Filed under: Arts, dad, family, gigs, life, photography, Scotland, theatre | Tags: 30 years of FCT, acting, am dram, Bugsy, children's theatre, fct, forth childrens theatre, Jeckyll and Hyde, Little Shop of Horrors, musicals, My FaiR lady, peter gorman, Sound of music, sweeney Todd, The Wiz, theatre, ya beauty, young talent, youth
The day has arrived.
We took ownership, however briefly, of the Church Hill Theatre tonight and had our first run, in the studio theatre. Tomorrow we do our technical run at 10.30. Dress at 2.30 and open at 7.30. We’re ready. The rehearsals on Sunday, last night and tonight have all built on each other and started from a good place. It’s getting pretty tight all round I have to say. (Although one of my numbers – Get me to the Church on Time from My Fair Lady happily calls for rumbustuousness and a lack of overall discipline!)
The show with the exception of the Sat Mat is, to all intent and purpose, sold out. As I predicted. And the Saturday matinee is half sold and will no doubt fill up quickly now as the latecomers realise that when we said we thought the nights would sell out it wasn’t just us making it up.
If you’re lucky enough to have a ticket (and believe me you will count yourself lucky) you are in for a spellbinding evening’s entertainment.
I count myself blessed and privileged beyond belief to be part of this. Felix McLaughlin who just came up from Cardiff on Sunday to join the final rehearsals was dumbstruck by the depth and quality of talent on show. I’m not talking about me and my generation here I’m talking about the current and just ‘graduated’ cast who have talent in extreme. And the directing team, choreographer and musical direction team have to be seen to be believed.
The impact this show has had on me will never be repeated in my life. I feel sure of that because it is truly a one off, truly a labour of extraordinary love.
My father would not only have got ‘the tingles’ as he called it. He would have been swept away in a tidal wave of emotion which is exactly what will happen to our audiences because, on the whole, their lives have been so positively influencd by the wonderful work of FCT and this is, after all, the best of FCT.
I keep coming back to the greatest thing of all; membership is a mere £3 – for the year – which includes the opportunity of being in a 10 night run on the Fringe PLUS a show like this and we’ve never had even so much as a penny of public sector funding.
FCT is immense and this joyous photo from the rehearsals sums it all up for me.
This is FCT!
Filed under: Arts, family, humour, jokes, life | Tags: am dram, holy cross players, panto, snow white and the seven dwarves, theatre, tony delicata
The family went to the theatre last night. As we have many, many times before, given my dad’s extensive involvement in am dram.
This particular venture was to see my sister, Jane as Queen Evira, in Holy Cross Players’ production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. It was a local church production so, in all honesty, our expectations were not sky high, we were anticipating a lot of endevour, some in jokes and a quick getaway. How far from the truth could we possibly have been?
What a magnificent production it was. Jane was awesome and my Dad would have been so proud of her. She had the audience in the palm of her hands, threatening a shortened interval and reduced chance for that cheeky wee glass of wine we so look forward to if we booed and hissed once more. Cackling demonically and losing the plot with her hapless henchman Igora, played by Denise Simpson.
The script was hilarious, having been adapted to suit the fictional lands of Ferry Roadia and West Erhailes by the director Tony, Philip Lewis and Lou Milligan. Each and every member of the cast looked like they were having the time of their life. Snow White was perfectly cast, the stooges were hilarious and the two big set pieces; an echoing well and a Monty Pythonesque skit based on an exchange something like this…
“What?”
“Pardon?”
“No I said what!”
“Don’t you mean pardon?”
“What?”
“No, pardon!”
It was a hoot.
Every single principle could sing. That’s a rarity!
The whole show was life-affirming.
Congratulations to the director, one of my Dad’s many Proteges, Tony Delicata and all his production team.
Highlight of the week, by far..
