Half A Sixpence - Multiple Personalities!

The third week of rehearsals for Half A Sixpence is now complete and we’re halfway through the process. As director Rachel Kavanaugh announced a few days ago, “We open in a month!” – EEEEK!

Fortunately for three of the team this was our final week of ‘doubling up’. Myself, Ian Bartholomew (who plays Chitterlow) and Sam O’Rourke (who plays Buggins) have also been performing in another of Choreographer Andrew Wright’s shows – Mrs Henderson Presents – at the Noël Coward Theatre, whilst rehearsing for Half A Sixpence whenever we weren’t onstage! It makes for a heavy schedule as you’re working long hours and desperately trying to find extra time to do the necessary homework, whilst remembering the basic essentials like sleep! Fortunately Kristi, our amazing Company Manager, has been working her scheduling magic to try and keep us all sane. With Mrs H. closing on Saturday night I’m now breathing a sigh of relief that I can commit all of my time and energy to Helen and Half a Sixpence and ignore the guilt that’s been gnawing away at me for not being 100% in the world of 1900’s Folkestone, instead of wartime London!

‘Doubling up’ is quite a frequent occurrence in our industry, with great jobs often overlapping for numerous different departments. In fact, our composers George Stiles and Anthony Drewe have had several different productions in workshops and rehearsals at the same time, in the same building in recent weeks! I wonder if they all felt the same sense of giddy elation when visited by Anthony’s puppy? There’s nothing like some unexpected doggy daycare to cause minor disruption and major excitement in a rehearsal room. I do feel, however, that we may have the monopoly on her given that she’s called Sixpence!

The slightly camera shy Sixpence 

(and Daddy aka Anthony Drewe in the background).

You’ll even find doubling up WITHIN a production. One of the great joys of a show with numerous ensemble scenes is that you find yourself playing all manner of characters, regardless of the main role you’ve been hired to play. It’s known on contracts as ‘to play as cast’ and basically means that along the way you may find yourself donning a different wig, hat and outfit every other scene -  perhaps to pad out the stage in crowd moments, or maybe even for a little comedy cameo.

When Half A Sixpence was auditioning, many of the cast took part in group workshop auditions of the famous ‘Flash, Bang, Wallop’ number, creating tableaux images and dozens of characters in a very short space of time thereby demonstrating physical and vocal dexterity through multiple role playing. It’s a real talent to be able to shift your performance from one character to another on a sixpence (forgive the pun), and one I can’t personally claim to possess in this instance as at the moment I’m only playing Helen. She is, however, about as far removed from my most recent other role as possible – which is something to be pleased about I think!

On the flipside, when you don’t necessarily have twenty-six roles to think about you may just be thrown a major curve ball instead. Our brilliant leading man, Charlie Stemp, is taking on Arthur Kipps with aplomb. It’s an especially heavy show for Charlie as he’s in literally every scene – acting, singing and dancing up a storm – and then, to top it all off, he plays the banjo too. Whilst doing all of the above! Watching Charlie tackle everything the creative team throw at him with such grace and vigour is dizzyingly brilliant. It may be something to do with his amazing youthful energy, or the two cans of coke he consumes a day, but to watch his complete commitment to honing and perfecting this role is utterly humbling. Stepping into the shoes once filled by Tommy Steele is hard work indeed, but he more than fills them and I cannot wait to see the audience reaction to this exceptionally talented young actor.

Charlie Stemp (Kips) and I take a brief rehearsal break

Outside of the rehearsal room, things are also moving with great speed. Costumes are coming together nicely and wig fittings with the wonderful Wigmaker, Campbell Young, are moving on apace. I can’t wait to see what Helen looks like when I get to my own fitting next week. Apparently I’ll be blonde for this show – a surprising rarity for me despite being a natural blonde in real life, although that could all have been changed by the time I see the real wig. You never know with theatre.

The Stage Management team of Lou, Tinks, Adam and Alice are also cooking up a storm with their tireless efforts. I never fail to be surprised whenever someone requests a random prop for a scene and Stage Management can somehow make it magically appear, no matter how absurd it may seem. I swear one of them must have Mary Poppins’ carpet bag hidden beneath their stage management desk, which is constantly strewn with dozens of stage plans and technical drawings for the design. It’s such a help to have an amazing team to support our creatives. Without them we truly couldn’t do the show and I wish audiences were more able to understand quite how fully we rely on their constant hard work.

Taking a rare dry weather lunch break in the car park with 

Gerard Carey (James Walsingham) & Vivien Parry (Mrs Walsingham).

We have two more weeks left rehearsing in London and then it will be off to the south coast to begin teching this brilliant new piece of theatre into the recently refurbished Chichester Festival Theatre. If only the British weather would settle long enough for me to figure out what to pack, but I suppose ‘If the rain’s got to fall, let it fall’…

Half A Sixpence - Fashions and Frippery

‘Can you go any tighter, Emma?’

It’s not the typical question for ten a.m. on a Wednesday morning, but as I stand in Production Room 2 at Jerwood space, slightly too full of marmite and toast for comfort, this is precisely what David the Corsetiere asks me. I’m being cinched into the bespoke corset he’s making me for Half A Sixpence. My waist is the smallest I’ve seen since I discovered my penchant for late night cheese and crackers, there are whalebones running like rivers through calico from armpit to hipbone, and my boobs are currently floating somewhere around my ears. It’s a beautiful, brilliant period shape and one the costumes will look stunning upon.

I love shows in a corset. I love singing in a corset, and I really love the posture I can only achieve when tightly embraced by one. There’s something rather delicious about the structure of period costume compared to the lycra-heavy clothes we wear these days. I’m sure I wouldn’t be quite so enthusiastic if I had to wear it day in day out but for now, it’s a pleasing experience, if somewhat restrictive in the sitting down department.

Learning how to adjust your frame to a costume design is quite a big part of finding a character, in particular making sure that your movements feel natural and unrestricted. We have a rail of practice corsets and skirts in the rehearsal room so cast members can frock up whenever they want. Getting used to how dance numbers and singing feel when your ribs are constricted is vital so that it doesn’t come as a huge shock to the body when we finally begin teching the show in full costume days before we open. Corset practice also makes you very aware of not eating a massive dinner before trying to put one on!

Shoes are also a huge part of building a role. There is a surprising amount of influence on the way a character walks in the shoes that they wear. We will often rehearse dance sequences in trainers for comfort and safety, particularly if trying lifts and jumps, but at some point the shift over to ‘show shoes’ must be made. Beautiful leather brogues and button up boots, small heels and pointed toes, they can all have an affect on the choices you make as a performer. It always amazes me how much the roles I play are discovered so much more through the design of them than just the words on the page.

A plethora of show shoes!

Many of the costumes for Half A Sixpence are being made from scratch as per Paul Brown’s designs, in particular when a number calls for a matching set of costumes for the full company. However a few costume pieces are being sourced from a brilliant costumier in North London called Cosprop. It’s a treasure trove of fabulous fashions from every period you can imagine and on Friday I had the pleasure of spending a few hours playing dress-up in some of their early 1900’s collection.

Before I arrive, Rachel, costume supervisor, and Paul peruse the vast warehouse for several hours, pulling out costumes for numerous characters in the show based on their ideas for the roles and our personal sizes. Obviously there’s no way I’ll fit into a size 2 dress, no matter how much you hoik the corset laces, but there’s always a chance that a slightly too large dress can be adjusted to fit. We need as many options as possible if we’re to find the right outfit not only for the show but also for my character Helen’s particular design so that it works seamlessly with the bespoke items we’re making.

We’ve been working on creating a cohesive colour palette for Helen based around blues, which I’m thrilled about because it’s my favourite colour. This helps to create a constant through line for a character. Entering the changing area at Cosprop I’m greeted by a plethora of outfits in every shade under the sun. Long skirts, buttoned jackets, lace blouses, crepe dresses… you name it, Paul has found it in the store’s vast archive of costumes.

Fabric colour swatches

Laced into my corset, we commence trying on outfits. It’s a fairly speedy process as we’re only looking for a few items to add to my character wardrobe and some items are dismissed rather rapidly, looking better on the hanger than they ever could do on my body shape. Others are put on one side to wait for one of the seamstresses to do a quick unpick, as they’ve previously been adjusted for other actors and need a little attention before we can see if they work. And then there are the items that are simply perfect. The ones that have clearly been waiting impatiently for your arrival as if to say ‘There you are! Where have you been?!’ These are the pieces that make mine and Paul’s eyes light up with glee, the outfits that transport me from Emma to Helen effortlessly and the costumes that are given a green light almost before I’ve finished fastening them up.

Fabric detailing for added pizazz!

Aside from these stunning pieces I’m also having several costumes made by the brilliant David Plunkett, he of aforementioned corset fame. At our first fitting David took a whole new set of measurements due to the way the corset affected my body shape, smoothing and lifting and hugging me into a more streamlined yet womanly version of myself. With this done I was slipped into a couple of different outfits that David had begun making based on my original measurements, before almost an hour of meticulous pinning. Taking tiny amounts of fabric out here and there with pins and tucks, David can thus ensure that the costumes fit in the most flattering manner, highlighting the frame of the performer whilst retaining the lines and fluidity of the era. It’s amazing to watch his already beautiful costumes being perfected and polished with incredibly fine attention to detail. I feel truly honoured to be having costumes made by him and if everyone else’s costumes are as stunning as Helen’s then the audience are in for a real treat!

Half A Sixpence - Kicking Things Off!

A pile of coats lies gently steaming in the corner of the rehearsal room as I enter, thoroughly drenched by the glorious British Summer time, for the first day of rehearsals for Half A Sixpence. We’re rehearsing at a brilliant place in the London Bridge area called the Jerwood Space. Large light rooms, great acoustics and Dame Judi Dench as the voice of the lift. I kid you not. It’s theatrical heaven. There are witticisms on the walls, a lovely little café and even an art gallery – it’s well worth a visit should you get chance - and for the next five or so weeks it’s going to be the launchpad for our brand new version of Half A Sixpence written by the incredible team of Julian Fellowes, George Stiles and Anthony Drewe.

Familiar faces accost me almost immediately. Some I know from working at Chichester before on Love Story, some I’m currently working with on Mrs Henderson Presents (as I’m doubling up until June 18^th!) and some are friends from my time working as a temp in the offices of Cameron Mackintosh Ltd. But that’s a whole other story…

We grab our coffees and croissants, throw our coats on the pile of drying outerwear, and head upstairs to the enormous main rehearsal space we’ll be using, where the air is buzzing excitedly. Almost 100 people from all areas of the production pile into the room, which has already been laid out with a large ring of chairs ready for the script read. We form a circle two people deep because of the numbers, and slowly go round announcing who we are and what our relationship is to the show. By the fortieth person I’ve already forgotten where we started and am thinking about campaigning for name badges. Even the headshot sheet I have of the cast isn’t a massive amount of help, as we rarely look exactly like our photos!

Rehearsal clothing? 'Corset' is!

Speeches from outgoing Artistic Director of Chichester Festival Theatre, Jonathan Church, and co-producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh follow, and Cameron explains to us quite why Half A Sixpence is not only important to him but everyone in the room. The original show was a catalyst in his meeting Stiles and Drewe, who are providing new music and lyrics to sit alongside the well-known tunes in this revised production and as we sit down to read and sing through the show, with Julian Fellowes’ brilliant new text, it feels like a deliciously new and exciting rendering of an old favourite.

The cast are reading aloud these scenes and songs for the first time, as much of the material has been revised since our auditions. We’re sight-reading from scores that are still slightly damp from the printer and it’s terrifying and exhilarating. You’re trying to do your best with text that’s unfamiliar and yet it’s so easy to get caught up in the story and watch, rather than read, that one of two times we miss cues for being enthralled by our fellow performers. At the ‘interval’, as it were, Julian gives us a couple of pronunciation notes and we hastily scribble these down, grabbing a quick refill before act two commences.

I have a feeling I’ll be 87% caffeine for most of the next few days as I try and get to grips with my new character, like most of the cast. Rehearsing any show is hard work but creating a brand new show, particularly based on something incredibly well-loved by the public, has a whole other set of challenges and it will require immense determination, dedication and creativity from everyone involved. By lunchtime we start to get a sense of the task ahead of us and burst into the fresh air to clear our heads and replenish our energy for the afternoon session, which will commence with the model box showing.

I LOVE a model box. Truly. They’re the grown up, theatrical equivalent of dolls houses in many ways. Miniature versions of the set and characters in exquisite detail, which are used to demonstrate to the company how a show is going to look without having to spend a fortune on a full scale untested version. Designer Paul Brown’s beautiful set is awash with resplendent colour and historical touches which conjure up a real sense of early 1900’s Folkestone, where the show is set. Indeed Rachel Kavanaugh, our director, and Paul took trips to Folkestone for inspiration whilst they were developing ideas for the production.

Tiny reams of fabric from Salford's Bazaar.

Along with the sets, Paul is also designing the costumes and displays some of his stunning artwork to give us a sense of the piece, each design beautifully rendered in watercolour and ink on parchment. It will be amazing to see these designs come to life over the next few weeks. For now we are restricted to basic rehearsal corsets and skirts to at least give a sense of how it will feel to walk, sing and especially dance, in such restrictive clothing compared to our modern day garb.

The afternoon is rounded off by a singing session with Graham Hurman, our Musical Director. Although many of the cast were involved in group audition calls, this is the first time Graham gets to hear all of our voices together. The score is frequently sung in 4 and 6 part harmony so the most important thing is to designate those parts appropriately. It’s a gentle process of balancing out the sounds and Graham takes his time until we are all placed into a group which makes the most of our vocal qualities, whilst also ensuring covers don’t have to learn several different singing tracks. It’s difficult enough having to play a different role but having to swap vocal parts can be extremely tricky even at the best of times!

At the end of the first day, we roll out into London overwhelmed and shattered and that’s before Choreographer Andrew Wright has starting putting us through our paces physically! There’s a lot to do but with the right amount of graft we’ll get it done in a Flash (Bang, Wallop)!

A Jerwood Space bit of wit and wisdom!

Half A Sixpence.... Pre-Rehearsals

'Twas The Night Before Sixpence...

'Twas the night before Sixpence and all through the house

Not a sound could be heard, bar the click of a mouse 

The actress is sat with computer and tea,

Perusing a train timetable up on the screen.

Her script and her score, freshly printed and bound

Lie open and waiting 'side her on the ground,

As with dozens of markers, in every shade,

She carefully inks in the scribbles she's made,

And highlights her lines, before heading to bed.

Tomorrow she'll put voice to words only read!

There'll be full cast and comp'ny, creatives and crew

Designers, wigs, wardrobe, a producer or two

And we'll meet and we'll greet, drink a coffee and hence

Sit down for the first read of Half a Sixpence.

A model box showing will follow the pages,

(That's the set but displayed on the tiniest of stages)

Then after lunch, dancing, singing and more,

Making notes in the script, learning notes from the score.

And before too long we'll all head Chichester way

To present them a classic told in a new play.

Anticipation is brooding, adventures are dawning,

Set the alarm for an exciting morning!

Rehearsal bag set, stuffed with dance shoes and kit, 

Packed lunch and snacks for an energy hit.  

But just as she's ready, butterflies in her tummy,

First day nerves still seem to make her feel funny.

Go to bed, try to sleep, close your eyes, dream and thence,

You will wake all refreshed to start Half a Sixpence!

Huff Blog 19 - AGYG

It's a Sunday afternoon and I am full of Sunday roast and curled on the sofa in a friend's London flat as I write what will be my final blog (for now) for the Huffington Post. It hasn't quite sunk in yet that the show is over - come 7:30pm on Tuesday I'll probably be feeling thoroughly lost and more than a little bereft! This week Annie Get Your Gun played its final week of the (slightly curtailed) UK Tour at the fabulous not-quite-West-End-but-still-London New Wimbledon Theatre. It has been a week of wonderful highs and heartbreaking sadness as we bid farewell to the Wild West and what has been an incredible five months as a company.

As ever this week has been somewhat hectic. Although there are no further tour venues to visit  there's still been press and events to do, including a fabulous sing-a-long event hosted in the theatre on the final day, which I took great pleasure in popping along to. Hearing fifteen total strangers singing the Berlin songs that have become so very familiar to me, was both thrilling and a little sobering. It's always interesting to hear how someone else interprets a piece of material, especially one as famous as 'There's No Business Like Showbusiness' but maybe it ultimately proved a little cathartic too. That commencement of handing Annie back over to other people now she is no longer mine, I suppose

It has still been a week of fun and frolics though with many a friend and family member in, and several industry folk too. The tour hoodies arrived and were worn with pride backstage and on Friday evening our end of tour party took place at the lovely Hot Pink Healthy Grill, across the road from the theatre. Whilst scoffing grilled halloumi and chicken skewers (and supping on many a delicious milkshake), we seated ourselves for the first (and possibly only) Annual Annie Awards! Annies - trophies made of tiny cowboys and logo decorated plinths - were handed out based on our voting forms from the past few weeks. Sexiest Cowboy or Cowgirl was won by the gorgeous Jonny Godbold, Tour Quote went to Jason Donovan and his perpetual 'Ma, Ma, MAAA' and I personally picked up the Large Lungs award for my long note in 'Anything You Can Do' which topped out at 43 seconds it seems!

Awards over, we watched a fabulous montage of videos and photos put together by Swing extraordinaire Ste Clough, which I'm sure will be sent out to everyone over the next few weeks. It was a bittersweet end to what has been an amazing job, to see so many wonderful memories all together side by side. I have made some astonishing friends on this production and forged what will hopefully be life long friendships. Although working on this production has been incredible, it is the people that have made it truly special and this team have certainly been one of the best I've ever had the opportunity of working with.

Saturday's final shows seemed to speed by unbearably fast and all too soon we were taking those final bows. I'm not ashamed to admit that I was a sobbing, snivelling heap at that moment, and I certainly wasn't the only one. As we linked arms for that final kickline you could hear the tears in our voices singing 'Showbusiness' one last time. 'There's no people like show people' we chorused, 'they smile when they are low...' Collectively we pulled our arms tightly together, collectively we dug deep and collectively we felt that smile firmly fix itself to our faces and grinned for all we were worth, tears rolling freely down our cheeks. In the wings afterwards we sobbed openly, hugging each other close, thankful for the experience.

So with a wry smile I must go 'home and hang up my gun as I ain't the champeen no more', to paraphrase Ms Oakley. I have had the most superlative and remarkable time playing this sharpshooting woman. She's taught me so much, not least about myself, reasserted my confidence and brought out a side of my voice I never knew I had. I've loved each and every minute of this show - from conquering my fear of heights, to learning how to clay pigeon shoot and even fighting through a show with food poisoning. I'm so very grateful that there is absolutely no business like show business.... so until next time, let's go on with the show. 

Huff Blog 18 - AGYG

There is a tangible sense of finality in the air around the company of Annie Get Your Gun. This week we have been visiting the beautiful green and gold auditorium of the Theatre Royal in Glasgow, our penultimate venue. Additionally this is also the final venue that most people will have to be 'on the road' for as next week we are in the warm embrace of London's New Wimbledon Theatre and those that can, most certainly will be commuting from home. 

Glasgow has also been one of the most distant venues that we've visited on this whistle-stop tour of the UK. With the impending Scottish referendum, it's possible that the next time any of us play this theatre it will be on entirely different grounds. The political spark throughout Glasgow during our visit has made for an interesting and thought-provoking week featuring many a lively debate and lustily thrust leaflet, but the audiences have been just as responsive as ever, if not more so. I put this down to the Scots loving a feisty lass - and Annie Oakley certainly is that!

However, as we head into our final week and our final eight shows, the past five months are beginning to take their toll. It's a truth stranger than fiction that teachers, for example, only ever get sick during holiday time. No matter how well they look after themselves through the term, fighting off every bug known to man with aplomb, they will, without fail, be stuck with a summer cold throughout the entire sunshine season, which will only clear up a few days before term restarts. It's a similar thing with theatre-folk, the week after we finish a job of any kind, we all get sick!

I put this down predominantly to the fact that you spend so long ensuring you're fit and well enough to do your job, that the minute your body gets wind of a potential break, it seizes it wholeheartedly. Following my vocal rest in Brighton, this week saw attacks of gastroenteritis, colds and severe migraine resulting in swing and understudy bible central. It wasn't until Friday evening that we had a complete show again, and much kudos must be given to everyone who made sure that the production went ahead faultlessly despite these factors. Now that we're into single digits, nobody wants to miss any more performances.

With that end in sight, and a fortuitous surprise visit from my parents, I took the opportunity to lug my ever-expanding tour suitcases home to Yorkshire before I hit London again with something more manageable for the week. It's astonishing how much you can accumulate in such a short space of time, and also how much you find you've merely dragged from place to place and not used! As I sit here writing this on iPad Mark 2 (following a literally smashing incident the other week), I am surrounded by the chaotic jumble of no less than three suitcases. My kit box on the truck now contains only my make-up bag, steamer and cards... plus some Annie Get Your Gun bunting we stole from Aylesbury (ssshhh)! Hopefully this way I can finish the production and return to the North without dragging another five tonnes behind me. I mean, even I can't buy that many pairs of shoes in a week.

Unpacking has however proved therapeutic to some degree; rediscovering things I'd forgotten that I'd picked up on our travels and learning how little you really do need to get by. The past five months have made me some wonderful memories and some even more wonderful friends, but we're not over yet - there are eight more Wild West wonders to hit the bullseye with. Packed houses beckon, filled with friends, family and familiar industry folk and then there's the end of tour party to be rocked, tour swag hoodies to be claimed and even an awards night on the not too distant horizon. It's sure to be a week of fun and frolics, and maybe a few tears but as they say - it's not over until the not-as-chubby-as-she-was-when-she-started-this-tour lady sings, right?