BODENS SUMMER 2017 MAGAZINE

BODENS PERFORMING ARTS
'It's a terrible thing when you're
afraid of you're children'.
The casting stage began
within the first week of
the process. We wanted
to give every member
of the company the
opportunity to explore
the characters they
were intrigued by
in more depth. The
talent and maturity
levels of the young
cast immediately
blew me away. Every
single member of the
company was capable
of playing any role they
could have been given.
The cast of 22 quickly
became a very strong
example of an ensemble.
Some elements that
had major effects on
the aesthetic of the
performance were the
set, costume and music.
These things needed to
reflect the harsh cold
of the world that the
characters are living
in. We spoke about
costume for a long time
as it would be a deciding
factor in the setting.
Ideas such as a Tim
Burton-esque gothic
town were debated,
however we decided
that modern TV shows
such as Fortitude and
Fargo would influence
our decisions. Therefore
thick woollen jumpers,
hats and long coats were
the key to unlocking the
world of the play. For
the music, Adam found
the soundtrack of Fargo
matched the setting and
the transitions between
scenes perfectly.
Just over a fortnight
before opening,
Rodney created the
most spectacular large
barricade style set out
of a wardrobe, ladders
and a dresser. The
theme of childhood and
growing up was cleverly
woven into the set by
Rodney in symbols
such as a dolls house
and a cot. Painting
the set and props all
white with the cast
was an adventure and
although we probably
got more paint on each
other than the set, it
certainly paid off to see
the snow like backdrop
in the performance.
Our house opened on
Friday 24th February
and we performed 3
consecutive nights. I
got the opportunity
to watch from the
audience, and seeing
all of the intricate
details that were put
into the set, music,
costume and character
relationships from an
audience perspective
was stunning. The way
the set glistened under
the lights reflected
the snowy setting we
wanted to achieve and
the layered costumes
made me feel cold just
watching!
A big part of
the Connections
programme involves
having writers and
directors come to watch
the show, pick up on
anything that needed
adjusting about the
performance and giving
necessary feedback.
A visit from a director
from the National
Theatre Connections
project added layers
of nervous energy and
excitement on the
Saturday performance.
The positive feedback
reflected the amount
of hours of hard work
and concentration the
cast had donated to the
project. Our biggest
achievement was the
move from our familiar
space here at Bodens,
to the Theatre Royal
Stratford East. We were
given the opportunity
to perform at the
partnered theatre on
the 31st March. The
446 seated theatre was
THE PLACE FOR PERFORMING ARTS
in 1884 and is a grade
2 listed building with
lavish red velvet
seats and intricate
gold décor (including
a chandelier!). The
cold, white set of The
Monstrum contrasted
perfectly with the
warm colours of the
theatre. Just walking
into the auditorium
gave an immediate
impression of how
much bigger the space
is from The Scaffold
Theatre. During the
dress rehearsal Adam
ran through the
notes again and we
played around with
exploring the bigger
stage. Then came the
performance… The
buzzing theatre was
packed with people. In
the audience we had
the cast of Theatre
Royal Stratford East’s
own youth company
supporting us.
Watching in the new
SUMMER 2017
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