Kilmardinny Players

Newsletter : June 2020

Edited by Christina Hi Members, I hope you have all been enjoying the sunshine in these last few days and playing

lots of tennis, golf or going fishing as well as meeting up in the park or back garden with one family

group of no more than 8 of us! No rehearsing yet for “Sense and Sensibility” involving our

Kilmardinny family.

“Sense and Sensibility” 22-24 October?

We all need to use this time to reflect on how we will be able to

perform once local halls are open again and if social distancing rules

are still in place. We will probably be unlikely to start our new

season with an October production of “Sense and Sensibility” but

our cast is committed to a performance in the future when there are

no more restrictions – the show must go on – sometime!

So when halls are open and we want to get back on stage to entertain

our audiences what will we be able to perform? Audience members

have to sit 2 metres apart, and actors too must perform keeping their

distance? Will both audience and actors be wearing masks/gloves?

We may need to have longer intervals for at the very least using the

loo (perhaps we all bring our own interval refreshments).? What shall

we perform? It may be two hander sketches or short plays or monologues performing on an

empty stage or with a couple of chairs and no props?

Where shall we perform? Our treasurer will already be

saying that Kilmardinny House would be too costly

due to lack of audience numbers allowed. Could we

consider the big hall at the Bearsden Hub? How

about an outdoor performance weather permitting? Will audiences stay

away thinking it’s not safe to be back in theatres?

We need to come up with some answers and some material to perform so I ask everyone to tell

your new committee your thoughts and ideas for our new season that may have possible

restrictions.

Meanwhile in lockdown…..By the end of the first week in May it was clear that we were very

much still going to be in lockdown for most of May and so it seemed a good idea to try to create

some Zoom activities for the group to bring us together again.

We started with two evenings for the cast of “Sense and Sensibility” to read and

make a new recording of the play. It helped us reconnect with the play and

also include Lisa who has taken over the role of Elinor from Jenny. Jenny will be

going to a job in London once lockdown is over and will no longer be able to be

part of the cast. On behalf of the cast and crew, I wish her well and many thanks

for the huge work she put into her Elinor and it is such a shame now that the new

job means that she can no longer be our Elinor.

May Zoom play readings

As we all felt our first zoom experience was a good way of

reconnecting, we had our first zoom committee meeting

where we then decided to try play reading events via

zoom and I lead an abridged version of “The Importance

of Being Earnest” to see how this worked. Allan also

lead Noel Coward’s “Still Life”. Shorter length plays are

good for this type of reading.

June Zoom play readings

Please email Craig if you have a shorter length play pdf version which you want to

lead in a future zoom reading or a pdf of a full length where you might want to read

just one act. Allan is arranging to read an act from “Dancing at Lughnasa” by Brian

Friel which was planned for 11 May and will now be a zoom reading on a date that

suits him.

Zoom AGM Monday 8 June at 20:30 Our normal AGM was on our calendar for 21 May. We decided to go ahead with our AGM this year via zoom and members should have received emails full of information about this meeting. As Craig stated in last month’s newsletter, the charity regulator Scotland had suggested that charities consider using technology such as zoom and that normally this option needed to be specifically allowed in a constitution but they were waiving

this requirement. Let me know if you want to join this AGM via Zoom and I will send you the link. Please read all the information sent in advance and send in questions in advance so that this AGM can run smoothly. This is also the time to pay your annual membership subscriptions and Lisa will have sent you out a form. There is a word version for you to fill in and send back to Craig. It is best to pay by bank transfer this year or cheque posted to Craig – no handing money to Craig at rehearsals sadly at present.

SCDA Zoom workshop - “Say what you mean and mean what you say”

On Saturday morning of 30 May, I took part in the SCDA zoom workshop organised by Carole entitled “Say what you mean and mean what you say”. I was sent two monologues in advance with some notes in order to prepare one of the texts. There was no background given about the monologue and I was to decide who, what, when, how, and why. I had to underline 5 key words from the monologue. We could also lightly score through connectives if we wanted – in my choice, for

example there were a lot of “ands” that I felt unnecessary. At the start of the zoom meeting, we did some short warm up exercises and then Carole talked us through the preparations we had made. We then, in turn, introduced the monologue we had chosen from the two sent in advance and answered the who, what, when etc., plus the 5 key words we had underlined. We then delivered our monologue with the annotated text in front of us – no need to learn it in advance receiving feedback from the others after the reading. I was last up and having heard the same monologue 3 times, I have to say I was nervous but also glad that, in fact, I had decided on a more humorous take in my interpretation so it was different from the other ones already performed. We had time to reflect on our interpretations and think about such things as pitch, tone, volume, pausing and emphasis as well as perhaps rather than sitting face on as we all tend to do on zoom calls to turn to show a side profile, to perhaps use lighting, costume, props to improve the delivery of the monologue. Everyone made useful points and we all learned a lot. We also looked at a sample text that Carole had prepared with annotations, key words circled, words put in bold that she wanted to emphasise and marking where to pause. I thoroughly enjoyed this workshop and think it would appeal to some of our members while we are not rehearsing a play during this time. I am happy to try to run a similar type workshop via zoom and if anyone is interested then let me know. I think it would work best to limit it to 6 people taking part. Email me at cdowers@virginmedia.com if you would be interested. Other SCDA resources that members can access from isolation include Carole’s weekly blog on a Friday, a tech talk blog, and videos by Ben Humphrey with his first being on the theme of choosing and directing a play – all well worth checking out at www.scda.org.uk Dates for your 2021 diary: March 2021 dates are w/b 22 March and October 2021 dates are w/b 18 October 2021 – so plenty of time for potential directors to propose plays to the committee so get reading and give it some thought to direct for us in our new season after our production of “Sense and Sensibility” is finally staged.

Fiona’s Have You Ever

I haven't been particularly active in the most

recent KP productions mainly due to work hours

and commitments . So now I find myself with NO

work for (ahem ) a wee while ( dear god when will

we be allowed to get on a plane and travel again )

but of course there is no play either or certainly

not of the Kilmardimny Players kind 😔.

Like you all I have now spring cleaned the house,

weeded the garden, baked banana bread and

colour coded my wardrobe! I have also managed

to watch a few films, plays, musicals etc. ( when

it's my turn for the TV ) so thank you to Paul for

the many recommendations.

I've also been sorting out old photos, a rabbit hole

that has filled many hours and resulted in some

lovely memories resurfacing and no actual

organising !

So, inspired by Christina's article from last month

of “have you ever" I'd like to add a few of my own.

Have you ever?

BEEN PAID TO ACT OR SING? Many people have offered me pay to NOT sing but as some of

you know as a former professional dancer I have been paid to dance and (sort of act) so the

following responses are from my pro dancing days.

UNDERSTUDIED ? PLAYED THE OPPOSITE SEX? Yes, because the actress took ill I had to

go on as Prince Charming for 3 performances so I get to tick off 2 things for that!

PLAYED AN ANIMAL? I’ve been a robin and a rabbit. There was a dance but you were allowed

to personalise this with your animal moves and for some reason I just loved bunny hopping about

the stage.

FLEW? You’ll notice I mentioned the robin. I was a flying robin! I received lots of advice from a

very experienced flyer Anita Harris (think Peter Pan ) including wearing a sanitary towel to keep

the harness comfortable! I had a bit of a meltdown in technical rehearsal when I noticed my rope

holding crew was headed by Nigel , a stagehand who suffered from narcolepsy ( a condition that

causes brief involuntary sleep episodes even whilst standing up ) He was eventually replaced and

I spent a very happy season flying around the stage of the kings theatre Edinburgh . Even better if

you flew ,Equity rules stated that you were paid an extra £15 per week which in the 80’s bought

you quite a few extra drinks in the pub after the show !

Hopefully see you all soon either via video or actual reality xx

Fiona B

Let’s read and review plays:

Review by Allan : “All My Sons” by Arthur Miller

How is lockdown going? Missing live theatre? I know I am.

One afternoon I decided to sort out the play scripts I have gathered over

the years and I came across "All My Sons" by Arthur Miller. It is a play I

have seen performed on the professional stage a couple of times.

Surely one of the best pieces of 20th century drama.

However, there in that script I found pencilled stage directions written in a

familiar hand - my own. After a good few minutes of thought, vague

memories stirred of a production I appeared in some years back. I had

entirely forgotten that I played the part of George Deever and yet there

was the evidence in my own scrawl of the director's stage directions.

The perfect excuse to revisit the play which by happy coincidence is

available free to view on YouTube in a production starring David Suchet

and Zoe Wannamaker. If you haven't already seen it, I urge you to do so.

Both principals are outstanding and the entire production is superb.

It is a powerful play and begins with Joe enjoying good humoured banter

with his neighbour. He seems to be a popular man, loved by his own family. As the play

progresses he disintegrates before our eyes. I won't reveal the plot but the play deals with two

themes of the American dream - family and profit.

Some people dislike Miller whom they feel preaches to

his audience but with writing of this quality and a

production of this stature, I am more than happy to listen

to a sermon as good as this one. My own view is that

Arthur Miller is one of last century's greatest playwrights.

Any actor should jump at the chance to appear in one of

his plays. I feel sure I did - I just can't remember!

Actually that's not so unusual as I put a play out of my

mind after the run is over although I retain my script.

Watching a theatre production which has been filmed is a novel experience for many of us and

once life returns to normal I would recommend the GFT to see NT live. It gives you the chance to

see West End plays at a fraction of the theatre price.

Viewing it on TV might not be as good as a visit to live theatre but in these strange times, it's worth

doing. Allan Cowan

Director's Choice by Colin

Watching the various NT Live productions, musicals,

operas, and so on, I've been mulling over the choices

that directors make.

When we put on Present Laughter I cut about 25

minutes of the text including a minor subplot,

switched one of the genders, and we worked with a

minimal set. Some of these choices were forced upon

us by circumstance, others weren't. Imposed

restrictions are not necessarily a bad thing. If you set out to write a sonnet you are constrained by

the meter, the number of lines and the rhyming scheme. These restrictions drive creativity they are

not an excuse for a bad sonnet.

I quite favour trimming the text. Three hours of Anthony and Cleopatra was, well, too much. To

some this would be heresy, but sometimes when watching Shakespeare I feel like I'm panning for

gold. Yes, there are precious lumps of gold, and this often makes the exercise worthwhile, but

there often seems to be a lot of sand. Of course, much of this will be ignorance on my part or,

even, just laziness. Twelfth Night was hugely enjoyable but, particularly in the first half, I felt

alienated by the language. Much of the comedy was dependent on understanding the text. At least

when I'm watching some Scandinavian drama I have English subtitles. We all know that the

Shakespeare plays we studied at school or have seen many times over are more accessible than

the ones we come to for the first time. If getting the gold sometimes takes effort, it also requires a

trained eye to see all the gold that is there. But, on the other hand, I don't always want my

theatrical experience to be as hard as attending some university lecture, worthwhile as that may

be. Sometimes I just want to be entertained.

How to present the play is a key directorial choice. For me, Jane Eyre was a stunning production

but one of my friends complained that it became tedious with all the actors running about what

appeared to be a glorified children's climbing frame. What works for one member of the audience

clearly won't work for another. To what extent you update a play is another choice. You can go for

a complete rewrite and do a new play on an existing plot. 'One Man, Two Guvnors' was hugely

enjoyable. As a modern play it made little sense. With its absurd nonsense about twins and

multiple marriages it could have easily have had a Shakespearean source but was in fact an

English adaptation of 'Servant of Two Masters', a 1743 comedy by Carlo Goldoni. Knowing this

enabled you to suspend your disbelief in the appropriate way and just enjoy the craziness.

Sometimes, though, the source material is less pliable. No doubt the original audiences watching

Twelfth Night would have cheered on the tormenting of Malvolio, but today it was difficult to

watch. Times change and choices have to be made. Sometimes change comes quickly. A few

years ago presenting the freshly created woman for Frankenstein's creature as some kind of

Greek statue, bear breasted, may have worked, but now it felt uncomfortably exploitative and

unnecessary.

Casting is another choice. There is much discussion about 'colour blind' casting if that's still the

preferred term. My starting point is that anything that helps promote justice and a fairer society

must be viewed favourably, but there are choices and sometimes they work and sometimes they

don't. At least for me. Did it matter that in Anthony and Cleopatra we had a Black Caesar? Not a

bit. The fact that Tunji Kasim is of mixed Scottish and Nigerian heritage made no more difference

than the fact he was born in Aberdeen and not Italy. Did it matter that Victor Frankenstein was to

be married to a character played by Naomie Harris. Not at all. Who cares? Did it matter that

Frankenstein's father was played by George Harris? Well, yes, to me it did. I kept getting confused

thinking he was the father of the bride and then had all sorts of questions. Has Frankenstein been

adopted? Is it a failing in me that I couldn't just ignore that aspect of the casting? Perhaps, but I

don't think so. I applaud the higher purpose but can't ignore the immediate consequences. One of

the most entertaining pieces of Shakespeare I've seen was an all Black performance of Much Ado

About Nothing. The lines delivered in the cadences of the community represented. An absolutely

magnificent production. Would it have worked as well if one of the main actors was White and the

audience simply expected to ignore that fact. I don't think so. These are sensitive issues and, I

dare say, simplistic answers more likely to be found than found correct.

Gender is another area where there are choices to be made. Again, there are so many

sensitivities. Did it matter that in Anthony and Cleopatra we had Katy Stephens as Agrippa? Of

course not. It perfectly suited the modern dress choices that had also been made. There have

been some noted Shakespearean productions where female actors have taken the leads normally

taken by men. There have been a variety of female Hamlets. In Twelfth Night we had something

different. Tamsin Greig wasn't playing Malvolio but Malvolia. Fabian also became Fabia. Changing

the genders changed the play, but, by now, you'll know that for me that isn't an issue. It worked

and that is the best judge of whether a choice is the right one.

There are so many choices to be made. Sometimes those choices can be morally questionable;

sometimes socially praiseworthy. There is sometimes a bigger context in which those choices

have to be judged but the more immediate decision will be made by the audience on the night. It

would be ideal to help achieve the long-term goal while at the same time meeting the short-term

demands. But remember this, if you decide to put on an uncut, four hour plus, version of Hamlet

because you venerate the text, then don't blame the audience if they decide to give it a miss.

Have you enjoyed our newsletter? We need articles now for our July

newsletter so send them to me at cdowers@virginmedia.com