Rehearsals going very well

Rehearsals for AP are going really well. We managed to block the whole play in two sessions and for the last two weeks we have been working steadily through the play concentrating on marrying up lines and moves and practical business. We've also been working on characterisation and there's some lovely stuff happening on stage already with the promise of much more to come. Today we ran the whole second act and it's coming together brilliantly. I am so pleased with the hard work this cast is putting in, it's making my job of directing it a joy. Keep up the good work team!

RepTalk appearing in Midweek 3rd March

Renata Szarvas from Mainstreet Art and Framing with the beautifully framed print of The Wings of Love by Stephen Pearson.

Preparations continue in the run up to opening night of Repertory’s latest production, Abigail’s Party with plenty happening behind the scenes. Rehearsals are well underway now and our resident set-builder John McGowan has almost finished transforming the Repertory theatre stage into a 1970s suburban living room.

Appropriate furniture is being sourced as are all the props needed for this production. One of the pivotal props in the play is a large 1970’s print of the iconic painting The Wings of Love by Stephen Pearson. Although it was a fairly common sight on living room walls in the 1970s, this wonderful piece of kitsch art is somewhat of a rarity now – most have either faded badly or were relegated to the dustbin a long time ago. After scouting around local secondhand shops to no avail, a chance word with Renata Szarvas at Mainstreet Art and Framing in Victoria Avenue, meant our search was over.

Remarkably, when Renata took over the framing business, she inherited a number of these prints from the previous owner, and, being in storage all these years, the colours were as bright and fresh as the day they were printed.  Enthused by the whole project, Renata also offered to research and create a typical 1970’s picture frame to finish the whole thing off.  She sourced the appropriate moulding, assembled the frame and then passed it on to Andrew Toy at Furnique in Somme Parade who did a fantastic spray painting job to create an authentic period finish. Very kindly, Renata has provided this brilliantly framed picture (and her time involved in creating it) to Repertory free of charge – thanks Renata!

Thanks too must go to Eileen Martin of Springvale who, after last week’s appeal in RepTalk for unwanted carpet for the Abigail’s Party set, came to the fore with several rolls of lovely carpet in very good condition. We’re still after 1970s wallpaper, however , so if anyone has any unused rolls lurking in the garage drop us an email to abigailspartynz@gmail.com

Incidentally, if you’d like to see The Wings of Love in the flesh, it will be on show at Renata’s shop at 15 Victoria Avenue (next to Maxilab) for the next couple of weeks.

Tickets are now on sale at the Royal Wanganui Opera House. Call in or telephone 06 349 0511 to book seats for Abigail’s Party which plays at Repertory from 31^st March to 9^th April.

The official Abigail’s Party blog continues at http://abigailspartynz.blogspot.com/

RepTalk appearing in Midweek 23rd February

Production managers Jodie Palmer (left) and Dee Brough (right) have fun
sorting through 1970s costumes in preparation for the upcoming production
of Abigail's Party at Repertory.

Countdown to rehearsals

It’s been a busy week at Repertory with more preparations for our upcoming production of Abigail’s Party. The set design has been finalised (featuring a fabulous 1970s decor) and the design for the front of theatre billboard has gone off to Display Associates for printing- it’s going to look great when it goes up – very eye-catching!

Rehearsals start in a few days time and then it’s going to be full steam ahead until opening night on 31^st March. We have a brilliant cast assembled for this play. Talia Annear-Kjoss will be playing Beverly (a glamorous ex-beautician) and her performance is going to be just brilliant. Certainly no stranger to the stage, many will have seen her amazing performance as Rita in Educating Rita last year as well as numerous Repertory productions including Noises Off and Stepping Out. Peter Dilloway will be joining her, playing her long-suffering husband Laurence (Peter recently demonstrated his spot-on comic timing in Black Adder at Am Dram) and Repertory stalwarts Linda Kerfoot and Karen Ellett (both brilliant in Stepping Out) will be playing neighbours Susan and Angela. With all that combined stage experience, it’s also great to welcome newcomer Troy Taylor into the fold – he’ll be playing Tony, Angela’s mean and moody husband. It’s going to be great fun!

For those of you unfamiliar with the play, Abigail’s Party has been described as a ‘Comedy of Bad Manners’ by its author, Mike Leigh. Set in a suburban home in the late seventies, it follows the comic (and dramatic!) events of one evening when bored and bitchy hostess Beverly throws a drinks party for the neighbours. A few too many gin and tonics later and what starts out as a civilised soiree quickly descends into the ‘party from hell’.

Tickets, priced at $20 (with concessions available), are on sale from February 28th at the Royal Wanganui Opera House. Call in or telephone 06 349 0511 to book your seats for Abigail’s Party which plays at Repertory from 31^st March to 9^th April.

The official Abigail’s Party blog continues at http://abigailspartynz.blogspot.com/  - log on and sign up as a follower and go in the draw to win two tickets for opening night.

Stranger on the Shore

...and this is the piece of music Beverly chooses when she gets smoochy with Tony...

It's not Unusual

Time for another music clip. Here's the unmistakable sound of Mr Tom Jones singing It's not Unusual - this performance from the Ed Sullivan Show in 1969. Eight years on, and Beverly is a big fan of this Welsh crooner - maybe it's his fondness for open-neck shirts, gold chains and tight trousers!

Production meeting

We had a very successful production meeting last night at Repertory - thanks to all for attending. Talked everyone through the set design and John, who will be building it, doesn't think there'll be a problem with construction. The Front of House Theatre Sign was all okayed as well so that's gone off to Display Associates today to be printed - can't wait to see it up outside the theatre! We also discussed the smoking (or non-smoking) issue and, as it's a big no-no, we have decided to explore the possibility of using electronic smoking cigarettes. Apparently they are quite realistic. They're available at the Amcal pharmacy, so I will make enquiries before the weekend.
The countdown is on for the first proper rehearsal this Sunday at Repertory - am itching to get stuck into rehearsals now!
The Midweek RepTalk column came out today and we've had one new follower sign up already - thanks Denita!

Theatre Sign - first draft

Here's the first draft of the Front of House AP sign that will go up outside Repertory Theatre. Although it may need a bit of tweaking still, I'm very happy with the overall look - the colours are certainly nice and punchy with a definite seventies feel. Just need to sort out the poster design now!

To Smoke or Not to Smoke?

AP is set very much in 1977 and as a result of this all the characters smoke (some quite heavily!). There has been much debate about whether smoking should be allowed on stage, so to clarify the matter I contacted Murray Lynch who is a director at PlayMarket. His answer is below...

Hi Mark

I was involved in lobbying the Health Minister when the smokefree legislation went through parliament. All of the professional theatre companies lobbied the minister but to no avail. There are exemptions to laws like these for stage overseas but we failed to get it here. A fine of up to $4,000 will be put on any management allowing smoking in their premises. Film and television get away with it because their premises are closed work spaces without public and they are all contract workers. The law explicitly forbids herbal cigarettes as well. Most theatre companies fake it by not actually lighting the cigarettes. What has been adopted by others is some form of electronic cigarettes which produce a puff of smoke. I do not know where to source these.

http://www.moh.govt.nz/smokefreelaw

Have fun with Abigail's Party. Terrific play.

Kind regards

MURRAY LYNCH | DIRECTOR

Set design - completed model

Here's the completed model design of the AP set. It's a bit difficult to see as it's all been painted white, but the finished set will be in gorgeous seventies shades of orange and brown. Because the final colour scheme of the design is so dependent on the carpet and wallpaper, I have decided to wait and see what turns up from the appeal in Midweek before committing to a definite colour scheme- I really hope we get some fabulous geometric wallpaper and shagpile carpet!

RepTalk appearing in Midweek 16th February

Talia Annear-Kjoss, who plays Beverly in Abigail’s Party, logs on to the official Abigail’s Party blog site.

Win with Repertory

Have you ever been to a production at Repertory and wondered just what goes on behind the scenes during the rehearsal period and the build up to opening night? Well now you can find out without even leaving home thanks to the world of cyberspace.

Repertory’s next production, Abigail’s Party, has its very own ongoing blog which will contain regular posts, photographs, music clips and even videos showing the whole development of the play from casting, through the rehearsal process, wardrobe fittings, set design and construction, props hunting and even the backstage technical stuff like lighting and sound. There’ll be video interviews with cast and crew, video clips of rehearsals (right up to opening night) and plenty of information along the way – so if you’ve ever fancied getting involved with a production at Repertory this is a great way to find out what goes on!

Normally our audiences enjoy the live performance, but there’s even more stuff happening that they never get to see and, thanks to the wonders of the internet, this is a great way to provide an insight into the way Repertory plans and produces a stage production.

Furthermore, if you log on to the blog site and sign up as a follower you’ll be in the draw to win a pair of tickets for opening night on Thursday March 31^st. The winner will be drawn at random from all followers of the blog (excepting cast, crew and production staff on Abigail’s Party), and will be announced online and in the Midweek RepTalk column of Wednesday 30^th March. So log on, sign up and start blog-watching!

The Abigail’s Party blog site can be viewed at http://abigailspartynz.blogspot.com/

Abigail’s party is set firmly in 1977 and because of this Repertory is going all out to create an authentic period look onstage. In particular we’re after retro-looking wallpaper (ideally big bold geometric patterns) to decorate the lounge area of the set, and 1970’s carpet – either highly patterned or plain (perhaps even shagpile?). If you have either of these items lurking in your garage (or are about to renovate and rip out old carpet) then we want to hear from you! Any contributors to the set decor will receive two free tickets to Abigail’s Party.

Drop an email to abigailspartynz@gmail.com

Abigail’s Party plays at Repertory from 31^st March to 9^th April 2011

Beethoven's 5th Symphony

Here's another music clip from AP. This is the 'light classical' record Laurence chooses to put on the turntable after Beverly stomps off upstairs. This dramatic piece accompanies an equally dramatic moment onstage!

Abigail's Party - Off Broadway 3

One more shot from the Off-Broadway production of AP. Jennifer Jason Leigh (as Beverly) looks particularly insincere as she chats with Angela.

Abigail's Party - Off-Broadway 2

Here's the glorious trio of Susan, Beverly and Angela in the 2006 Off-Broadway production of AP. Unfortunately (for Karen Ellett, at least) I am very keen to go with a similar look for the character of Angela - including the outsized Deirdre Barlow glasses, severe centre parting and big hair clips. Sorry Karen!

Abigail's Party - Off-Broadway 1

Just to whet your appetite, here's a photo of the 2006 Off-Broadway production of AP featuring Jennifer Jason Leigh as Beverly (the vision in powder blue on the right). Our set will be similar in look, although it will go further back, with the front door and full kitchen clearly visible.
(Note the gorgeous fibre-optic lamp on the room divider - we have one of these already thanks to Dee!)

Love to Love You - the album

Have managed to track down a copy of the ubiquitous Love to Love You Baby LP thanks to Trademe! It's on its way as I type, so can't wait to put it on the turntable. Donna Summer certainly looks like she's enjoying herself on the cover!

A very welcome addition!

Jodie Palmer will be director's assistant and co-production manager on AP, and she's going to be a very welcome addition to the team. Jodie was brilliant backstage during last year's production of Grease at the Opera House, managing to orchestrate the challenging set changes with great aplomb. With AP she'll have a whole new set of challenges including co-ordinating rehearsals, liaising with cast and crew and understudying the three female roles. Great to have you on board Jodie!

Model box of Repertory stage

Here's the model box of the Repertory stage and the very beginnings of the set design for AP. In this production we will be using the full depth of the stage with the front door clearly visible upstage. The kitchen will also be more visible than in other productions, allowing the audience a simultaneous view of action in the kitchen and the lounge. A lot more work to do on the set design still, so watch this space...

The Wings of Love

Now this is more like it according to Beverly - the iconic masterpiece The Wings of Love by Stephen Pearson. Laurence thinks it's pornographic trash, however, and banishes it to the bedroom.

Vincent's Yellow Chair

Art crops up in conversation from time to time during AP, and according to Laurence this is the height of artistic 'good taste' - his framed reproduction of a genuine Van Gogh. Beverly, of course, disagrees...

Forever and Ever

And here's another of Beverly's favourite crooners, Mr Demis Roussos, singing her favourite track Forever and Ever. This is the song she's eager to play to her guests, while performing an impromptu solo dance around the coffee table. Unfortunately Laurence doesn't share her enthusiasm, dismissing him as 'that fat greek'.

Love to Love You Baby!

Gorgeous 1970s music plays an important part in AP, so here's a clip of the incomparable Miss Donna Summer performing her classic hit Love to Love You Baby. This is one of Beverly's all time favourite songs and it's the record she puts on the turntable at the start of the play - the perfect song for Beverly to 'get in the mood' before her guests arrive.

First read-through

Here's the AP cast hard at work during the first read-through at Repertory. From left to right, clockwise around the table: Troy Taylor (Tony), Karen Ellett (Angela), Talia Annear-Kjoss (Beverly), Linda Kerfoot (Susan), and Peter Dilloway (Laurence). Dee Brough, our stalwart prompt and production manager, is in the background.
The read-though went extremely well, and hearing the play read aloud for the first time made it really come alive. Some fantastically funny moments!

First production meeting

Last night we had our first production meeting for AP where we talked about crew, promotion and technical stuff. We're almost covered for crew (fingers crossed!) and promotional events will be coming thick and fast during the build-up to opening night. One event which promises to be great fun is an appeal to the public for unwanted seventies gear (carpets, fabric, furnishings etc), with tickets to AP for prize winners.
All set for first read-through tonight - hope to post a few photos!

Auditions a success! AP has been cast

Hello and welcome to the very first post on the Abigail's Party (AP) blog! Auditions on Sunday were a great success and the production has been officially cast. The following fabulous actors will be appearing in this gorgeous seventies play which runs at Repertory from 31st March to 9th April 2011.

Beverly - Talia Annear-Kjoss
Laurence - Peter Dilloway
Angela - Karen Ellett
Tony - Troy Taylor
Susan - Linda Kerfoot

Check back for regular blog updates as we count down to opening night. First read-through is tomorrow evening so watch this space!