Well, this weekend has been rather sad. Not only is the weather wet, cold and dark still, but the play has now finished. All the buzz you get from performing in front of an audience keeps you on such a high during the week that you feel almost ready to take on anything!
However, Friday night was the last night of our latest production at Bilton Amateur Dramatic Society.
The play was staged on a curtain set, with minimal furniture and props used to create each scene. It was a play with humour and pathos, entitled "Life Goes On", written by Adrian Hodges. We had good houses all week, but Friday night was incredible - we had to turn several people away on the day so we had a full house. It was probably the best performance we all gave, too, which made it that bit more enjoyable!
Yesterday, we (my husband Keith and I) went to the theatre during the day to collect my clothes and other personal belongings, and do a few jobs while we were there, too. All the cups and saucers, glasses, spoons, knives and bottles had to be washed, dried and put away. Somehow we had also amassed an array of glass tumblers in the dressing rooms which we washed and put away in the kitchen. All the electrical rigging needed taking down (Keith did that) and the grey fold-up chairs bringing back out from backstage into the main auditorium ready for our Junior/Youth section rehearsals this coming week. I think I classed that part of the job as my exercise for the day!
The sign we usually put up over our premises sign had to be taken down - that's always a sad moment. Finally, we had to replace a light bulb in one of the outside lights at the theatre. Once we'd ensured the place was safe for children to use it again, we came home.
Today, all my clothes from the play have been washed and are all that's left of my character, Joyce. She was probably one of my most favourite parts to play, since she portrayed a range of characteristics - in one scene she was a "bossy, bad-tempered, seaside post-card of a wife" (to quote one of my lines) yet later on we saw her softer side when she started talking to her dead husband about how she would miss him. I never failed to have tears in my eyes whenever I got to that part of the play; I think it is largely down to the skill of the author's writing - it was such a moving scene to play. In various other scenes, she showed her vulnerability when being seduced by her dead husband's younger brother - Joyce was completely taken in by his words and it was convincingly written.
The cast consisted of 3 regular members of the adult section - myself, Andy Jowett and Mike Hawxwell - plus a new member, Kay Humphries, and a member of our Youth Section, Amy Fletcher. We worked really well as a team and had great support from our prompt, Carol Hawxwell (Mike's Mum) even though she was rarely needed all week, and of course we had an excellent Stage Manager in the shape of my husband, Keith Davison, who is a perfectionist and someone I know we can rely on. In the sound & lighting department, we were lucky to have the services of Josh Cosway - another member of the Youth Section and very good at the job of sound/effects. Helping him was yet another member of our Youth Section, Shannon Bean, who did the lighting for the production. We are desperately short of members for anything now that we are blessed to have such willing volunteers from the younger section. Without their help we simply could not continue, so we are all really grateful to them. As it was our director's first time in that role, we bought her a little gift to congratulate her on a successful job - a rather apt bottle of champagne, which we decorated with the same label we'd used on the fake bottle of champagne in the play!
Today, to try and lift the rather desolate feelings I have had, I've been painting a couple more notepads and another landscape painting, as well as watching a DVD. This afternoon we watched "Australia". It was quite a long film (I think it was about 3 hours) and very emotional - I cried quite a bit at certain points! Probably not the best distraction, but it was a very good film and I have actually changed my opinion of Nicole Kidman now! I was actually rather impressed with her English accent and she was a believable character for me. In the past, I've not really liked her style of acting. Hugh Jackman was a lovely hero, perfectly cast!
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