Exacting Manoeuvres

Postings have been a bit few and far between these last few days. The return to work in a new capacity and the now rabidly concentrated pantomime rehearsals have seen to that.


I know that many readers will be fully aware of the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to make local community theatre happen but some won't - this post is all about just one of the things that have to be done before the Energy Room can host the pantomiming hordes of Aladdin, Princess Jasmine and Noel Edmunds (oh yes, he's in it - oh yes he is) and their chums.

Mrs The Millbrooker drove me up to Maker for the first full run through of Act 2 on the stage in the Energy Room on Wednesday night and the lack of dressing room facilities was being addressed.


The Energy Room is pretty much exactly what it says - it's a room. It has no annexe, no corridors leading off to anywhere usable by thespians for making up and dropping into the actorly "zone". If the performance space can't provide facilities, then facilities must be brought to the space....

Oh yes, Pete had to use all of his manoeuvring skills to get this whopping great mobile home into position to act as dressing room. Now don't think it's as easy as getting the thing through a tight squeeze as shown above - because oh, no it isn't!


Take a peek at this next shot, remarkably similar at first glance to the last one. See the blue door furthest on the far right? 

The mobile home's entrance door (at the back of the unit and on the far side from where we're looking) has to line up precisely (and I mean precisely) with that door. That's so a temporary wooden platform and weatherproof(ish) corridor can be built from one to the other which we cast members can use to get on and off stage.

Speaking of the stage, that same night saw not only a marvellous bit of not-being-able-to-get-the-door-open action...

...but also our first try out of the carefully rehearsed moves using the actual space we'll have to perform them in.

Enough panto news for now

...................except....................

tickets are selling really fast, if you haven't already got yours get thee to Widdicombe's green grocery in Millbrook with great haste - as I write I believe that Friday is all but sold out, Saturday night is in the same position. There are still some Thursday evening tickets left and some for the Saturday matinee.

Thurs 24th

Fri 25th

Sat 26th February

Aladdin

Energy Room

Maker

Curtain up 7:30 in the pm