UK Theatre Network - Online, On Radio, On TV, On Film....whew
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Sorry for the late newsletter this weekend. I normally do it on Saturday mornings but I had a Sky News guest appearance on Friday night and a Film Course all day on Saturday.
November 23rd, 2008 at 12:05 pm
In this edition:-
Notes from the Editor
- Statistics/Sky News/Doug's Radio Blog
- The Red One/Reviewers/Noises Off/Elegy
Tonight's Events
Top 10 Articles on Film and Theatre
STATISTICS
Great news that I noticed from my stats that we're almost at the 6 Million Mark in terms of page views with 1.3 Million Unique Visitors, and an average of 4 pages every time someone comes to visit which makes around 1,400 pages viewed every day on UK Theatre Network. Yay !
SKY NEWS
I have a recording which I'll upload to the library later today. It was good fun as usual on Friday. This time I had a serious limo picking me up, complete with blacked out windows so that I can avoid those pesky paparazzi folks. Haha.
DOUG'S RADIO BLOG
I've recorded three shows, each two hours long for an independent radio station in the West Of Scotland. It's goes out on air from next Saturday 29th November12pm-2pm and will be aired in FM around the West of Scotland, as well as streamed online live. The website for the station is currently being polished for the event, so I'll hold back the name until next week as it's just a holding page.
THE RED ONE
I spent a day on a great course learning all about the Red One. You may have heard my fascination about it this year. Stephen Lewis Simpson, who directed Ticking Man which I appeared in, told me that Hollywood was buzzing with the excitement about the first digital camera to produce 35mm film like quality. When I asked Richard Jobson, prior to his premiere of New Town Killers, filmed in HD, he said it was early days but he had used it in some music videos.
So, I thought I'd take a look for myself and paid my £200. If it's the best in the business as people think it is, spending £200 to use one for a day was a worthwhile investment I thought. And it was.
At least now I know the team that you need to work with (crew of at least 4 with 5/6 if you want focus pullers and grips, oh and add a few runners), the weight (bloody heavy), it's quality (digital 4k, WOW !), and it's price (£20,000 fully kitted). Gulp, you may think, but it gives you 35mm quality at significantly reduced prices, and actors and a script aside, it's possibly the most important investment you can make in a film. It makes that decision easier if you have a budget of £100k upwards for your film. It's currently my number one choice of camera for filming my Big Picture projects next year. Though as there is a 6 months waiting list, I'll be hiring, probably from some of the people I met on the course.
REVIEWERS
I've got a great team of reviewers. I tend to carefully select those individuals who have a real passion for theatre or film and see it as a way of life, more than a chore, to go and visit every week near you, and write their experiences to site. It has to fit into their lifestyles which makes them more likely to be actors, filmmakers or writers, who want to continue to develop their craft, or play a part in the support and development of audiences in their community. The more we, as a team, write, the more that the audiences of those venues and productions, will be seen. It's that simple, and it works. I've had feedback from producers in Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle and London all emailing me with positive news of a significant increase in their audiences as a direct result of a review on our website. Nice one team, keep them coming !
I'm currently looking for a few more reviewers to join the London team. If you think you fit the bill, click on the Associates link at the bottom of the uktheatre.net website.
NOISES OFF
Noises Off was good fun this week. Well worth a visit if you haven't seen it. That was my sixth I think, and I still enjoyed it. One thing you notice when you go more than once is the comparisons between different performers. You notice it more when some deliver the characters better than others, and it shifts the dynamics of the performance, and your perception of it, as a different central character becomes your focus of attention. It's what keeps it fresh and very watchable.
ELEGY
I also went to see Elegy this week. It's one to watch. Penelope Cruz is stunning as usual but also delivers a very credible emotional connection with her character. As for Sir Ben Kingsley, who was in the Q&A at the end, well, he was intense and yet managed to expose most of the inner obsessions of his character in such a subtle way, that reminds you how talented he clearly is. I would suggest there will be awards for this one. Not least the talented director Isobel Coixet. She's a director I'd like to watch again. Try to go and see it without reading any reviews. It's one of those you'd prefer not knowing the plot.
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Tonight's Events from the Diary
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Lotty's War at Greenwich Playhouse 11/23/2008 at 7:30 PM
http://uktheatre.net/events.aspx?DoAction=ViewEvent&EventID=157412610967893
Salisbury Playhouse presents 11/23/2008 at 7:30 PM
http://uktheatre.net/events.aspx?DoAction=ViewEvent&EventID=670503402701466
Rasputin (featuring the WILD !! Andy McQuade) 11/23/2008 at 8:00 PM
http://uktheatre.net/events.aspx?DoAction=ViewEvent&EventID=138250210021282
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Top 10 Newest Articles
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Nobody Will Ever Forgive Us, Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, 20 to 29 Nov 2008
This co-production between The Traverse and The National Theatre of Scotland marks Gary Lewis's long awaited return to the stage.
http://uktheatre.net/articles.aspx?DoAction=Display&ArticleID=280030039170841&CatID=114
>>>>>
Quantum of Solace
Double-OH-Trouble
http://uktheatre.net/articles.aspx?DoAction=Display&ArticleID=174687842695846&CatID=136
>>>>>
SHOUT! - Theatre Royal, Newcastle upon Tyne
Shout! is the swinging Sixties sensation starring Claire Sweeney and Su Pollard.
http://uktheatre.net/articles.aspx?DoAction=Display&ArticleID=187102545907788&CatID=114
Ayanna Witter-Johnsonin and Jo Harrop Group add some spice to life...
'Two of the coolest singers on the UK jazz scene, Ayanna Witter-Johnsonin and Jo Harrop perform for one night only at The Spice of Life, Soho's renowned jazz-cellar.'
http://uktheatre.net/articles.aspx?DoAction=Display&ArticleID=595487985728735&CatID=114
>>>>>
'Old, New, Borrowed, Blue' with Nicola Emmanuelle, Sue Richardson, Ian Shaw and Tammy Weis.
'In a show specially produced for the London Jazz Festival, some of the UK 's great vocal talents explore the mysteries of songwriting by delving into the revered song catalogues of the past and performing their own originals.'
http://uktheatre.net/articles.aspx?DoAction=Display&ArticleID=593362207729766&CatID=114
>>>>>
A Taste of Honey at Manchester Royal Exchange
A fifty-year-old play comes up as fresh as paint, as Shelagh Delaney's caustic comedy returns to its home town
http://uktheatre.net/articles.aspx?DoAction=Display&ArticleID=480231115143538&CatID=114
>>>>>
Zena Edwards' Security at Battersea Arts Centre Zena Edwards' one-woman show, Security - now playing at Battersea Arts Centre - uses poetry, music and theatre to craft a deeply personal work touching on issues of knife crime, the transition from youth into adulthood, and the multi-cultural melting pot of London street life.
http://uktheatre.net/articles.aspx?DoAction=Display&ArticleID=858374760537111&CatID=114
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ENCORE - The Customs House
Back with a brand new show, Encore will be delighting audiences at The Customs House from Tuesday 18th to Saturday 22nd November 2008.
http://uktheatre.net/articles.aspx?DoAction=Display&ArticleID=591318361658416&CatID=114
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Bigger, Stronger, Faster An engaging piece of non-fiction that will both entertain and educate like no other documentary has on the controversial, yet mysterious subject of steroid use in America.
http://uktheatre.net/articles.aspx?DoAction=Display&ArticleID=948483358866421&CatID=136
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