Tony Earnshaw's Blog, page 16

The Door in Guildford

I’m delighted that Damn Cheek are coming to Guildford with my original and longest running play. The Door will be on at the Yvonne Arnaud’s Mill Studio for one night only on Friday, February 7th at 8pm. Tickets are £17.50, inclusive of restoration levy and booking fee and are available on 01483 440000 or online – https://www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/produ...

The Door

 The Door opens with two soldiers in uniform, pacing a room. One is a corporal, the other an officer. They are nervous, awaiting a court martial. They struggle to find common ground, their backgrounds and interests are misaligned. The banging of a door, off, does not help their nerves. As the play progresses and the two try to make sense of each other and the situation it becomes clear that they served in the same special unit, one of the team died, and there are questions about responsibility. The men agree to prepare for the hearing by role playing the legal cross questioning  they are about to endure. 

This results in revelations about character, relationships and attitudes, while dealing with questions about foreign adventures (they served in both Iraq and Afghanistan), about the need to follow orders and the downsides of doing so, about accountability, and about proper equipping of troops sent to serve in trouble spots. There are twists and turns before the truth emerges in a dramatic denouement. The whole is laced with humour and the tension is underscored by the banging of the door. 

Reviews have been very favourable throughout. This is what Three Weeks had to say:

‘ This is a highly provocative piece that leads the audience on an emotional and intellectual journey. Beginning in a waiting room where two men self-consciously complain about a banging door, ‘The Door’ quickly progresses to discussions of politics and religion between two characters on the opposite ends of the social spectrum. Masterfully written, the plot gradually unravels more and more information about their relationship. The use of a grumbling refrain about the banging door is a clever indication of a change in subject or tone on the road toward an evocative climax. An insightful production with unbounded depth of meaning, ‘The Door’ presents a blissful marriage between a fascinating script and captivating acting. A must see.’

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The power of music

Image courtesy of Satish Indofunk and Flickr; Creative Commons

I watched a documentary last night on Dame Janet Baker. An hour and a half of memories, insights and emotion. I grew up listening to Janet Baker singing and remember the sense of pride in her as well as the admiration of her voice, her craft and her dedication. She was a Yorkshire lass and therefore one of our own, and she was the best at what she did. Her focus and dedication were clear from the documentary and as she spoke to camera I could see her love of the music, her professionalism and her clear eyed self assessment.

The programme also had much to say, directly and obliquely, about the collaborative nature of music making, with contributions from Jane Glover, Andre Previn, and Raymond Leppard among others. Her relationships with figures from the past also figured, including Sir John Barbirolli, with whom she worked closely, not least on such works as Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, which brought strong memories of a concert at Bradford’s St George’s Hall flooding back. I went to the ‘sub’ concerts there with the Halle for several years in my teens and that one stands out. An emotional experience, topped by a visit backstage to meet Janet. She was so friendly, encouraging and open that this mid teens music fan was bowled over.

So, memories apart, what came out of the programme? The ability of music to speak to our innermost selves; the way music holds you in the present, the ‘now’, and removes for a time the stresses of painful memories or future related anxieties; the way our childhoods shape us; the importance of the arts; the power of a loving relationship; the joy and significance of collaborative working. And the importance of recognising our own worth and applying ourselves to the craft. An hour and a half well spent.

All of this seems timely as we start a new year, with projects in planning, new teams forming, and old friends to work with. I hope to take the lessons to heart!

And what are the projects for 2020? Currently, we have more performances of The Door (next is at the Yvonne Arnaud in Guildford on 7th February – https://www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/produ... more dinner theatre based on Blessed Assurance; mystery plays; a new treatment of Under Milk Wood; evenings of drama and music; poetry anthologies; talks to groups about Blessed Assurance, and much more. Enough to be going on with!

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Happy Christmas

Image courtesy of Roberto Dombetti and Flickr

The Good Ship Christmas

The good ship, Christmas, docks once a year.

In the chart room is found much cheer;

peace among the sails and stays 

and, at the tiller, love so tender.

The port turns out to greet the berth 

with tales and food and songs of praise

and mirth among the fenders,

while clinging beneath the waterline

are barnacles of disbelief.

From fear and anger, stress and doubt, 

the ship brings much relief.

And when the songs have all been sung,

the wine’s been drunk, there’s no more cake;

the crew casts off, the ship sets sail,

and leaves us bobbing in her wake.

 C A Earnshaw 7/7/19

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What can I say?

The photo says it in a way. The future is shrouded in mist, the difference being that the mist is rather attractive while the future looks less so. Why? Because we’re faced with a climate emergency and we’ve spent the last few years with a governing party which seems increasingly complacent. Because we’re faced with threats to peace in Ireland, to our food standards, to our prosperity, to our education and health services, to the arts and science, and to our cooperation with our near neighbours on a wide range of issues and our outgoing government appears to be posing those threats rather than trying to counter them. Because we have a Prime Minister who appears to be a stranger to the the truth. And because we may be about to reelect him, and the outgoing government.

And yes, I know there are issues with the opposition. In fact, I think we would be in a much better position now with an opposition under almost any other leadership. That doesn’t help.

I’m normally more comfortable with grey areas and uncertainty than with black and white so are these current uncertainties different? No, I think it is the attempts to reduce them to black and white which is disturbing – and the use of blatant lies and manipulation to do so. I feel a need to pull together to address our issues but the media and the outgoing government seem determined to do the opposite.

I have no desire to write a political blog and have avoided the election up to now, but it’s tomorrow and the elephant is taking over the room. I’m hoping and praying we’ll see the back of Boris Johnson tomorrow. The fact that he became PM makes me ashamed to be British. We’re better than that.

Whatever happens, we need to somehow rebuild, regroup and work together to address the issues with which we’re confronted. As writers we can play a part in highlighting injustices, inconsistencies, needs and in speaking truth to power. Let’s just hope we can be effective in doing so.

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Poems, Pints and a break from politics

Second Christmas Anthology launched by Mole Valley Poets

It’s officially Advent and Mole Valley Poets took the opportunity to launch their latest Christmas Anthology at the Stepping Stones Pub in West Humble on Monday evening. The launch took place as part of an open mic evening – ‘Poetry Pub’ at the Stepping Stones has become a regular feature of the calendar – and a variety of poetic voices were heard. We were moved, amused, challenged and inspired as poet after poet shared their work. And for the poets, it was a warm and supportive audience of peers and friends, with an atmosphere helped by the pub ambience, the ability to sit and sip while listening, and the seasonal piano provided by a co opted friend. And while politics hovered round the edges of some of the poems it was a welcome break from wall to wall election coverage.

The anthology features a range of poems with different approaches to, and slants on, Christmas and, as usual, the £3.50 cover price includes a £1 donation to Cardiac Risk in the Young. Copies will no doubt find their way into a number of Christmas stockings. Here’s one of my own poems which is in the anthology:

Mary Sang

Mary sang, a fine contralto, deep and pure.

Joseph played bass, metronomic, steady, 

the beat nailed to the floor.

He thought the boy should play guitar 

and made him one from fine cedar;

strings of camel gut, fret board inlaid 

with finest golden sand;

a masterpiece of craftsman’s eye,

craftsman’s insight, craftsman’s hand,

but as it turned out the boy

made music all his own,

unique in style, in sensitivity, in tone,

and when the townsfolk heard him sing,

hearts lifted, cares fell away;

it seemed to them they heard bells ring

and hope was born to see them through the day.

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A tale of two theatres

Jonny Vaughton and Darren Cheek in ‘The Door’

Two very different theatrical experiences over the weekend. In the first I knew what to expect, in the second less so. The first was a performance of my play, ‘The Door’ at the Keynes Library, Birkbeck’s School of Arts before a full, and enthusiastic, house. Naturally, I know the play intimately and also this production which we have been touring sporadically since 2015. What surprises me still, though maybe it shouldn’t, is the degree to which a play I wrote ten years ago remains so relevant, so current.

This is brought out every time we have a question and answer session after the performance with questions ranging from accountability, questions of principle and the specific of engagement in war to the role of the media, the effectiveness of democracy and the links between interventions and terrorism. The emphasis is different every time but the degree of engagement of the audience is both thrilling and humbling.

We continue our tour with the next date being 7th February at Guildford, the Mill Studio at the Yvonne Arnaud theatre ( https://www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/produ... ).

The second theatre trip over the weekend was to Chichester Festival Theatre to see the musical version of Calendar Girls. I was expecting something light and fun, which it was, but wasn’t expecting the music to work as well as it did, or for the show to be such an emotional rollercoaster. In the event, it was polished, but also raw; it was well acted and directed, well choreographed, and there were some strong singing voices. More than that, and the ode to my native Yorkshire, the way it dealt with the realities of love and bereavement, of growing up and changing relationships and of the cathartic nature of taking action were superb. I’ve seen the film of course, but either I’ve forgotten the impact or this had more. And the lack of all those wonderful views of Yorkshire scenery was compensated by the presence in one of the starring roles of Rebecca Storm, who hails from Shipley as I do and who I knew when we were growing up.

I was looking for a connection between the two shows and I think it’s about honesty and about relationships. There’s an interdependence between the characters in each, the social groups in one and the Army unit in the other , on which they depend. There’s a need to face the truth in both scenarios. A need which our government failed to face in taking us into Iraq and which our current government shows no sign of recognising either.

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Arts Alive – very much so

Just in case you’re wondering, the photo has nothing to do with today’s subject, other than timing. Taken while walking the dog the other day, it’s just a good reminder of the beauty around us which I seem to need at the moment. No prizes for guessing why.

It’s also a reminder that beauty can be restorative and that applies to heard beauty as well as the visual. I’ve experienced a fair bit of ‘heard beauty’ over the last few days. A concert of vintage jazz with Keith Nichols and the Blue Devils at Menuhin Hall, a Watermill jazz gig with Pete Long and Simon Spillett’s Jazz Scurriers, and some virtuoso performances from some very young classical musicians who are studying at the Yehudi Menuhin school. Add to that the fun of the Downsmen Barbershop group and you have a good musical cross section.

Some of these events were part of the annual Arts Alive festival, which features a range of arts activities, this year including Mole Valley Poets with Stewart Henderson, a workshop and concert with Voces 8 run by Brockham Choral, and the Damn Cheek/Greensand dinner theatre event on Blessed Assurance. So, yes the arts are very much alive.

In the plans for the near future include an open mic evening with Mole Valley Poets which will also be a launch event for our Christmas Anthology. This should be a great evening – at the Stepping Stones pub in West Humble on 2nd December, doors open at 7, all welcome. We’re also planning a performance of The Door at Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud in February, and a repeat of the dinner theatre evening, but at the Stepping Stones this time. Watch this space.

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Words and pictures

Part of the Fading of the Light exhibition at Leith Hill Place

A special treat on a wet autumn day – a trip to Leith Hill Place on the North Downs to see their latest exhibition, an open call exhibition for artists on an autumnal theme. The exhibition features a range of media, including stained glass, ceramics and textiles. It also features work by members of Mole Valley Poets interspersed among the oils and watercolours.

I’m familiar with Leith Hill Place. I’ve staged a play there, sung in ad hoc choirs, and spend an interesting summer afternoon taking part in Amie Rai’s Reading Room project. And I’ve been to the standing exhibitions on Vaughan Williams and the history of the house with its associations with the Wedgwoods and Charles Darwin. This was different again.

It was a different and interesting project to produce haiku or just shorter form poems on the specific theme and then to see which poems were selected to feature. Then to see the exhibition with the words on the walls was also something a little different – a sort of collaboration with artists we had not met, and a change from the printed page or the microphone, which is how we normally share our work.

The exhibition had been carefully curated and was beautifully put together. A very special experience, and one I’d hope to repeat as we continue to develop relationships and collaborations across artistic media.

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Dinner Theatre success

‘The Dozen’ restaurant at the White Horse, Dorking

Blessed Assurance took to the stage on 10th October as Damn Cheek Productions presented dramatised readings from the book as part of a dinner theatre production at Dorking’s White Horse hotel. The story of the four central characters was told from childhood to the beginning of adult life, with a talented cast of actors and singers and music provided by Greensand.

Audience reactions were enthusiastic with several people insisting there should be a repeat show and comments on the feedback forms including ‘Excellent performance’, ‘Really good balance. Highly recommended’, ‘A very enjoyable evening/very well arranged’ and ‘Brilliant evening’.

Plans are now afoot for some repeat performances.

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Two Ladies at The Bridge

London’s latest theatre

I paid my first visit to The Bridge Theatre last week. I was looking forward to it. I’d heard great things about the theatre, it was a new play, the director was Nicholas Hytner and the casting was strong – I’d see Zoe Wanamaker in anything.

In the event my reaction was mixed. The theatre itself was no more than okay – good sightlines, acoustics and access but cramped and uncomfortable seats. Why spoil it with poor seating? Discomfort was made worse by the lack of an interval. I know this is the latest trendy thing but please. Give me a break. Literally. Anything much over an hour needs an interval. A chance to stretch, a breath in the evening. Directors put breaths into the performances on stage. We need them off stage too. And, apart from the audience issue, I can’t understand why the theatre would forgo the much needed income from the bar.

Performances were strong with the two central characters capable of commanding the stage and drawing us in and some good support roles. I did feel there was a bit of a slump in energy somewhere in the middle though. The play shifts gear and moves from a lighter touch to something much darker. Fewer laughs, more jeopardy. The transition wasn’t as smooth as it could have been. I became aware of physical discomfort, less connected to the action (maybe an interval would have helped…). The pace did pick up again as the relationship between the women intensified even if the plot felt a little unlikely. Overall, an interesting play, well written, and some good performances so worth seeing, but with just a touch of disappointment.

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