tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60664688596517568292012-02-06T19:15:42.504ZUK ● Bristol ● South West ● Theatre ● Film ● Television <br> A spotlight on what's going on and who's making it happenDownstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.comBlogger261100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-25807465516571179182012-02-03T00:47:00.002Z2012-02-06T19:12:36.023Z

There are some productions that stay with you and remind you why you love acting. On Saturday 4th February 2012, the Radio 4 production of Michael Morpurgo’s, ‘Private Peaceful’ will air as the Saturday Play of the Day, and for me, it is one of those productions.  Image from the 'Private Peaceful' Podcast (available after broadcast). Click on it to go to the podcast.Once upon a time I worked as a

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-31952565052476273952011-07-22T12:02:00.002+01:002011-07-22T12:03:19.230+01:00

In my last post I showed you a little promotional video I created just to look at what we could create on a budget of nothing with the resources we have as we would shortly need to create a video for We Fund, the crowd funding website. By some minor miracle we finally have a video and our project up on the site (it's a miracle because everything that could go wrong, did go wrong!) and I promised

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-20688453978365522902011-06-13T10:54:00.003+01:002011-06-13T11:15:31.009+01:00

It's been another busy week, but I thought I'd quickly share what I've been up to...As you may already know, Und  is heading to Edinburgh - woo hoo! However, we could do with a helping hand to fund the show and we're looking into crowd funding as one of the possible sources.If we use a site like We Fund, we would need to create a video to go with our appeal and at the moment it looks like it'll

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-12896209663785529382011-06-09T13:35:00.004+01:002011-06-13T11:02:31.123+01:00

If you read my last post, you can see I foolishly thought I would find time to increase my writing. As it is, I have been so busy, my writing has been forced on to the back burner. With this in mind I thought the best piece to start this year’s writing would be a brief post about some of my antics and how one thing has led to another...There's a book by Susan Jeffers called Feel The Fear and Do

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-48009201292258602492010-10-27T01:19:00.001+01:002010-10-27T01:21:06.849+01:00

I knew it had been a while since I had last posted on the blog, but I didn’t realise just how long it had been until I actually checked the date. June? June? Surely not... In my head it doesn’t seem that long because I have been planning pieces and starting to write them in the intervening period, but have had to abandon them as events have taken over my time. The last couple of months have been

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-36989991066903419312010-06-25T21:56:00.003+01:002010-06-25T22:00:30.727+01:00

If you haven’t been to ‘Script Space’ before, it’s a fantastic opportunity to watch a series of rehearsed readings of short plays selected by the Tobacco Factory as part of their development programme. It’s also an opportunity to get involved and give feedback in a Q&A session with the actors, directors and writers. Working with new and emerging writers, the third and final ‘Script Space’ of the

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-46233762168112416672010-04-29T12:10:00.012+01:002010-06-25T21:16:35.739+01:00

A little while ago I was contacted by Jack Price of Studio Films. Over the coming months he will be running courses in Meisner technique for actors at the Tobacco Factory. Taken from the flyer for the upcoming course The first course begins on Thursday 6th May 2010 and it's a practical short course that takes you step-by-step through Meisner's core exercise and text analysis over 6 days. But if

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-53190600717327985202010-04-22T12:09:00.021+01:002010-06-25T21:28:09.055+01:00

Over the last few days you may have spotted the trailers for the upcoming three-part BBC Drama, ‘Five Daughters’ about the murders of five young women in Ipswich in 2006. Click Here to visit the BBC page Until I auditioned for a small role in the drama, I could only remember basic elements of the case. Like me, you may remember the hunt for the murderer; you may even remember the name of the

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-48424107789079172322010-02-17T19:22:00.019Z2010-06-25T21:30:28.739+01:00

The other day I wrote a post about the course taking place at the Tobacco Factory Theatre during Half Term. Well, the course is well under way and today I popped along with my agent to talk about ‘being an actor’ and all things agent-actor related, so this post is largely for those who attended the talk, but not exclusively aimed at them. I mentioned a couple of books which are listed with links

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-46598754908611298982010-02-11T12:42:00.000Z2010-02-11T12:42:26.988Z

Yes, yes I do. Oh, you’re not asking me... Well, if you were, and I was between the ages of 14 and 16, I’d ask you to send me to the Tobacco Factory this Half Term so that I could find out. SO YOU WANT TO BE AN ACTOR? Is the brilliant week-long course taking place at the Theatre from Monday 15th – Friday 19th February, combining skill-based workshops and industry tutorials aimed at providing

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-8969734474286219782009-09-25T14:38:00.005+01:002009-09-25T14:47:45.963+01:00

Trestle theatre company will soon be appearing at the Tobacco Factory in Bristol, so a couple of weeks ago I trundled off to St Albans to talk to the Artistic Director, Emily Gray.You can read about my visit and the face behind Trestle's mask on Theatre Bristol. Click here to read the article.

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-89450452720019468652009-09-09T12:42:00.011+01:002009-09-09T21:46:32.310+01:00

It's not a picture of someone drinking at a brewery, it's actually 'Rum &Vodka' which runs Wed 14th - Sun 25th October Googling ‘Brewery Theatre Bristol’ it’s a bit disappointing that, so far, the opening of such an important space appears to have flown under the radar. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not expecting it to make the News at Ten, and I did find a short article on Original FM’s website, but

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-1725452326993350082009-09-02T23:41:00.009+01:002009-09-02T23:59:31.210+01:00

I love the Tobacco Factory space, but I really loathe the pillars. Sometimes they can be cleverly worked into pieces and sometimes they just get in the way. I knew one pillar would be in my sightline, but I had no idea until the show began how it would impede on my viewing. It turned out to be in exactly the right position to block out the first ten minutes of the show.There are no words, only

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-32610061399832562862009-09-02T23:26:00.005+01:002009-09-02T23:41:18.574+01:00

‘The doors are closed’ said my friend and she wasn’t wrong. We’d somehow managed to beat the insane Bristol traffic and arrive early (it was the day the bridge at Avonmouth was closed causing chaos across the city). Meaning we entered the auditorium in good time and eagerly anticipated the start. The auditorium was crammed full and it seemed like it was taking forever for everyone to sit down,

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-90283256083534706862009-08-28T10:46:00.004+01:002009-08-28T10:55:11.682+01:00

Head over to the Theatre Bristol website and you shall spy my interview with some of the fabulous Puppet Place team (or you can just click here). But I asked them far too much to fit in one piece, so keep an eye out on Downstage Write over the next few days, as I will be posting more of my interview with them here.

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-55677363605743251762009-08-16T21:45:00.007+01:002009-08-16T22:53:30.093+01:00

It's been a while, but Downstage Write has been a busy bee and is currently gearing up for a very exciting season and lots of articles...Pictures Clockwise from Top Left: Green Ginger's 'Rust', John Dixon's 'Muzzle', Theatre Bristol's 'Prototype' Event, Stephen Mottram's 'The Seed Carriers'Highlights include the new space, The Brewery, opening at the Tobacco Factory, the Bristol Festival of

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-23392878871664979072009-06-11T22:28:00.009+01:002009-06-12T00:04:27.790+01:00

I've heard whispers of a 'scratch night' for actors at the Bristol Old Vic for a little while now, and a couple of weeks ago, the lovely people at my local branch of Equity sent us an email confirming it was happening. So what is an Actors' 'scratch night'? It's not a load of actors on decks, it's a chance for actors to try things out in front of an audience and it could be ANYTHING. The night is

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-45417672707744263232009-05-22T20:16:00.009+01:002009-05-22T20:51:09.247+01:00

As part of Bodyworks, Tobacco Factory Theatre's dance and physical performance initiative, there's the opportunity to train with two of Bristol's hottest young companies - Kompany Malakhi and Precarious. Bodyworks MasterclassKOMPANY MALAKHIThurs 04 June, 1.30 - 4.30pm£15Kompany Malakhi's trademark synthesis of contemporary dance and street styles pushes the boundaries of physical theatre. This

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-51751217285802868892009-05-16T13:01:00.010+01:002009-05-16T13:12:09.940+01:00

The following is my review for Theatre Bristol.I have a bit of an aversion to sitting in the front row. At the cinema you are too close to see the screen properly, and in the theatre there’s a high chance you may get dragged into some kind of audience participation. So, imagine my horror when I heard someone mention no latecomers would be admitted because the audience were ‘part of it’, just

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-63979943656695376252009-05-13T01:41:00.010+01:002009-05-13T11:02:55.161+01:00

Kellerman by Imitating the Dog Set in a psychiatric institution, the production explores the themes of time-travel, history and memory, while posing the question ‘what is reality?’Kellerman’s mind is so confused, I don’t really know what happened in the end, or if it ever truly ‘ended’. He believes he repeatedly travels back in time, consistently altering history and thereby creating a series of

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-46652433864191844642009-05-09T13:37:00.007+01:002009-05-09T13:57:21.260+01:00

Last night I reviewed King Pest and Night Flyer for Theatre Bristol. However, I'm not sure what time the review will be live on the site, so I'm posting it here as the show finishes today. There's still time to catch the matinee or the evening performance. Click here to go to the Mayfest website.The Paper Cinema and Kora present King Pest, and Night FlyerI walked into the Bristol Old Vic bar

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-73286355575721937902009-05-08T16:31:00.015+01:002009-05-09T13:58:53.883+01:00

Spring has sprung and Bristol's fabulous theatre festival 'Mayfest', is in bloom.If you have yet to discover this annual festival, now in it's sixth year, then here's what it's all about in a nutshell:'Mayfest is an annual celebration of contemporary physical, visual and experimental theatre from Bristol, the UK and overseas'(Mayfest Programme 2009)Shows take place across the city from the

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-33703142049556717542009-05-01T16:48:00.006+01:002009-05-01T18:24:57.655+01:00

I attended this month's Cineformation at the Watershed last night and one of the guest speakers was Felix Massie. I do have a bit of a penchant for animation and really liked his short films, so I quickly wanted to highlight his work.If you're interested in film but haven't yet discovered Cineformation, it's a forum for independent film and video makers. Offering an opportunity for writers,

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-3756305477786581912009-04-25T11:21:00.010+01:002009-04-25T12:29:01.960+01:00

I didn’t really know what to expect when I headed off to the Bristol Old Vic on Tuesday night to watch BRAVE, an ambitious collaboration between The Young Company and volunteer professional actors. Having worked with Tid, I know his style well, but I wasn’t sure what form the play would find on its journey to the stage. What I witnessed broke my heart and made me choke on my drink with hysterical

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-85321098749314611212009-04-20T23:12:00.007+01:002009-04-21T10:41:24.953+01:00

Ladies, be warned. This is a tale of follicular horror; it may bring back childhood traumas.We are regularly told about the biological differences between the sexes and how boys and girls are instinctively raised differently on this basis. We take many experiences for granted, forgetting the opposite sex may blunder into folly due to a lack of common knowledge, uncommon to their sex. In this

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6066468859651756829.post-16904699042365894042009-04-19T12:28:00.002+01:002009-04-25T12:44:19.361+01:00

This is the first post I have ever made and it’s a long one, about the meeting I attended at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre on Thursday 16th April 2009. The building was buzzing as we filed into the Theatre Royal auditorium. It was a who’s who of local creatives and supporters. Dick Penny began by thanking the theatre’s supporters and apologising to those who had not yet received replies to their

Downstage Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16713119344119867610noreply@blogger.com0