Looking back on the week we spent at The Watermill, it is strange how different it appears to a lot of Rhum and Clay’s rehearsal process in the past.  Whereas the early rehearsals for our first show had been in various parks around Paris and our following show was mostly created in a deserted bar in Oxford, we suddenly found ourselves living next to the rehearsal space, with a tremendously receptive and supportive theatrical community on hand to answer our questions, bring us props and offer us feedback.  We found this a far superior arrangement! 

It also marked a first for the company, as we have never adapted a novel before.  And what a strange, thrilling and hilarious novel it is.  One thing we have strived for as a company is to make all our shows enjoyable and fun for the audience.  With its chase scenes, absurd characters, brilliant one liners and ridiculous plot about an undercover policemen infiltrating an anarchist council, The Man Who Was Thursday seemed like the perfect book to adapt. 

For the first few days of the week, we spent a  lot of time exploring the ideas of storytellers, or characters who could frame the story in some kind of context.  Doing some preliminary research on the period, we found it unbelievable how, much of the time, real events in the late 19th century were far more bizarre and absurd than Chesterton’s work of fiction.  Anarchists accidentally blowing themselves up in public and police chasing around innocent removal vans in an attempt to foil a grand conspiracy were just two of many things that felt like they were pulled from the world of the book. 

As the week progressed, our storytellers impressed themselves more and more into the narrative and the feel of the piece began to take on the mannerisms and humour of a vaudeville comedy.  When we realised this, it was a great release, because it gave us an angle into the rest of the story and how we would approach it.  It’s always going to be difficult trying to represent seven characters on stage at the same time when there are only four actors, but with the style we found ourselves in, that difficulty became very much a part of the fun. 

As we worked we had continuing input from Beth Flintoff, the Watermill’s Outreach Director.  Being close-knit group of four, it was refreshing to have an outside eye, helping to refine ideas and ask questions about what we were trying to achieve with the piece.  We ended the week with a presentation for The Watermill staff of the work we had created.  We had settled on four ‘sequences’ that we thought gave the best idea of the direction in which  the piece was going.  The feedback was very useful and gave us a few pointers as to how the piece might progress in the future. 

A week is a very short time to create something for an audience but we were very happy with what we produced and that it did justice to our idea about the novel and how we wanted to adapt it.  We are a new company so the support we have been given is invaluable.  It can be intimidating to navigate the theatre industry and try and forge a path for ourselves amongst a lot of other companies trying to achieve the same thing.  That a theatre such as The Watermill is taking an interest in us is incredibly heartening and shows that all the rehearsing in parks and underground bars was worth it.  We are looking forward to continuing to work with them in the future.      

Kristoffer Huball
Co-artistic director of Rhum and Clay Theatre Company

It was 1987 and I must have been about 3 years old (!) and had just started lighting shows, when my mate Alan J Green production manager at a tiny theatre in Berkshire asked if I would like to light an “Old Time Music Hall” working with a young girl about 4 years old (!) who was going to produce and star in it.

I first got an insight into Music hall at the Players Theatre, then under the arches in Charing Cross, as a student, helping to pay my way through college, doing anything from collecting glasses to working the cloakroom. I loved the bizarre comedy and the fact each act had a set time. The whole place shook as the trains went over at regular intervals. You always felt sorry for the newcomer who lost the climax of their act to the thunder from above and the clinking of glasses and the chandeliers.

On leaving college, I went to work in theatres just in time to catch the dying days of variety shows, where acts would come in sometimes moments before they were due on stage. In the lighting box you would be handed a running order of the act with simple lighting notes, hundreds of other electricians had seen before you – “dark blue and spot” for the ballads “pinks and yellows” for the up-tempo numbers and the note which was, and still is, my favourite “B.F.C.” Bright for comedy.

Then I met Miss Helen Watson and we got on like a house on fire. Incredibly this year is the 25th annual production of hers I have now lit and it’s also no secret how my career changed after all that earlier contact with The Watermill Theatre. Not only is Seasonal Sauce a great joy to work on, but it is normally one of the first shows the Assistant Stage Manager moves up to become Deputy Stage Manager.

Last week in the staff room the team were shrieking with laughter and singing excerpts from many years of shows they had all worked on, to much headshaking from the newer members of staff who have yet to work with this collection of “Nerve Over Talent”

Hope you all enjoy our 25th. I have lit it with plenty of “B.F.C.”

Lawrence T Doyle – Production Manager

The day begins with the alarm making its noise at 5.45am.  I like weekends because then the alarm doesn’t go off, but it’s Monday again and the weekend has been and gone.

Clean clothes having been put out the night before, I am soon climbing into them, my face and the rest of me having been splashed by water and soap as quickly as possible. Breakfast follows and a quick look at the news – I don’t know why I bother, it’s usually all doom and gloom, unless some politician has built another duck house and has been found out – that usually makes me chuckle.

Monday is bed day at The Watermill, so after feeding the cat and checking the dressing rooms, we (that is the housekeeping team, Claire, Brenda, Jill and me, depending on which day of the week it is) clean the theatre, bar, dining room and toilets, then begin to sort the bedding.  If the accommodation is full of actors we could have 18 beds and rooms to do.  And you never know what you’re going to find when you walk into the green room (the actors’ sitting room) – we’ve been met before by a large stuffed monkey who appeared in a different place every day – one day, suspended from the light fitting, the next with his head in the oven! 

We have a daily routine which includes cleaning all public areas and removing rubbish from offices, toilets, foyer and accommodation. The extras are fitted in as and when – dressing rooms on Wednesday, downstairs office on Friday, upstairs on Sunday.  We try to polish the dining room floor every three to four weeks.  Other areas are done when we can fit them in.  If we’re not full, we may manage a bit of spring cleaning – can you hear the spiders yelling for mercy?!
At this time of year, with the Christmas show on, the routine alters and we clean the toilets first, so the floors are dry before the first coach load of excited children arrive. We check them once again before the next few coach loads arrive for the afternoon show – why do children enjoy throwing paper towels on the floor?!

When we enter the dark period, the time when the theatre closes for maintenance work in early January, we often struggle to find a spare spot to clean as the theatre is taken apart and lighting and kit spread all around.  If we do get to clean an area, it often gets messed up again the following day.  So beware – if you stand still you may get polished!
Our CVS have expanded no end – ace fitter of toilet seats, unblocker of sinks and drains, cleaner of gullies, floor polisher par excellence, cleaner and feeder of cats, fish and chickens! 

In spite of the changing routines, isn’t it a great place to work?  Where else on the planet could we be approached at 7am by the Artistic and Executive Director and asked the very important question, “Have the chickens been let out?”  Magic!

Judy Cuthbertson – Housekeeper

Those that read this blog regularly know by now that I quite often” bat” on about recycling and  how much we try to reuse here at The Watermill.

I’ve just gone through the design for our 25th Anniversary Seasonal Sauce and with pride can say it will be made of 90% recycled material and that’s not including the jokes (boom boom).

The Wind in the Willows is proving to be more of a challenge though, so maybe one of you can help. We have already been approached by St. Gabriel’s who will be borrowing props for future in the year, and not wishing to hide  our light under a bushel, our sound department has been brilliant.

Earlier this year we were approached by Juliesbicycle.com, a green theatre initiative, to see if we would change our radio batteries. As you may know, for some time The Watermill has not only recycled all our batteries, but was one of the first collection points in the area (last year we sent 100kg. to an accredited recycler). Collection boxes are still in the foyer, so please feel free to drop off worn out batteries over the festive period.

Julie’s Bicycle are keen for theatres to try using the new rechargeable systems which were  traditionally avoided due to unreliability. Wicked at the Apollo Victoria London was trialling the system and being of a similar size ( in attitude) The Watermill, naturally, became involved.

Thanks to the hard work Sally and Gareth have done, putting the systems in place, we are proud to be one of the first theatres in the country now committed to the Better Battery campaign.

So where is my green problem with Toad Hall?  Well I can’t think of a way to reuse the set! For those that have seen the show, all the set is made from a rubber coated material cut into strips to form the willows and all the riverbank scenes. It is actually the same material that is used as the side curtains on Lorries.

We could just recycle the rubber unless you have any ideas – a small amount we are going to use as a sort of “Butchers screen” in the workshop to act as a dust/draft break, and the rest…any suggestions?

So if anyone wants about 80mtrs of rubber material cut into 200mm strips please contact me at production@watermill.org.uk.

Have a fab yule.

Lawrence Doyle – Production Manager

The first term of the school year saw The Watermill Theatre present a unique intergenerational project entitled, Memory Lane. Together with 12 young performers from our Associate Youth Theatre and 8 adults from a local sheltered housing group for the elderly, we spent a number of sessions playing games aimed at building confidence, improvising short scenes to perform to each other and immersing ourselves in the wonderful, vivid and varied memories of the adults. We then set about working through a series of exercises in order to breathe a physical life into the stories.

We brainstormed together, created still images and then produced little thirty second plays recreating some of the events we had been told. The young performer’s recollection of the stories was detailed and accurate and allowed us to present very truthful snapshots of the adult’s lives. From the images they had presented in their little plays and from some of the lines we had taken directly from the adults we collated our favourite stories and put together a short script, added some costume and props and staged an energetic and heart-warming performance including a wonderful rendition of The White Cliffs of Dover lead by the adults from Neville Court and Audrey Needham House!

Having spent much of my late teenage and early adult life in the company of my grandparents, I understand first-hand the benefits of a strong relationship with our senior generation and the importance of an oral tradition, where stories are passed down through the generations via conversation and reminiscence. How else are we to get a real sense of the past? Of the people who walk before us? Media coverage has a powerful influence in the shaping and creating of modern history and perception but it distresses and disappoints me to see so many adverse news stories that suggest the relationship between the young and the elderly is one that is built on fear and intimidation. Intergenerational projects such as Memory Lane can make positive steps to alter this by actively encouraging diverse groups of people to engage with each other in a safe and creative environment such as ours here at The Watermill.

It was wonderful to observe the adults working with the young performers and joining in with our energetic drama games like “Zip Zap Boing”, laughing as they did so. Or to watch them contribute to a variety of improvisation exercises. Or to see them overcome their nerves, stand on stage together and sing in front of an audience. The evidence shows that Memory Lane has had a transformative and inspiring effect on the adults. Grace Callaghan, one of the participants from Neville Court, said that being in the company of young people made her “feel young again” and Gladys Ferris, another participant, has expressed her desire to write a play for the group to perform.

And the benefits extend, of course, to the young performers who were able to get a sense of the past through lived experiences and were given the opportunity to ask questions about how the world has changed in the 60 or 70 odd years that separate them. Our conversations about school punishments really captivated their imaginations and shocked them somewhat, as did stories about evacuation and rationing. Other things that became points of interest were the way telephone exchanges worked, the different currency that was in operation during the adult’s childhoods and what the adults got up to on their “first dates”. The answers were always vivid, frank and full of insight.

The performance itself also gave the young participants the opportunity to see first-hand the effect their own creative work can have on other groups of people. In the case of Memory Lane they were performing to two separate audiences almost: one audience was the assembled family and friends, come to watch and support our endeavours. The other was the people whose shoes they were actually standing in, the people who had contributed the stories that had provided the very basis for their scenes. This could well have been the very first live performance these young performers had been involved in and it’s reassuring to know that the relationship between performer and audience was one of warmth, generosity and good spirit. The experience of performing in a project like Memory Lane is sure to be a memorable one and will hopefully go some way towards ensuring that the perception of the elderly as they move on through life is one of respect and admiration.

Julia McMullin, Activities Manager at Neville Court, sums up the positive effect that projects such as Memory Lane can have, with her description of the adults on the day of their visits to The Watermill.  They were “always ready and waiting whenever I went to pick them up. It makes them look forward to the future!” We hope that the experience they have had during their time at The Watermill and the interaction they have had with our wonderful and creative Associate Youth Theatre will have created new memories and going forward we hope that we will become a part of that future!

Clive Judd
Trainee Director – Regional Theatre Young Director Scheme
Director of Memory Lane

For anyone interested in intergenerational work, I would recommend getting hold of a copy of Reminiscence Theatre by Pam Schweitzer, founder of the charity Age Exchange Theatre. As one of the foremost practitioners in this field, she offers a valuable insight into how to use peoples stories as a starting point for creative work. Augusto Boal’s Games for Actors and Non-Actors is also an invaluable resource for suggesting games and exercises for a diverse group of people.

From those taking their first tentative acting steps to an eminent stage and screen actor, it was a very busy day at the theatre yesterday (Thurs 7 Dec). We had already performed our Christmas show The Wind in the Willows at 10.30am and 2.30pm to a packed theatre of school children. From 4.30pm we held three performances from our Associate Youth Theatre in the Lily Pond. This involved 45 children aged from 5 – 13 years and their family members watching their end of term demonstrations.

Finally,  Sir Patrick Stewart hosted An Audience with… event on stage at 7.30pm.  Sir Patrick was interviewed by friend and Watermill Associate Artist Euan Smith and answered an array of questions from the audience. He then mingled with guests in the theatre restaurant after the event. The theatre was packed with fans of Sir Patrick who were clearly mesmerised by his stories about his role as Captain of the Enterprise in Star Trek to his renowned theatrical performances in Shakespeare classics.

Sir Patrick talked of his rise to fame from a West Yorkshire school boy to international film star. This included tales of acting with Vivien Leigh, the lengthy audition process to star in Star Trek and his love of outdoor pursuits including scuba diving and skiing!

It was a truly memorable evening and all proceeds raised from the event will go towards the theatre’s fundraising. We have so far raised over £8,000 – a fantastic amount! This rounded off a hectic but enjoyable December day at The Watermill. We are so grateful to Sir Patrick for giving his time to help us raise much needed funds and to Jackson Stops and Staff who sponsor our “An Audience With…” events.

Ria Jones
Development Officer

For those who saw The Clodly Light Opera and Drama Society you will have probably recognised parts of the set. It is very easy to talk “green” but takes a great deal of skill and energy to make it happen. James Cotterill, our designer, certainly had that skill and imagination. We met a few months ago to look at his original designs which I priced in the thousands. We then spent a day at our stores and he imaginatively reworked the final design to the mere cost of the consumables. ‘Moody’, our carpenter, and Laura the scenic artist with their skills, then crafted components from previous shows to produce a set that looked as good as any we made from scratch. (Hedda did offer a bottle of wine to anyone that could name all the original sources – slightly unfair as only 2 of us have been here long enough!)

Today we open what for me is our most important show The Wind in the Willows. I love our Christmas shows, for many young people this is the first live show they have ever seen, this is entertainment in real 3D. Watching their expressions open mouthed as they see a squirrel play a saxophone or see a boat rowed up through the auditorium by a rat and a mole, fires their imagination in a way only theatre can.

These will be our designers of the future, the ones who will take a plastic toy out of a box and with that box make a spaceship or a watermill, watching their imagination grow is a joy to see. Hayley, the designer of our Christmas shows, always try to feed that imagination. So many of the magical props onstage still have an obvious source, so you can recycle and old scooter with a bit of cardboard and hey presto you have a wonderful motor cruiser it just takes a bit of imagination …….

Lawrence T Doyle
Production Manager

It was with some guilt I stood at the serving hatch of the kitchen of East Garston village hall last week, as a procession of people thanked me for the “Sugary treat” they had all just been served.

Not that this was a trial for The Great British Bake Off but the opening night of Some like it Hotter. Having lit every Outreach touring show The Watermill has ever  done,  I am a familiar face in the local village halls, hence was receiving the praise deserved by  all those involved with the production.

The comments were all very positive and followed with “Why is this show here?  It should be on in London”. Certainly the production deserves a future life and makes a mockery of the funding cuts to rural touring.

But we were all very happy to be in Garston, from the cast who had that sparkle in their eyes as the audience were giving the show a standing ovation – to the rest of the creative team who were just proud that we had made all this happen in a village hall.

I’m sat now in my office doing the lighting focus plots for the show which our Stage Manager, Nick, and Deputy Stage Manager, Victoria, will use as they continue on the road with the tour.

Which reminds me of the days when I was a young Lighting Assistant in the West End. When the shows were being given out, I was assigned to a show on Shaftsbury Avenue and given a plan the like of which I had never seen. There were with so few lights on it compared to all my other colleagues’ plans, which were littered with equipment. The Lighting Designer I was assisting was a true gentleman by the name of Michael Northern. I was lucky enough to work with him on several occasions and he was one of our greatest designers. Every light had at least one purpose and every colour could be blended with a second to create a third.

Which is why I love the challenge of an Outreach tour, we only have eight lights pointing at the stage from the front, normally very limited power (even less when the urn is on for the interval!) and still try to achieve all the atmosphere required for the show.  It is made much easier with a Director like Karen (Simpson) who can understand why an actor’s position must move by a few inches at every hall to be lit. So the plot, which describes what each light is needed to do, varies  for every venue and effects where the cast may have to be positioned to achieve the best results.

Why was I at a serving hatch? You may ask well! With the joys of an Outreach tour the control position can be anywhere, and in this case the kitchen!

Lawrence T Doyle
Production Manager

Marketing said it’s time for a blog or “are you doing nothing in production”. Nelly (Assistant Production Manager) and I are both in the Production office avoiding tidying ‘The Shed’ but on radio call to both the team running the technical rehearsals for Great Expectations, which is in the theatre, and for Some like it Hotter next door in the rehearsal room.

To date we have managed not to mix the requests for “more haze and chain effects” with “can the boys have some high heels to practice in”. But more importantly, the sets which were loaded together from the workshop are both in the correct venue (we always try to get the full set for our outreach tours into the rehearsal room from day one).  Although, I’m sure Satis House (Great Expect) could be Art Deco and the forge would make  Some Like It  feel even Hotter.

As always, it never ceases to amaze how hard the team here work to make our shows look so good not only with some quite spectacular prop making,  but also in tapping into the generosity of people willing to lend to The Watermill.
 Unfortunately, I had forgotten just how generous Gary Pickford from Chapel Forge in Lambourn had been with his loan of an amazing amount of blacksmith equipment, including a full size anvil. This seemed a lot lighter when his lads helped load it into rehearsals a few weeks ago, compared to us carrying it into the theatre last night!

Not only does the Watermill have people willing to give their items generously but also their time. Since my last blog we now have a “Norm” well actually two, David and Robin, who have already started to make a great difference around the building, fixing all those things “we will get around to  tomorrow”.  I even caught Becky from Marketing writing on their “to do list” about fixing her cupboard she’s been complaining about for months.

Hence our guilt about not tidying The Shed in preparation for the arrival of  our new handy Norms.  Maybe we could just sneak it on the bottom of their to do  list …

Lawrence T Doyle – Production Manager

Most people do something for charity, right? Even if it is selling cakes, going on a marathon or the men getting their legs waxed… We’ve heard of it all before. So imagine my surprise when I got an email from Beth Flintoff (The Watermill’s Outreach Director) calling in some young actors from The Watermill, to record voiceovers to make audiobooks for the Living Paintings charity! This was a perfect opportunity to support a local charity and help blind and partially sighted children. So the next day I read the email again, (just to make sure it wasn’t a dream or my imagination – honestly, I think like that a lot!) and phoned Sue Choules (the Living Picture Book Administrator). 

A week later I got the section of script I was to record. As it was a book aimed at young children, I had to make sure I pronounced the words clearly. On top of that I had to remember it was also for blind or partially sighted children, meaning I had to somehow bring the words alive and allow the children to imagine the colours, imagine the smell of the food, and the people….

But believe me; it’s definitely harder than it sounds! I took to recording myself on my laptop, closing my eyes and playing it back, just so I could find out if I could feel anything from it. The nervousness I felt walking into the Living Paintings unit in Kingsclere, a week later, was definitely not something that compares to the years I’ve spent on stage. It was far worse. The fact that I didn’t know what a recording studio was even like just made me anxious. As soon as I met Sue and Liz (the Production Manager) in person, it settled my nerves a little. I just had to keep thinking to myself “it’s all for charity, it’s all for charity…”

 The recording process itself only took around 20 minutes, so it was pretty quick. The anxiety must have disappeared somewhere before I went into the actual recording room. I must have been in my own little world; I don’t know where the time went!

The whole recording experience and meeting the people behind this fantastic charity was an absolute honour. What a way to make the lives of these less advantaged children a bit livelier!
Yasmeen Sheperia  (18yrs)