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Our Town Rview!

Small town with a big heart

Our Town

Stage2

The Crescent Theatre

****

GROVER’S Corners, New Hampshire has seen quite a population explosion at the hands of Stage 2, who must be one of the leading youth theatres in the region, if not the country.

As usual they work on the principle that a playwright’s original cast list is merely a basis for negotiation so the role of stage manager, the narrator of Thornton Wilder’s world set in small town 1900s America, becomes four stage managers.

Then the pivotal role of Emily Webb becomes two Emilys, a young version (Ella Swarbrick) and an older Emily (Isabelle Harley), the same two for the price of one goes for her childhood sweetheart and future husband with a young George (Mark James) and older George Gibbs. (Ben Holmes).

Wilder set his Pulitzer Prize winning play in an empty theatre using only ladders, tables and chairs as props to represent a town that only existed through the characters introduced by the stage manager and the pictures drawn in the imagination of the audience.

The stage managers, Annabelle Quinin, Laura Dowsett, Teigan Jones and Colette Nooney, did well in breaking through that fourth wall and speaking directly to the audience with some nice lines in humour from time to time. They also produce all the sound effects from trains to horses, chinking milk bottles, to rain – just in case anyone has forgotten what rain sounds like.

They set the scenes but this is a play which depends heavily upon Emily, the central character through the three acts of daily life, love and marriage and death and eternity.

REAL FEELING

Ella and Isabelle do not disappoint and Isabelle in particular manages the emotional scene of being the dead Emily with some  real feeling.

Indeed the women shine in this production from the bossy Rebecca Gibbs, played with real spirit by Jess Smith, to the mothers Mrs Gibbs, played in a matter of fact, motherly way by Grace Smith and across the strret there is Mrs Webb, Emily’s mother, played with all shades of maternal emotion by Elin Dowsett, last seen as Eva in Picasso’s women.

The men are perhaps a little more peripheral with Sam Hotchin playing the nice guy Dr Gibbs and Matt Childs wielding the cane to limp  his way through as the editor of the Grover’s Corners Sentinel and Emily's father, Mr Webb.

Young George features heavily in their big scenes as frist his father tries to teach him about responsibility and then his future father-in-law tries to teach him about . . . who knows what in a nervous exchange on the morning of the wedding.

There are cameos from the likes of  Sam Allan as Constable Warren, Luca Hoffman as Howie Newsome the milkman with his galloping horse, or at least two coconut shells,  Bessie and the paperboys Joe and Si Crowell both played by Roni Mevorach and the town drunk and organist Simon Stimson played by George Bandy. Simon was to hang himself and become the misery among the dead in the cemetery although we never did find out about all the troubles he had had to put up with in his life.

He played for the choir and speaking of the choir, the scene of their practice probably did not work as intended. Using the orchestra pit and under stage area meant that most of the audience saw the odd hat and perhaps a nose, a subterranean glow and then heard unconnected voices.

The population of the town, we were told, was 2642 and director Lucy Bailey-Wright tried to come as close as she could to that with a large chorus of 22 and a cast of 25, which might not have been Thornton Wilder’s intention but he would have been delighted in getting so may people involved in his play which has become an American classic.

It was set in 1901-1913 but first performed in 1938 and Wilder managed to bring in some of the politics of a 1930s America, recovering from depression, into the plot.

SMALL TOWN AMERICA

He had lived in New Hampshire where the play is set, although the latitude and longitude of Grover’s Corners given in the play would actually put it  in Massachusetts, and anyone who has been to the USA and experienced the delights of small town America will recognise Our Town immediately.

It is a world that has changed little a century on. They and the town of the play are a  place of ordinary people and ordinary lives, of hopes and aspirations, of dreams, of growing up and growing old, life and death and . . . lots of gossip.

As a production it lacks a little pace, particularly in the second half but that should pick up as the week goes on, and some of the New Hampshire accents suffered from Continental drift but once more Stage2  showed a well drilled and well rehearsed cast – and crew – producing yet another polished performance.

With no sets, no scenery and no props we relied entirely upon the young cast to both show us and tell us all about Grover's Corners, and, as usual, Stage2 did not let us, or indeed Wilder's famous town, down. To 21-07-12.

Roger Clarke

http://www.behindthearras.com/reviewsam/reviewsAMjulyoct12/Our_town_S207-12.html

Some more Our Town Videos

1 day to go!

Lots has been happening and the show is looking beautiful, and just as imagined (maybe even a smidgen better!). We hope you are excited to see the show. If you want to join the buzz and catch this stunning show then come down to the Crescent Theatre (https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en) from tomorrow till Saturday at 7pm and get tickets from box office or if you want to get specific seats then click here 
 http://www.crescent-theatre.co.uk/Y2012/stage2-our-town.html 

Enjoy the Show!

Our Town just a few days to go!

The stills don't do them justice, 

here are some sneak peeks!

Stage Managers

Gibbs Family

Webb Family

Some of the kids in the Chorus

Stage2online

Keep up to date with Stage2 at…

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New ROAD review from Curtain Call

At the Crescent Theatre

Stage2 ‘Road’ by Jim Cartwright

ROAD is the first play written by Jim Cartwright, and was first produced in 1986.

The play explores the lives of the people in a deprived, working class area of Lancashire during the government of Margaret Thatcher, a time of high unemployment in the north of England. The country lives in fear of terrorist attacks and is suffering from the effects of recession, but for the inhabitants of a Lancashire street, there's a party to go to. The vagrant wide-boy Scullery is our tour guide and in the course of one wild night, the drunken Scullery conducts a tour of his Road introducing us to an assortment of characters all trying to find some kind of escape from their sleazy existence. They include young and old, single and partnered all reeling from the effects of recession, suffering poverty and a distinct lack of morale. The play captures the bawdiness and outlandishly vulgar way of existing by some of those people who have been left on the scrap heap in that small part of Lancashire in the Eighties.

Sad but also amusing in places, the play was an arresting mix of humour and pathos, transporting the audience with energy and passion, depressing yet depicting the remarkable resilience of man to adversity. For many escapism was taking refuge in sex and alcohol to numb the despair, even starvation in an extreme case, as being a way out. Although set in the eighties the similarities between then and now are, at times, uncanny, ironically we are only too aware that it is all happening again. Indeed, did it ever go away?

The set for this play was simplistic yet well designed. With the use of scaffolding portraying eight rooms on two levels across the back of the stage, the audience witnessed various shenanigans that took place behind the closed doors of the homes in the road and outside in the street itself. There was plenty of junk about – anything that you could have expected in back alleys at that time (and now) – even a shopping trolley. Lighting and sound were suitably dark and shadowy with first class costume and props.

With 29 characters named in the programme plus a chorus of 32 and almost as many crew, it is not possible to list everyone, full credit must go to every single person for playing their part. The stillness and discipline throughout the performance was excellent. The play being of an episodic structure provided plenty of useful and challenging monologues - Special mention must go to Sam Hotchin as the rum-soaked wide-boy Scullery who kept us firmly ‘on

the road’ throughout, and Alexander Earle who was superb as 5Blowpipe. Siobhan Twissell also gave an outstanding portrayal of Helen, a woman desperate to seduce a soldier, played expertly by Lawrence Gibbs whose throwing up was so convincing he had the audience squirming.

A memorable moment towards the end, when starting with the lone voice of Eddie, who was gradually joined by the whole company, the words , ‘“Somehow, a Somehow, I might escape” swelled throughout the theatre. This, with the perfect selection of music in the finale having an almost supernatural capacity maybe left the audience with a small sense of optimism!

By no means an easy play to stage or perform, Stage2 have proved yet again their ability to successfully handle even the most difficult of material. It was performed with energy and enthusiasm throughout from start to finish. It was a good, strong, all round production from everyone involved both front of house and backstage and we look forward to Stage2’s next production of ‘Our Town’ in July.

Stage Managers Sneak Preview of Our Town by Thornton Wilder.

Stage2’s Tempest Project

Stage2’s Tempest Project

How can you take part?

Stage2, Birmingham’s biggest and busiest youth theatre are about to embark on a theatrical voyage, exploring one of Shakespeare’s most popular texts - The Tempest. The project will culminate in professional standard performances 17^th – 20^th April 2013 at The Crescent Theatre, Birmingham City Centre, and absolutely anyone aged 9-21 can get on board – absolutely no previous experience is necessary!

The project will break down into 4 key parts:

Summer School Mon 27th – Friday 31st August 2012 10am – 4pm

Workshops  Saturdays: 22nd Sept – 15th Dec 2012  9.30am – 1pm

Rehearsals Saturdays: 26th Jan - 13th April 2013 9.30am – 1 or 5pm

Production Week Evenings (Tech, Dress and performances) 15th– 20th April 2013

Summer School – this is an intensive week of learning about the text of The Tempest at Stage2’s rehearsal studios in Millennium Point. Over 5 days, each word of the play will be paraphrased (decoded!) for you to understand – giving a great insight into The Tempest, and exploring possible twists and concepts. There will be the chance to learn about iambic pentameter, Shakespeare’s style, recurring themes and stock characters as well as how to approach performing and speaking the bard’s words on stage. Auditions for main cast parts are 6 –7.30pm on the Friday of this week, so why not stay later and give it a go? (Non-members are welcome to attend this week with no obligation to join Stage2 or take The Tempest project any further!)

Workshop – This is a term-long option, taking place in the mornings of Stage2 Saturdays for 12 weeks in the Autumn Term. The cast will have been announced and there will be the chance to work collaboratively  - whether you are in the cast or planning on being in the chorus - with director Liz Light to develop characters and relationships within the play and to create scenes, make costumes, dissect speeches etc. This will be a fantastic introduction to Stage2’s rehearsal techniques and a thorough grounding in one of Shakespeare’s most important plays  - a great source of knowledge for those studying English or Drama at school, college or university.

Rehearsals – The main rehearsals for the production, bringing together all cast, chorus and the Technical Team, will happen over the Spring Term of 2013. This will be an intense period of work, with blocking, polishing and runs of the show. Over the term, costumes will be developed, blocking learnt, characters built and all of the elements of the production will be woven together. Anyone who wants to can take part, with no audition necessary to be in the chorus (just sign the register at the Intro Session on 26^th January). Chorus members will get to work in groups, creating the characters of mariners and spirits who are so vital to the atmosphere and spectacle of the scenes. There will also be a chance to interview at the start of term to be on the Technical Team for the production; stage managing, operating lights, operating sound etc.

Production Week – with technical and dress rehearsals on the Monday and Tuesday for the full cast and chorus leading into a stunning production of:

Shakespeare’s The Tempest

17^th – 20^th April 2013

@ The Crescent Theatre, Brindleyplace, Birmingham B16 8AE

Autumn 2012

Next Term
 Although Priority Booking ended on 1st of July, you can still book your place for next term  -  the prices have now returned to £130 per person (£90 for extra siblings). Next term has a wide variety of options, and is an Autmn not to be missed. If possible make sure your place has been booked before the intro session, in order to be fully prepared for the start of term! http://www.stage2.org/next-term.html . We are delighted to be welcoming ex company member Notza Howell-Jones (nee Revers) back to run General Drama for us......  

Our Town 12 days to go!

Our Town by Thornton Wilder is NEXT WEEK
Wednesday 18th - Saturday 21st July, 7.30pm
The Crescent Theatre, Sheepcote Street, Birmingham B16 8AE
Tickets: £9 available from: http://www.crescent-theatre.co.uk/Y2012/stage2-our-town.html
The show is now just over a week away! Make sure to get your tickets ASAP and spread the word about this uplifting production!
Our Town is a very interesting piece of theatre, almost the `theatre of the mind` with minimal set and mimed props, allowing the audience to interpret the scene how they will. This is not a Stage2 twist on a classic, but how Wilder himself staged and created the play. Due to the imaginative writing of Wilder, the audience will not only experience turn-of-the-century small town life, but also the ambiance and interpretation of 1930's drama.  Stage2  is known for the diversity of its productions and it has been a good while since it has performed a true American classic, with different focuses, and emphasis to that of a British writer. The show is completely suitable for the whole family

NEWSFLASH share Our Town on FaceBook or ReTweet on Twitter for a chance to win TWO free tickets to Our Town. One lucky winner will be drawn every day until the opening of the show on the 18th of April. Good Luck! 

Free ticket competition!

If you ReTweet or Share this on Facebook you could win 2 tickets to Our Town 18-21 July (1 winner will be selected everyday!)
http://www.crescent-theatre.co.uk/Y2012/stage2-our-town.html ! 
'This is Stage2, and Stage2 never let you down!'
Uplifting, quality, beautiful Theatre performed by the best of Birmingham's Youth!
Day 1 Winner Sam Allen
Day 2 Winner Christine Wright


@stage2yt

http://www.facebook.com/events/406826022671015/

Our Town 17 days to go!

It's July! The play is polished up and ready to go! We are all very excited about Our Town. 

We showed a tiny excerpt  at the Showcase evening on Friday and we have had some excellent feedback.  On Saturday we rehearsed our beautiful singing and it looks and sounds wonderful. Next Saturday we are running a whole day of workshops on Our Town everything from Accents to Hair do's and dont's; Mime work to significant lines. This will be a very useful and informative day and put that cherry on top!

Please support this show

http://www.crescent-theatre.co.uk/Y2012/stage2-our-town.html