Coliseum photos

JANA PHILLIPS, ENO Baylis Project Manager

As you can read from the recent posts, the Community Ensemble have now started rehearsing on the Coliseum stage. Everything is intensified and with that floor and those props, everything is looking pretty spectacular.

Charlotte van Berckel came along to an early rehearsal and took some beautiful photos of the Ensemble (and some actors, stage managers and dancers) in the wings and onstage…

 

Walking to work…

JANA PHILLIPS, ENO Baylis Project Manager

Another new film uploaded…

 

Spoilt for choice

HOWARD HARDACRE, Community Ensemble Participant

The truth is I’m just not sure which level to engage at with this project…..

Apart from my community responsibilities in applying myself to the parts that I have on stage, I can put my music student hat on and sit in the wings and follow the score of this magnificent piece of work and learn more about it’s genius. I can head out into the auditorium and feast on it’s triumphant interpretation. Let me tell you that today I walked away from the rehearsal of the Hallelujah chorus with a tear in my eye it was just so splendid.

But it’s with my business analyst hat on that I am so in awe. The infrastructure behind the production is vast, collaborative and very well delivered. From the audio looping systems for lighting, stage management, sound and dressers to the guys who transport the props and scenery to and fro between their offsite home and the wings. All the stage technicians who turn the stage around from one show to the next in a few hours, the fireman who appears every time a candle is lit and my personal favourites, the creative genius props guys who make the sliders for the benches (nudge nudge) and who, quite magnificently, have the ability to create golden trees.

It’s staggering just how many people are working solidly with one objective in mind. I really enjoy this collaborative transformational management style as everyone enjoys and benefits from the experience in so many ways. It’s a pleasure to be part of it.

Shirley!

KUMAR MUNIANDY, Community Ensemble Participant

My flat mate, Laura asks me every night “So, how was your day today? Were you rehearsing?”. I tell her EVERYTHING until she falls asleep. Bless her. My meerkat spine is more awake than ever since we’re been in the London Coliseum. I try my best to be on the wings whenever it’s possible to see what’s happening on the stage i.e with Deborah’s microphone directions, lighting cues, prop blockings and so on. The staging and the lighting is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO BEAUTIFUL!!!!

Each community ensemble member has been assigned to a Chorus singer – they wake us up at the beginning of “For unto us a child is born”. My partner is Melody and she’s really cool. She’s been in the company for twenty seven years!!! I was three years old when she joined the company. Yeah I know, amazing right??!!?! Whenever the Chorus sings this piece, I feel like my whole body is floating on the air – their voices are so amazing and beautiful! Actually, there are no words to describe what it feels like to be on the Messiah stage. You gotta to be there to feel it.

Some of us have seen the start of the second act – OH MY GOD! More like OH MY MESSIAH!! I rest my case.

Also it’s my first time hearing the “Shirley” joke. If you don’t know what I’m talking about then you just have to listen out for it yourself.

I gather my ten fingers close to my heart to express my gratitude of being part of the Messiah.

A ghostly presence?

JOYIA FITCH, Community Ensemble Participant

I can see a bit of the flow go, mojo going on. It’s going to be fine. We all seem a bit calmer today, knowing a little better where we’re going. TV duties the same, but my cue isn’t quite right. Will test tomorrow. Either take cue off ironing board setting or Fritha’s chair. I have the actual TV today. It has smooth wheels (thank goodness). Apparently it’s going to be ON.

It’s quite hard to see things backstage. It’s either really dark or really light. I look up & am convinced I see someone high in the scaffolding-like structures supporting the lights. Probably a techie guy, but he’s ridiculously high. Maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me as I’m still adapting to the light back here, or perhaps a ghostly presence? There is definitely a ghostly magical feel back here.

Orders are reshuffled, entrances & exits changed for ease. There’s some candle action & truly wonderful dancing. I feel like we’re somewhat a mirror for the chorus, & we’re there reflecting back on them quite often in the depth of the space.

We watch the beginning of Act 2 from the Dress Circle as we’re not involved in this part. Laurence is right, it’s already incredibly moving. It’s bizarre now looking onto the stage, you get the real perspective. All the departments are starting to come together meticulously & many stunning light/projection options are tested out. Believe me; this show is going to be something extremely, extremely special.

An unforgettable experience

AMY MACPHERSON, Community Ensemble Participant

Last night was the first time I’d rehearsed on stage at the Coliseum in costume, and oh my goodness it’s all extremely exciting. Lying on the beautiful mirrored floor of the stage for one scene, looking up at the soaring dome of the Coliseum above me, hearing the chorus singing all around us – it’s all adding up to be an unforgettable experience.

I am quite childishly delighted to have my own special seat in the dressing room with my name on the mirror! The backstage world of calls over the tannoy, dressers and wardrobe assistants, waiting in the wings and getting glimpses of the onstage action between our scenes, the rabbit warren of rooms and staircases – it’s all fascinating.

The only thing that strikes me as a shame is that I’ll never get to see what the show looks like from out in the audience – but that is a small price to pay!

A message from the conductor!

LAURENCE CUMMINGS, Conductor for Messiah

As an opera conductor it is always a very exciting moment to move into the theatre from the often cramped rehearsal studio and it is especially so in this production which has such a huge cast! The Community ensemble is bringing a really exciting extra dimension to our production and now we have the full depth of the stage it is really highlighting what an enormous impact you are all making. We have just rehearsed the ‘darkness’ sleeping moment and it is already so moving. Keep up the good work!

 

Now I can’t wait for the orchestra to arrive tomorrow and we start the final process of putting it altogether. How exciting!

The secret backstage world of the ENO…

ALISON PORTER, Community Ensemble Participant

Woohoo, now this is why I volunteered for the project. I’ve just stepped into the secret backstage world of the ENO and experienced the magic of being on that enormous stage with its towering set. So my first step onto the stage was bringing on an office chair, hey who cares, the important thing is that I was part of the magic world created by these incredible singers, dancers and musicians.

And then there’s the voice of Deborah Warner, heard for the first time calling down from above over the loudspeaker system. If it’s not too blasphemous an analogy, I’d say a little like the voice of God calling down to Moses. For Charlton Heston read Phillip, our stage manager, whose task is similar in degree of difficulty to the parting of the Red Sea with 80 plus people and countless heavy objects to manoeuvre.

And we’re all in costume now, fussing about our shoes, scarves and bags. To quote Jeremy; we’ve been either funked up or frumped down. Actually I quite like my glasses although it’s difficult to see when they reflect the glare of those intense spot lights.

And as for my little notebook it’s not much use now, the stage is bigger and the reference points have all changed so you just need to have your wits about you and try to remember which music goes with which set of walking, standing or kneeling. There’s been a lot of hanging around too but so what, we’re hanging around with the big boys now.

Our first night at the Coliseum

JAMES WRIGHT, Community Ensemble Participant

My feelings were bandaged on account of the frostbite. I’d been working on a case since 6am and I was beat; it turned out that the real culprit was simply a case of poor documentation standards and a penchant for acting in a pretentious and overtly supercilious manner – not even the best PI in the business could have sold that motive, and my client wasn’t the munificent type.

I got a call at 5pm, “The Coliseum – 6pm”. I’d already been awake for twelve hours and my previous client couldn’t chew the truth, so I figured what the hey. I trudged there through the inane chatter of suits and insipid faces, passed bronze lions and a gallery of our nation, mournful war lamentations and the face of our government that pushed time forwards; it was a two and a half mile walk, I had not anticipated this.

When I reached the rendezvous point I couldn’t get in. There was a transparent door the size of me with a button from the future embossed onto a not getting any younger wall; I wasn’t getting any younger either, so I had a few smokes to pass the time. The gatekeeper eventually let me in.

Sounds simple huh?

JOYIA FITCH, Community Ensemble Participant

Start. Stop. Start. Stop. Start. Stop. I think this will be the pattern for the next few days. Stage left? Stage right? Up stage or down stage? Start SL. On after desk 2, behind chair 1 (Alison’s), walk down SR, TV on mark, a tiny white tape corner edge. Off SR. Will pick up TV on chorus’ second entrance, merging with them, navigate way through them. Off SR. Then to USL. In back line USR between Zoe & Amy. Move DS through chorus. Sounds simple huh?

A shiny mirrored floor & big blinding lights in the wings. High, high black racks, layers going high and deep back. Can’t see the ceiling. Beautiful gold floating at the overture, setting the scene. Cue, move, watch and hear. Energies running high. Finally entering through the “Stage Door”. Dressing rooms found at the top of windy staircases, this building is a total rabbit warren. Costumes worn, stage journeys handed out & discussed. Meeting stage managers, chaperones, prop guys & stage hands. A guy on a walkie-talkie with a fire extinguisher. Lots of people on Madonna-mic-like headgear. We’re all a bit overwhelmed by the sheer size of it to be honest.

We run the entire first Act, we’re pretty unsure of where we were supposed to be most of the time. Totally thrown in at the deep end. Maybe that’s the best way as we had to stay on our toes. Tiptoes that is as it’s silence backstage. Reminds me a bit of organised chaos, but there’re smiles all around, we’re just finding our feet, it’s OK. Gone are the safe white rehearsal rooms of the Lillian Baylis. We’re now in the huge black box & we’ve got to get on with it.