My Favourite Window

October 15, 2011

Seeing Red



Holiday time,
and another of Dale Hartley-Brown's productions
hits the stage.
She has built up, over the years a pool of talent,
that she now draws on to produce
both her senior and junior shows.
Dale's graduate and current senior students
enjoy working across the board in stage-production,
directing and choreography, sound, lighting, crewing,
set-design, wardrobe and make-up.
Oh yes; they sing, dance and act too!
And now a rising crop is putting on a musical version of
Little Red Riding Hood...


Like her big sister, in the last production
Kitty indulges in shameless self-promotion:
during the costumed Street-Walk;


during a radio interview with Madeleine Wesselingh,
- the show's director -
at local radio station, Compass FM;
and also in a CTV interview in Christchurch.

Then after a final dress rehearsal under the watchful eyes
of the production team,
which includes big sister Bryony Jamison as joint vocal coach
(with Tess Stephen), Tegan Patrick, Madeleine,

and Ciaran Searle at the sound desk,
(able technician he, but even more able
Shakespearean actor,
surely destined for the Royal Shakespeare Company).



the season begins,


the musical numbers roll...






And Kitty sings her heart out.

Then today, after six shows, it's all over.
Hard to let go: of the buzz of it all, the children's excitement,
the teenagers' easy competence,
the social buzz of friends and neighbours filling the theatre
with generosity and delight in one another's children.
And Kitty, yes I am proud of her performance.
On stage for most of the show, she managed to maintain her character with conviction: bubbly, cheerful, dreamy...
I am full of admiration for her acting and singing ability.
But - she has walked on the fly walk
and high above the auditorium,
and I can see already,
that the technical side of theatre production has her in it's thrall.

8 comments:

Owen said...

Looks like wonderfully good fun... you could ask them if they will be coming to France on their world tour ?

Lady Mondegreen's Secret Garden said...

Oh boy, wouldn't that be fun.
I've promptly come down with the flu - from hanging out in packed theatre/dressing rooms?

Cuby said...

Lady M:Oh Kitty I am so glad that your performance went so well, the show looks superb. Sorry to hear thAt you have got the flu Lady M. :)

Lady Mondegreen's Secret Garden said...

Another aspect of these shows that I enjoy having watched Bryony's peers rise to excellence, is noticing amongst even 6 and 7 year olds the ones who will become the top dancers, singers, actors. Some little boys for instance have a wicked sense of comic timing.
I think this flu is abating now, thankyou for your thoughts :-)

Anonymous said...

It was a fantastic show.
I said I wouldn't help with make up this year but lots of little girls liked the way I did it last year and I just couldn't say no :D

Lady Mondegreen's Secret Garden said...

LittleLadyMondegreen:
Well, I hope you are going to blog about it over at your Theatre House.

Cindy@NorthofWiarton said...

The adrenaline must be at its peak when performing .. more excitement.

Lady Mondegreen's Secret Garden said...

Cindy: Thanks so much for coming back in time to see Red.