The Stage / Features

Obituary: Stephen Gately

2009-11-17T12:20:02Z

An embarrassing debut on Ireland's most popular television programme in 1993 was not the most auspicious start for a group of five would-be pop stars, but Boyzone went on to have a record-breaking 16 consecutive top five hits in the British charts and made Stephen Gately a star for half of his young life.

Obituary: John Stroud

2009-11-17T12:20:01Z

A subtle and adroit director and producer of comedy, John Stroud began his apprenticeship in the Cambridge Footlights and secured his first professional job with documentary-makers TransAtlantic Films, before becoming a trainee director with Thames Television in 1978.

Obituary: Peter Needham

2009-11-17T12:20:01Z

As a regular presence on the National Theatre's stages over the past three decades, Peter Needham featured in many of the most iconic, and occasionally controversial, productions seen in the company's original Old Vic base and subsequently at its new home on London's South Bank.

Obituary: Helmbrecht Hoppe

2009-11-17T12:20:00Z

Helmbrecht Hoppe, who died on September 15 in Toulouse, France, at 77, was one of Europe's leading circus performers, his number with unrideable mules being rated "the greatest laugh in showbusiness".

Backstage: Sound president

2009-11-16T16:10:01Z

The Institute of Sound and Communications Engineers (ISCE) has appointed Terry Baldwin as president at its recent AGM, held in Watford, Hertfordshire. He takes over from Bryan Robinson, who held office for the past three years. Baldwin, states the ISCE has been a prominent figure in the sound system industry for over 50 years, being a joint founder of Baldwin-Boxall Communications. The Institute duly noted its thanks to him for taking on the role of president at short notice after the sudden death of David Hopkins, who was due to take the post. The AGM concluded with a panel-led discussion, covering subjects such as the implications of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, the future of radio microphone licensing and use in the UK and independent assessment of VA systems.

Letter: Lack of principal

2009-11-16T16:05:03Z

For far too long reviewers in general have relegated principal singers to no more than a one sentence afterthought.

Letter: Capital concern

2009-11-16T16:05:03Z

If I understand the coverage correctly, The Stage and most of its readers do not understand what has just happened with the Ambassador Theatre Group. According to the Exponent website: "Exponent Capital has acquired Ambassador Theatre Group by providing £75 million in equity capital." Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire did not just add a new investor, they were taken over by a private equity fund. The Live Nation theatres are not in the capable hands of experienced British producers - they have been sold to a leveraged buyout group.

Letter: For the love of theatre

2009-11-16T16:05:02Z

With reference to James Barry's article on November 12, page 10 - "Is 'amateur' a dirty word in theatre?", I would like to congratulate the author for what I consider to be a well observed article on the amateur circuit and its benefits.

Letter: Welcome service

2009-11-16T16:05:02Z

As a result of reading a letter in this column from Adrian Barry, director of the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America (Letters, November 5, page 9), I attended the recent memorial service on November 10, marking the 50th anniversary of the death of Lupino Lane, the great star of music hall, musical theatre and pantomime, as well as a pioneer of British film.

Letter: Child rights

2009-11-16T16:05:02Z

In 2007, the actors' association, Equity made the decision to allow photographic and fashion models to join its hallowed ranks. A curious judgement, meaning that a child model offered work as an actor is covered by union rights, but a child performer who makes a living from their performing talents, is not.

Letter: Cause for alarm?

2009-11-16T16:05:01Z

I would like to respond to the inaccuracies in a letter from Robert Breckman (Letters, October 29, page 8), in response to quotes I had made a week earlier (Front page, October 22), concerning stage managers tax.

Letter: Pride and joy

2009-11-16T16:05:00Z

I would like to thank everyone associated with the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America for putting together a really wonderful memorial service that marked the 50th anniversary of the late Lupino Lane at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden on Tuesday, November 10. It was a wonderful afternoon, one that I will never forget, and my husband and I felt very proud to be a part of the celebrations.

Backstage: Delta win

2009-11-16T15:35:00Z

Delta Sound has won Most Innovative Installation for The Atrium, the event space at Westfield London, at the first Audio Pro International Industry Excellence Awards. Launched as a virtual ceremony, the awards are said to acknowledge the best products, companies and people in all sectors of the business, with each nominee put forward by people in the industry and the finalists picked by a panel of judges from the industry. The Atrium's system, explains Delta Sound, needed to be as flexible as possible, allowing a stage to be placed end on at the end furthest away from the main entrance, sideways on, or in the round. In addition, productions can be anything from one person with a microphone, through to full live music or theatrical productions.

Backstage: White hall

2009-11-16T15:30:00Z

Lighting supplier, White Light, has played a key role in the creation of a new performance space within the Royal Albert Hall, the company providing a lighting, AV and technical infrastructure for the new, multi-function Elgar Room. Located on the west side of the Hall, and formerly known as the West Theatre, the room provided the original home for the Central School of Speech and Drama from 1906 until 1957. The £1 million renovation has transformed the room into a multi-purpose venue, the raised flooring removed to create one large space, the original floor-to-ceiling windows restored and with an audience capacity of up to 350 people. Ollie Jeffery, senior technical manager explains that they needed to create a lighting system that would give maximum flexibility for performance requirements, but without restricting the venue's restaurant space. Among the equipment supplied by White Light was an ETC SmartPack wall-mounted dimmer rack with SmartLink outstation, plus two LSC five-way DMX splitters and an Avo Pearl console, plus a core lighting rig of six Vari-Lite VL2500 Spots, ten Chroma-Q Color Block 2 LED fixtures, six ETC Source Four Jr Zooms and six Selecon Acclaim Fresnels, the conventional fixtures all supplied with white finishes.

Backstage: Batting on

2009-11-16T15:15:01Z

Adlib has supplied lighting equipment and crew for lighting designer, Ali Pike, on the latest UK leg of Bat For Lashes' Two Suns 2009 world tour, ongoing for most of the year following the release of Natasha Khan's second album. Pike, states Adlib, has been working with the alternative rock musician and singer/songwriter all year, the company also supplying various 'specials' packages for other sections of the tour. This permutation of the design started with meetings between Pike and Natasha Khan who has a visual arts background and said to have strong creative ideas. After playing shows in Chicago and London they came up with the concept of creating an atmospheric stage ambience based around different weather conditions, Pike deciding to create the desired result using some theatrical, old school lighting and effects. They toured a front and back truss - using Martin Professional MAC 700 moving lights as the main fixtures. On the back truss were six MAC 700 Profiles and four Washes, with six Source Four Zooms to provide individual white light 'practicals' for the band positions so they weren't left in the dark. Two MAC 700 Washes were rigged on the front truss along with four Source Four profiles. On the floor were six MAC 700 Profiles including two positioned on the side fills, with another four Washes upstage of the backline to up-light the band or the backdrop.

TV review

2009-11-16T13:05:00Z

For several years Miranda Hart has been cheerfully stealing scenes from under the noses of her more illustrious co-stars, so it was only a matter of time before TV producers rewarded her with a comedy series of her own.

Twist in the tale

2009-11-16T11:00:00Z

Tabard has been given call to remember a news story The Stage ran a couple of years ago, headlined "Misquoting reviews to be made illegal".

Public abuse

2009-11-16T11:00:00Z

Now, to a more serious example of law-breaking. Robert Daws, the actor perhaps best known as Tuppy Glossop from Jeeves and Wooster, was the victim of a rather nasty attack outside his house this week.

Obituary: Ron Hart

2009-11-10T14:55:00Z

Ron Hart, who died on September 14, aged 79, was best known for his comedy Lunch Girls, staged at the National Theatre and around the world.

Obituary: Ray Barrett

2009-11-10T13:00:04Z

With coarsely chiselled features and coal-dark, furrowed eyes, Ray Barrett carved himself a sizeable niche in television and film in Britain and his native Australia, with a range that stretched from hard-bitten flesh and blood villains to selfless but string-bound puppet heroes.

Obituary: Dave Greig

2009-11-10T13:00:03Z

Dave Greig, who died on October 28 at the age of 55, was widely known as the long-serving fire officer of the Young Vic Theatre. Fondly referred to as Dave the fireman, everyone who passed through the doors of the Young Vic knew him. With a friendly greeting for all, he has, for the last decade, been the welcoming heart of the building.

Chit chat - Getting to the bottom of ATG's deal

2009-11-10T10:25:00Z

So, Ambassador Theatre Group has been busy buying up everything in sight this month, having just completed a £90 million deal with Live Nation to take over its UK theatres and become Britain's biggest theatre operator.

Chit chat - Projecting more than emotion

2009-11-10T10:20:01Z

Meanwhile, in a theatre not owned by ATG and during a production not produced by them, an audience member was spectacular unwell during the week just gone.

Backstage: Charitable light

2009-11-09T17:00:00Z

Lighting supplier, White Light, recently supported One More Time, a theatrical gala held at the Piccadilly Theatre in aid of Future Dreams and breast cancer charity Breakthrough, the former being founded by performing arts teacher Danielle Leslie and mother, Sylvie Henry in 2008 when both were diagnosed with breast cancer. The first One Night Only concert at the Savoy Theatre raised over £300,000 for Breakthrough Breast Cancer, the follow-up 2009 concert being launched after Sylvie lost her life to the disease. This year's event raised more than £400,000 for the charity. White Light provided Oliver Matthews, the show's lighting designer, with additional lighting equipment to complement the lighting rig for Grease, also supplied by White Light. The equipment supplied included the versatile JBLED A7 moving LED zoom washlights.

Letter: Danny's fitting farewell

2009-11-09T16:45:00Z

In reply to the letter from EM Willis (Why Kensal Rise, October 8, page 8) yes, Danny La Rue was closely associated with St Patrick's Church, Soho, but more importantly Danny's belief didn't relate to buildings, it related to the Roman Catholic religion and he would pray and feel at home in its local church, wherever he travelled. Yes, Danny was interred at Kensal Green Cemetery where Jack Hanson and Danny's family were interred and the Requiem Mass was held at the Church of the Transfiguration nearby.

Letter: Ticket trouble

2009-11-09T16:30:02Z

I read with interest that the New Theatre Oxford is among those recently purchased by the Ambassador Theatre Group. But will this do anything to make the experience of coming to a show there any better? If the more recent changes of ownership are anything to go by, I doubt it.

Letter: Centenary celebrations

2009-11-09T16:30:01Z

The Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, the oldest established multi-skilled performing arts training school in the world, will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2011 - quite an achievement - and the academy would like to contact everyone who has played a part in its rich history.

Letter: American dream

2009-11-09T16:30:01Z

At 75 years of age, I have just realised one of my ambitions - to walk down Broadway and see a show there.

Letter: Form reform needed

2009-11-09T16:30:01Z

It is a year since I brought to Equity's notice that its youth membership enrolment forms were inappropriate. They are adult forms being sent to minors. The form is sent along with a 'Being an Equity Member' leaflet and a recruitment letter to children aged 14 and 15 years who appear in the Spotlight's Children Directory.

Letter: Office politics

2009-11-09T16:30:00Z

It is surely of great concern to the whole arts, entertainment and cultural world, both nationally and internationally, that the appointment of the chairman of the arts council should in any way become a political issue.

Backstage: Massive tour

2009-11-09T16:00:00Z

HSL Is supplying lighting and crew to the current UK and European tour by Bristol-based, electronic/trip-hop band, Massive Attack, working with lighting designer Robin Haddow, who worked closely with the band's video and show designers, United Visual Artists, on developing the look and feel of the show. A week's technical production rehearsals at HSL's new space next door to their warehouse facility in Blackburn preceded the tour, creative input also coming from Massive Attack founder 3D. They are again touring 15 custom modules of Barco O-Lite 510 video screen upstage, making a 15 metre wide by three metre high back wall. Attached to the base of each O-Lite frame is a Robe ColorWash 250E AT moving light. Upstage of the screen is a truss, rigged about a metre high off the ground on special tank traps, on which is mounted 15 Vari*Lite 3500 Washes. For side and front lighting, eight Robe ColorSpot 700E ATs are used, four on stands for the downstage edge of the stage and another four further upstage on flightcases. The show is run via three control systems - a Hog 3 set up which also drives a PixelMAD system that supplies content to the REDWashes, which are also programmed as conventional lightsources, being operated by Haddow. The tour is currently scheduled to run until the end of November.

Backstage: Tech keys

2009-11-09T15:50:00Z

Jon Lord of Deep Purple and James Taylor, from the James Taylor Quartet, will be visiting Tech Music Schools in West London on Saturday, November 28th at 12.30pm to officially open its keyboard technical department, including the new Hammond organ laboratory. Lord, states TMS, will be staying to sign memorabilia and the school will also be holding several master classes on the day, including one from James Taylor. The British Accreditation Council first inspected Tech Music Schools for Independent Further and Higher Education in February 2009, its inspectors complimenting a number of positive factors, namely that the teaching environment allowed for a close level of support and interaction between staff and students. Its pupils are all taught by musicians performing or working in the music industry. TMS was awarded accreditation in April 2009. www.techmusicschools.co.uk

Backstage: Academy award

2009-11-09T15:50:00Z

The National Skills Academy for Creative & Cultural Skills states that is has secured some £5 million of funding for a new building at Thurrock, in the Thames Gateway, which will enable thousands of young people and apprentices to have access to world-class training in technical theatre and live music production. As an employer-led initiative, the academy will provide training to the backstage theatre and live events industries, a sector which the NSA estimates will need some 30,000 technicians by 2017. It is expected that the new academy will create around 1,000 jobs. Completion is expected in 2011.

Backstage: Queen of Arts

2009-11-09T15:20:00Z

Production Services Ireland recently supplied technical and production management services and co-coordinated the supply of sound, lighting and video equipment for the 2009 Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen's 2009, the 47th year the two week arts festival has taken place.

Deal makes theatre history

2009-11-06T15:35:00Z

ATG's growth into the largest theatre operator in the UK represents a remarkable achievement, writes Alistair Smith

Chit chat: Tweeter labelled twit by Tory types

2009-11-03T10:55:00Z

A nice little spat is developing between culture secretary Ben Bradshaw and his opposite numbers on the Tory shadow culture team.

Chit chat: Taken to task for ignoring the tusks

2009-11-03T10:50:00Z

Last week, the great and the good of the National Skills Academy gathered in Shakespeare's Globe. They were there to enthuse invited employers and others, whom they hoped to engage as 'ambassadors' for the project.

Chit chat: Folk singer suffers hoax stinger

2009-11-03T10:50:00Z

Meanwhile, some troubling news reaches our ears that folk singer Charlie Landsborough - a regular performer on the BBC's Songs of Praise - appears to have been hit by a malicious hoaxer.

Obituary: Troy Kennedy Martin

2009-11-02T18:20:04Z

Troy Kennedy Martin changed the tone and temper of television crime dramas overnight in 1962 when he created the groundbreaking Z-Cars. Two decades later, Edge of Darkness exploited the Scottish-born writer's signature grittiness to revive the spy thriller by imbuing it with the dark complexities of contemporary life.

Obituary: Nicky Bentley

2009-11-02T18:20:03Z

Dance teacher and choreographer Nicky Bentley died of cancer at her home in Frensham, Surrey, on August 31.

Obituary: Patrick Swayze

2009-11-02T18:20:03Z

Few ballet dancers become Hollywood heart-throbs, but Patrick Swayze's co-starring role as the eponymous Ghost alongside Demi Moore in 1990 earned him an adoring legion of fans. The following year People magazine declared him to be the "sexiest man alive".

Obituary: Frank Deasy

2009-11-02T18:20:02Z

Frank Deasy's Emmy Award in 2006 for his valedictory script for the Prime Suspect series created by Lynda La Plante gave international recognition to a writer whose profile in the UK and his native Ireland was already solid, secure and growing.

Letter: It pays to be unresponsive

2009-11-02T16:30:02Z

Your article on the £940,000 lifeline to the Royal and Derngate in Northampton caught my attention (October 8, page 5).

TV review

2009-11-02T16:15:02Z

Yvette Fielding has discovered the existence of life after death, in her career if nowhere else. The former Blue Peter presenter currently enjoys fresh popularity thanks to Living TV's spookfest Most Haunted.

Backstage: Making waves

2009-11-02T16:05:02Z

A.C. Special Projects has supplied a colour changing LED lighting system for the Wave, a striking contemporary sculpture in Blackpool's new look town centre plaza. Designed by Somerset artist, Lucy Glendinning, it forms an integral part of the £4.7m makeover of St John's and Cedar Squares, having been officially unveiled by stylist, Laurence Llewellyn Bowen. The sculpture features an illuminated colour changing pattern in cast resin, reflecting the stained glass windows in St John's Church and which also ties in with Blackpool's famed Illuminations heritage. Having been approached to specify and supply a suitable LED lighting system for the sculpture, A.C. Special Projects chose the Philips ColorGraze Powercore, an IP66 low maintenance fixture tough enough to withstand the elements while also requiring minimal servicing once the piece was in position.

Backstage: Olympic interest

2009-11-02T16:00:02Z

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games are now actively inviting interest from live events production companies to provide the production services for the opening and closing ceremonies of both 2012 Olympic events. The companies will provide administrative and production services to the creative directors of the four ceremonies, the directors being recruited directly by the organising committee through a separate process, meaning that creative content proposals are not being sought. Companies can register their interest at www.competefor.com Successful companies will be asked to present in early January 2010, while the operational structure is expected to be operational from 1 April 2010.

Backstage: Explosion of sound

2009-11-02T15:40:02Z

This year's Reproduced Sound conference, staged by the Institute of Acoustics, takes place from 19th-20th November at the Thistle Hotel, Brighton. The conference's 25th anniversary event, dubbed The Audio Explosion, will look subjects such as audio quality, intelligibility, loudspeaker design, and immersive audio etc. Delegates, especially those new to RS, state the event organisers, are invited to join an informal workshop tutorial on the evening before the main sessions, which will feature practical demonstrations of fundamental acoustic conditions from industry experts, along with a Q&A opportunity with a panel of experienced electroacousticians.

Letter: Why is it curtains?

2009-11-02T15:40:02Z

Is there any particular reason why the theatre house curtain has become an endangered species? It is an almost certainty that on arriving in the auditorium the stage set will be in full view of the audience. If the idea is to get the spectators in tune with the performance beforehand then I submit this does not happen. A vast majority take one look and revert to chatting, reading the programme and opening their sweets and chocolates. The goods have been exposed and there is no build up of expectation before the start. It is rather like receiving an unwrapped Christmas present.

Backstage: Stately domes

2009-11-02T15:25:02Z

Johannesburg-based, In2Structures, (part of the Gearhouse South Africa Group) has launched two new dome structures at a special, three-day launch event at its head office in Bezuidenhout Valley, Johannesburg, South Africa. The 36 metre wide SupaDome (SP) and the more intimately proportioned 18 metre wide AliDome are designed, states the company, to augment either end of In2Structures' current range of MaxiDome and Flat Truss Dome portable structures. The new In2Structures flagship product retains the shape of the MaxiDome, but with an increased width and height. The demonstration SupaDome was built with six bays plus two Dome ends, giving an internal size of nearly 2000 square metres, measuring 68.70 metres long by 32.70 wide, with headroom of 16.23 metres. The AliDome design evolved in conjunction with the development and manufacture of the SP Dome, in recognition of the need to offer marquee style spaces with vastly improved facilities, as part of a full range. An 18 metre diameter AliDome was built inside the SupaDome for the launch, featuring a variety of different skins, including a printed Johannesburg skyline combined with sky projections and transparent 'window skins'.

Backstage: Spiritual illumination

2009-11-02T14:50:02Z

Blackburn-based, lighting rental company HSL has supplied all the lighting and necessary rigging for a DVD and holiday TV special performance by Sting at Durham cathedral. Lighting designer for the two shows was Manfred Olma of mo2 Designs, based in Cologne, Germany. According to HSL project manager Mike Oates, the project entailed huge challenges, as this was the first concert of this scale to be staged there. When commissioned to light the show, HSL states that Olma specifically wanted to use Falcon searchlight and flower effects to accentuate the cathedral's architecture, both for the benefit of the cameras and live TV audience. Apart from rigging a large quantity of fixtures into an unusual venue, other challenges included the fact that as a place of worship the cathedral was open to the public throughout the get-in, and technical and rehearsal periods. The stage was positioned below the crossing, right at the heart of the church, key lighting being achieved using Robe ColorWash 1200s which were attached to the columns around the crossing and those nearest to it in the nave on custom brackets. To illuminate the nave and aisle, more ColorWash 1200s were rigged on top of their flight cases along to the edges of the nave, and where possible concealed behind the pillars on both sides. Olma and programmer Markus Janning ran the show on two grandMA full size consoles and four NSPs. Sting: A Winter's Night... was directed and produced by Jim Gable and Ann Kim of Graying & Balding Inc.