Monday, November 14th, 2011
Last Saturday Icon Films shot a trailer for our comical kids’ Christmas show, Good Clown Bad Clown, in front of a live audience of little ones! The finished article will be up here soon, but in the meantime, here are some pictures from the process…
Monday, September 5th, 2011
Friday, August 5th, 2011
Since 2007 Wootton Bassett, a small Wiltshire market town, has been part of the route taken by funeral corteges carrying dead soldiers repatriated to RAF Lyneham as they are driven to the mortuary at Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. Two years ago, tributes began spontaneously in Wootton Bassett as Legion members paused to salute corteges as they passed by.
Since then the repatriation ceremonies have grown. Nobody could have predicted that these ceremonies would come to represent so much to so many, as the national press, visitors and local people have turned out to honor those who have given their lives in service to their country.
The memorial has become a meeting place for people wishing to pay their respects to those who have been killed on operations. The ceremony is simple. As the hearses approach, the tenor bell of St Bartholomew’s Church begins to toll. Business in the area stops as everybody lines the streets. When the cortege reaches the war memorial it pauses while ex- and serving members of the forces raise a salute. Mr Cameron told the House of Commons: “Their deeply moving and dignified demonstrations of respect and mourning have shown the deep bond between the public and our armed forces.“
In March 2011, the Prime Minister announced that Wootton Bassett would be renamed Royal Wootton Bassett. David Cameron has said that the honour has been bestowed as tribute to the “enduring symbol of the nation’s admiration and our gratitude to the people of that town.” This is the first time in over 100 years that any town has been granted the title for its efforts to honour those killed during operations. Mary Champion, Mayor of Wootton Bassett, said: “This is a great honour for our community as the repatriations move away from Wootton Bassett.”
Many campaigners and journalists have argued the renaming of Wootton Bassett merely highlights the issues surrounding the validity of the war. The response of the nation to the repatriation ceremonies illustrates its grief at the loss of life, but some have pointed out that the same can not be said about the loss of Afghan lives.
There has also been some debate surrounding how these proceedings are being conducted. Some believe that the ceremony has got out of hand, with mountains of flowers, tributes and cards left in the streets. Some of the local community have said they are concerned that the town is becoming the frontline of ‘grief tourism.’ There has been an angry response from many local people about the handling of the ceremonies by the media. Journalists, news vans and even cherry pickers have arrived for some repatriations and some locals claim they have turned the events into a “media circus”. The Mayor of Wootton Bassett met with members of the RAF, The British Royal Legion and the police with a view to discuss the best way to maintain a culture of “dignified respect”.
Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
Next week we’ll be introducing you to Bristol’s hottest new theatre company, The Wardrobe Ensemble. This multi-talented group emerged from our Outreach department’s development scheme, Made in Bristol, so we’re thrilled to be presenting a double-bill of their work as a fully-fledged professional company.
First up is RIOT, a show that explores a real-life riot at the opening of a North London IKEA store in February 2005, in which hysterical shoppers caused six people to be hospitalised and dozens more crushed. A tragedy of modern day mania, RIOT promises a frenzy of physicality and music.
Here’s a little more on what you can expect, straight from the horses’ mouths…
Who are the Wardrobe Ensemble?
Well there are quite a few of us! We are Jesse (boy), Jesse (girl), Tom, Kerry, Emily, Jimmy, Ben, Edie and Helena. Some of us have graduated, others are gap year students and some of us have never left the theatre!
Where did the concept for the show come from?
A while back we were discussing types of shows we would like to make and a lot of us were interested in making some Verbatim theatre. We were particularly interested in basing it around a specific event. Then one day Tom came in and told us about the IKEA riots of 2005 and the story was so bizarre and unbelievable we thought we should make it.
What has the creative process been like? What can we expect from the show?
The creative process has been challenging and has definitely tested our endurance. It’s all extremely physical, and it’s been a while since some of us last hit the gym. But most of all the process has been incredibly informative and hugely rewarding- we’ve all learned just how much work goes into making, producing and marketing a show. As for the show you can definitely expect a lot of lamps! As well as music, meatballs, puns, cushion fights, yellow shirts, trombone acrobatics, and a jaguar.
How has your time with Bristol Old Vic Young Company enabled The Wardrobe Ensemble?
The Young Company was essentially our training ground. Most of the skills we collectively have were learned there, and there’s no doubt that our show is hugely influenced by its style and ethos, and we still receive a huge amount of support from them. Without Tid and Miranda, there would be no Wardrobe Ensemble.
What’s next for all of you?
Come September some of us are going to be starting University or drama school, and others will continue to wend their merry way down the professional theatre path. That’s the current plan. But, if RIOT goes down well in Edinburgh, then who knows…
After each performance of RIOT, the company will be previewing another show called Sense, with a full run of all five ‘senses’ being performed on Saturday 18 Jun. Be sure to stick around after RIOT for this lovely little extra.
We’ll see you there…
Thursday, July 29th, 2010
This weekend sees the arrival of the Harbour Festival and Bristol Old Vic is taking over King Street. Not only will you be able to enjoy performances from our very own, fantastic Young Company (listed in the previous post), but we will also be laying on a BBQ and a bar out on the cobbles. And as if that wasn’t enough, there are also backstage tours of the theatre available at a mere £2 per head. So if heat gets too much, come and relax with a Pimms or have a quick peek behind the curtain of the oldest, working theatre in Britain.
BBQ includes:
Bar will be stocked with:
See you there!
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