So, we had the first rehearsal for my play ‘According to Claudia’ – good fun it was too.
I couldn’t ask for a better cast. Angaharad Jones (Claudia), Karen Davies (Belle), Eloise Rossiter (Lucy), Paul Howells (Micky) Bob Brown (David). Here they are in action:
Cast of ‘According to Claudia’ at preliminary meeting. (PHOTO: PHIL MANSELL)
As the first rehearsal for ‘According to Claudia’ looms ever closer I thought it would be fun to post the ‘alternative’ photo of the cast’s first meeting.
Nice to see that Karen is exhausted before we start and that Eloise is apparently practising yoga to prepare for the play. I hope the rehearsals will be as much fun as this photo promises!
Just a reminder that the cast are (from left to right) Eloise Rossiter, Bob Brown, Sue Morgan, Chris Bissex-Williams, Angharad Jones (front) Karen Davies and Paul Howells.
It’s less than a week before rehearsals start for my play ‘According to Claudia’ – and I can hardly wait. At the moment, it looks like I’ll be assistant director to my wife Caroline – which probably means I’ll be making tea and coffee for the cast.
Excerpt from my new play
Meanwhile, I’ve been busy working on my next stage play, provisionally entitled ‘Wedded Blitz’ about a novelist suffering from writer’s block whose second marriage is about to hit the rocks as he hits the bottle. The first draft is now complete – so I’ll give it the acid test i.e. let Caroline read it. If she likes it enough I’ll be arranging for some of Newport Playgoers’ finest to get together for a reading – and looking forward to their invaluable feedback.
It started off almost as a comedy but got darker and darker as it went along. There’s a brief extract from an early scene here.
So, I finished revising the script and had copies printed and bound. All I needed now was to gather the cast together and let the director (my wife Caroline) introduce them to each other and give them an idea of how rehearsals would work.
We made sure we had plenty of tea, coffee, biscuits and donuts for this initial meeting – we wanted to keep everyone sweet! It all went incredibly well.
We even managed to read some excerpts from the play to give the cast – who up till now had only seen audition pieces – would get a more rounded view of their characters and the plot.
I couldn’t have asked for a better group of actors for my play – and they all seemed to enjoy themselves which bodes well for future rehearsals. Which reminds me, I should be planning a schedule for those now!
The cast of ‘According to Claudia’ pick up their scripts. (PHOTO: PHIL MANSELL)
An early version of the poster
for According To Claudia
Well, the main auditions have been held and invitations have been sent out to the actors we’d like to be in the play. So, now it’s a case of waiting to hear if anyone actually wants to be in it!
I’ve also had to re-write the play a little to make allowances for the people we would like to cast. I’m sure there will be other re-writes as I go along.
An early version of the poster
for According To Claudia
I spent the reading of Act Scene 1 frantically sorting out all the bits of paper for the other four readings. Everyone involved seemed to enjoy it, which was very rewarding and many people said they would be coming along to the auditions on Saturday 26th April. That’s something I’m looking forward to as well.
Now it’s back to working on my latest play – about the relationship between a quantity surveyor and a dead Beatle.
I am pleased to announce that my play ‘According to Claudia’ will be having a Reading/Workshop at the Dolman Theatre Studio on Tuesday April the First (honestly, no fooling).
There are parts for 4 women and 3 men in the 30 – 70 age range. Hope lots of people can make it!
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Phil Mansell: Words & Pictures
Phil Mansell: Words & Pictures 