Staging - An Amphitheatre in Action

Staging is an integral part of any show, and a very good example is Wings of Desire. Based on the film of the same name (which also inspired City of Angels, the Nicholas Cage movie), it tells the story of how an angel falls to earth. What impressed me about this show, was not only the great performances, and superb technical effects, but most importantly: the use of the surrounding facades to tell the story. Angels float from the roofs of real buildings, and the sheer scale of the event (through use of both the Town Hall and Council Building) makes Victoria Square into a kind of Greek amphitheatre. The fact that dancers and actors invovled all make use of the facades, (thanks to a clever system of pulleys of course)! this makes the event far more dramatic than an onstage perfromance would have been. (Although to be fair, there were some pretty spectacular moves onstage as well.) As the grand finale of  International Dance Festival 2012, it was the dramatic and authentic staging that made the show.

On Pit Musicians and Amateur Theatre

OK, so as The Secretary was kind enough to invite me to post on this blog, I thought it'd be only fair to contribute something.

Now I've not done a great deal of am-dram in the past. There was one production of 'The Hired Man' with Leicester Youth Arts in Edinburgh back in 1999 (my first musical and one of the greatest experiences of my life so far; having just turned 18 and being let loose in the 'Burgh during Festival time). The rest have been GMTG productions, a GMTG spin-off (Tristan Baker Productions' 'Little Shop', Northampton, 2000) and another GMTG spin-off (Through the Window's 'Assassins', Edinburgh 2008). And then there were the three Birmingham Uni Summer Festival Operas (only one of which, 'The Rake's Progress' involved my participation on the night, as a waiter in the brothel scene (dropped trousers and all) and as stage manager/repetiteur/assistant MD).

In none of the above did anyone actually get paid. Fair enough; why would you pay a bunch of school kids taking advantage of a slightly creaky but admirable youth theatre group or, subsidise the frankly terrifying alcohol/nicotine/cocaine (it happened) habits of Birmingham Uni students?

This is where things get a little cloudy for me (nothing to do with the above paragraph I might add). I have no experience of your stereotypical, G&S butchering am-dram-op societies (save for a single performance of 'Madama Butterfly' by a Midlands-based society in which the titular 'teenage' heroin towered over her suiter, was of 'advanced' age and wore some kind of over-sized hat box on her head, a production saved by the ardent singing and acting of my then boss at the Birmingham School of Acting. But then I would say that). As far as I'm aware, no-one in that production got paid either. How could you afford a Puccini-sized orchestra if you are an amateur company?

Do any 'traditional' am-dram-op societies pay their musicians?

I ask this firstly because I really have no idea. But more importantly I have had the privilege to work with a Birmingham based 'amateur' theatre group, named after the theatre in which they are housed, for four years and a total of eleven productions from Sondheim to 'Acorn Antiques' via 'Boogie Nights', 'The Full Monty' and, erm, 'Dad's Army' (an on-stage appearance in which I, thankfully, did not have to drop my trousers and simulate a threesome with two prostitutes). No member of the company gets paid. Not the creative team, or the committe, or the box office staff, the technical crew, the cast. As part of their committment to the company, each member is expected to do occaisonal shifts on the bar. And they have to pay a membership fee.

The band however is paid.

Is this fair? I can see the logic; with only a total of four rehearsals (band call with the cast, band tech with the cast in the auditorium, two dress rehearsals) it is surely wise to 'buy-in' crack players who could sight read their way out of an MC Escher creation and still accompany the cast with great sensitivity and flexibility. And these types of musicians are busy; they teach, they gig. It is their career. Everyone else is indulging their hobby; those who want to use the experience to further career are generally students in limbo between generalised university/college courses and postgraduate study elsewhere. And they rehearse for months at a time, several times a week. Try finding musicians of the calibre necessary who would be willing to devote all that time for free. When I MD'd 'Guys and Dolls' for GMTG back in 2002, I had a whopping 56 hours of rehearsal with my band. But those guys were not being paid. The results spoke for themselves but I think it highly unlikely that any professional producing theatre would be able to run to actually paying 26 musicians a decent fee for 56 hours (before dress/tech/performances), let alone an amateur one.

So four rehearsals for a properly trained, 'professional' band of eight working for £35 per call seems like quite a good deal to me. And I have been known to 'help' behind the bar. Usually on last-night parties.

So, should band members be paid by amateur companies? Is it really fair that those who put in the months of hard work that make a show have to pay for the privilege whilst their 'in-one-day-out-the-next' band members manage to earn just enough to cover a week's drinking,smoking and curryage?

I know what I think but, then again, I'm slightly biased.

Owen

Blog Admin Team

Just to announce that as the first respondants to my invitations, the current Authors of this blog are hereby promoted to Admins. They will have authority to post what they want as before, but also, will be able run the blog itself, and make the necessary changes. All are highly qualified and connected, and their expertise will help this network in many ways.

Welcome Visitors!

All GMTGers reading this now: if you want to join this blog, all I need from you is a contact email address to send the info to. You can find me on Facebook to send it, if you'd like.

This blog has had views from around the world. If you want to be listened to and taken seriously, you will be here.

If you know any fellow GMTGers and/or Alumni who'd like to join, just let me know. They should have easy access, if they have a Youtube or Google+ account already. Spread the word!

James Megarry

Blog Administrator

House Rules

Guidelines for the Blog

 

• Any person wishing to become an Author or Administrator of this blog should contact the current Administrator, and supply a contact email to be sent the necessary information. At this time, Author and Admin posts are reserved for members and Alumni of GMTG Birmingham only, but third parties may comment on posts made without restriction. They may also be appointed as Contributors, if both GMTG current and Alumni users consent to this.

• The Authors and Administrators of this blog should be a deliberate cross section of current members and Alumni of GMTG Birmingham. Fair representation of both sides must be maintained, to guarantee an ongoing process of knowledge transfer and networking.

• Therefore, current members should ensure that they invite new members to join the blog, when they themselves become Alumni. Administrators to the blog should oversee this process, to make sure it continues effectively.

• As Alumni users may represent many different institutions and companies, some of which are in competition; and current member users may come from many different departments of Birmingham University; there may be the potential for conflicts of interest. To prepare for this, the Admin team should be as diverse as possible, to ensure all parties are represented, and can agree on solutions, should such a situation arise. Users can avoid conflict effectively, by remaining focussed on issues common to all institutions and departments. For example, joint discussions on funding issues, long term employment, licensing laws and so forth should heal most divisions that arise.

• For the purposes of good relations, special representation may be given to either society members, or members chosen from the Alumni network, should the need arise. Special representatives could be offered a permanent seat on either the Authors or Admin teams, at the behest of GMTG Birmingham’s committee, and/or representatives of the Alumi network. Full co-operation will be given by the blog Administrators in either case.

• The Administrators of this blog are in effect, its executive committee. The blog should be administered as a full time business, and in the spirit of GMTG the society. It shall be, therefore, the Admin Team’s responsibility to ensure the smooth running of the blog, and to uphold its rules and agreements. As such, they may designate roles to themselves (secretary, finance etc); set conditions for election/selection of other admins; and the appointment of a Chief Administrator to act as the blog’s president and manager. Rules and procedures agreed upon may be considered binding to all users of the blog, until such time as they are altered and/or reppealed.

• The Admin Team and Chief Administrator collectively, may form the legal, administrative and executive body of the blog. They may represent the blog to other parties and make administrative/executive decisions by majority vote where necessary. Any issue affecting the blog or its users should be addressed in this way.

• Procedures may be put in place by the Admin Team for such an event. Should none exist to deal with a problem as yet unprecedented, then a solution may be reached via general consensus between the Admins and Authors of the blog.

• It may also be necessary to decide admin roles by vote. In which case, the Poll function on this blog will be a good way to determine the most popular candidate(s). This voting process can also be used when an issue is in disopute and no clear solution can be agreed upon.

• While this blog is made officially to benefit GMTG Birmingham, third party commentators may be invited to comment on all posts made, to ensure the widest possible range of different viewpoints.

• The blog may be used to advertise the businesses and Google Ad Sense related products, relevant to the performing arts, but although profit may be made if desired, the defining purpose of this blog must always remain that of a network to bridge the academic and professional sectors, through members and Alumni of GMTG Birmingham.

• All users of this blog should respect the rules for online use. The blog should not, in any way, be used to undermine GMTG the society, its Alumni network, nor any other third party whatsoever. While debates on certain topics may become heated, criticisms should not be made as personal attacks, or derogatory remarks. Please remember, Google is watching, and all messages can and will be traced to their senders.

Comments and How to Make them

If you'd like to comment on any of the posts made on this blog, you can simply click on the comments icon beneath each post, and as long as you have a Youtube or Google+ account, you can comment right away at any time. Be aware though, that Google can track your comments, so it goes without saying, please respect the rules of online use!

Making Posts on this Blog - Info for Authors

If you want to become an Author on this blog, you will need to be a current member or Alumni of GMTG Birmingham, and I will need a contact email to send an invite to. No personal or other info is needed. Please get in touch with me and forward one. I'm on Facebook if you can't contact me here.

To all Authors of this blog. If and when you want to make posts or write articles, simply sign on, then click the 'Design' button at the top right of the main page. This will take you to a menu. The option to 'Post' should be one of the options on the left hand side.

If there are any difficultues, just let me know.

Best Regards,

James Mcgarry

Administrator

Paranoia: Only in the Theatre?

One trap performers can fall into, I reckon, is a kind of paranoid mistrust of others, and it's something to be wary of. Outsiders may laugh at the neurotic, insecure behaviour of stage performers, but that is because they fail to understand the effects of a turbulent, unpredictable environment on the people within it.

Perhaps I'm not the best authority to comment on this: but it's something that has come up again and again with shows I've been invovled with. I'd like to hear the views of full time performers on this one, but I suspect they probably would agree.

Costume Changes - Backstage at Utopia

Something I noticed about backstage. While working behind the scenes for the show, Utopia for Dance Fest 2010. I'd always thought dance shows were a different world to musical theatre, but at long last, a myth was disspelled. Backstage is backstage, whether at a dance show, a musical or a play. There are the same costume issues, dressing space, props, and make up.

You'd never know what style of performance it was, apart from the visible sweat of the dancers which gives it away. That was a great experience, because it showed me that a show is a show, and that we really are part of the same thing.

Good Direction and Vocal Skills - David Guetta's Example

It's funny how good direction can make such a difference to any performer. A very good example at the moment can be found i the music industry. You have to admit, David Guetta can bring out the best in every pop star's voice he works with. Yes the recording arstists have a massive studio full of technology to remix their voices and add backing, unlike the live stage. But all the same, Guetta has managed to bring out a range from every singer, from Usher to Jessi J, that you never knew they had.

I would argue the same is possible on a stage. A talented performer can still be let down by poor direction and vocal coaching. The audience doesn't get to see the best of them, their strengths that is. Leadership counts for a lot, and David Guetta's work in the music industry right now is a perfect example.

Authors Info

A reminder to all persons who are or will be Authors on this blog. You will need to be a current member or Alumnus of GMTG Birmingham, and I will need a contact email to send you the info. There are no fees or obligations when you sign on. Nor are there any time limits. You are free to post whenever you want, about anything to do with performance and or production.  This could be about musical theatre, but also can be topics and or issues to do with performing arts in general. You're also free to comment at any time, on all posts that people have made so far.

What this will do, is to allow a steady build up of knowledge on the major issues and topics concerning musical theatre as an art form. Because your fellow Authors should be a delibarate mix of current members and Alumni from GMTG Birmingham, knowledge transfer should take place, allbeit on a small scale, between the academic and professional sectors.

Of course, there are Facebook and Twitter to connect people on both sides already, but these networks, while excellent for worldwide social networking, were not designed for business, or for GMTG style meetings for that matter! If Facebook and Twitter are the pubs, clubs and bars of the social net, then this blog would be the committee room and/or the boardroom.

Here, you may hold serious academic debates and business discussions concerning the major issues of musical theatre: and this blog is deliberately an independant network, to allow both academic and professional members a meeting place. So far, it has had views from Russia, Malaysia, the United States and the Philippines, and this is only the beginning. Here is a place for you to make your mark. I would therefore, remind Authors that the posts and discussions held on this blog are intended to compliment and assist the work of GMTG Birmingham, The University of Birmingham, and the Alumni network. They should not in any way, be used to undermine or conflict with these organisations or networks.

In time, if Authors wish to take a more active role in running this blog, I will make them Administrators, and leave them the important task of maintaining a permanent bridge, between members and Alumni, to allow ongoing knowledge transfer for the benefit of all. Given the calibre of GMTG's members and Alumni (many of whom are now members of prominent arts institutions and organisations, or whose projects and innovations grow in strength with each generation), I really do believe that your expertise will make this network a place for current members to use as a stepping stone into arts professions, and for Alumni to benefit from the groundbreaking projects and innovations of current members.

Good luck everyone. Let's make this happen!

Best Regards,

James Mcgarry

Alumnus and Administrator