It's A Bloody Funny Play!

It has been great to have Martin Sherlock-Knowles, one of our founder members, return to work with the Company. He has directed our current production - Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall - and has brought it up to date with the inclusion of some filmed episodes. We asked Martin a few questions about his vision, his approach, and what else he has hidden in the sideboard...

Why did you choose to update Billy Liar?

First and foremost, I just wanted to hear Northern voices on a stage. When you read the text, it’s a fantastically well written play and probably the best example of a writer understanding Northern dialect that I’ve heard.

I’ve seen so many versions of Billy Liar whereby theatre groups have made a parody of Northern people.  I wanted to try and bring a more naturalistic quality to it with elements of theatricality, rather than vice-versa. There is also no reason why it should be set in the past because all of the threads of the play are just as relevant today.

Also, it’s just a bloody funny play.

What relevance does the play have for today's audiences?

Ultimately the play is about ordinary people (whatever that means) trying to make sense of life.  Billy Liar is also about being trapped but not really knowing how or having the supporting mechanism to break free. I believe that most people can relate to these issues.

Finally, it’s just a bloody funny play.

What were the challenges of putting the production together?

There are audio visual (AV) elements to this production, so it's making sure that you don’t get so caught up in those elements that you neglect the performance side. Also, the text is so tightly written, in terms of comedy and the relationship forming that the pace and energy has to be at the thrust of the delivery, if not the play can become that sluggish Yorkshire parody that I mentioned earlier.

Do you have a particular approach to directing?

Its all about community, everybody involved should feel part of something and there should be no sense of hierarchy. Life is full of hierarchy so theatre should be escapism. In terms of the performances, I just want people to come and have a good night out, so I try and bring as much to the performances as possible, using things like AV, to try and embellish this.

Are there any other stories/plays that you would like to direct?

I’m currently looking for the next play. Preferably just something that reflects some sort of reality of modern life.

What next for you?

Well hopefully, we (Paperzoo) can get our heads together soon and choose our next production.

Also, I'm looking to quickly move onto another play and in-between maybe do short films also. Nothing too fancy, like.

There are still a few of chances to see Billy Liar over the coming weeks. We are at The West Lane Baptist Church in Haworth on Saturday 13th of May, at Ilkley Playhouse on Thursday 18th of May, and the mini-tour ends on the 1st of June when we perform at 7Arts in Leeds.

Details, rehearsal photos and other info are on the website www.paperzootheatrecompany.co.uk

Goodbye Big Brother

All of us here in the Zoo were very sad to hear of the recent passing of Sir John Hurt. Not only was he one of the most respected actors of the last 50 years, he was a great supporter of young talent.

Back in 2009 when we were commissioned by The National Media Museum to present a version of George Orwell's classic dystopian novel 1984, to mark the 60th anniversary of its publication, we were discussing various ways to portray the character of Big Brother. After several false starts, including a subversion of the logo for the then popular Channel 4 reality TV show, someone suggested that we contact John Hurt and ask him. As research for our production, we had watched Michael Radford's film version of 1984 starring John as Winston Smith. It seemed somehow fitting that he should appear as Big Brother.

We laughed...why would one of the greatest actors in the world get involved in a small-scale production by an unknown, unfunded theatre company from Bradford? But then someone asked, 'why not?' It had to be worth a try. So, a few days later, one of the Company contacted John's agent and asked if he would be interested in helping with our production. We waited for a reply. The best that we hoped for, if we got a reply at all, was the permission to use a photographic image of him as a projection.

A couple of weeks went by, and we had no word from John's agent. We carried on rehearsing the production, planning how we could film some of the sequences to make use of the screen in the Pictureville Cinema, still trying to work out how to represent Big Brother.

And then we got a reply: John would love to do it but he only had limited time between work commitments. He could give us a couple of hours, in a few days' time, in London.

As we were working with the National Media Museum, part of the National Science Museum group, we were able to make use of a room in London to film a short sequence that could be projected during the production. Quickly, Ben (who had made the initial enquiry, and was playing the character of O'Brien), Martin (who was directing the filmed sequences) and Oliver (the AV designer and photographer) got the kit together and headed off for London.

When John arrived he was already in character - he hardly spoke whilst the equipment was set up, and the shots prepped. He delivered a chilling performance. His years of experience meant that he knew exactly how much, or to be more precise, how little he had to do. His steely gaze looked right through you and, when projected onto the screen in the Pictureville auditorium, made you feel like he was reading your mind and seraching your soul.

Once the filming and photography was complete, John relaxed and became much more animated. He asked about the Company, and about how the production was going. He then suggested that he read the final paragraph of Orwell's book so that it could be played over the last moments of the show. It was a brilliant idea. Every time we performed the show the audience would gasp as John's unique voice came over the speakers,

"Winston gazes up at the enormous face..."

John kept in touch during the next few months. Unfortunately, due to work commitments, he was unable to see the production. However, when he found out that we were to take the show to The Quad Cinema in Derby where he was Patron, he invited several of the Company to 'An Evening with John Hurt' - a screening of one of his films folowed by a Q&A session. On the night we were given the chance to meet him before the event, and he was as interested in us as we were in awe of him. He wished us luck with the tour, and seemed genuinely disappointed that we were unable to stay for the party after the screening.

We met him again in 2010 when he was guest of honour at the Bradford International Film Festival. He had a photograph taken with members of the Company and, once again, took delight in catching up with how the production had gone. We told him about the positive reaction that we had had to the show, and how his contribution had encouraged us to raise our game. He just smiled his twinkling, mischievous smile, and said in that wonderful voice of his, "Well, that is good to know, thank you."

No, thank you, John, for giving us your most precious gift - your time.

We Love Big Brother!

Dentists, Humbugs and a Suitcase

We never seem to have enough time to do anything these days. I suppose it is a symptom of a busy life, pressures of a full-time job, or maybe it is just that we are getting older. All I do know is that it is almost exactly a year since we updated this production blog. Unbelievable, I know, but true nonetheless.

Have we been idly sitting by, gazing at our collective navels? Not on your nelly! We have packed the last twelve months full of theatrical shenanigans.

Firstly, there was the tour of The Dentist a new commedia by David Griffiths. We toured this to several venues in Yorkshire between February and April 2015. The project was a departure for the company as it was the first time that we have worked with an outside director. David Griffiths is a world renowned mask maker, and an authority on Commedia dell'Arte, and he made sure that we were as true to the style as possible. Our clever, collapsible set was designed by an HND Production Arts student, Aamta Waheed, and the cast included several alumni fromThe Northern School of Creative Industries. It was great to work with Josh Fyson, Sophia Kelly, Steve Normandale, and Dominic Scott on this project.

Photos by Danielle Turner for Paige Turner Productions

An extract from the production was chosen to be performed at a Higher Education conference in July 2015 as an example of staff and student collaboration in practical research.

In September 2015, as part of British Science Week, Paper Zoo were commissioned to work with educational writer, Kate Brennan from Act the Facts, on a new piece of theatre-in-education called Humbug Billy. The play, set in 1858, tells the story of Bradford sweet seller, William Hardaker - 'Humbug Billy' to his friends and customers - who unwittingly sold a batch of humbugs laced with arsenic leading to the death of 20 people. His case prompted new legislation pertaining to the labeling and sale of poisons. The issue of food adulteration has not gone away as recent news stories have shown.

For this project the company was augmented with current HND Performing Arts students, Jason Rankin and Ryan Buck; alumni Sophia Kelly, Steve Normandale, and Richard Orange; lecturer Andy May; and a couple of the O'Keeffe kids! The performances also included live science experiments that invited the audience to try out various tests to identify mystery white powders.

The project has now taken on a life of its own as it has been adapted for touring into Secondary schools. A successful tour was organised and the HND Performing Arts students from The Northern School of Creative Industries took the production into four local schools.

The latest project that we are working on is a production of Claire McIntyre's 1990 play, My Heart Is A Suitcase. Stuart Davies is directing, and we welcome back to the Company Rachel Greiff who last worked with the Zoo on Hard Times. Other cast members are Julia O'Keeffe, Kate Shackleton, Dominic Scott, and Sophia Kelly. We have lots to tell you about this play, and we promise that it won't be so long before we do. Keep an eye out on our website for details of the tour. We will update it as we confirm the venues.

As ever, thanks for stopping by and supporting Paper Zoo Theatre Company. We really appreciate it.

Playing

We have been rehearsing The Dentist, a piece of pure, classic Commedia Dell'arte by David Griffiths, for the past few months. It has been an interesting and challenging journey beset by so many personal hurdles for many members of the cast, but we have constantly reassembled ourselves and pulled together as a group in the true spirit of ensemble. This has demonstrated everything that is so wonderful about being part of a theatre company. There is love, support, humour, and understanding. We are truly blessed to have these experiences in our lives; they are food for the soul, creating memories and knowledge that will feed us through our lives wherever our paths may take us afterwards.
I have found it immensely difficult to give myself to creating these roles at this time. I am struggling to come to terms with my mother's dementia and ill health, being her carer whilst holding down a job, and running a family. But it is the dementia that has shaken me to the core. To see someone changing before your eyes, to see the negative aspects of their personality become magnified is truly horrible. To hold on to the fact that this is not the person we know is bloody hard!
It has been the searching for Arlecchino that has given me something to focus on. To be in the rehearsal studio where I have to focus and take control of my emotions, putting them on one side whilst I concentrate solely on finding this character has not been an easy task. The character is far removed from me.
Now that I have seen that written down, I wonder how far from any of us Arlecchino actually is. He is, I suppose, one aspect of our own character; one of the archetypal parts that make up our whole consciousness. He represents the baser parts of our humanity; he is hunger and gratification, but not greed. He is the innocent, naive part, the child-like part of our psyche. He follows his instincts and desires but unlike the more sinister and aggressive character  Brighella, Arlecchino knows contentment until the next hunger pang strikes! He lives in his senses, and makes decisions based on his 'sense life'. You could say that he is driven by the desire for comfort. There is no sense of him being able to put himself outside his own sense of "what I need" and feel any empathy for another person. There is little chance of him demonstrating any kind of self sacrifice for someone else. He is totally self-centred.
This then led me to design and make his coat. In the play he is described as a "patchwork quilt" and as I was arranging the harlequin patches the discussion arose whether they should be placed in a logical, regular pattern, or in a random sequence. This, I thought, was a very interesting point as Arlecchino's thinking is not random, it is energised by his instincts and he is able to put this energised thinking into practice. He is not like the character of Dottore who is all theory and rambling sentences but little substance. So I decided that there should be a logical pattern to the coat but not symmetrical as this would suggest a balance in his thinking, borne out of an ability to reflect on his actions whereas he is more about action and practice born of need /desire without any reflection to balance it.
Arlecchino is very human. He has humour, friendship, love and relationships. He is not cut off from others or isolated in his misery like the egotistical Pantalone. Neither is he completely self-sacrificing - he likes his comforts too much! He is not 'free' like Flávio who has compassion, kindness, and, despite the best efforts of his father, achieves a kind of balance and resolution at the end of the play. Arlecchino aspires to true freedom but is not quite there yet.

Julia O'Keeffe is a founding member of Paper Zoo Theatre Company and can be seen in several guises in The Dentist.

Julia's Learning Partnerships

As if keeping all of the Zoo Creatures in check, teaching on the HND Performing Arts course at Bradford College, and raising three growing children were not enough to keep a person busy, Company founder member and one-woman engine room, Julia has found time to take on another challenge.

Working in conjunction with The Royal Shakespeare Company and Bradford Theatres, Julia is the Learning Performance Network co-ordinator for the Bradford area. Her role is to provide the artistic and creative input into the LPN which links secondary schools, primary schools, and special schools with the RSC to provide a living, active approach to the teaching of Shakespeare's texts.

The first cohort was set up in September 2013 with Bingley Grammar School, in Bradford, acting as the hub school, and has four further schools all benefitting from regular practical workshops from Julia and other practitioners from the RSC. As well as the students, staff also get to learn the techniques used in the rehearsal room to bring to their teaching; techniques that can be used across all subjects in the curriculum. Students get to grips with Shakespeare's language and imagery in ways that make it accessible and fun. Regular trips to Startford-upon-Avon, as well as visiting productions allow the students to experience the excitement of a full-scale production. The three-year project builds upon the learning undertaking in year one and leads to a Shakespeare festival in year three.

The practice of the LPN is backed up by years of active research into learning and play, and has been written about in many books and articles. There is also a link with the education department at The University of Warwick where Julia has been studying for a post-graduate award in teaching Shakespeare.

The second cohort has now been set up with Samuel Lister Academy taking the lead, and things are all set for work towards a series of performances linked to the RSC's production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' in 2016.

As Julia says,

"This is a wonderful project that empowers students and teachers, parents and communities to get involved and be part of active learning. Shakespeare features even more in our school curriculum now, and if it is to be enjoyed, and for its wisdom to endure, it needs to be brought to life in an active arena. This is what is being given back to education through the LPN, taking active rehearsal room techniques straight from the heart of Stratford and into a classroom near you." 

Welcome to our newest associate artists

We are very pleased to welcome our newest associate artists to the Zoo. Sophia Kelly and Danni Shepherd have joined us recently to be part of the cast for our Spring/Summer 2014 tour of Hard Times. As well as being weavers in the production, Danni will take over the role of Louisa Gradgrind, and Sophia is playing Mrs Pegler and Stephen Blackpool's wife. Both Danni and Sophia are currently studying Performing Arts at Bradford College, and have shown themselves to be very talented and reliable members of the course.

Sophia Kelly

Sophia is in the final year of her HND in Performing Arts, and has been at the College for almost five years. In that time she has taken part in numerous productions both on stage and on screen with the British Youth Film Academy. Her youthful appearance means that she has often been cast to play parts younger than her actual age, for instance, Sophia has appeared with The Touring Consortium's productions of 'Kes' in 2009, and 'To Sir, With Love' at The Alhambra Theatre as part of the national tours of those shows. Sophia has been involved in feature-length and short films with the BYFA, including 'Richard II', 'Faust's Growth', 'The Rochdale Pioneers', and 'Cache' (due to be premiered at The National Media Museum in April) Sophia has just completed her first directing project in which she staged an extract from Tennessee Williams' play 'A Streetcar Named Desire'. We are sure that she will continue to develop her artistic and theatrical vision, and we are delighted to be working with her on Hard Times.

Danni Shepherd

Danni is about to complete her Level 3 Extended Diploma in Performing Arts with the maximum marks of D*D*D* and has impressed everyone with her natural ability and dedication throughout the two years she has been at Bradford College. Danni is much in demand as an actress, and has gained a lot of experience over the last year or so, performing in numerous productions and short-films. Danni is in the process of auditioning for drama school and other training opportunities. She has an audition coming up with the excellent Fourth Monkey Theatre Company ensemble, and we wish her the best of luck with this. Hopefully, Sophia and Danni will enjoy working with us on Hard Times and we may even be able to encourage them to write a post or two about the production process.

Catching Up With The Zoo Creatures

Things may have gone quiet on here for a while, for too long probably, but don't be deceived, the Zoo creatures have not been in hibernation. Whilst the Company as a whole took a rest from mid-September once the Hard Times tour was over, the individual members of the Company have been keeping busy with other projects and activities. The next couple of blog posts will be dedicated to catching up with what people have been up to. After that, we will be bringing you news and views from the Zoo about current productions. Thanks for your patience so far...

The first of the catch up pieces concerns Paper Zoo founder member, David Peel, and the very busy time he has had in the last few months.

After his cameo appearance in Clio Barnard's brilliant British film, The Selfish Giant, Dave was recently cast as a BT engineer in the forthcoming feature film, Altar, which was shot on location in the village of Minskip near Knaresborough. The film, which has a supernatural theme, was written and directed by Nick Willing, and features Olivia Williams (best known for her role opposite Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense) and Matthew Modine (Full Metal Jacket, Birdy etc.)
Apparently, Dave's audition tape caught the attention of the film's producer who immediately saw the charisma and character that Paper Zoo audiences have known and loved in all of his stage appearances. So much so that Dave was offered the role in a matter of days! Dave was not so sure that it had all gone so well,

"To be honest, when I left the audition, I thought I'd blown it because I was rabbiting on at Nick Willing and the others in the room (among them the film's editor, and renowned casting agent Amy Hubbard) I called my agent and said so but within days I had the part! I was so overjoyed at the news. Whatever it was that I did, I must do again!"

Dave has since been on to take on a rather different role, this time that of First Assistant Director on the shoot of a pilot for a new sit-com called 'School on Report'. The project which was directed and co-written by Bradford actor Lee Otway, is aiming to be commissioned for a full series. The four-day shoot took place in two local schools. The first, Thornhill Community School, was used to having cameras on site as it recently featured in the recent hit Channel 4 series, 'Educating Yorkshire'. The second school was Ralph Thoresby in Leeds. The cast is made up of some impressive names given that this is Lee's first directing project. Well-known character actors John Henshaw and Mark Benton were both involved, along with a young cast of talented local teenagers.

"When Lee asked me to help out, my first thought was 'do I want to?' I'm an actor and I know nothing about being an AD. But as soon as the project began I utterly, utterly loved it! It has to be said that it was made easier by everyone on set being just brilliant and understanding of my mistakes. It is another string to my bow, and now all fingers and toes are crossed for Lee and his co-writer Ross Marshall for them to get the commission that they truly deserve and have earned."

As if this were not enough, Dave has also been working with Bradford-based Freedom Studios again. He had previously been part of the small group of actors who had performed the new works in the Street Voices 4 season last year. The company's artistic director, Deborah Dickinson, asked Dave to come and read, along with other local actors, a script by local writer Chris Wilson. The play is about the famous Batley Variety Club and has the makings of a brilliant play. Chris is a talented writer and Freedom Studios are very generous with their time and support for local writers, directors and performers.

You can find out more about Freedom Studios here

David and The Selfish Giant

Founder member of Paper Zoo Theatre Company, David J Peel, has built a reputation for himself as a fine character actor with a flair for both comic and dramatic roles. with memorable turns on-stage with the Zoo as Dogberry in 'Much Ado About Nothing'; Jacob Marley in 'A Christmas Carol'; and a menacing Squealer in 'Animal Farm' amongst many others, David has also taken roles on screen. He has worked on short films with students from the Northern Film School; on television in two of the major soaps; and appeared as a harrassed bus driver in the movie Wild Child.

His most recent screen credit, though, is as Mega Scrap Yard Man in Clio Barnard's acclaimed new movie, 'The Selfish Giant'.

"I play a cold-hearted scrap merchant who refuses to let young Arbor Fenton through the gates with his horse despite him having come to Huddersfield all the way from Bradford."

Although only a small role, David's portrayal of the character raises one of the few laughs in the whole movie, providing some welcome light relief.

"I think that the role represents the colder side of life when things just aren't going for you at all" he adds.

The film tells the story of two Bradford lads, Arbor and Swifty, who are both excluded from school and  get involved in the shady world of 'scrapping' - acquiring items of scrap metal and selling them on to the big scrap dealers.

"It was only a small cameo role but I feel proud to have been involved in such a brilliant and powerful film...it was a fantastic experience for me, and one that I hope to repeat"

The film was awarded the Europa Cinemas Label as Best European film at The Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, and has had rave reviews since its general release.

Eight Years in the Zoo

Paper Zoo Theatre Company will be eight years old in September 2013. Hard Times is our sixteenth production. Not a bad work rate to say that most of us are either in full-time employment, full-time students, semi-retired or, in the case of Julia, a part-time lecturer, full-time mum and home educator of two lively girls. 

The company was formed by the students of a BTEC National Award in Acting course that ran, one evening a week, at Bradford College. The initial intake on the course was twenty two; by the end of the course there were eighteen students, and of those eight had formed the core group that became Paper Zoo. During the course, those Thursday evening sessions became a really special time in the week. The students - most of whom were in their twenties or thirties - came with varying levels of experience, confidence, and knowledge of theatre and acting, but we all learned together and had a great time doing so. 

It seems unlikely that such a group could form in the current climate. The cutting back of adult and community education means that many of the courses like ours have been axed. The fees for those courses that do remain are beyond the financial capabilities of the people who might benefit most from the chance to express themselves, discover their talents and find a voice. We were lucky; the right people got together in the right place at the right time. I think that is one of the reasons that Paper Zoo Theatre Company is so special to us. Working together, in various combinations, is built on the trust and comfort of working with people who have shared the journey so far, and for whom the Company is an emotional investment.

So, we were founded in an educational context. Four of the active company members are teachers with a passion for theatre and the arts. Several of us have had relevant professional experience as actors, directors, dancers, and workshop leaders. We know the industry and have lots of links with people who work regularly in it  we also know, from experience, how difficult it is to get that first job, to gain the initial practical experience, to get your foot onto the ladder.

The Company ethos is one of giving young (and not so young) people the opportunity to gain the experience, and to take some risks at the beginning of their careers. Each of our productions has students involved in some capacity. It may be as associate actors, stage management, technicians or designers, but they work as our colleagues, to a professional standard. In the eight years since 2005 we have worked with more than twenty students. We receive no funding for this (we are totally self-funded) but we have great support from Bradford College, The Bradford Branch of the National Union of Teachers, and, in the past, The National Media Museum. Some of our associates have gone on to drama school: Laura Milnes completed her degree in Contemporary Theatre Practice from The Central School of Speech and Drama in 2010; Emily Thornton has just finished her first year at Italia Conti. Others work in theatres, or have gone on to study at Universities such as Huddersfield, Manchester Metropolitan, and Salford. 

For those of us who teach this is hugely rewarding. The Company gives us the opportunity to develop our own creative practice, to keep up with current issues in the performing arts, and to put theory into practice. To share a stage with our students enriches both parties - per-show nerves are a great leveller - we get to see them develop as performers and the students get to see that we do not ask them to do anything that we are not prepared to do ourselves. 

So that is why, eight years in, the Zoo is still going strong. 

Director's Notes

Here, Stuart Davies, the director of our show, offers an insight into how and why we chose to work on Hard Times

At the beginning of our adaptation of Hard Times, Sarah, a weaver, invites the audience into Josiah Bounderby’s cotton mill in Coketown.

“Coketown, 1850. In the dark heart of the industrial north-west of England. Halifax (or Bradford, or Leeds, or Bury, or Settle) 2013. Things have changed a lot in 160 years haven’t they? The relations between the classes, the gulf between rich and poor, ideas about education, they’ve altered out of all recognition haven’t they? Well haven’t they? And in 1850 the government was made up entirely of very rich men. That must be different in your day”.

People sometimes ask how we choose which plays to do.

Last summer Paper Zoo was doing just that. We call it planning the future programme and the process largely involves sitting in someone’s front room and saying “What shall we do next?” Then we fix the date of the next meeting and go home.  But somewhere in between the seed of creating a play linking past and present lives had been planted.

It was during this period of reflection that I found myself shouting at the radio. Do you ever do that? I do it quite often. I should probably see someone about it. I was doing it one evening after listening to a politician explaining why it was necessary for poor people to pay for the deficit. Then later that night I was playing music (to calm down!) and by chance put on an old Steeleye Span album when I was struck by the title of a traditional song, Hard Times of Old England. The politician on the radio came back to mind - Hard Times for some, but not for the likes of you, mate.

And of course, Hard Times is a novel by Dickens. It’s about an educational philosophy which concentrates on factual knowledge and crushes imagination. Secretary of State Michael Gove has obviously read it and got the wrong end of the stick. It’s also about economic hardship and working people forever paying the price. The link between past and present lives.

The next step was to write a script, based on the book. Dickens provided one or two quite good lines. Our play is an adaptation so if you know the book you will spot the differences. We hope you enjoy it.

Thanks, Stu

Hard Times at the Saltaire Festival

We are pleased to announce that we will be performing Hard Times as part of this year's Saltaire Festival.

The show is pencilled in for the 19th of September and will be performed at the Caroline Street Social Club.

Further details, ticket prices and box office contacts will be confirmed as soon as possible.

Until then, many thanks to the organisers of this great local festival for inviting us to take part.

The Times Seem To Be Getting Harder

As we move into the final six weeks or so of our rehearsal period, the underlying themes of Hard Times seem to be ever more apposite. In the last week we have heard several speeches from Government ministers on the current state of our nation. Each of them have used 'facts' to demonise those members of society who rely on welfare and state benefits.

Chancellor George Osborne delivered such a speech to workers at a branch of Morrison's in which he explicitly equated those who work as doing 'the right thing' and those who do not work as doing 'the wrong thing'!

There is evidently no understanding of the challenges that ordinary people face in daily life. But what can we expect from someone who has never faced those challenges? An inherited fortune must take the sting out of being poor!

With the welfare 'reforms' being pushed through Parliament with indecent haste, it won't be long before the harsh realities of life for people in 2013 are the same as those of the mill workers and weavers in Bounderby's mill. How's that for progress?

You mean we have to sing and move at the same time?

Last week, we ran the whole show for a couple of guests who haven't been involved so far. This was so that we could get some feedback on the flow of the action, and whether it all hangs together.
Their presence certainly added to our nerves but also upped the energy. Thankfully, their criticism was all positive and the comments have been very helpful in pinpointing some of the places where we need to look at the pacing of the scenes. With adapting Dickens the problem is not what to leave in but what we can afford to take out. The descriptions are so rich and the characterisations so detailed that we could just recite the book!
So today, in rehearsal we have been taking the feedback on board and reworking a couple of the longer scenes. Finding the gear changes that follow the characters' thought processes is helpful. It is quite a luxury to have time to do this as we usually only have a couple of hours to rehearse in (one of the challenges of not being able to do this full time!) on our two, weekly sessions.
We have also worked on properly choreographing the section where we show the millworkers at their looms. It is at this point that we have a song; "Poverty Knock" and we have enjoyed singing this as a warm-up at the start of rehearsals.
In the run-through the other night we attempted to fit the singing and movement together. The resultant clash of discordant sounds and flailing limbs was not quite what we had envisaged for that section of the play!
Today we watched the video evidence through our fingers (or at least I did!) and agreed that the sequence should be simplified, choreographed and drilled. So, for the first hour of the session we worked on a new sequence that, hopefully, will capture the essence of manual labour at a steam powered loom, accompanied by characterful and tuneful singing!

Dave's blog about Freedom and other things

Hello  everyone!

Just a quick update from some of my time away from the 'mother ship' that is Paper Zoo.

After finishing a tour of Black Beauty with PEEL Heritage last year, followed by a small part in a film shot in Bradford, then a play with one of our other Paper Zoo colleagues, Martin Knowles, I ended up  at the end of January hooking up with the people at Freedom Studios, a well-established, and well-respected Bradford company. 

Basically, Freedom Studios had cast their net far and wide to find, and then promote new writers. 

This process is carried out and then showcased with an event called 'Street Voices'. I was involved in the fourth one of these.

Many hundreds of writers sent their work in, and many were invited to expand on that initial work, and talk  about the process involved in getting to their end result. 

There were, I'm led to  believe, some extremely well written pieces but ultimately it had to come down to just four writers, (as excellent as they all were, but can you imagine the cost of putting on and performing  everybody's work? It would be colossal) 

The writers chosen were Chris Wilson, Emma Hill, Eamon Rooney, with help from Mark Catley, Paulette Edwards and Rav Sanghera. The plays were directed by Mark Catley, Tom Wright and Shakera Ahad. This was a gang of extremely talented people all working out of Freedom Studios.

We put on four shows, over a two hour period, for three nights, at 'The Hub' in Leeds, 'Kala Sangam' here in Bradford, and 'Barnsley Civic Hall'.

 It was, I have to say, a fantastic experience; different styles of direction, different types of actors all offering their own uniqueness.  In my opinion, a constant learning curve was experienced by all.

All three venues practically sold out (thanks to those of you reading this who came) 

I think the most important aspect of the Freedom Studios project was the finding and the showcasing of new, talented writers, who were thrilled to see their work brought to life. 

One of the shows, 'The Bridge' will be performed once more in Centenary Square in Bradford later in March. 

I'm delighted to be playing my support role as 'Harry' again.  

Companies like Freedom Studios are vital for writers to be able to introduce themselves, as it were, to the public, giving them a platform to show people their talents. It’s a shame that there are not more companies like Freedom Studios around.

Right, I'm back to another script now, 'The Lost Special', an Arthur Conan Doyle story adapted by another Bradford writer, Jonathon Hall, and once again directed by our Martin Knowles. The shows will be performed at the now reopened New Bradford Playhouse from the 5th to the 9th March. All ticket monies will go directly to the upkeep and continued running of the New Bradford Playhouse. I hope to see some of you there.

One last plug, (sorry) but don't forget the Zoo’s, 'Hard Times' the Charles Dickens tale, adapted by Stuart Davies. The show is on at various theatres from May 23^rd.

Thanks people, big hugs and thanks for supporting / watching.

David  

The One Thing Needful

"Now what I want is Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of service to them."

So says Charles Dickens in the opening lines of his novel 'Hard Times'. Mr Gradgrind, the school master, professes this to be the sole purpose of education. The eradication of any imagination or sense of wonder in children, to be replaced only with simple fact; even for his own children.

It would appear that this has been adopted by the current Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, as his credo in the crusade to remove any form of creativity from the curriculum.

In 'Hard Times', Gradgrind comes to regret the neglect of his charges' artistic and imaginative sides. Indeed, he is left a changed and humble man when his daughter, Louisa, returns to him after escaping her loveless marriage to Josiah Bounderby.

She has no emotional understanding or heart-warmth to deal with her situation; neither have been cultivated in her. "Let me fall", she says, "Your philosophy will not save me."

The one thing most needful in education in particular, and life in general, is the ability to wonder, to imagine, and to empathise with other human beings.

Hard Times Photo Blog Project

We are very pleased to be working with photographer, Michael Laprocina, who is documenting the rehearsal and production process for Hard Times.

Michael is studying for his BA (Hons) in Photography at Bradford College and approached us with the idea of documenting the production process. He will then develop a further body of work based on some of the themes raised by the production as a major project for his final year. We have given him open access to the rehearsal rooms so that he can really become part of the team and capture the whole creative journey. 

Michael has been at two rehearsals so far, either side of the Christmas break, and the first of his photos have been posted on his personal blog. Click HERE to see them. We have also posted a selection of the photos on our website. Michael also very kindly agreed to shoot an image for publicity purposes. 

We hope to have more of Michael's great images, as well as a brief interview with him, soon. 

Hard News in these Hard Times

We at The Zoo are saddened to hear of the proposed 100% cut to arts funding in Newcastle. If ever there was a city that has proven the value of culture and the arts as a way of regenerating and re-inventing itself, then it is Newcastle.

Some of the best, most innovative, and most influential companies and venues are based in the North East. Without Northern Stage and writer Alan Lyddiard, we would not have been able to produce our version of 1984; it was Alan's script that we used. Live Theatre hosted the world premiere of Lee Hall's 'The Pitmen Painters' which went on to be presented in the West End and on Broadway. It is due to tour again in 2013 and we'll be there to see it when it arrives at The Alhambra in Bradford.

But it isn't just theatres and venues that will go. There are ten libraries under direct threat of closure. To curtail access to books and learning in this way is an insidious act of cultural hooliganism and social engineering. Limiting learning only to those who can afford to access it is this Government's clear policy. Lee Hall, the writer mentioned above, has written a heartfelt and impassioned letter to the leader of Newcastle City Council urging him to resist taking this catastrophic action. The letter articulates things much better than I could so please check out
http://thinkingpractice.co.uk/cuts-and-choices for the chance to read it.

So to all our fellow creative people in Newcastle and the North East; we send you our support and best wishes. Stay strong and keep on keeping on!

PZ

The Hard (Times) Work Begins

Thanks to everybody who came along to the audition workshop recently; your time and interest in the project was much appreciated. Details of the cast for Hard Times will be posted shortly on here and at the Paper Zoo website.

So, now the hard work begins. Stuart Davies, who will be directing the project, has been busy adapting the novel into a workable script. A recent read-through of the draft version gave us a good idea of how it will work, with plenty of suggestions for the overall design of the production being discussed, as well as more ideas about the characters themselves.

As we found with Charles Dickens' work when we performed 'A Christmas Carol' previously, the atmosphere and the dialogue is all there for you. The characters are so well-drawn, so vividly brought to life, that the problem is which ones to leave out! We think that we've just about got it right for now but, as always, things could change during the rehearsal period.

We have two dates booked already for our Spring and Summer tour: we will be at The Square Chapel in Halifax on the 23rd of May 2013, and at Otley Courthouse on the 5th of July. We hope to have publicity material ready fairly soon so keep an eye out for posters and fliers in the New Year.

Actors Required for Hard Times

We are pleased to announce that our next production will be an original adaptation of Charles Dickens' great novel 'HARD TIMES'. More details about the production will be given over the next few weeks but it is hoped that the play will open in late March/early April 2013 and tour to a number of local venues throughout the Spring and Summer.

The adaptation and direction for the production is being undertaken by Stuart Davies who directed our well-received productions of George Orwell's 'Animal Farm' and '1984'.

We are looking for two male actors with a playing range of 20+ to be part of the cast. There is a large number of characters to portray in the piece and so we are seeking character actors who can multi-role, are comfortable with movement and physical approaches to acting, are armed with a sense of humour, and who will commit to the production process.

Unfortunately, as we are entirely self-funded, we cannot pay but we will cover reasonable travel expenses during the production's performance phase. We can offer a friendly and collaborative experience where ideas are welcomed, and your time is valued. We also have a really good laugh!

The audition will take place from 6.30 pm on Thursday 18th of October 2012, in The Old Building of Bradford College, Carlton Street (off Great Horton Road), Bradford. BD7 1 AY. Please come to the reception area where we will meet you. There is no need to prepare an audition piece.

If you would like to attend the audition, please email stuart@paperzootheatrecompany.co.uk
Alternatively tweet us on @PaperZooTheatre

Thank you.

PZ

Decisions, decisions...

We may have been quiet here at the Zoo blog over the last few months but don't go thinking that we have been hibernating.

Dave has been gallivanting around the stately homes of England in a very well-received open air production of Black Beauty.

Associate artist Emily Thornton has moved down to London to take up her place at the Italia Conti Theatre School whilst founder member, Ben, has returned for his second year at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

The rest of us have been busy working on ideas for future shows. We have read a number of stories and scripts, as well as workshopping some original ideas. There are several favourites on the table at the moment, but we should be able to announce our next production soon.

Thanks for your patience whilst we have been away.

D