Crescent Theatre Blog

“Casting is sometimes talked of as being 75 per cent of the director’s job,” writes Stephen Unwin, “and certainly if you don’t understand how important casting is, your work is bound to fail.”

As Arts Manager at The Crescent Theatre I have to sign-off casts lists for each production. As I only feel comfortable doing this having seen who has auditioned, I sit in on as many auditions as possible. There purely to observe – not to interfere – I find more often than not that directors use me as a sounding board as well as a source of information on how committed actors have been to previous productions and so on.

As an observer it has been interesting to see just how seriously directors take casting and how often they agonize, literally, over the process. Decisions can often be especially painful when they involve close friends or even relations. I am happy to say, however, that I’ve not met any nepotism as yet and all decisions have been based on what’s right for the production; if they weren’t I would intervene.

So what do directors consider at casting? Well, I guess the list is a long one, but includes looks (does X look like the character I have in mind, and will X look right against the other actors?), sound (will the voice fit the character?), temperament (is X a team player or a prima dona?), movement (can X purvey the feeling of the period through movement?). The list goes on and on, and certainly makes casting a very important, if not the most important, task a director undertakes.

On reflection, I’m not sure it’s 75 per cent of the work, but it’s certainly a good 50 per cent and not a task to be envied. To all of you who have ever auditioned and been turned down, spare a thought for the director. He or she does not make decisions lightly or without regard for how those decisions will be perceived, they do, though, have to make decisions with the very best intentions and for the good of the production. So this time you didn’t quite fit (and you may violently disagree with a decision), but don’t let it worry you and keep auditioning!

Introducing … The Crescent Book Club

The all new Crescent Book Club will meet once a month as part of the re-launched club nights. Each month we’ll discuss a different book—all of which will be plays of course.

We’ll meet on the second Monday of each month, and you’re welcome to come to every session or just dip in occasionally when the mood takes you. Each session will start at 9pm (when the bar opens) and last for an hour, so there’s still time to get in early and help with tasks around the theatre. All members are welcome.

We’ll advertise the play to be discussed well in advance of the meeting, and copies will be available at the theatre.

The first meeting will be on Monday, 8 June when we’ll discuss Eugene Ionesco’s MACBETT.

If you’d like a copy of the play to read, please leave a note in the Arts Manager’s pigeon hole and I’ll get one to you a.s.a.p.

Robert F Ball, Arts Manager
robertfball68@hotmail.com

The Crescent Theatre’s Chair, Andrew Lowrie, yesterday hosted a party to thank the volunteers who put so much hard work into helping make the recent Little Theatre Guild conference such a success. Here are a few photos from a great evening, and a big thank you to Andrew for such a great party.

Four hardy thespians (including myself) took to the stage yesterday at Brindleyplace to mark Saint George’s Day, and Shakespeare’s birthday, with a selection of readings from the works of the immortal bard.

We all read a selection on sonnets, then Dave Hill and I read speeches from HENRY V, Jo Mason read from ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA and Judy O’Dowd read from RICHARD II.

OK, so we didn’t attract a huge crowd of Saturday shoppers, but we did our bit to raise the profile of The Crescent and spread a little cultural light on an otherwise fairly grey April afternoon.

HAPPY ST GEORGE’S DAY!

The Crescent Theatre has been invited to present a selection of readings from Shakespeare for St George’s Day. Although today (Thursday, 23 April) is England’s patron saint’s day, the performance will take place on Saturday, 25 April at 1400 BST at Brindleyplace.

Having recruited some of the theatre’s finest actors to assist with the readings, I’m now occupied selecting sonnets and speeches for the big day. Why not pop along and see the result on Saturday afternoon at the band stand outside All Bar One? I hope to see you there.

Now that the exciting revised 2009-10 season has been launched it’s time for directors to put forward proposals.

I’m seeking expressions of interest from directors, in the first instance, for the following productions:

THE VORTEX, Coward, September 2009
ROARING TRADE, Thompson, September 2009
JUNO AND THE PAYCOCK, O’Cassey, October 2009
THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK, Goodrich and Hackett, November 2009
SEASON’S GREETINGS, Ayckbourn, December 2009
WASSAIL, devised, December 2009
GOD IN RUINS, Neilson, December 2009
THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS, Bennett, January 2010
A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE, Miller, January 2010

Reading copies of all these plays are available from the theatre office. If you’d like to be considered for any of the above productions, please contact me for details of the production and a director’s form which needs to be completed and returned by the end of May (proposals for THE VORTEX and ROARING TRADE need to be returned by Monday, 11 May).

Potential designers for the above productions simply need to let me know they’re interested at this stage.

Thank you. Robert Ball (robertfball68@hotmail.com)

Hard working Arts Manager, Robert Ball, today took a break from set painting to participate in the final round of this week’s BBC Radio WM Workplace Challenge - and won! Despite a rocky final round in which Robert dropped points for the first time, The Crescent beat off Big Cat Communications to take the title of weekly winner. Robert didn’t score enough points, though, to make it to the top of the leader board.

Robert Ball, Arts Manager, has now extended his lead to three points on BBC Radio WM’s Workplace Challenge (daily on the Les Ross Show at 1445 and 1515 GMT). But, with two rounds to go everything could still change.