I am just about to leave my host's (Rob and Sonya) home for the final time - they, and the rest of the billetts in Nova Scotia have been superb, and so, so welcoming...it will be a wrench to leave our new friends.
Briefly - what happened last night??? Well the evening started with a play called Solitary by Syria - performed in Arabic. Within 5 minutes, I knew that we were looking at the winner of the festival.....they were brilliant - couldn't understand a word......but their interpretation of a harrowing story was amazing......and win they did! However, we didn't leave empty handed. I am proud to say that Vic won the best new writing award - much deserved (we then sold out of the 20 plays that we brought with us....Maidman doing his retailing bit). The other award goes to Peta for Outstanding Supporting Actress. This, and I don't quite know how, is her first ever award for acting. As her director, I was very and am very proud and pleased for her. As her husband, I shed a tear....and am quite full up typing this now! So 2 of the 10 awards are coming home to Wales in a couple of days. The awards are great, really well deserved...but what I will take away from this trip is, that not only can we perform and compete with the best in the World, but also we have raised the profile of BLT, theatre in Wales and everyone knows about the Principality too. Perhaps, the greatest of all things that I will remember is TEAM BLT - for that is what we have been....a big, happy family & team. We have achieved so much, due to being a team - which is only a small part of the big BLT team - everyone, and I mean everyone (wives, families, all our friends and patrons) who have made this trip not only possible, but what it has been - a huge success.
I am amazed at the opportunities that have been presented to us from around the World, that we can (at somepoint) take advantage of.
Thank you Liverpool....Wales and BLT will never forget you. And well done & thank you to all at BLT - here and back home.
See you soon
Neil
Monday 19 May 2008
Sunday 18 May 2008
Weekend in Nova Scotia
A short note from Sunny Nova Scotia.
We have had a great a great time here - the hospitality has been amazing.....yesterday, we watched the match a house just outside of Liverpool. Vic is staying with Debbie and Blair Raddell - who have opened their homes to us mad lot....to watch the Bluebirds lose to Pompey. There are lots of photos that I will be posting up soon, from this day - which consisted of a party, based around lobster.....lots of lobster.....huge amounts of fresh lobster. We also had a couple of drinks too....some more than others (though for legal reasons I cannot say who.....but it wasn't Huw). We then sang a few songs and will be singing again tonight at the Gala Event after the awards....we thought that it would be good to do the folk song 'The Leaving of Liverpool'....and will rehearse for 10 minutes beforehand - as usual!!
We have seen some really interesting pieces of theatre - from Israel, the US and from Canada. More details when we get back. Off to see the last play by Syria tonight.
All BLT personnel are fine - missing their wives, partners, family and animals, but have represented BLT in fine fashion. I am really proud of each of them - we have made some new friends from all over the world, Vic has sold loads of copies of Sheep and the US have shown a great interest in producing it in Maryland in the next year....another trip perhaps....if not - they will film it for us!! Liverpool certainly knows that Wales is here....and Miss Morgan has been our cheerleader, party queen and everyone has fallen in love with her and her sunny disposition....We have been laughing everyday, not just with Shelley but with the new friends that we have made.
What will the awards hold ??????- well, we dont care really....its always subjective and you can never tell what is going to happen. If we come away with an award of some sort, that would be great....but we have networked so much, that the biggest prize of all is that BLT is now a global theatre.....people from all over the world have complemented our work and have been stunned by the quality of the writing and performance/production. This has been hard work, although not like being in work, and we are a very together team. I am very proud of all them - and watching us singing the anthem on Youtube brings a lump to my throat. Have a look at the video on the main website pages.
We leave on Monday morning for Halifax and will wind down there at our Hotel. Pete Musto and I want to visit some of the Titanic museums - to relive past glories on stage - no doubt! I will try to upload some more on here before we arrive back - if I can.
Liverpool NS is a wonderful place, the pace of life here is amazing and its scenery is breathtaking. Their biggest asset is their people, who are out of this world. If we could be half as open and hospitable as them - Wales would be a much better place. I, for one, will be back - maybe not on a theatre trip, but I will certainly be back.
Ciao
Neil
Saturday 17 May 2008
Coffee Critique
Thats a longer version of an adjudication with interaction with the adjudicator. Well, folks this happened for us yesterday (fri) at the MerseyHouse in front of a packed audience...at 9am.
Well let me go back a step.....to the night before and the best recieved performance of "Sheep" that we have ever done. The worry that I had was that they (the Canadians etc) wouldnt get the language or the premise of the story.....well that lasted about 35 seconds into the play...when they started laughing at Pete Musto. The laughs came thick and fast - putting nearly 3 minutes on to the time of the play! Then, something magical happened for the cast - they had a spontaneous and complete standing ovation - which seemed to last ages. The cast and I were totally overwhelmed. A small , but very positive adjudication then followed by Martha Irving. We then went to the Curling club where we found that non English speaking performers also understood it - so much for someone (of note) saying to me at the Wales Final in 2007 - that it wouldnt travel well - HA!
The adjudication in the morning was so very positive for all of us - but especially for Nye - who got a huge round of applause for his tech work....not something that he is able to get....but richly deserved....the lighting for our production was brilliant - on limited resources and time.
There is a chap here from Nepal - who was very taken by Sheep, and to my absolute surprise by my direction....he was so positive towards our play, I thought that he was going to cry - he spoke very movingly. He then invited me to his theatre school to carry out some directing workshops with his students - in Nepal.....gobsmacked is not the word. Later in the day we, as a group we invited to take part in another festival in Stuttgart in November! Sheep seems to have really taken us all to places, that we didnt think would happen!
Off to watch Cardiff City in the FA Cup Final at a lobster party. Our hosts are amazing...but more of that later.
One final - but no less important fact to mention. Whilst away we have become finalists in the Wales Final - which is the 5th year on the trot! Well done to the BLT Tango Crew - lets hope that this will be our year.....Jerry make sure that they are rehearsing!!
Ciao for now (there GJ hope that the spelling is correct)
Neil
Well let me go back a step.....to the night before and the best recieved performance of "Sheep" that we have ever done. The worry that I had was that they (the Canadians etc) wouldnt get the language or the premise of the story.....well that lasted about 35 seconds into the play...when they started laughing at Pete Musto. The laughs came thick and fast - putting nearly 3 minutes on to the time of the play! Then, something magical happened for the cast - they had a spontaneous and complete standing ovation - which seemed to last ages. The cast and I were totally overwhelmed. A small , but very positive adjudication then followed by Martha Irving. We then went to the Curling club where we found that non English speaking performers also understood it - so much for someone (of note) saying to me at the Wales Final in 2007 - that it wouldnt travel well - HA!
The adjudication in the morning was so very positive for all of us - but especially for Nye - who got a huge round of applause for his tech work....not something that he is able to get....but richly deserved....the lighting for our production was brilliant - on limited resources and time.
There is a chap here from Nepal - who was very taken by Sheep, and to my absolute surprise by my direction....he was so positive towards our play, I thought that he was going to cry - he spoke very movingly. He then invited me to his theatre school to carry out some directing workshops with his students - in Nepal.....gobsmacked is not the word. Later in the day we, as a group we invited to take part in another festival in Stuttgart in November! Sheep seems to have really taken us all to places, that we didnt think would happen!
Off to watch Cardiff City in the FA Cup Final at a lobster party. Our hosts are amazing...but more of that later.
One final - but no less important fact to mention. Whilst away we have become finalists in the Wales Final - which is the 5th year on the trot! Well done to the BLT Tango Crew - lets hope that this will be our year.....Jerry make sure that they are rehearsing!!
Ciao for now (there GJ hope that the spelling is correct)
Neil
Thursday 15 May 2008
Tech Day in Nova Scotia
We are all having a great time. We have all made such good friends with the amazing people of Nova Scotia....who have to be the most generous on the planet. We went looking for a liquor store today.....no tescos here....to buy some beer for our hosts....and were walking in, what we thought, was the correct direction. We were wrong - and Vic asked an off duty fireman the way....he told us that it was about two miles out of town - and then promptly offered to take the 4 of us there. We were amazed to find that he waited for us - and took us back to where we came from -----amazing!! You don't get that in Cwmtillery!
Last night was the opening ceremony and the parade of flags - lead by Vic holding our flag. We entered the theatre singing the Welsh anthem - we were very proud and sang our hearts out for Wales - twice (extra chorus that we werent expecting). They had the RCMP there - or the Mounties and Shelley was very taken with them both.....we will have a job getting her home!! Shelley, Peta and Joan all wore the wonderful Welsh outfits and the men all wore the special shirts - we really made an effort, which was noticed by all the audience and participants alike!
Today was tech and later is the first international performance of 'Sheep'. It went really well and Nye worked wonders - as usual....some of the visuals even stunned me. All the gang are a little nervous, we are told that the theatre is really full tonight - about 400 there, but they are all really looking forward to giving the best performance possible.
Am hoping to upload some rehearsal footage to the website later - so that all can see our Sheep rehearsal from yesterday at the Curling Club. We are really looking forward to it - be great to get it done and then on to the schools tomorrow...for more mirth and merriment!
See ya later
Neil
Last night was the opening ceremony and the parade of flags - lead by Vic holding our flag. We entered the theatre singing the Welsh anthem - we were very proud and sang our hearts out for Wales - twice (extra chorus that we werent expecting). They had the RCMP there - or the Mounties and Shelley was very taken with them both.....we will have a job getting her home!! Shelley, Peta and Joan all wore the wonderful Welsh outfits and the men all wore the special shirts - we really made an effort, which was noticed by all the audience and participants alike!
Today was tech and later is the first international performance of 'Sheep'. It went really well and Nye worked wonders - as usual....some of the visuals even stunned me. All the gang are a little nervous, we are told that the theatre is really full tonight - about 400 there, but they are all really looking forward to giving the best performance possible.
Am hoping to upload some rehearsal footage to the website later - so that all can see our Sheep rehearsal from yesterday at the Curling Club. We are really looking forward to it - be great to get it done and then on to the schools tomorrow...for more mirth and merriment!
See ya later
Neil
Wednesday 14 May 2008
Nova Scotia Here We Are!!
Well folks, the Welsh have arrived in Liverpool,Nova Scotia and we are having a ball. The weather is fine, if a little colder than back home - but the countryside is as beautidul as the welcome that we have all had. Each of us is billetted with a family - and the hospitality that they have shown us is overwhelming.
We have had our first full day and are about to go the opening ceremony of the LITF this evening. No one has been arrested - not even Huw and we are all looking forward to performing Sheep tomorrow - in front of a packed theatre - great fun. Had a great rehearsal today at the Curling Club - see the pictures on the blt website for more of an idea
The journey was uneventful apart from Shelley being interviewed by immigration and Dave having all of his toiletries taken off him at Gatwick.....otherwise ok.
I will try to post some more tomorrow.
Cheers
Neil.
We have had our first full day and are about to go the opening ceremony of the LITF this evening. No one has been arrested - not even Huw and we are all looking forward to performing Sheep tomorrow - in front of a packed theatre - great fun. Had a great rehearsal today at the Curling Club - see the pictures on the blt website for more of an idea
The journey was uneventful apart from Shelley being interviewed by immigration and Dave having all of his toiletries taken off him at Gatwick.....otherwise ok.
I will try to post some more tomorrow.
Cheers
Neil.
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