Bye!

Posted by Sara Green (Marketing and Admin Assistant, Hoipolloi)

Well, as this is my last day with Hoipolloi it also means that this is my last blog entry. I know, how sad!



As my placement with Hoipolloi is coming to an end, (I have been doing a 10 month internship with the company as part of my gap year) I thought it would be a good idea to sum up my time here and try and think of a highlight of the year. The problem is that there are so many, so I have tried to be brief...

Before I started at Hoipolloi I had never worked in an office before, and that showed! I would ask stupid questions and generally embarrass myself, particularly in regard to my knowledge of photocopiers. But after a year(ish) I can honestly say that I have learnt so much not only about touring theatre but also office life, and now if I am given a job I don’t automatically go into panic mode. Well not often anyway.

So that is one thing that this year has been good for. Another thing that was amazing about this placement was the fact that I was able to see the development of a show from scratch. I remember the meeting back in September discussing a possible set design for The Doubtful Guest. Then in November I got to watch rehearsals for the show before witnessing it progress into a fantastic piece of theatre which opened in Watford Palace. I feel privileged to have been a part of this process and it made watching the show just that little bit more special.

When I try and think of one event that has made my year I would probably go for the time I had to dress up as the Doubtful Guest and wander the Barbican having my photograph taken. You know, as you do! As an aspiring actor that was a pretty special experience, which, although made me look rather stupid, was extremely fun and unique.

But I can’t stop there.

There are so many times that stick in my mind, for example the first time I met Hugh Hughes, seeing Story of a Rabbit for the first time and crying, the opening night of The Doubtful Guest, the end of tour in Newcastle and getting slightly inebriated with the cast, going to rehearsals and being stunned by the talent of the company, building a rehearsal room with Richard and being the only girl in a room of men who knew what they were doing, listening to Hugh run the show at 10 times the speed and laughing in hysterics, having a joke with Simon that I found funny and he didn’t, getting an electric shock every time I touched the filing cabinet, falling asleep in the company car on countless occasions, betting Steffi I could fit inside a box then proving my point, actually enjoying the filing day when everyone else was bored, stunning Steffi with my detailed knowledge of Fedex, doing yoga and stretching with Louise on the office floor, making masks from scratch, finding out about the aliens that Hugh thinks are in everyone’s brains, having my lack of geographical knowledge as a laughing point on a daily basis, missing a meeting in Liverpool because I got on the wrong train and ended up in Waterbeach....I could go on.

But I think one of the best times for me has been the last week in the Barbican, which not only was my childhood home but it is also one of my favourite venues and watching the show on Friday night was one of the most emotional yet uplifting experiences I’ve had in a long time. I felt so proud to have been part of Hoipolloi and had such a lovely night celebrating with them that I actually don’t want to leave!

So I am now off to drama school to try and learn how to do that ‘acting’ thing and experience theatre from a more creative side, however I owe so much to Hoipolloi for giving me a complete all round experience of life in this industry and I feel so much more equipped with this year behind me.
So thank you for reading my ramblings over the year and I leave you in the very capable hands of David who will be taking over my job and no doubt the blog.

Just before I go however, I will do one last bit of marketing and urge you all to keep seeing Hoipolloi’s work; it just keeps getting better and better!

Goodbye!

Some lovely comments and a new review...

Posted by Sara Green (Marketing and Admin Assistant, Hoipolloi)

It seems like yesterday that we all traipsed down to Watford for the opening of The Doubtful Guest. In fact, it doesn’t seem like it’s been a week since we were having vague meetings seven months ago discussing some set ideas for the show. But, yes, we are into our fourth week of touring and actually, at the end of this week the first tour of this Edward Gorey masterpiece will be over!

Although it has gone by at the speed of light, we haven’t missed the attention of some lovely audience members who have sent us great feedback on the show. We didn’t realize just how many closet Gorey fans existed, but they do, and it’s nice to know that there are people out there who share our love for this crazy misfit!

One of the nicest emails we received was from David from Qicksilver Theatre Company who wrote to tell us that “it was the best cross-age range show I’ve seen.” And that “its mix of humour and theatricality created an electrifying environment.”

As someone who has worked in children’s theatre for a long time, David’s opinion is really valued at Hoipolloi. This goes for all the people who sent in comments, they are always appreciated!

Someone else who enjoyed the show was Donald Hutera from The Times. We were ecstatic to read the fantastic review that he wrote us. Here is a sample of what he thought of the production:

“It functions on a smaller scale, but the Cambridge-based touring company Hoipolloi ranks with Kneehigh Theatre as a group with a genuine desire to connect with its audiences. Like its older Cornish counterpart, Hoipolloi offers work that is clever, accessible and engaging, as Shon Dale-Jones’s adaptation of Edward Gorey’s 1957 book, The Doubtful Guest, proves.” …."All in all, it’s a playful, accomplished piece of nonsense, and I mean that as a compliment.”

To read the rest of the review click here.

So, as we continue our tour in Newcastle we hope to receive more comments from people who enjoyed the show, from Gorey fans, and from people who want just want to say hello!
All is welcome.

A trip to the theatre...

Posted by Sara Green (Marketing and Admin Assistant, Hoipolloi)

Tonight, the Hoipolloi members who didn’t fly out to Bogata at the weekend are off to sunny Watford to see The Doubtful Guest for the second time.

I am personally really looking forward to seeing how the show has changed since the opening night last Thursday. After several snapshot conversations with different members of the cast over the phone this week I have learnt that it is like a different show, having developed and improved massively over the last few days. This is very great news and given how much I enjoyed it last time I think we are definitely in for a treat tonight!

As well as being able to see the show again we are also lucky enough to get the opportunity to meet two of the trustees of the Gorey Estate who have made a special trip all the way from America especially to see the show! Probably the closest one can get to this remarkable author/illustrator, it will be an honour to meet them and I really hope they enjoy the performance.

So, with the show really and truly off the ground, the final plans being put in place for the tour, accommodation being booked and travel being organised it looks like we can all, slowly, start to relax and enjoy the fun that lies ahead…

Interview with Ballet Coach, Lee Fisher

Posted by Sara Green (Marketing and Admin Assistant, Hoipolloi)

As most of the blog entries so far have been mainly my perspective on the process I decided that it was time to get someone else’s view. Lee Fisher, the ballet coach, worked with the actors in the rehearsal room to assist with the movement in the show. I had a quick chat with him to find out what he thought of the show, the process and of course the dancing.

Firstly I asked him how he came to be involved with The Doubtful Guest and whether he had seen Hoipolloi’s work before. He hadn’t. In fact the link was through Watford Palace Theatre and a shared contact. Hoipolloi was recommended to him and Shôn invited him to come along and do a taster session with the actors.

Lee trained at the Royal Ballet School and danced with Birmingham Royal Ballet for 17 years. He retired from dancing full-time in 2005 but still makes guest appearances across the globe. This kind of work is fairly new to him, but he says that it felt organic and natural to be part of the production and looking back he said how much he enjoyed working on it.

So why does a Hoipolloi need with a ballet coach? Well, Gorey was obsessed by ballet – during one period of his life he even attended every single performance of the New York City Ballet for 23 years!

And so Lee did a bit of everything! The day would begin with an authentic ballet warm-up. They shared terminology and techniques, particularly classical form of the arms, feet and body and used ballet as the starting point for many of the exercises. The actors would then use what they felt was right for them, making it their own.

Lee stressed how ballet was explored in an almost entirely collaborative way, but there were also some structured and choreographed pieces with which Lee took the lead. So there was a nice balance between Lee instructing and the actors using the techniques in their own improvisations.

In terms of the individual actors it was interesting to hear that they all had their own particular styles, one being quite Italian, one Russian and one very English in their movements. Lee found this fascinating as well as their adaptability, creativity and willingness to try new things. This is something I found when watching rehearsals.

I then asked him what he thought of the actual story and style it was written in, and whether ballet fits in with this. He literally loves the story of the doubtful guest and apparently was laughing all day throughout the rehearsals. He also thinks that it was an inspired decision to use ballet to add another layer to the production and when he was shown the book for the first time he could see exactly how ballet would fit in. The style of the book really appeals to Lee and when I spoke to him he couldn’t wait to see the finished product.

I was pleased to hear that Lee thoroughly enjoyed working with Hoipolloi and felt proud to be part of such an exciting process but I think that it was our privilege to work with this enthusiastic and talented dancer. After seeing the show last night (which was absolutely stunning by the way!) I was so impressed by the use of movement and dance and the ballet style was clearly detectable in the performance.

I saw Lee after the show and he was very happy with the result, and couldn’t believe how far the actors had come since he worked with them! Definitely a success all round.

And We're Off...

Posted by Sara Green (Marketing and Admin Assistant, Hoipolloi)

Last night The Doubtful Guest opened in Watford Palace Theatre! After such a long wait and months and months of intense work the show lived up to all expectations. The stunning lights, the gorgeous music and the amazing set were finally all put together and the story took off, the actors delivering a show that was darker, funnier and smoother than it has ever been before!

Everyone was really happy with the result, but the hard work is far from over for Hoipolloi. This week is going to be one of the busiest that we have ever had, even busier than a week in Edinburgh!

As The Doubtful Guest continues it’s tour in Watford, with press nights, photo-shoots, final run-throughs and generally people running round like headless chickens, the other half of the company are preparing to jet off round the world!

Early next week, Hugh Hughes, his best mate Aled and Simon Bedford (Hoipolloi’s Marketing & Touring Manager and regular contributor to this blog) are flying out to Bogata, Columbia. There they’ll be performing Story of a Rabbit at the XI Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro.

So, will it be a week of mayhem or a week of magic…? All the latest news from both Watford and Bogota will be appearing next week!

Driving a Doubtful Guest... to Watford

Posted by Simon Bedford (Marketing & Touring Manager, Hoipolloi)

There are many weird and wonderful things that I've had to do during my career in marketing. When I worked at Symphony Hall in Birmingham, I dressed up as the Phantom of the Opera to promote a silent film showing with organ accompaniment. One of my first tasks at West Yorkshire Playhouse was to spend an evening in a closed public toilets underneath Millenium Square blowing up helium balloons to be handed out at the Christmas lights switch-on.

So on Friday along came another fantastical task. This time to chauffer the Doubtful Guest from a rehearsal room in Highbury to Watford Palace Theatre. The guest joined me as a passenger in the front of the car and we merrily weaved our way through London traffic up to the M1 and onto the Watford gyratory system.

I have to admit that conversation was a little sparce. The guest does like to keep its feelings to itself and it politely smiled during my rants at poor lane discipline and lorries that overtake one another on dual carriageways.

And you'd also be surprised (and probably a little disappointed) at how little attention the strange creature attracts whilst sat in the car. During the whole hour we spent together, only the youthful passengers of one other car seemed to notice it. My apologies to them that the guest decided not to wave back - it can be incredibly stubbon sometimes!

So we've reached another milestone in the production process. Today the company move from their London rehearsal room and into tech week at Watford. I can't believe that the show opens on Thursday - having been two years in the planning, this week has came round scarily quick!

More updates soon on how its all going!

Tour dates announced!

Posted by Simon Bedford (Marketing & Touring Manager)

Now that the first period of rehearsals for this conveniently curious comedy have finished, we’re pleased to announce the full UK tour schedule for The Doubtful Guest in March and April.

The show opens at Watford Palace Theatre, with performances from 13 to 22 March. Following this, the show will head to Liverpool, European Capital of Culture 2008, and its Everyman Theatre (25 to 29 March).

April sees the show head to the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich from 3 to 5 April before finishing the spring tour up in Newcastle upon Tyne. There we’ll be performing from 8 to 12 April at Northern Stage.

Don’t miss your chance to be the first to see this mischievous show! Full details of the tour and details of how to book can be found by clicking here