Panto

Posted on October 18, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Drama, Fun, Humour, Life, Panto, Pantomime, Penkhull, Play, Stoke-on trent, TheatreLeave a comment

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Have you heard of Panto? Or better known as Pantomime?

No? It’s something that goes on here in the UK around Christmas time.

Usually seen in a theatre it consists of brightly coloured sets, with brightly clothed people, messing about, telling an adventurous story while telling awful jokes and singing contemporary songs.

We do this in Penkhull, but for the at two years someone from the group has written the panto/pantomime, rather than buying in a script.

We started rehearsing last week. Lots of people who have done it before, greatful to get a couple of lines and be able to play act again. Most modern pantos seem to have commercial sponsorship, but in our case we just mention local shops. We don’t have advertisements in the panto, unless it’s jokey ones in the programme.

This time we are doing Aladdin. Set to open for four performances (too many for’s?) in February 2020, so the cast can take Christmas off!

Oh yes we can!

Almost a Sacred Duty.

Posted on September 4, 2019September 4, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Audley, Coal mining, Coroners inquiry, Disaster, Explosion, Halmerend, Minnie pit, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Play, TheatreLeave a comment

We went to see a production of Almost a Sacred Duty tonight. A play and presentation at the New Vic theatre. The start was a brief history of what had happened in 1918 by a local historian. This was followed by a play with people from the present and three characters from one hundred years ago. It was about the Minnie pit disaster in 1918, the 18 months it took to find the 156 bodies of men and boys working in the mine who died in the disaster and about 80 miners who survived.

The inquest was held in 1919 after the last body was found. After the hearing, which took weeks, the conclusion was that dust in the mine had contributed to the explosion although nobody was found accountable.

The people acting were playing present day residents who were commemorating the disaster and also played people from 1919 who were at the inquest. The whole thing was only about 45 minutes long but it was really good.

Jim Worgan is a mining historian who gave a short presentation.

Sue Moffat wrote the play and it was directed by Anna Poole. There were three professional actors plus a community cast and the play was supported by the Minnie pit centenary commemoration group, the heritage fund, and New Vic borderlines.

The play used information from William Cooke, a local historian and writer who had given permission to use his book ‘The Minnie pit : Disaster and Controversy”.

Claws out

Posted on August 28, 2019 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Claws, Climbing, Fun, Funny, Hiding, Jumping, My cat, Play, Sharp, TVLeave a comment

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I have the claw marks to prove it. She’s a lovely cat but she likes climbing up my leg instead of jumping up onto my knees.

This is also spider chaser extreme. Which is fine until she knocked over a bottle of shampoo and the liquid ran all over the floor and behind the sink, that was messy to clear up.

What else? She’s the cat that lies under the mat, she rolls toys under it then pulls them back out by lying on her side and using her claws to try and reach the toy. She also hides behind coats that are hung up and pounces on her brother. She also climbs up on the window behind the curtains and trys pulling at the net curtains. She’s almost knocked the TV off its stand! She’s a really bouncy cheeky cat!

I tripped over… Poem?

Posted on August 25, 2019August 25, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Algorithm, Play, Poem, Poetry, Random, Spellchecker, WordsLeave a comment

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I saw this challenge on Facebook.

Type a phrase then chose the middle button of spell checker to continue. I thought it might make a poem? The phrase is… I tripped over….

I tripped over

I don’t know what to do

I don’t know if you have the same thing

But I can send you a link

I can add buttons to the list

You might end up with a cold

I have edited the last one first

Good to be a bit more practical

But all I want to get is the best

I have been working on the first week

And the last one they had with me

Food and water and all those days.

Well I’m not sure what I think of it, I think it’s quite emotionless. It’s only an algorithm though. My words. I did edit it slightly otherwise it would have said ‘sent from my Xperia’…

When cats get in the way?

Posted on August 15, 2019 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Cat, Fun, Jumping, Leaping, Life, Painting, Play, Poem, PoetryLeave a comment

When cats get in the way

You just have to live with it

Or push her away?

Give her attention

Let her just play.

Jumping and leaping

Up on my lap,

Knocking my paints over,

Splashing the water,

Sharpening her claws

On my canvas.

She’s lovely

But mad.

Last rehearsal

Posted on July 12, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Design, Fun, Good day out, Mystery Play, Penkhull, Play, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, TheatreLeave a comment

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Almost done. Tomorrow we do the mystery play. Museum scene, travel back in time, work in a pottery, get thrown out of your house, end up in the workhouse. Escape to go to school. A Sunday school performance, finale. Songs, humour, tragedy, history.

Penkhull Mystery Play event, Saturday 13 July 2019. Free event, starts in the church at 10am then on the church green from 1pm. Stalls from 11am. Lots to see and do… Sorry to keep going on about it!

Props and costumes

Posted on July 7, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Costumes, Design, Penkhull, Penkhull mystery play, Play, Props, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, What's on, White paintLeave a comment

It takes a lot to put a play on. Not just scenery but props and costumes. We couldn’t do it without the efforts of people making things, painting things white, gluing tea pots to boards, finding jugs and tankards, the infinite number of things that just help. So instead of pretending you can have something physical, like a coin to pay someone. Props make acting easier.

Then there is costume. Lots of things get re used, cut down to size, have material let in to make it bigger. Hats are made or sometimes built. Members of the cast bring in their own clothes to enhance the look of the play.

We might only be doing something that lasts 40 minutes but it’s taken a few months of hard work and planning to bring it all together.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Play