TH CARD Lynn Bedford discusses her South-West premiere productioII of the recently revised version by

the Northavol1 Youth Theatre Company

8ACKG

The original 1973 prof ~s i onal p rod uction of The Cnrd by none (lthe r than Ca me ron IllCk ll1tosh successfull v la unched thlt CMee rs of Jilll Dale Milli cen t Murtin 1nd larti V eb b Some yea rs la tr I had rejected the s how for N YT as ld ing something Lu kit y however the Milster was asked to rework the sc ript ilnd sore w hich h did with the help o f his o rigln1 telm Tony Ha tch Jackie [rent Keith Naterhouse and Willi Hall pl us Iyri t Antony Drewp and the [csul ting 1994 Regents Pilrk ~)[(lduction con vinced me that thi s as for LlS

The Northa von Yo uth Thcatre C)mp ny w as formed over 23 ym rs ago as a pcrform m ce vehicle for up tll 60 members (aged 11 to 18 years) o f the Nnrthwon School o f Drama Regular p ro fess io nal tuition offers trailling in all aspec ts of s tilgpcraft und the tudents we re able to utilise a ll their skills in this production l

PLOT AND

The characters of m o ld Bennetts o rig ina l novel ire very strong ly dra w n and the s to ry is fa ithful to the book In 1867 Oenry ]Vachill is bo rn into the St~ffordshire potteries town of Bursley (based on Bennetts birth town Burslcm) to il

soon to be wid owed e~ms tress washerwom an and rpidly d ecides he will ri se above his humble beginnings by a ny means poss ible At the ope ning the town~fo lk and dignitaries gather to celebra te a momento us occils ion but we a re then transported to take part in a re trosp ec tive journey throug h Oenrys life The action propels young Mr Mlt1chin from school (caught chea ting in eXul11s) to his confrontation with business His em p loyer Mr Dunca lf ca nnot relate to him but his fellow clerk (Pa rs loe) ilnd Mr Shillitoe the tailor are rapidly enlis ted to further his schlmes He wang les invitMions to the Municipal Ball impress ing the

ountess of Chell intriguing the ava ricious Ruth Earp (w hose dancing tuition ~nd feminine w iles prove irresis tible to Denry) and winning the admiratio n of the townsfolk

Ouncalf is furious at Denrv$ deceit but his sacking leads hi strilight to employ me nt as a m os t success ful rent co ll ec tor He takes his procl-cd s on holida y to

11M

Ll ilndudno along with hi fiancee Ruth and her c~rin~ Nell ie Cotterill When a leads to a shipwreck it is who reports the event newspa pers m akes an indu tn

-I D

to

trips round th bay plus som shysnapsho ts of the wreck th n _ the entire business ba ck to the t 1

a t 1 hea lthy profit I

De nry goes on to form the niversa l Thrift Club (a forcru nnL

of the Co-op) become a s ucc fu bus iness man and save the lOCi football team He lurches from one venture to the next but alwa shygives something back to the 10 al people so hi s triumph is justified when WC return to the beginn ing to see him become the town youngest Ma yor having rea li sed just in time that Ruth is shalloV and Nellie is the on ly g irl for him

Tbis central characte r appears in all 20 scenes and sings 12 songs W had an ] 8 year old boy who fitled the bill admirobly and even had thE cheeky g rin required but he was exhlL1s tcd by the end of the runl His Mother is very central to the plo t acting as his conscie nce throug hout and this part wa take n m os t ca pably by a 16 year old ft makes a welcome change to huvc five good femal e principal roles (all of whom sing) We were spoilt for choice by the audition s tandard of ou r young people (21 boys and 35 g irls) -our pane ls o utsider felt we co uld cast three ways and still ha ve a good show l There a re 58 named parts (35 of w hich ha ve solo singing) plus 9 chorus numbers so it is ve ry much a company show Thr Cnrd is really 1 full-l ength play with a full musical score the sc ript is bo th hilario us and poig nant w hile the melodies Me irresistible

We rehearsed weekly for nearly six months but I felt there was so much to glean fro m the writing th H thi s was bMely enough time plus the quantity of harmonies to be absorbed needed constant reinforcement My choreographer held separte rehearsals for the ballroom dances (Military TwoshyStep Waltz and Po lka) and the extra dances we inserted 1 t Llandudno and in the duet Opposi te Your Smile I wo rked on the rest of the choreog raphy in general rehearsals Our technica l rehearsal la sted fo ur ho urs and we held three dress rehearsals to accListom everyone to the se t and costume changes

SEPTEMBER 10

bull bull

We had an ensemble of six m usiciltlns with one player on d ouble bassi cello another on trombone I tub a l eu phoni u m trumpet percussion and piano Our keyboard player suddenly announced difficulties with the score so a replacement was found at short notice With no rehearsals he did little more thiln aug ment th e piano - a pity il the keyboa Id part would have added a lot of effects The mus icia ns undnimously declared the score unnecessarily difficult mainly beG1U -e of the vast numbe r of key changes For example the opening number has six changes in the introduction ThCle is hardly any scene change music written so we had to repeat to cover

Oddly all the male harmony is written in the treble clef With young voices we compromised by using soprano alto and tlw bass line for the broken voices The dmollnt of dialogue underscored was ltl so dalmting but ove rall the music proved popular with cas t and audiences Moving On and Opposite Your Smile are familiar but othe r numbers soon ingratiate themsel ves such as the rousing Lock Stock and Barrel or the show-stopping ballad sLing by

clIie If Only

There are 20 scene changes incorporating 10 diffe rent locations such as the Ballroom Seaside Pier (cloths hung from rollers) and the TOWll Hall Squilfeshyan excellent cloth painted to our specifica tions by The Border Stud io and fixed permanently on the back wall Chell Hall -Vas a full set but the other scenes were based around a n 8 x 3 truck which when opened covered the width of the acting area By the use of rollers and Austrian blinds built into the truck wings curtain tracks and Venetian blinds in its body it was

configured in six different scenes such as the MlChin Kitchen the DanCing Academy and th Tlt1 i1ors Shop

Facilities at the Armstrong Hall Thornbury are ex tremely limited We have to hire tiered sea ting which although popular reduces the cil pacity to 290 There is a small stage thilt narrows to the rear no flying fa cilities and no revolve Wing space is 3 maximum with c 3 storage reccss behind the back wall The o riginal intention Wil S to construct trans formable furnishings ie a Welsh Dresser for the kitchen which converted to a piano for the Dancing Academy but this proved unrealistic and too heavy We incorporated a 3 catwalk which proved invaluable for varietv in numbers and covering s~ene cha nges bu t the writing often called for a complete costume change so efficiency on sta ge was counterproductive and inevitably lengthened the performance in spite of the efficient new

We needed a tricycle (s uitably doctored) and a car which was constructed from a bath the n reinforced to have two opening doors We also used a chaise longue and all three props had to be stored in the car park under tarpaulins SmillJer props ran into hundreds (stored down a narrow staircase below stage) We were able to borrow some authentic pieces eg a cash register but the brass plate was wood covered with gold fablon with computer printed acetate - very effec tive We used base metal coins for the many gold sovereigns needed as the colour was indistinguishable from the audience The essential washing basket had to be constantly res tocked with diffe rent clothes while smaller items such as rings and keys kept disappearing

The main problem was the progression of time and whether to go for Victorian or Edwardian fashions We opted for older chMacters in Victorian attire througho ut while younger people and the middle classes made the transition to Edwardi lI1 Our budget was pound800 for a cast of 56 with at least three changes for chorus and 7 18 for principals including some on stage for Denry Si7Cs varied greatly and we had to allow for growth spurts The boys chests ranged from 28 to 48 Our team did a magnificent job of making white ties and waistcoats bloomers petticoats and even a bathing suit for

Llilndudno We borrowed or hired some ta il coats frock coats blazers ilnd a set of dancers red and white outfits which were very effective while utilising our own stocks where possible The lifeboat crew were dressed courtesy of the RNLl to whom w e made a donation We scoured charity shops for shoes and boots but made Dorothy bags and hats and needed nearly 80 pairs of gloves We managed to provide all but five ballgowns but again the script caused difficulties with changes eg Ruth changes from black high flshion widows weeds (with the last line) straight into her engagement party scene saying the firs t line

Make-up was basic with varying amounts of ageing need ed for the principals Some people played several diffe rent roles so changing faciill hair such as moustaches beards and sidcboltHds at the right time needed a large competent team Males wore their hair short and parted pillS gel while working class females wore buns in the nape of the neck and middle class wore hair up in elegant roll s or waves We hired two wigs from Showbiz for Ruth and the Countess

Due to the orlkr of scenes short set ch lI1ges and a large number of principals we requi cd eight radio mics Souud effects were few and straightforward

There were well over a hundred lighting cues including a fixed spot on Denry for his idea theme (which occurs ten times) and lighting the carndlk in scenes ltll1d changes The storm scene was darkened and then front floods were used to represent the flare

SUM ARY

This was the most cha llenging show any of us have been involved in but everyone said the experience was invaluable The cast loved every minute of

SEPTEMBER

rehearsals and the five performances In spite of a wellshyplanned publicity campaign our audiences were small er than hoped for but those who came felt it was really ente rtaining The Card has all the vital ingredients but perhaps the team needs one more revision session to facilitate the limitations of amateur companies

All SCRIPTS SCORES AND LIBRETTI FEATURED IN

THE PLAY PRODUCED AND THE MUSICAL PRODUCED

CANAl OSTAINE FROM

Tel 0171-837-5655 FAX 0171-833-0609

11

bull bull

We had an ensemble of six m usiciltlns with one player on d ouble bassi cello another on trombone I tub a l eu phoni u m trumpet percussion and piano Our keyboard player suddenly announced difficulties with the score so a replacement was found at short notice With no rehearsals he did little more thiln aug ment th e piano - a pity il the keyboa Id part would have added a lot of effects The mus icia ns undnimously declared the score unnecessarily difficult mainly beG1U -e of the vast numbe r of key changes For example the opening number has six changes in the introduction ThCle is hardly any scene change music written so we had to repeat to cover

Oddly all the male harmony is written in the treble clef With young voices we compromised by using soprano alto and tlw bass line for the broken voices The dmollnt of dialogue underscored was ltl so dalmting but ove rall the music proved popular with cas t and audiences Moving On and Opposite Your Smile are familiar but othe r numbers soon ingratiate themsel ves such as the rousing Lock Stock and Barrel or the show-stopping ballad sLing by

clIie If Only

There are 20 scene changes incorporating 10 diffe rent locations such as the Ballroom Seaside Pier (cloths hung from rollers) and the TOWll Hall Squilfeshyan excellent cloth painted to our specifica tions by The Border Stud io and fixed permanently on the back wall Chell Hall -Vas a full set but the other scenes were based around a n 8 x 3 truck which when opened covered the width of the acting area By the use of rollers and Austrian blinds built into the truck wings curtain tracks and Venetian blinds in its body it was

configured in six different scenes such as the MlChin Kitchen the DanCing Academy and th Tlt1 i1ors Shop

Facilities at the Armstrong Hall Thornbury are ex tremely limited We have to hire tiered sea ting which although popular reduces the cil pacity to 290 There is a small stage thilt narrows to the rear no flying fa cilities and no revolve Wing space is 3 maximum with c 3 storage reccss behind the back wall The o riginal intention Wil S to construct trans formable furnishings ie a Welsh Dresser for the kitchen which converted to a piano for the Dancing Academy but this proved unrealistic and too heavy We incorporated a 3 catwalk which proved invaluable for varietv in numbers and covering s~ene cha nges bu t the writing often called for a complete costume change so efficiency on sta ge was counterproductive and inevitably lengthened the performance in spite of the efficient new

We needed a tricycle (s uitably doctored) and a car which was constructed from a bath the n reinforced to have two opening doors We also used a chaise longue and all three props had to be stored in the car park under tarpaulins SmillJer props ran into hundreds (stored down a narrow staircase below stage) We were able to borrow some authentic pieces eg a cash register but the brass plate was wood covered with gold fablon with computer printed acetate - very effec tive We used base metal coins for the many gold sovereigns needed as the colour was indistinguishable from the audience The essential washing basket had to be constantly res tocked with diffe rent clothes while smaller items such as rings and keys kept disappearing

The main problem was the progression of time and whether to go for Victorian or Edwardian fashions We opted for older chMacters in Victorian attire througho ut while younger people and the middle classes made the transition to Edwardi lI1 Our budget was pound800 for a cast of 56 with at least three changes for chorus and 7 18 for principals including some on stage for Denry Si7Cs varied greatly and we had to allow for growth spurts The boys chests ranged from 28 to 48 Our team did a magnificent job of making white ties and waistcoats bloomers petticoats and even a bathing suit for

Llilndudno We borrowed or hired some ta il coats frock coats blazers ilnd a set of dancers red and white outfits which were very effective while utilising our own stocks where possible The lifeboat crew were dressed courtesy of the RNLl to whom w e made a donation We scoured charity shops for shoes and boots but made Dorothy bags and hats and needed nearly 80 pairs of gloves We managed to provide all but five ballgowns but again the script caused difficulties with changes eg Ruth changes from black high flshion widows weeds (with the last line) straight into her engagement party scene saying the firs t line

Make-up was basic with varying amounts of ageing need ed for the principals Some people played several diffe rent roles so changing faciill hair such as moustaches beards and sidcboltHds at the right time needed a large competent team Males wore their hair short and parted pillS gel while working class females wore buns in the nape of the neck and middle class wore hair up in elegant roll s or waves We hired two wigs from Showbiz for Ruth and the Countess

Due to the orlkr of scenes short set ch lI1ges and a large number of principals we requi cd eight radio mics Souud effects were few and straightforward

There were well over a hundred lighting cues including a fixed spot on Denry for his idea theme (which occurs ten times) and lighting the carndlk in scenes ltll1d changes The storm scene was darkened and then front floods were used to represent the flare

SUM ARY

This was the most cha llenging show any of us have been involved in but everyone said the experience was invaluable The cast loved every minute of

SEPTEMBER

rehearsals and the five performances In spite of a wellshyplanned publicity campaign our audiences were small er than hoped for but those who came felt it was really ente rtaining The Card has all the vital ingredients but perhaps the team needs one more revision session to facilitate the limitations of amateur companies

All SCRIPTS SCORES AND LIBRETTI FEATURED IN

THE PLAY PRODUCED AND THE MUSICAL PRODUCED

CANAl OSTAINE FROM

Tel 0171-837-5655 FAX 0171-833-0609

11