Further to my enthusiastic outpouring about Kneehigh Theatre (previous post), I was struck by these words in the programme to their show:
'In the language of stories, we are able to examine the bargains that human beings make. We see how we bargain our own needs, the needs of the self, for various reasons.....'
Now I don't know about you, but I had to stop reading at this point because statements like this light up a whole set of neurons in my brain and set me off thinking about stories and why we need them and the shared human experiences that are at their heart. It's like being given a key to story writing - a way of accessing a whole set of story ideas, by thinking about how and why we bargain our own needs and how we deal with the consequences. I feel an ideas list fizzing up......
Thursday 31 July 2008
kneehigh theatre
Sometimes I am reminded of what I love about theatre. Yesterday, as a birthday treat, I went with friends to see 'Brief Encounter' at the Cinema Haymarket. Not the film - the production by Kneehigh Theatre, adapted for the stage from Noel Coward's 'Still Life' and 'Brief Encounter'.
The magic began from the moment we entered the rose-themed cinema. A group of minstrels, dressed as 40's style ushers wandered around singing and playing for us as we took our seats in the plush auditorium. These were all cast members, creating the intimate sense of community Kneehigh create wherever they perform. Once the main characters had taken their seats in the front row the heightened atmosphere of the auditorium transformed itself into the performance as images, action and live music shifted to the stage. If you haven't seen it, go now. It's on until October I think, and there are rumours of it going to Broadway.
It combines stage and screen with gasp-inducing creativity and balances the central story with a glorious 'below stairs' comic element via two other couples who work at the station. And the cast don't even stop working during the interval. Guaranteed satisfaction, and you'll be humming the songs all the way home. Well, I was.
Read more about Kneehigh's ambitious nomadic playful Asylum project - it's looking for support.
The magic began from the moment we entered the rose-themed cinema. A group of minstrels, dressed as 40's style ushers wandered around singing and playing for us as we took our seats in the plush auditorium. These were all cast members, creating the intimate sense of community Kneehigh create wherever they perform. Once the main characters had taken their seats in the front row the heightened atmosphere of the auditorium transformed itself into the performance as images, action and live music shifted to the stage. If you haven't seen it, go now. It's on until October I think, and there are rumours of it going to Broadway.
It combines stage and screen with gasp-inducing creativity and balances the central story with a glorious 'below stairs' comic element via two other couples who work at the station. And the cast don't even stop working during the interval. Guaranteed satisfaction, and you'll be humming the songs all the way home. Well, I was.
Read more about Kneehigh's ambitious nomadic playful Asylum project - it's looking for support.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)