Bob Frith's VEIL BLOG APRIL 2007

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28.04

Well, the news is that we didn’t receive the NT grant - again. What to say!?

Since we heard on Wednesday I've spent most of the time talking with Bill (our Chairman), Rose, Alison and Richard - trying to figure out what to do. Rose has had a discussion with the Arts Council, so we are reasonably well briefed as to their thinking. The auditions that were due to start the next day had to be cancelled with a few hours notice! Amazingly, in the circumstances, every performer who replied to the cancellation message offered us their condolences and support. Thank you.

The Arts Council has said that the touring grants were two-and-a-half times oversubscribed and they decided against the grant for Veil but ‘welcomed another application’. What choices do we have? Abandon over two years work - or take another risk? It's a risk because we'll - of course - honour Katherina’s and Loz’s contracts, and unavoidably spend more (the minimum) on materials so Katherina can do the work she's been asked to do. This will be a substantial financial gamble, and each time we go through this the financial stability of the company is put at greater risk. Plus this time round we will no longer be quite so confident about success, but the Chairman has decided to continue to support the development of the production. The ACE pressure us continually to be 'more entrepreneurial' - but what business has to operate in this crazy way?

In the meantime the Autumn leg of the tour will have to be cancelled, but we’re hoping to reschedule most of those bookings and start the tour in February 2008. It means that the current Dukes partnership will be lost, despite the Dukes being totally understanding and supportive they just don't have any more flexibility. All that work lost too! It’s all up in the air in effect. This plan can, of course, only work if we are able to reschedule our time to work on a production that will now go into rehearsal during January and February 2008 – with technical rehearsals probably in November this year. So far it looks possible - just. Watch this space!

24.04

We’re into the week after we were led to believe the Arts Council would have notified us about the National Touring Grant and we still haven’t been told. We’re in the middle of making masks and props for Veil, and auditions begin on Thursday. Despite trying very hard it is now impossible to avoid spending on the production – expenses for the audition; materials for the set; materials for making the show generally. Our Producers contract ends this week and the artists don’t know if they have work or not – it’s very difficult, there must be a better system than this.

17.04

Finally things are moving - there's now 5 of us in the workshop, making masks, props, and finalising the design details. Ana Filipa and Ricardo have settled in to Alison's papier-mache heaven; Katherina is rejigging the model box; and I'm making masks. Happiness! All we need now is to get news from the Arts Council that the Touring Grant is there. Everyone - fingers crossed!

12.04

We had a party of 8 visit us from the Dukes today - part of the process by which the two theatres get to know one another better; learning how each company goes about doing things, particularly preparing a new production. It's fascinating how different things can be, and we are such a small organisation in comparison which gives us certain freedoms to do things unconventionally, although of course we don't have anything like the same resources as the Dukes. In many ways we go about things in reverse - for instance we bring in lights, costume, and music (almost) from day one of rehearsals, whereas conventionally these things are put in during a 'production period', normally the last few days before a dress rehearsal. We do this because its essential to rehearse with the whole visual and aural stage picture - we don't have words, it's the image and the sound worlds that tell the story. Anyway, it was great to meet up with the Dukes team - and it bodes very well for the collaboration.

Meanwhile, I've finally got round to mask making - and the poster design has appeared (above). I think everyone likes it - which isn't always the case at this stage.

 

10.04

An Easter break in Dorset, and then today back at the workshop. We shortlisted for auditions and talked through some of the remaining problems with the design, then looked at the copy for inclusion in the Dukes programme. So a lot of work got done - but none of it directly towards the show. I'll go crazy if I can't start work on masks and props soon. Alison at least has started with an impressive life-size archaeological figure - an 'attendant god' that gets carried out of the excavation. On Friday the two interns, Ana Filipa and Ricardo, arrive from EPTC in Portugal, and they can start work on mache-ing this figure.

3.04

Katherina arrived on Sunday and spent several hours going through her reworked set design for myself, Loz and Alison. Most of the problems have been solved although a few more came into focus, but on the whole we’re very happy – though none of us slept at all well Sunday night.

Then on Monday morning Erik and David joined us and Katherina went through the whole thing again, concentrating more on what it would mean for the film and video projections. Finally Katherina went through a shortened version of her routine for John, the Dukes Technical Manager, as well as for Richard and Rose. This is really necessary, as H+B's way of doing things is unorthodox, theatrically speaking, and we need to communicate with the Dukes team throughout in order to avoid problems when we get to move into their theatre space in October. Then exhausted I ran Katherina to the station for the train back to London and ultimately her flight back home to Bulgaria for Easter. Then today Loz left for Denmark.

 

READ AN INTERVIEW WITH BOB FRITH ABOUT VEIL HERE.

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CONTACT BOB FRITH bob@horseandbamboo.org