Waiting for Dave

Last night, the Bradon Forest Theatre audience were treated to the first ever public performance by In For a Penny Theatre Company. The young company consists of three friends who met at studying Drama at the University of Aberystwyth; Adam Elliott, who plays Peter, David Reeves playing Chris and Philippa Bradfield who directed the piece.

'Waiting for Dave' has been devised by the three over just two weeks of intensive rehearsals. The story is based roughly on the play 'Waiting for Godot'. Two actors turn up to the first rehearsal for the play. But alas! There is no director. They then spend the next hour amusing themselves with various props and costumes while they 'wait for Dave'.

There was a variety of amusing characters, including a pirate, a dancer and an obnoxious father who are all created to help the 'detective' character find out what has happened to Dave. The two actors incorporated some comical physicality which really engaged the audience in to the story. I particularly enjoyed the 'hat-off' and 'dance-off'. Everyone loves a good dance-off!

There was only one element that I think I would change and that was the audience participation towards the end. With a strong Gonzo Moose and Publick Transport influence on the exaggerated characters, you can see why the devising process ended up going down that road, but I think that as the play was set in a rehearsal, it wasn't really appropriate to bring the actual audience in to the piece. A small point to make on what was otherwise a very enjoyable piece, especially when you remember the short amount of time it took to create!

Philippa is working with our Drama Club to create a new piece of drama for public performance in May. Watch this space!

Ending 2011 on a high!

Last night was our last official concert of the year as our talented singers and musicians played to a packed out St Mary's Church. There was a delightful assortment of vocal arrangements including solos from Vicky Egerton and Rhianne Groom, a duet by Grace Bartlett and Ania Witka and of course, the Bradon Forest Choir. One of our peripatetic teachers, Miss Fleet, directed a number of arrangements, my favourite of which was Walking in the Air, with a number of singers and Hannah Sellars and Elliot Gunton on flute. Just lovely! Miss Fleet later commented: "Well done - the best by far of the concerts I have been to this year!"

Thank you, as always, to everyone who came and supported. The audience were even entertained by the vicar who treated us to a really jolly number about love at Christmas. We're hoping it will be a regular slot! We've had some wonderful comments including this one from a parent:

"The concert last night was super, we thoroughly enjoyed it, especially my father who is always very appreciative."

That's it from us this year but we would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and warm wishes for 2012. We look forward to seeing you back in the theatre on January 26th for Waiting for Dave!

We Wish you a Merry Christmas!

With over 70 performers across the two nights, the 2011 Bradon Forest Christmas Music Concert was yet another success! I think I say this every time, but I love our concerts. We have such a wide range of performers, from the experienced GCSE Ensemble Group (pictured) and their own moving arrangement of 'Do They Know it's Christmas', to first time flute soloist, Charley Hill with 'The Holly and the Ivy'. What's especially lovely to watch is the support that the students provide each other. For example, on Wednesday, Alecia Kissell played a piano solo. I think she was a little nervous as a few mistakes were made and Alecia got a bit flustered. After stopping and starting she managed to finish 'The First Noel' to ruptious applause from the students. On Thursday evening, Alecia played it through perfectly and her friends cheered even louder!

With, as I said, over 70 performers, I can't mention them all, but every one of them did us proud. The choir seem to be going from strength to strength and their rendition of 'Infant Holy' gave me goose pimples! The KS4 Jazz Ensemble's performance of 'Santa Baby' was delightful and the Orchestra are flawless! Once again, the Staff Hand Chime Group managed to ding and dong our way through two numbers, including one of my favourites, Jingle Bell Rock. Thank you to everyone for their patience... we are getting better! Mr Duncan's Ukulele Group entertained us with two numbers. 'The Cave' by Mumford and Sons, and 'Christmas Time' by The Darkness. I think I will have to try and get a clip of the latter up as they pulled out all the stops, including some very amusing solos and vocals by Mr Widdop. The group have now expanded with 5 students, Mr Duncan and now also Mr Butler and Mr Widdop. The Maths department are obviously trying to boost their kudos and know that music's where it's at...

There was a lovely warm buzz in the theatre last night and everyone was congratulating the performers as they left. I was having a chat with one of the parents and she said to me that as she was sat there enjoying every single performance, she couldn't help but think, "I wish I'd gone to a school like this." That's something we should be proud of and we will continue to support and encourage new artists, actors, musicians and singers to get on stage and show off their talents! A special thank you to Miss Groom and Miss Hedges for hosting yet another jam packed, encouraging and entertaining concert. Roll on the next one!

"Hearty congratulations on last night. Best concert I’ve been to in ages. Really entertaining." Miss Maunder

Don't miss the Christmas Carol Concert, next Wednesday 14th December in St Mary's Church Purton. It starts at 7pm and parking is limited, so get there early and wrap up warm!

5 Star Review!

Well that's it! It's all over! The run of A Midsummer Night's Dream has come to an end, but what a run it was. The final show on Friday was a sell out and the audience had been superb all week. Thank you to everyone who came and supported.

'Midsummer' is one of the better known Shakespeare plays, but even so (as you can imagine) it can be quite hard to follow the original language. However, our talented cast delivered their lines with conviction and understanding, so that even if our younger audience members couldn't follow the text, it was very clear how the story was progressing.

The set was beautifully created with several large fairy-light wrapped branches lining the back of the stage, with various lighting stages to represent the different times in the forest. When the front curtain was first pulled back to reveal the trees, there was an audible gasp! Rather than the traditional one Puck character, we had a 'clan' of five Pucks who all spoke in unison. With choreography by Hannah Guy, and a lot of input from the Pucks, the physicality of their movement was especially enchanting and mystical. Titania and Oberon, played by Ailsa Calder and Justin-David Machado, were a particularly dominiating presence on stage, commanding all the fairies with convincing supernatural authority.

Most of the laughs came from the 'play within a play', where the group of workmen, led by Quince (played outstandingly by Rae Elias), perform the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe. Bradley Williams as Francis Flute and Oliver Webb as Nick Bottom were full of energy and the whole -mini-cast were on top form, even at the end of a two hour play!

Congratulations to the entire cast. This really was a top Bradon Forest Theatre production, though I'm sure that Mr Calder is already working on how to try and beat it for next year!

"Thank you and your excellent cast so much for a fabulous night on Friday. The show was fantastic – what amazing talent we have here at Bradon Forest! Can’t wait for the next one!!"

Miss Mainstone

Midsummer now well under way!

Last night was the official opening night for A Midsummer Night's Dream, although the cast performed two dress rehearsals for Year 8 on Monday... back to back! Everything went off without a hitch and we're now looking forward to three more shows. Miss Mazelin, who was in the audience last night, said that she was so impressed with all the students who had managed to learn some difficult lines, and such a lot of them! There was also a group of Year 7 girls watching the show. At the end, one turned to the rest and said: "I hope one day we can act like that!"

Good luck to the cast for the rest of the week. A review will follow shortly, but in the mean time, amuse yourselves with some of our production stills.

(NB. I'm not sure what's up with Flickr at the moment, but it's not connecting for the upload, so the photos are on our Facebook page for now.)

Guest Review: Grimm and Grimmer

This morning I had the pleasure of opening an email from Mrs Duffell, parent to a very talented young man from Lydiard Millicent Primary School called Alex, who was so enamoured by the Gonzo Moose show that he wrote this excellent review:

On Thursday night Mummy took me to see Grimm and Grimmer at the Bradon Forest theatre. The play was performed by a theatre company called Gonzo Moose. Although there were only three actors there were over ten characters in the play.

The story was based on the fairytales written by the Grimm brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm. It starts when their sister, Lottie, discovers that they got all their stories from Rumplestiltskin in return for a human heart. They decide whose heart it will be by playing rock, paper, scissors. Wilhelm is the unlucky one so Rumplestiltskin places a clock on his heart. When the clock stops Wilhelm will die. Lottie wants to save her brother and travels to the fairytale kingdom in search of Rumplestiltskin. Along the way she meets some interesting characters including a mime prince and a bourbon eating bear. When she meets Rumplestiltskin he isn’t actually that scary and she kills him in a fight. She returns home with the key to her brother’s heart. Jacob then operates on Wilhelm winding the heart up and removing the clock. Wilhelm lost a lot of blood in the process. After the clock struck midnight he was still alive. Lottie went back to the fairytale kingdom and married the mime prince. They lived in a mime palace with their many mime children.

I really enjoyed it and would recommend Gonzo Moose to anyone. My favourite moment was when the wolf thought Lottie was Little Red Riding Hood and crept up behind her only to say “Sorry I thought you were someone else!” The special effects were fabulous with snow and very realistic blood! This play had it all: it was funny, scary and overall quite Grimm! I would rate this play 9/10!

Alex Duffell

As you can see, this was too good not to publish! Alex, we are so pleased you enjoyed the show and we look forward to welcoming you back to the Bradon Forest Theatre any time!

If you missed it, you missed out!

I've got to the stage where I don't like seeing trailers for shows and films. I love surprises, so turning up to watch something and have events unfurl in front of me without knowing what's coming is a real treat! That said, I'm in two minds whether to give you a full review of Grimm and Grimmer, The Misadventures of the Brothers Grimm, by Gonzo Moose because you really should go and see it!

This is the first show that the Gonzo's have developed specifically for families, and I think it may be my favourite show yet. Who doesn't want to see a bearded hunchback called Debbie, an adorable furry biscuit eating badger, gobbling Goblins and an elf hunting cowboy? If all that doesn't say Christmas then I don't know what does! Some friends of mine brought their 7 and 9 year old children who absolutely loved it. Never missing an opportunity for laughs, parents and children alike chuckled and giggled their way through the performance as the three actors pushed the story to the limit, using physical theatre, wonderful tricks and effects and as many visual gags as you could throw a plastic ear at. And there was even snow!

The climax of the show used a technique called 'psychic surgery', which Seamus assures me is an actual form of medicine practised in the Philippines. Without wanting to ruin the end, I will only say this.... it all looked VERY realistic and my friends son wouldn't let me tickle his belly after watching it!

Intrigued? Then all I can add it this, you need to go and see it. Seriously. If you see anything (outside of the Bradon Forest Theatre) this Christmas, then make sure it's Grimm and Grimmer. They have a nice long run at the Pegasus Theatre in Oxford, and as always with Gonzo Moose, I can't recommend them enough!

The Gonzo's return to The Bradon Forest Theatre on Saturday 30 June with 'I'm an Aristocrat, Get me out of here!' Tickets are on sale now.

Sold out you say?

Well that's it then! We've sold out already for Thursday's performance of Grimm and Grimmer, The Misadventures of the Brothers Grimm, by Gonzo Moose. If you're one of the lucky ones to have a ticket reserved, then come and collect it in advance or please arrive no later than 7.10pm on the night of the performance. Don't forget we also have refreshments in the form of mince pies and mulled wine (Christmas is coming!) so bring some change.

Right, see you on Thursday! I'm so excited!

Sing it loud and proud!

Last night the music concert season got off to a great start with over 50 students performing on stage, some for the first time! They were all fantastic. It was also a delight to be joined by the North Swindon Community Choir who sang a varietuy of numbers before our own choir performed along side them for the final number.

"The concert was huge fun and the singing was superb. Long may it continue to grow in volume and harmony!" Mr Calder, Head of Expressive Arts.

I absolutely love our music concerts. There is always a lovely supportive atmosphere, with experienced students performing alongside total beginners... students who have only been learning their instruments for a matter of weeks! As Miss Groom said, it is really encouraging to see their confidence growing with each performance. A pleasing sign for the future! Tickets for the Christmas concert are already on sale. On Wednesday 7 December we're in the Theatre for a good ol' cheesy Christmas show and then on Wednesday 14 December we visit St Mary's Church in Purton for the annual Christmas Carol Service. All are welcome to both events and the Carol service is donations only. Do get your ticket for the 7 December nice and early to avoid disappointment, they're on sale now! Email me or call the box office on 01793 773981 to reserve yours.

North Swindon Community Choir rehearse (at presents) at Red Oaks Primary School on Mondays, 7pm - 8pm. Contact Jessica Prophet on 01793 493920 for more details. Everyone is welcome to join them!

Fighting malady with melody since 2011

A sell out audience were treated to a wonderful evening of delightfully different entertainment last Friday. The night opened with a performance of Moses Supposes by Sole Rebel Tap. This was a lovely high energy tap dancing piece by Hannah De Cancho and Katie Ballard, who also teach regular tap classes for all abilities in Oxford. If you live near by, then check out their website for more details!

It was then the turn of a cast of our GCSE students to tread the boards with their recent examination piece. The performance, devised entirely by the students, was loosely based on their own version of a 'medicine show', but which included a mix of physical theatre, commedia dell arte, modern mask work and absurdest theatre. It followed the journey of a man to track down Oswin Owl (who is certainly not a banker!) who had snatched his innocent children. After a variety of mishaps that would make Gonzo Moose proud, the man is reunited with his children and Mr Owl who explains through song (It Must Be Love, by Madness) the reasons for stealing the kids! A member of the audience took the time at the end of the show to say how much he loved the performance:

"The students were a pleasure to watch. The physicality was wonderful and I loved the strength of the characters."

Praise indeed! Well done to Oliver Webb, Jack Matthewson-Inglis, Michaella Penfield and Izzy Rowand.

The stage was then reset for Curious Company's first in-theatre performance! The company, made up of Louise Rennie, Marie-Lou Flexen, Steven Skinley, Russel Boodie and Pete Russer, are used to performing outside at festivals and fairs and taking their own brand of 'Curious' to the streets. Dr Russet's Travelling Medicine Show was a splendid mix of live music, laughter, singing, dancing and an old lady's wind that would work in any setting.

Curious Company's show enforces the idea that the true power of healing lay in the act of song and dance rather than the potions themselves. Taking inspiration from 1930s jazz, blues and folk, Tap dance and Charleston, Vaudeville and Music Hall, fused with more contemporary influences the Curious Company cast have created a piece of theatre that offers both a taste of nostalgia, and a reflection on the restorative properties of entertainment and human interaction.

The audience were invited on stage at various points to get involved with 'fighting malady with melody' and as a result, the atmosphere of the evening was as effervescent as an offering from Russett's own Homespun Wonder Tonic.

Thank you to Curious Company for a marvellous show. We're looking forward to the next time already!