The Ice Book - 28.10.11

Technologies old and new are cleverly combined in Davy & Kristin McGuire’s miniature projected theatre performance, The Ice Book. Part animation, part book art and part performance, the show’s use of back projection onto pop-up book sets result in an experience that is both intimate and immersive.

It also conjures up the spirit of Georges Méliès and early film experimentation, Russian folk tales, magic lantern theatre and eastern European animation. So far so good – all of my personal interest boxes ticked.

The mechanical aspects of the performance – the lightbox and book – are well crafted and work beautifully. And you can sense how the origins of the miniature stage sets lay in full-scale theatre.

The McGuire’s had long held the dream of creating a theatre performance that opened up like a pop-up book and The Ice Book was created as a demonstration model to lure funding.

The back-projected animations play automatically during the performance while one of the artists, in this case Davy, turns the pages of the large pop-up book by hand to reveal each new scene.

However, I found that The Icebook’s story itself is the weakest part of the show. It’s familiar and simple (as folk tales are, I know), telling the the story of a mysterious princess who lures a boy into her magical world to warm her heart of ice.

Given the technical ingenuity on show, I would have liked to see a story with more invention and ‘magic’. It all just felt a bit flat and, well, one-dimensional. This is a minor quibble though (I’m beginning to sound like Barry Norman!) as the it is a special and unique piece of theatre and I’m genuinely excited to see what Davy and Kristin get up to next.

-Gavin Street, Marketing Manager

Chess 26.10.11

 “Chess”, not a show I was familiar with and given its youth production nature it seemed an unusual choice for production company DTC to stray away from the safer ground of shows like “Our House” and “Les Mis” that they have previously produced. 

However I can honestly say that the cast, crew and producers pulled it off.  The show used a smaller group of prominent characters compared to others and this worked to the casts strengths meaning the actors that performed were a much tighter unit and produced some good moments.  Sadly those moments were few and far between due to the sheer number of songs that Chess possesses, I know it’s a musical but when the first half runs at 1 hour 15 minutes and about an hour of that is similarly paced songs it gets quite laborious. 

The second half was better with a shorter running time and songs that had more character, including “One Night In Bangkok” and the one everyone knows “I Know Him So Well”.  All the songs were performed excellently though with some very strong voices being able to really stretch their legs.

An usual staging and minimal set forced innovative direction and lighting to be used so scenes could be distinguished between and the show didn’t become visually boring.  There were no legs and as a result no wings so all the stage was visible and the space was filled well by clever lighting conventions.  The crew who were dressed in white shirts and black ties sat to the side of the stage and took on acting crew member roles during scene changes.

In a sentence, the cast was better than the show with the audience feeling they’d had a good game but check-mate hadn’t quite been achieved.  I feel spurred on to look out for future shows produced by DTC thanks to Chess, one of which was hinted at after the final number when the theme from “The Phantom of the Opera” rang throughout the auditorium, a surprise to the cast as much as the audience it seemed, look out for that in 2012. 

-Tom Marcinek, Box Office Assistant

MBD: The Four Seasons (Autumn and Winter) 12.10.11

From the moment it entered the building, this pile of logs, old broken furniture, an old car in need of restoration, a couple of hospital beds, a selection of xmas trees, two old and adapted pianos and a host of modern LED lighting, sound equipment and computer projection equipment I immediately became involved in an experience I knew nothing about. 

The 4 Seasons.

 

Here at the Drill Hall we have been hosting Autumn & Winter with 2 ½ full days of fit up and then the opening night with over 100 people through the doors I can honestly say I can honestly say that Autumn is Awesome and Winter is enlightening. You find that you can relate to the story on more than one level and become part of it. Thank you Polly for letting me into your life and god bless.

-Gary Malam, Operations Manager



A video made from the launch night of the Four Seasons - a walk through all of the seasons and what the public thought:

Hear the soundtracks from the Four Seasons here

View a visitor's blog on the Four Seasons here

The Ash Walker 13.10.11

Set in a post-apocalyptic world, The Ash Walker is an at times sinister but moving account of the last man on Earth’s realisation and understanding of his part in the end of the world.

Having had a series of smaller studio theatre performances at Lincoln Drill Hall, The Ash Walker stands out among them as one of the best from Upstage Left Theatre Company.  As a one man show it was beautifully acted by Daniel Rex Cahil conveying the story with a level of humanity and depth often missing from solo performance.

Written and directed by Stuart McPherson, someone who writes often of the darker side of human nature and knows how to pile on the agony, The Ash Walker is no exception. However, McPherson manages to capture and hold the audience much better in this 45 minute show than in previous lengthier productions.

The story follows the accountability of one man’s actions that snowball out of his own control and leave him in a state of regret induced amnesia that he spends the following years trying to reverse.  Having lost the love of his life in a tragic terrorist attack and his own memory, the central character searches the burnt out remains of his world for answers only to find he is ultimately responsible for her death.

This was a poignant moving piece that deals incredibly well with one man’s life, love and loss. It is a play and performance that will be with me for a long time.

-Andy Farenden, box office assistant


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