The ASM Diaries

Today was an early start. I cycled over to Southwold for 9:30 to set up for the read through at the guide hut where our rehearsals will be taking place for the next two weeks before we move to the workshop where the set is in development. When everyone arrived and had been tea'd and coffee'd up we began with Mark welcoming us followed by information about company vehicles and where you have to go to borrow a bike for the summer to get about locally. Our Director Ron then gave us an introduction to the play Body Language which was written in 1990 by Alan Ayckbourn, followed by Tory who showed us a miniature cardboard cut out of what the set looks like. After introductions the actors began reading Act One which took about an hour followed by a 15 minute tea and coffee break. After reading through Act Two we stopped for a lunch break at around 12:30 . At 13:10 we began blocking (stage directions) the first 17 pages of the play. Charlotte and I were given blocking for our Actin

Well guys, we've just had our first company meet up of the season and all seemed to go very well. I cycled over to the Blythe Hotel for seven o'clock where the meet up was for the first cast and crew of the company before we begin rehearsals for Body Language tomorrow morning. As always there is a mixture of new and old faces. This year we are pleased to welcome actors Harriet , Charlotte and Lee , and ASM also called Charlotte (we may need nick names to differentiate). Old faces and stalwarts back again include actors Michael , Clive , Claire , Richard , Darell is joining us tomorrow as he couldn't make it tonight, Rebecca our DSM and her boyfriend Will who's worked with us in the past, our set designers and props  Tory and Polly (Who I apologise for not including in my last post as she had taken part in the get-in as well, sorry!), Miri our costume designer and her boyfriend Joe , Mark and Peter the company managers, Alan our carpenter and director for th

Well folks, I've just completed day two of the main get in at Southwold Arts Centre. Here's how the day played out. I arrived at the workshop at 9:30 to meet Mark, Alan, Ross, Polly and Rebecca. We then drove back to Brampton in two company vehicles to pick up rostrum for the seating for the auditorium. We met up with Erin, Tory and Miri while there to load the vehicles. The photo above is one of two vehicles we loaded rostrum into. After loading up we returned to Southwold to unload, this time there was no mother and toddler group to help clear away and no cupcakes as a reward. The afternoon was spent assembling the rostrum for the raised floor for the auditorium seating. There has recently been a redecoration in the arts centre so everything was looking a little red. Rebecca and Erin went under the stage to pass us up the seating where it is stored all year round. As they passed us the seats from under the stage we placed them in rows arranged alphabetically

Well I’ve just done the first of two days preparing the auditorium for the Summer Theatre and Southwold Arts Festival which happens from 23rd-30th June. The day started at 10:30 this morning. Mark, Alan, Ross and I drove to Brampton to pick up some of the components for the rostrum used to assemble the auditorium seating ready for tomorrow. Erin joined us at Brampton to help. When we drove back to Southwold, and after a brief coffee break we helped a mother and toddler group move their toys and play equipment out of the arts centre that took place earlier that morning. As a reward we were treated to cupcakes by one of the mums, I had chocolate flavoured, Yum! After helping the play group we then got on with unloading the vans and cleared away chairs and tables for the main seating to be brought up from under the stage where they are stored all year round. Mark and Alan had to wear helmets while blacking out the windows on the roof because of nesting seagulls in case they were att