Anvils and high heels – The Production Blog

29 September 2011

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