Music of the Spheres - project with sinfonia ViVA 06.12.11

This project aimed from the start to involve young people in creating their own music. Lincoln College, Nettleham Primary and Monks Abbey Primary Schools met at The Collection in October 2011 to take inspiration from The Four Seasons installation.

Following that, each school, with the help of workshop leader James Redwood, (double bassist Dave and viola player Nina) exercised their imaginations and wrote songs and instrumental music about enjoying the four seasons, change and the journey of life. 

As well as their own compositions, the children and students learnt two songs (complete with actions) to incorporate into the final concert:

"Ah poor bird

Take thy flight

Far above the sorrows of this dark night"

And......

"Seasons change with time

As the earth circles so slowly

Dancing round the sun

Hear the planets spin

Orbiting, ever evolving

Music of the spheres"

It was truly inspiring to see so many children get stuck in to music, and to also get to listen to ViVA playing Astor Piazzollo's 'Four Seasons of Buenos Aires' as well as some Bartok in between each specially composed piece.

 

It was a privilege to have been part of something that introduced so many kids to some great music, but as well as that it was FUN! Kids can be hilarious.

 

If you didn't get to see it this year, please PLEASE try and make it next year (fingers crossed it will be going ahead next year) - you won't regret it!

-Hilary Shepherd, Marketing Officer

This Is Just To Say... 26.11.12

"Would you call yourself a serial apologist?" asked Hannah Walker of the 12 people gathered round the table for her discussion-come-poetic-performance of 'This is Just To Say'.  How often do you find yourself apologising on a day-to-day basis?  Is 'sorry' always the right thing to say and do we always mean it?

For this exploration of apology, the Room Upstairs was transformed into a cosy, twinkling, confessional as guests drank wine and pondered the 'terribly British' overuse of this get-out-of-jail-free tool.  We measured the validity of one apology against another, we shared our own apologies, we read apologies from people from all over the country and we listened as Hannah twisted and turned the words into insightful, sometimes tongue-in-cheek sometimes heartfelt, verse.

This wasn't an average theatre experience.  You couldn't sit back and let the evening wash over you - the content was too real and too personal for that.  As Hannah gently questioned, explained, and shared her own experiences, we scribbled thoughts and ideas, asked our own questions and confronted our own lost apologies. 

For an hour I shared a conversation with a group made up of friends and total strangers, got lost in thought, and was moved to the verge of tears before laughing so much that my sides ached.  The discussions we had, the lines she spoke and the words I wrote stayed with me long after I had returned home and for me, that's exactly what theatre should do.

- Charlie Kemp, Audience Development and Participation Project Worker

BEHIND THE SCENES - "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"

Pantomime season has begun!

That means that everything Jamie Marcus Productions could possibly need from now until January 2nd is in our Auditorium as we speak...

 (Coming into work Monday morning shows that since Friday things have even spread into the Cafe Bar)

As well as all the backdrops there are numerous props hanging around - you may be able to guess who some of them belong to or where they appear in the story...

But the crew found it hard work shifting and lifting everything....

And here's a sneaky preview of the first dress rehearsal in the Drill Hall - in real pantomime style!

-Hilary Shepherd, Marketing Officer

Lunchtime Literature with Dr Jane: Middlemarch 28.10.11

Dr Jane, the lady in white. 

The stage is a chess board for this evening’s musical (see the Chess post).  Dr Jane is the White Queen; she can move in any direction. 

This month it’s Middlemarch by George Eliot, brick-sized and dense, ‘the book Tolstoy said made his great novels possible’. 

We settle down for an hour of biography, character analysis, political, social and religious context, text analysis.  Guess what?  It’s fun.  George Elliott becomes a friend we’re gossiping about (in a nice way, of course, most of the time).

The lights go up.  ‘Oh!  Look at you all!’ Dr Jane beams and we beam back.  Now for questions.  There’s never enough time.  It’s over too soon.

We spend an hour with a different genius each month.  It lifts us up, broadens our horizons.  Next month we’ll find out all about Erich Maria Remarque – All Quiet on the Western Front.  Can’t wait.

-Jenny Clarkson, box office assistant

Click here for info on All Quiet on the Western Front and find out about our other lunchtime literature talks