Three weeks, you rehearse and rehearse

As some of you will know, and the rest are about to find out, Hugh Hughes is going to be at the Junction very soon with In Rehearsal. Simon and I keep accidentally calling it a 'show'. But it is not really a show at all. Hugh hasn't prepared a new production for you, he just fancied inviting you into his rehearsal room so that he could work with an audience to uncover some new stories. So even though it isn't officially a 'show' it should be pretty exciting nonetheless.

Now usually the audience isn't invited in at this stage, so we're wondering whether or not it actually is a 'rehearsal' after all. We're not really sure to be honest. Not content with this state of uncertainty, I decided do some research...

Interestingly, when you start typing 'rehearsal' into the Google search box, one of the first options it gives you is 'reheating rice'. Personally I have never needed to reheat rice during a rehearsal, or rehearse reheating rice. But clearly it is a topic which has prompted a lot of discussion and debate. So if you did ever rehearse reheating rice there are a lot of people who are interested in the subject.

Once I got past the reheating rice stage of proceedings I arrived at a definition of 'rehearsal'. I will share it with you here: a session of exercise, drill, or practice, usually private, in preparation for a public performance, ceremony, etc.

0rigin: 1350, 'rehersaille'

In case you get bored of using the word 'rehearsal', synonyms include: drill, dry run, experiment, going-over, practice, practice session, prep, reading, readying, recital, recitation, recounting, rehearsing, retelling, run-through, shakedown, test flight, trial balloon, trial performance, tryout, workout.

If Hugh gets tired of the title 'Hugh Hughes in Rehearsal' he could always swap the name to 'Hugh Hughes in...Test Flight'. I don't know about you, but I think that sounds like a pretty thrilling one. 'Hugh Hughes in...Trial Balloon' isn't too bad either.

The next and final step in my research was a hunt for some juicy quotations about rehearsals. Here are a few which I want to tell you about so that you can ponder over them across the Bank Holiday and maybe discuss over a BBQ or nice walk with friends, or whatever it is you have planned...

"Fantasies are more than substitutes for unpleasant reality; they are also dress rehearsals, plans. All acts performed in the world begin in the imagination." Barbara Grizzuti Harrison

"You have to do what you love to do, not get stuck in that comfort zone of a regular job. Life is not a dress rehearsal. This is it." Linda Basset

"I prepare myself for rehearsals like I would for marriage." Maria Callas

"I would rather play Hamlet with no rehearsal than TV golf." Jack Lemon

So, if that's got you all excited about rehearsals, don't forget that you can sink your teeth into a bit of rehearsal action by booking for...

Hugh Hughes in...Rehearsal

May 21st and 22nd

The Junction, Cambridge

http://www.junction.co.uk/

01223 511 511

We look forward to seeing you there!

Oh, and by the way, it is ok to reheat rice as long as you make sure it is nice and hot. Warm rice = bad, hot rice = good.

Thanks to Tea, Two Sugars for the photo

Important numbers, coordinated accessories and free range eggs

In case you have been hiding in a remote hut in outer Mongolia for the past while, you may have noticed that there is this little general election thing coming up really rather soon (here in the UK).

In fact in exactly two weeks I will be donning my voting attire (this is actually the first general election I can vote in so I haven't got the outfit sussed yet, but I will be carefully planning something appropriate in which to visit the ballot box) and trotting over to the polling station.

Personally I think the whole thing is really rather exciting. Especially since the last thing I had a chance to vote for was whether my college should start using free range eggs in the canteen. As I'm sure you can imagine it was hardly a torturous choice. This time round the stakes are pretty high (not that I'm denying the importance of free range eggs however).

Obviously politics has a huge impact on all areas of our lives, but something I'll be looking out for is what all those men and women in suits and especially colour coordinated ties/other accessories are planning to do about the arts.

Now that it is a bit late for me to train as a doctor or become an astronaut or do something possibly requiring a science-y A level or two, I am now sort of stuck with career choices pretty much only involving options to do something vaguely artsy.

Despite being not terribly competent when it comes to numbers I stumbled across some figures which even my brain can munch on and ponder.

So, if between now and May 6th you spend a bit of time pondering over which party you might back, do spare a thought for what the parties policies on the arts are, bearing in mind the following*...

- Two thirds of the adult population enjoy the arts and go to theatres, cinemas, galleries, museums, historic sites. In fact more people visit theatre every year than football stadia.

- Two million people are employed in the cultural and creative industries.

- These industres grew by an average of 5% a year between 1997 and 2007, compared to 3% for the economy as a whole.

- The sector contributes £60billion (7.3%) a year to the British economy.

- The annual exports in British cultural goods amount to £11.6billion.

- Total cultural spending represents 1% of the NHS budget.

As you may or may not know, Hoipolloi receives regular funding from Arts Council England which enables us to produce the work that we do and tour it to audiences across the UK. Over the last few years we've also been lucky enough to take this work around the world, helping to highlight the wealth of creative talent this country has.

Just something to remember as you tick the box on 6 May!

Posted by Marieke Audsley (Marketing & Admin Assistant, Hoipolloi)

* We gathered this date from Cultural Capital: A Manifesto for the Future

Thanks to krystleblair for the photo

Things to see...

For those of you not stranded somewhere far away, (and I hope most of you have not got stuck because of the ash), we have some exciting things for you to see at The Junction in Cambridge.

First up is Kursk. Kursk was created by our friends Sound&Fury. The Telegraph said "…the most brilliantly immersive piece of theatre I’ve seen all year… An unforgettable homage to the men of the Kursk, and all their kind." *****

If that hasn't sold it to you yet then...

August 2000. A British hunter-killer submarine is on patrol in the Arctic.
The crew drill, sleep, eat, long for word from home, and silently shadow their target.
Their lives are at once extraordinary and mundane – until a tragic event occurs that makes them question everything they are doing. As the tension mounts, the pressure they live under starts to take its toll.

Inspired by the Russian submarine disaster of August 2000, acclaimed theatre company Sound&Fury (The Watery Part of the World and Ether Frolics) join Bryony Lavery (Stockholm) to invoke the life of submariners, fathoms below the icy seas on the fraying front line of the Cold War.

Plus, if you call the box office on 01223 511 511 and quote 'Fuel' you can get tickets for a bargain-tastic £6 for tomorrow night's performance.

Also, don't forget that Hugh will be at The Junction on the 21st and 22nd May with In Rehearsal. You can get your tickets by ringing 01223 511 511 or to book online, click here.

TechnoTheatre

As the victim of many jokes regarding how technologically inept I am I have decided to dedicate this blog post to 'Theatre and Technology' in celebration of the fact that thanks to my time here at Hoipolloi I now know what Twitter is, can navigate Google Analytics and actually write a blog post. It really is miraculous that I haven't managed to break the blog yet.

Apart from the odd bit of 'multimedia' in productions, I had never given much thought to the role of technology in theatre. Apparently it is quite a big thing now. It has probably been a big deal for a while and I'm just being slow and finally cottoned on to the whole thing. Anyway it is all really rather intriguing.

The most exciting bit of 'techno-theatre' as I'm going to call it, is the RSC and Mudlark's 'Such Tweet Sorrow' (how much do you love what they've done there? It had me chuckling away for ages). Six RSC actors are improvising a drama based on Shakespeare's good old gem Romeo and Juliet. The 'show' will run for five weeks, with the actors posting tweets and YouTube videos throughout. Check it out at http://suchtweetsorrow.com/.

Now for many of you this will be old news, but I'm still intrigued by NT Live - live theatre broadcast to cinemas. I regrettably haven't made it to a screening yet, but I am dubious. Whenever I have watched recordings of live productions they have missed the mark. A lot. It seems that during the leap from stage to screen much of the magic is lost. But who am I to question the National. aybe I should just book myself a ticket for The Habit of Art which will be broadcast live on Aril 22nd. For more info click here.

I've got a funny feeling though that won't be ditching actually going to a theatre to see a show just yet. Perusing Twitter doesn't quite cut it for me when you can see real actors on a real set in a real theatre. In fact last night I saw Laura Wade's Posh at th Royal Court and thought it was magnificent. So if you'd like to stick to an old fashioned non techno theatre experience then I highly recommend a trip to Sloane Square. Or, there is of course Hugh Hughes in rehearsal at the Junction in Cambridge next month. It would be great to see you there.





Thanks to eurlief for the photo

Hugh Hughes In Rehearsal

Yes, at last, a joyful moment akin to the delights of the first signs of spring/a mouthful of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream/waking up and realising it is Saturday: here it is, the announcement that... Hugh is coming to a venue near you soon.

That is, it will be near if you live somewhere with a postcode beginning with a C and a B. Hugh is going to be at The Junction, Cambridge in May. So whatever you have planned on May 21st and/or 22nd, then rearrange and book tickets to see Hugh Hughes in Rehearsal.

Hugh Hughes in Rehearsal
The Junction, Cambridge
Friday 21 May: 6.30pm, 7.45pm and 9pm
Saturday 22 May: 3.30pm, 4.45pm and 6pm

Many of you will have seen Hugh's previous productions so you'll sort of know what to expect when you go to see a Hugh Hughes show. But here is where we throw a figurative spanner into the works.

There is no show.

This is Hugh Hughes in rehearsal, and it will do exactly what it says on the proverbial tin. Hugh hasn't made a new show for you. Instead, he would like to invite you into his rehearsal room to help uncover stories, people and places from his past.

Who knows where the adventure will end up...?

Come and be part of a major theatrical happening. Rarely, if ever, do audiences get to see inside the mysterious 'rehearsal room', but now's your chance.

Tickets cost just £5 for each individual session lasting an hour, or if you're really dedicated, you can pay £12 to stay for all three sessions on either day.

Tickets can be booked through The Junction's box office on 01223 511 511 or online via their website.

See you there!

Hugh Hughes' Rough Book

From January through till March, Hugh Hughes gave a glimpse into his studio by launching the Rough Book. Across 25 posts he uncovered previously hidden away sketches, photos, and thoughts, and many things in between in order to share his work in progress.

As a record of all this, we've gathered together the full set of links to the entries for you to peruse and enjoy at your leisure...

Red Bird
-Red Bird (i)
-Red Bird (ii)

Photos and thoughts
-No two sheep are the same
-Hanging fish and collisions in Hong Kong
-Real public art?
-Esperanto religion
-Snowdon Railway
-Helsinki Art Person
-Lady in a van
-Lost note

Drawings and thoughts
-Bigboot
-World people things
-Misunderstood hermit
-Dream
-Broken fence/fishing
-Edge of the world

Poems
-Roger McGough
-Doctor/patient
-Me and my father
-Gavin
-Ruth
-Dilys

Hugh hopes to share pages from his Rough Book once again in the future. We'll keep you posted!