinions – an active society needs active members. In recent years there have been fewer and fewer people volunteering for the committee, and activities have been cut back. We need people to give up a bit of their time and help out. If you too would like the society to be even more active and even better, then please run for committee! Fill in this form, have your nomination signed by two other members of the Finn-Brit Players, and return it to a committee member before the AGM begins.

Members for 2011 are eligible to vote at the meeting, after which annual subscriptions for 2012 will be due. The membership fee will be decided at the meeting. Please note that new members may not be registered for a period of two weeks before the date of the AGM. See you on 28 January!

The Players’ web site is at: www.finnbritplayers.com
Kikka

The party previously known as the Finn-Brit Players’ Christmas Party will be held on Friday 9th December from 7pm, at FINNBRIT premises, Fredrikinkatu 20 A 9.

Striving to avoid having to resort to a game of charades or the dreaded quiz, we’ll be knocking back the glögi, decking the halls with bows of lego and newspaper, and following yonder star (star to be confirmed).

Organised by Fionna O’Sullivan and Marietta Chela, bring a bottle and a friend

Do you have a play in mind you wish to see staged? We are open to suggestions for a main performance in the spring, so please fill in a proposal and submit it to the committee by the 18th December. Tunturikadun vieräilunäyttömö (previously Puoli.Q) is booked between 17th and 29th April 2012. See the following webpage for more details: www.finnbritplayers.com/proposals

You can submit a proposal for a small production, event, workshop, anytime, simply by dropping us an email at fbp@finnbritplayers.com.

Proposals or draft proposals for smaller or later productions are welcome as well any time!

Carol Norris will lead a reading of Simon Gray’s Quartermain’s Terms, a play reminiscent of Chekhov in its touching, grim, and suddenly hilarious moments.

Six teachers and their head — four men, two women — in a small school in Cambridge in the 1960s teach English to foreign students. Japanese, French, and Germans suffer off-stage catastrophes, as do the teachers’ dysfunctional off-stage families and lovers during the two years that we meet the seven taking refuge in their staff room.

This play, like Gray’s Butley and Otherwise Engaged, won prizes. It attracted John Gielgud and Edward Fox as stars, with Harold Pinter directing.

Free entrance. Bring a bottle and a friend! Remember that play readings are not performances!

Six performances down, two to go.

This is the stage of the production when you’re spending a lot of time with your fellow cast and crew members. And I mean a lot. In the week before opening night, the rehearsals usually come fast and furious – a weekend of full runs, followed by a line run, tech, and dress. And then into production… You’re together most every day: at the theatre and then often afterwards, too, at the pub to wind down with that famous ‘just the one’.

This is also the time when about seventy per cent of what you say to each other is a line, or modified line, from the play. And the directors can be pleased that everyone finally knows not only their own lines, but everyone else’s too! And no wonder: after doing five performances in the space of forty-nine hours, we’ve pretty much been living and breathing nothing but the show. You can’t help but become a little clique with it’s own private language of in-jokes.

Having fun with the lines really does help you learn the show as a whole. The only thing you have to careful about is saying one of your modified lines on stage! Which I almost did once, but I don’t think anyone noticed :P

And if you have to do an accent for a play, like we do, this is also the stage when you start speaking in your character’s accent in the course of your everyday life.

After Saturday’s performances, we spent the evening – and a reasonable chunk of the early morning – terrorising the other patrons of William K with teasers from the show: football and rugby songs, college antics, and mock insults in our Northern accents.

The bouncer was, however, pleased to see a group of people having such fun. Fortunately for us, we weren’t doing a Russian play ;)

Article source: http://www.finnbritplayers.com/blog/2011/11/14/%E2%80%98ere-we-go-%E2%80%98ere-we-go-%E2%80%98ere-we-go/

This being show week, I thought it would be good to share some of the final process and terms used in the run-up to a show opening.

Line-runs
These are rehearsals dedicated entirely to running the entire script verbally and without movement. Often they are run as fast as possible. The benefit of line-runs is that they help clarify the order and structure of lines, as well as the continuity without the ‘hindrance’ of movement. Due to the speed, they also show very quickly who doesn’t know their script!

Get-in
All of the costumes, props, set, make-up, etc. are usually moved into the performance theatre at the same time. The stage is then prepared, set installed, lights set, sound prepared. This is the ‘get-in’ and is usually done just before the Technical Rehearsal.

Technical Rehearsal
This is a rehearsal primarily for the stage crew, bit also helpful for the cast. It is usually the first time the cast and crew have been in the performance theatre and is run after the ‘get-in’. The ‘Tech’ is often a very stressful number of hours for the crew due to the amount of work they have to do within a short space of time. It is usually a very boring time for the cast due to the amount of sitting/standing about doing nothing. Although the audience rarely notice the crew sat at the sound and light desks during a show, they play a crucial role. During the Tech they have to clarify all of the sound and lighting cues with the director and stage manager. These cues need to be programmed into lighting systems and lights adjusted if they aren’t quite right with the cast on stage. The sound levels also need to be adjusted so as not to deafen the audience and to give a good balance with the spoken lines. All of this is co-ordinated by the director with the assistance of the stage manager. The stage manager runs the entire show from the first night. Technical Rehearsals have a reputation for being the longest rehearsal of the entire show. This is a justified reputation! They very rarely start on time and consist of constant stops and starts and re-runs until everything is right. We had our Technical Rehearsal last night and it took four hours. I have been in five hours Techs.

Dress Rehearsal
This is the rehearsal before opening night. It is run as if there is an audience. Cast are in full costume and make-up (hence ‘dress’), if radio microphones are being used, they are fitted and switched-on, if it is a musical, the full orchestra will be in attendance. In practice, there are invariably last minute adjustments to lighting, sound and stage. There is an old belief in the theatre that if the Dress Rehearsal is bad, the First Night will go well. I think this came about because most Dress Rehearsals are appalling!

First Night
Nerves are high, excitement is bursting out of costume seams and the first audience take their seats. The running of the show has been passed from the hands of the director into those of the stage manager, crew and actors. It is actually considered extremely bad form for the director to continue directing after the Dress Rehearsal. Not only does it cause confusion to all involved, it is quite de-motivating. Directors often only watch one or two performances (my personal experience of 20+ years of shows) and, if they comment, it should be to complement the actors. Criticism is very bad at this stage. Actors are usually fully-aware of their failings during a performance and feel bad enough without having it reinforced. I have known of one actor’s confidence being shattered for the remainder of a show thanks to a director’s in-show criticism.

Last Night
Quite often the best show thanks to the number of ‘rehearsals’ over the preceding days! It is often, unfortunately, followed by the ‘get-out’ (clearing the theatre). The cast and crew frequently have their show party after the performance and copious amounts of alcohol are consumed (in addition to the copious amounts consumed following most performances)!

Article source: http://www.finnbritplayers.com/blog/2011/11/08/bouncing-and-shaking-into-show-week/

…………counting down the days!!!!!

Article source: http://www.finnbritplayers.com/blog/2011/10/31/this-week-i-will-mostly-be/

Andrew Chesterman will host an evening with WILLIAM McGONAGALL – culminating in a reading of his ONE AND ONLY play Jack o’ the Cudgel, or, The Hero of a Hundred Fights.

“A UNIQUE drama!”
“Not a dry eye in the house!!!”
“Shakespeare himself wrote nothing comparable to this amazing work!”
“Pearl of Scottish culture”
Etc.

For newcomers to the Bard of Dundee: his fame as Britain’s GREATEST (bad) poet rests mainly on some poetic gems. We will start the evening with a selection of these, as the play is, sadly, fairly short.

As the great man said himself:

“Among the poets of the present day
There is no one on earth who can possibly be able for to gainsay
But that William McGonagall, poet and tragedian,
Is truly the greatest poet that was ever found above or below the meridian.”

Free entrance. Bring a bottle and a friend! Remember that play readings are not performances!

With 60 per cent of B&S tickets sold (or reserved) and still two weeks to opening night, things are looking good! Would there be a case for arranging more performances in January?!?

Article source: http://www.finnbritplayers.com/blog/2011/10/27/we-have-an-audience/

If there is one thing that I learned from yesterday, it is that shoulder pads are a woman’s bestfriend. Now I understand why they were so popular in the 80′s, you see they seem to make you appear smaller from the waist down, which is a blessing when you are wearing 80′s style pants…..

Yesterday the Shakers had the pleasure of performing for the Bouncers, in our 80′s costume glory and I am surprised that the boy’s were actually able to keep a semi-straight face. We apparently looked a tad ridiculous, which I realized when going to the store before practice in full costume as the clerk had a hard time looking at me….hmm…I am sure that is only a good thing, as we are trying to be as authentic 80′s as possible! But the boys did say that our portion was good, should we believe them? Or maybe they were just afraid of the shoulder pads…

The costumes are the easy part, learning different roles and lines is the hard part. You see, we all have to play women and men, with no help of different costumes. No matter how much I seem to practice and try to remember if I’m a boy or girl and what I am supposed to say, it doesn’t always sink in. Issues anybody? There’s only a few more weeks to go, so hopefully it will all be absorbed into my head before then and I will figure out who and what I am.

So if you are in the mood for a laugh, hopefully it will be our performance that is funny, not just our appearance, then get your tickets now! And you are welcome to come dressed up in your 80′s gear and don’t forget the shoulder pads!!!!

Article source: http://www.finnbritplayers.com/blog/2011/10/24/shoulder-pads/

I remember writing a piece for a university class that had to be written using mostly cliches.

So I thought let me revive this great art and write about my experience of rehersing for “Shakers & Bouncers” using cliches.  It has been said that cliches are often employed for comic effect…at least my attempt at it!

Everyone knows that laughter is the best medicine.  If this is the case, the numerous laughs we have had at rehersals means I am healthy from here to eternity.  At least for me, switching genders means I have had to really get to the bottom of the female psyche.  I am going to go out on a limb here and say that I am still far, far away from understanding it all…

There is of course no such thing as a free lunch and creating a show of just one hour takes many, many hours of practice.  I can say though the spirit at rehersals has been all for one and one for all!  And generally we are of course all ears for our director!  We don’t just go through the motions but on a couple of occasions I have got off (the floor) on the wrong foot…Messed up my counting!

It is a good thing that rehersals are not at the crack of dawn! Somehow I think it would be tough to teach old dogs ( I count myself here too) tricks at such an early hour.  After all, we all like to catch our 40 winks!  We generally have one 6 hour rehersal on the weekend, so I think we all count our blessings it is not two since I think my feet would die!

Overall, I think everything’s coming up roses and the show will be good as gold!

So in the words of the DJ, do come along and enjoy this extravaganza!

Article source: http://www.finnbritplayers.com/blog/2011/10/21/cliches-one-way-to-build-excitement/

Words, words, words

Lines, lines, lines

Article source: http://www.finnbritplayers.com/blog/2011/10/21/last-night-i-was-dreamimg-about/

Friday, 4th November we will be carving the pumpkin and burning the Guy as we celebrate both Halloween and Guy Fawkes at the same party. Dress as your favourite horror character or just join us for the gruesomely great evening.

Organised by Johanna Kylänen.
Note: Actual burning may not take place.

Free entrance.

………sewing sequins onto Eric’s handbag

Article source: http://www.finnbritplayers.com/blog/2011/10/19/this-week-i-have-mostly-been-4/

This week, I’ve been turning my attention to women’s bottoms.

I’ve spent hours on the Internet searching for a certain item of clothing. My boyfriend was puzzled when he came home from work to find me staring at an array of scantily clad female bottoms. Once I’d purchased the item, eBay kindly displayed a selection of ‘related products’, including pimp hats and glittery jockstraps.

If I were to have listed my Top twenty things I’ll be least likely ever to do, ‘catwalk modelling hot pants’ would definitely be up there (somewhere below ‘base jumping’ and above ‘moving to a freezing cold country’).

I guess you know where this is headed… Last week, I said I never change costume. That was a little white lie. I have one minor costume change. Said item – in shocking metallic pink, from Insanity Clothing Ltd – arrived on Friday. I tried them on… never had there been such an incentive to lose several kilos of thigh blubber. The supplier requested feedback. What should I write? ‘Super-fast delivery, item as described, only fault lies with my butt.’

No, that’s the wrong attitude. Nicki fancies herself in her hot pants, therefore I must do, too. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt in all these years of treading the boards, it’s this: fear is the actor’s greatest enemy. And I don’t mean stage fright, I mean fear of looking stupid.

When people hold back on stage, the reason they often give is, ‘I don’t want to look stupid’.

Yet the actors who confidently throw themselves into the stupidity don’t end up looking stupid – even if they technically look ridiculous, dressed as a pantomime dame or whatever – because if they’re fully committed to the silly action, then so is the audience. The audience guffaws at the character’s antics, and later congratulates the actor on how marvellously stupid they made their character look.

(I’m focusing on comedy here, but the same applies for serious scenes.)

But if the actor isn’t committed, if the actor shies away for fear of looking stupid, then the audience isn’t committed either. The audience notices the hesitation and is reminded that this is just an actor trying – and failing – to convince them. And it’s then that audience members start to shift uncomfortably in their seats, and later snicker at how stupid the actor looked.

More than that, I’ve also realised that this isn’t just an attitude for the stage, it’s one that applies to everyday life, too.

Article source: http://www.finnbritplayers.com/blog/2011/10/18/spongebutt-hot-pants/

Phew!- what a busy day we had yesterday. It was time to put the bouncers characters to one side for the day and concentrate on the ‘lads’ and the ‘girls’. Although this meant a rehearsal full of hard work and concentration, it also meant that we had lots of fun. The drunken antics, the tears and, oh how could I forget……the dancing!

There was lots of material for us to cover but the dedication and effort from the cast, as ever, shone through and we got through it. Joan had the stressful task of making sure the tech went smoothly too, after my springing the tech script on her only this week, but what a perfect job done- thanks Joan!

We soon got into a rhythm of line running each scene before working on it and, after a couple of weeks of either precariously sitting on or avoiding sitting on the barrels altogether (the nozzle providing a shocking obstacle to the bouncers’ ‘tackle’), it was a relief to see them all drawn to the, now well padded out, set items for this.In fact they are now sometimes fondly referred to as the ‘line barrels’ and it was even suggested that they could double up as the ‘naughty barrels’- should I ever need the use of them in this capacity.

So, it would seem that the multi-role playing has spread even to our set and it’s great to finally welcome the barrels into the Bouncers family.

Article source: http://www.finnbritplayers.com/blog/2011/10/17/leaving-the-bouncers-on-the-barrels/

Today we had our first run of Shakers. Well done, girls! Special thanks to Beth on the sound and the book. This is usually the point at which I (with my director’s hat on) either start tearing my hair out, or start to sleep at night. I don’t want to give anything away – but I’m expecting sweet dreams between now and tomorrow morning. There’s no room for complacency, though. Always a sting in the tail, isn’t there?

Article source: http://www.finnbritplayers.com/blog/2011/10/15/progress/