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Post by originalconceptlive on May 19, 2023 21:11:45 GMT
I'm just curious, is getting around the UK by car a bit of a nightmare? I think this holds true even outside the UK when talking about heading into a major city where decent public transportation is offered. In New York City, for example, I would think most people coming in from the surrounding areas would take transit to the theater. That's true; I hadn't picked up on a particular pattern of these posts being about going into London per se (public transport seemed to me to be mentioned as the default for going from anywhere to anywhere), but maybe that's the prevailing theme and I just hadn't noticed. |
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Post by capybara on May 25, 2023 16:49:00 GMT
How would you define a ‘song cycle’ and why is Six not one?
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Post by Jan on May 25, 2023 17:11:10 GMT
This might be more of a silly 'UK living' amnesty question, but I'm just curious, is getting around the UK by car a bit of a nightmare? I've noticed that discussion here about whether or not getting to a particular show is viable, is usually about the trains. Are roads just off the table as an option most of the time due to traffic or similar? (Of course, particular individuals might avoid driving for a range of reasons if they wish; but I just wondered if there was more to it.) The problem is often not so much driving as parking. The only theatres I ever used to go to regularly by car were Chichester, Stratford, Barbican and Almeida - the former two because of limited public transport options and the latter two because due to where I live it used to be faster to get home and there was cheap parking. |
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Post by fiyerorocher on May 25, 2023 22:27:42 GMT
How would you define a ‘song cycle’ and why is Six not one? Six has sustained characters telling a narrative. Song cycles, at least to my knowledge, are songs grouped on a themed but with no real narrative running though. So the songs in Villages are all about queer venues across history, but there is no plot connecting them beyond that. |
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Post by Dawnstar on May 26, 2023 14:59:13 GMT
Song cycles, at least to my knowledge, are songs grouped on a themed but with no real narrative running though. I'm not sure about musical theatre song cycles but I wouldn't say that definition fits some classical music ones. Song cycles such as Schubert's Die Schone Mullerin and Winterreise do have a narrative thread. |
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Post by capybara on Jun 16, 2023 12:23:06 GMT
What is a chocolate box production?
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jun 16, 2023 17:13:10 GMT
Could it be a production that is really twee, such as something by Fredrick Ashton. But i don't know and I'm guessing.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jun 16, 2023 18:06:18 GMT
Orchestrations
1). If a production company wants to commission a new set of orchestrations, does the composers estate normally kick up a fuss ? I guess a lot depends on the estate ?
2). Candide and Night Music at Mountview both used Carr's arrangents from the Menier. Yet on MTI, only Johanthan Tunicks are listed for hire. It's not exactly a shock or horror, but I wonder how that came about.
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Post by Jon on Jun 16, 2023 18:28:58 GMT
What is a chocolate box production? I'm not sure how it applies to theatre but chocolate box as a term is used to describe something that is pretty in an conventional or ideal way so like a chocolate box cottage. If I were to guess, I'd say a chocolate box production is something that is traditional and doesn't do anything new or dramatic. |
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Post by originalconceptlive on Jun 16, 2023 22:27:22 GMT
Orchestrations 1). If a production company wants to commission a new set of orchestrations, does the composers estate normally kick up a fuss ? I guess a lot depends on the estate ? As one example, I listened to a podcast episode a long time back in which there was discussion of the approach taken for an 'Anything Goes' production. That production was allowed to develop new orchestrations for the instruments they had available; but show's rights holders retained ownership of the new orchestrations and, as I recall/understood it, could have chosen to offer them to new productions in the future without having to compensate anyone. (I think it was this podcast episode, with the example provided by Dan Glover: jimandtomic.com/episodes/38.) |
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jun 17, 2023 6:13:56 GMT
Orchestrations 1). If a production company wants to commission a new set of orchestrations, does the composers estate normally kick up a fuss ? I guess a lot depends on the estate ? As one example, I listened to a podcast episode a long time back in which there was discussion of the approach taken for an 'Anything Goes' production. That production was allowed to develop new orchestrations for the instruments they had available; but show's rights holders retained ownership of the new orchestrations and, as I recall/understood it, could have chosen to offer them to new productions in the future without having to compensate anyone. (I think it was this podcast episode, with the example provided by Dan Glover: jimandtomic.com/episodes/38.) Thanks for that, I'll have a listen. |
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Post by Dave B on Aug 7, 2023 8:50:21 GMT
What does 'workshopping' actually mean?
A poster suggested that Martin Guerre (poss Old Vic 2024) was in the process again. In a general sense, does that mean that a director or producer or even theatre has been attached and they are looking at number of cast or acts or changes to a text? Is it a stage before auditions, or would there be some casting already done? Is it a group of people in a room making a play work or a group of people in an office working on logistics (or both... or neither?)
Ta!
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Post by firefingers on Aug 7, 2023 10:39:42 GMT
What does 'workshopping' actually mean?
A poster suggested that Martin Guerre (poss Old Vic 2024) was in the process again. In a general sense, does that mean that a director or producer or even theatre has been attached and they are looking at number of cast or acts or changes to a text? Is it a stage before auditions, or would there be some casting already done? Is it a group of people in a room making a play work or a group of people in an office working on logistics (or both... or neither?)
Ta!
Workshops vary, but you are broadly correct. It is working or reworking a piece with an intent to improve it or generate creative ideas amongst the the team. Examples may include: A week to workshop certain elements to figure out how an area of an intended production might be staged. Things like puppetry or a large automated piece may well have a workshop, so that the director and creatives may have a clear idea before proper rehearsals begin, budget assigned etc. You may workshop a show that has been successful in another market before its transfer. A Broadway musical may need Anglicising, changing references a British audience may not get etc. You may workshop a show to try and fix some long standing issue. If the show is old you may want to look at how you might update it for a modern audience. Doing this in a workshop means the eventual cast only need learn the "new" version and not a version that will be changed, and give confidence to investors that the product is suitable for the current era. A workshop may range from a scene or two to the whole show, and may be a fully private affair, or shown to potential investors, or even have a couple of public performances to gauge interest. Just because a piece is workshopped it is no guarantee of a production ever actually being produced. I know several people who workshopped a stage musical of Pink Floyd's The Wall and have been slightly bummed out ever since that it never made it any further. On the other hand a friend was off doing a workshop of a musical adaptation of a British sitcom and it sounded to me on the face of it a bit naff, but he insisted it worked really well. That show was Only Fools And Horses, being workshopped about two years before it made a public performance. |
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Post by Jon on Aug 7, 2023 10:46:02 GMT
I've seen the term development labs used for shows which I assume is workshop in all but name. Muriel's Wedding have been these in New York.
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Post by TallPaul on Aug 7, 2023 12:56:19 GMT
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Post by teamyali on Aug 8, 2023 11:48:37 GMT
I’m curious if these workshops are salaried, meaning performers are paid even before it is staged in public. Or could they only be paid if the production becomes official to the public? Often it takes months and even years. I read that in Broadway, the actors who started in those workshops for their shows get some credit for mounting the show, but it’s not always the case in the West End (according to the Carrie Hope Fletcher discussions across socmed regarding her workshops for Cinderella)…
I read from one of the comments in The Motive and the Cue thread that John Heffernan was in workshops to play Gielgud, but Mark Gatiss ended up getting the role in the final staging.
There’s also an interview of Ben Daniels I listened to previously regarding his experience of working in The Normal Heart. He said that it took 7 years for it to be revived, even then it became more urgent to stage it because of the pandemic and Larry Kramer’s death. He was Dominic Cooke’s first choice (or even the only choice) to play the lead role. Elliot Cowan did a reading with Ben too, though he didn’t end up being part of the official revival.
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Post by firefingers on Aug 8, 2023 12:23:22 GMT
I’m curious if these workshops are salaried, meaning performers are paid even before it is staged in public. Or could they only be paid if the production becomes official to the public? Often it takes months and even years. I read that in Broadway, the actors who started in those workshops for their shows get some credit for mounting the show, but it’s not always the case in the West End (according to the Carrie Hope Fletcher discussions across socmed regarding her workshops for Cinderella)… I read from one of the comments in The Motive and the Cue thread that John Heffernan was in workshops to play Gielgud, but Mark Gatiss ended up getting the role in the final staging. There’s also an interview of Ben Daniels I listened to previously regarding his experience of working in The Normal Heart. He said that it took 7 years for it to be revived, even then it became more urgent to stage it because of the pandemic and Larry Kramer’s death. He was Dominic Cooke’s first choice (or even the only choice) to play the lead role. Elliot Cowan did a reading with Ben too, though he didn’t end up being part of the official revival. Actors will be paid for their time at usual rehearsal rates etc. If they are good in the part they may land the role in future, recast into a different role, or simply not be hired. Their contract is likely to be for that workshop only. Actors getting credit for the piece itself is very rare in the UK, seen more as a talking prop than a creative role. |
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Post by Jon on Sept 11, 2023 11:47:10 GMT
How long does it take to load and unload a show? I only ask because I was looking at the Bord Gais Theatre runs of Wicked and Hamilton and there is only a day and a half between one closing and the other opening.
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Post by michaell8 on Sept 11, 2023 12:19:29 GMT
What do understudies do when they don't have another role in the show? I'm thinking of someone like Jack Wilcox who covers for Charlie Stemp in Crazy for You. Do they have normal office jobs and get a call during the day to say "Charlie's sick, can you do tonight please?" Thanks for your answers in advance  |
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Post by Jon on Sept 11, 2023 12:23:16 GMT
What do understudies do when they don't have another role in the show? I'm thinking of someone like Jack Wilcox who covers for Charlie Stemp in Crazy for You. Do they have normal office jobs and get a call during the day to say "Charlie's sick, can you do tonight please?" Thanks for your answers in advance A standby has to check in and stay until the first half of the show just in case the actor they're covering falls ill or gets injured during the show. |
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Post by daisy24601 on Sept 11, 2023 14:54:06 GMT
How long does it take to load and unload a show? I only ask because I was looking at the Bord Gais Theatre runs of Wicked and Hamilton and there is only a day and a half between one closing and the other opening. I did a bit of this and although I would have been less elaborate sets than these, they can get taken down in a few hours. It'll be done immediately after the last show finishes. |
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Post by firefingers on Sept 11, 2023 23:11:30 GMT
How long does it take to load and unload a show? I only ask because I was looking at the Bord Gais Theatre runs of Wicked and Hamilton and there is only a day and a half between one closing and the other opening. It varies, depending on how complicated the show is. Smaller tours (or bigger tours with crap producers) go in and up in a day. Bigger stuff you might do a few hours the previous day, or even a full day. Massive stuff it might be a couple of days. Hamilton is quite a simple set. |
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Post by cheesy116 on Sept 12, 2023 0:55:12 GMT
How long does it take to load and unload a show? I only ask because I was looking at the Bord Gais Theatre runs of Wicked and Hamilton and there is only a day and a half between one closing and the other opening. It can be anything from a few hours to 3 days. The Les Mis tour took 3 days to get in to Glasgow and that was 24 hours a day, although it was in the first venue of the tour and they had much more time to do it. I imagine they probably usually do it in a day. The staff doing the 'get outs' and 'get ins' get paid a very very high hourly rate, due to the strict timings and the heavy lifting involved and it almost always being over night. |
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Post by toomasj on Sept 12, 2023 7:32:09 GMT
How long does it take to load and unload a show? I only ask because I was looking at the Bord Gais Theatre runs of Wicked and Hamilton and there is only a day and a half between one closing and the other opening. It can be anything from a few hours to 3 days. The Les Mis tour took 3 days to get in to Glasgow and that was 24 hours a day, although it was in the first venue of the tour and they had much more time to do it. I imagine they probably usually do it in a day. The staff doing the 'get outs' and 'get ins' get paid a very very high hourly rate, due to the strict timings and the heavy lifting involved and it almost always being over night. The outs yes, the ins no. Ins are paid as basic rate. |
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Post by properjob on Sept 12, 2023 17:42:08 GMT
It can be anything from a few hours to 3 days. The Les Mis tour took 3 days to get in to Glasgow and that was 24 hours a day, although it was in the first venue of the tour and they had much more time to do it. I imagine they probably usually do it in a day. The staff doing the 'get outs' and 'get ins' get paid a very very high hourly rate, due to the strict timings and the heavy lifting involved and it almost always being over night. The outs yes, the ins no. Ins are paid as basic rate. Back when I was doing it (15 years ago now) it was quite common for the get in to start on the Sunday so double time but nothing like the get out rate. Did mean not a lot of sleep between previous get out and next get in. |
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