Nineteen12 Productions
The Ladykillers
The Ladykillers
As I walk in to the Dixon Studio at the top of The Palace Theatre, I can hear the voices of several young people, chatting away to each other in excited tones. As I turn around the corner and peer through the black curtains that surround the studio, I observe some of the cast of The Ladykillers taking up several positions on the stage; a couple chatting, some looking over scenery flats that are scattered about, and others about to embark on a late lunch. In the middle of all this there is Michael Rowley. Michael is the Producer of the eagerly anticipated dark comedy, The Ladykillers, and also happens to be one third of the company that is Nineteen12 Productions.
Nineteen12 Productions came to life when the previous production company that Michael was involved in came to an end in 2012 and Michael and two others, Claire Brooks and Dan Steward took their share of the profits and decided that they would start again with their own production company. A name was needed and one day, while they were painting scenery for another production, they decided that they needed a name that they could feel passionate about. Their passion stemmed from their love of theatre, in fact both Michael and Claire work at The Palace Theatre itself and so, inspired by the theatre itself, Nineteen12 Productions’ name comes from the place that gave them their home and which they now call their second home, the theatre, which was built in, yes you’ve guessed it, 1912.
The company also owes an awful lot of gratitude to The Palace Theatre Club who believed in them enough to contribute a substantial amount of funds to the company. This enabled them to put on their first production, The Jungle Book and subsequently, The Secret Garden, both of which received great reviews and has given the company a reputation to be matched with many of the other theatre companies within the Southend on Sea area.
The company’s age ranges have gone from 10 years old to 28 years old in previous productions which has been reflected in the type of plays in they have put on but The Ladykillers has a cast whose ages average out at 18 years old. I ask them if this will be a problem as the ages of the characters are effectively quite a bit older than their actual ages, especially that of the little old lady, Mrs Wilberforce, who is actually played by 19 year old Hannah Drake. This is Hannah’s first major role for the company, although she has been involved in all their other productions. Hannah says that despite playing an older character, she doesn’t want to make her into a typical old lady stereotype and has been working hard to make her as realistic as possible.
Another difference in this version of the play, is that Leah Keeble will be playing Lou, or as she will be known in this production, Louise. Again, this holds not only one challenge for Leah with the change of gender but also the challenge of holding down a believable Romanian accent.
Sam Thomas also has to tackle the fact that his character is a rather old Major and with him being the youngest member of the cast at 16 years old, he is hoping that growing a moustache won’t prove too much of a problem. If the follicles aren’t apparent come opening night, then Claire will be swiftly stepping in with a false moustache. Claire, you get the sense, is someone who although not a performing member of the cast, is someone with an awful lot of experience and who knows exactly what needs to be done, and when. She is also the company’s very talented costume maker. She says that the company doesn't have a Backstage Crew as such, as herself and Michael will probably share the tasks of Stage Manager, Props and costume fitters. In fact, you very much get the feeling that a lot of jobs are shared in this company.
There is a great deal of camaraderie within the group and this seems to create a great bonding effect. Harry ___ , who was a later addition to the cast and plays Constable McDonald, admits that he wishes he had been cast from the start as the whole group seem to get on so well and enjoy each others company. This is something that has kept rehearsals very tight and despite having a huge amount of fun, they say that rehearsals have been dealt with in quite a professional nature.
This will be the first comedy that the company has produced and the cast have a lot of praise for their director, Dan Steward. This will be Dan’s directorial debut and the cast are pulling out all the stops to make sure his debut will be a successful one. The cast remember how hilarious the first read through of the play was, back in April, and instantly knew that audiences would be roaring with laughter. In fact, the audiences may not be the only ones giggling as Leah says that even at this late stage of rehearsals, they are still cracking up at some of the lines. Let’s hope that no one corpses during the run.
Michael says that this is a quintessentially British black comedy written by Graham Linehan, who interestingly also wrote Father Ted and the IT Crowd. Given that the original film of The Ladykillers was premiered in 1955, the cast feel that his writing is more contemporary and will appeal to a younger audience too.
Despite the fact that Michael is also the manager of The Dixon Studio, the company are given no special favours by The Palace Theatre. They have to pay their way, just as all the other companies and groups who use the studio do. They also have to pay for their rehearsal space and because they are such a new company, any props or scenery flats that they need for productions have to be begged, hired and borrowed which isn’t always easy.
Michael says that new members are always welcome and I get the feeling that anyone who joins this company will instantly feel at ease. To become a member, all you have to do is audition for a production. The next one, Michael says, is in the pipeline for next February and as soon as they have confirmation of the rights from Samuel French an announcement will be made as to what it is and when auditions will be. In the meantime keep up to date with the company through their Facebook and Twitter pages. (see below)
If a play could prove itself successful by riding on the back of the enthusiasm of its cast, then this production will surely be bringing a full house down nightly.
Look out for my review of the production shortly after it’s opening night.
_______________
The Ladykillers play begins when old, sincere Mrs Wilberforce rents a spare room to a seemingly talented string quartet, she would not have foreseen the following events. Professor Marcus and his band of calamitous crooks set out to pull off a risky heist under the veil of a group of musicians, but with Mrs W involved, not all goes to plan. When Marcus decides to involve the unsuspecting Wilberforce in his scheme, it seems to be a masterstroke. That is until the steadfast Wilberforce stumbles upon the true notice of the phoney musical gang. Marcus tries his best to convince her not to turn them in to the police, but to no avail. It leaves the Professor and his troop of criminals with only one course of action.
Performances are at The Dixon Studio from 16th September to 20th September 7.30pm and a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm.
£13 Full Price
£11 Concessions
Box Office - 01702 351135
www.southendtheatres.org.uk
You can follow Nineteen12 Productions on Facebook under Nineteen12theatre and on twitter @1912theatre and use #1912ladykillers
Click here for Review
Nineteen12 Productions came to life when the previous production company that Michael was involved in came to an end in 2012 and Michael and two others, Claire Brooks and Dan Steward took their share of the profits and decided that they would start again with their own production company. A name was needed and one day, while they were painting scenery for another production, they decided that they needed a name that they could feel passionate about. Their passion stemmed from their love of theatre, in fact both Michael and Claire work at The Palace Theatre itself and so, inspired by the theatre itself, Nineteen12 Productions’ name comes from the place that gave them their home and which they now call their second home, the theatre, which was built in, yes you’ve guessed it, 1912.
The company also owes an awful lot of gratitude to The Palace Theatre Club who believed in them enough to contribute a substantial amount of funds to the company. This enabled them to put on their first production, The Jungle Book and subsequently, The Secret Garden, both of which received great reviews and has given the company a reputation to be matched with many of the other theatre companies within the Southend on Sea area.
The company’s age ranges have gone from 10 years old to 28 years old in previous productions which has been reflected in the type of plays in they have put on but The Ladykillers has a cast whose ages average out at 18 years old. I ask them if this will be a problem as the ages of the characters are effectively quite a bit older than their actual ages, especially that of the little old lady, Mrs Wilberforce, who is actually played by 19 year old Hannah Drake. This is Hannah’s first major role for the company, although she has been involved in all their other productions. Hannah says that despite playing an older character, she doesn’t want to make her into a typical old lady stereotype and has been working hard to make her as realistic as possible.
Another difference in this version of the play, is that Leah Keeble will be playing Lou, or as she will be known in this production, Louise. Again, this holds not only one challenge for Leah with the change of gender but also the challenge of holding down a believable Romanian accent.
Sam Thomas also has to tackle the fact that his character is a rather old Major and with him being the youngest member of the cast at 16 years old, he is hoping that growing a moustache won’t prove too much of a problem. If the follicles aren’t apparent come opening night, then Claire will be swiftly stepping in with a false moustache. Claire, you get the sense, is someone who although not a performing member of the cast, is someone with an awful lot of experience and who knows exactly what needs to be done, and when. She is also the company’s very talented costume maker. She says that the company doesn't have a Backstage Crew as such, as herself and Michael will probably share the tasks of Stage Manager, Props and costume fitters. In fact, you very much get the feeling that a lot of jobs are shared in this company.
There is a great deal of camaraderie within the group and this seems to create a great bonding effect. Harry ___ , who was a later addition to the cast and plays Constable McDonald, admits that he wishes he had been cast from the start as the whole group seem to get on so well and enjoy each others company. This is something that has kept rehearsals very tight and despite having a huge amount of fun, they say that rehearsals have been dealt with in quite a professional nature.
This will be the first comedy that the company has produced and the cast have a lot of praise for their director, Dan Steward. This will be Dan’s directorial debut and the cast are pulling out all the stops to make sure his debut will be a successful one. The cast remember how hilarious the first read through of the play was, back in April, and instantly knew that audiences would be roaring with laughter. In fact, the audiences may not be the only ones giggling as Leah says that even at this late stage of rehearsals, they are still cracking up at some of the lines. Let’s hope that no one corpses during the run.
Michael says that this is a quintessentially British black comedy written by Graham Linehan, who interestingly also wrote Father Ted and the IT Crowd. Given that the original film of The Ladykillers was premiered in 1955, the cast feel that his writing is more contemporary and will appeal to a younger audience too.
Despite the fact that Michael is also the manager of The Dixon Studio, the company are given no special favours by The Palace Theatre. They have to pay their way, just as all the other companies and groups who use the studio do. They also have to pay for their rehearsal space and because they are such a new company, any props or scenery flats that they need for productions have to be begged, hired and borrowed which isn’t always easy.
Michael says that new members are always welcome and I get the feeling that anyone who joins this company will instantly feel at ease. To become a member, all you have to do is audition for a production. The next one, Michael says, is in the pipeline for next February and as soon as they have confirmation of the rights from Samuel French an announcement will be made as to what it is and when auditions will be. In the meantime keep up to date with the company through their Facebook and Twitter pages. (see below)
If a play could prove itself successful by riding on the back of the enthusiasm of its cast, then this production will surely be bringing a full house down nightly.
Look out for my review of the production shortly after it’s opening night.
_______________
The Ladykillers play begins when old, sincere Mrs Wilberforce rents a spare room to a seemingly talented string quartet, she would not have foreseen the following events. Professor Marcus and his band of calamitous crooks set out to pull off a risky heist under the veil of a group of musicians, but with Mrs W involved, not all goes to plan. When Marcus decides to involve the unsuspecting Wilberforce in his scheme, it seems to be a masterstroke. That is until the steadfast Wilberforce stumbles upon the true notice of the phoney musical gang. Marcus tries his best to convince her not to turn them in to the police, but to no avail. It leaves the Professor and his troop of criminals with only one course of action.
Performances are at The Dixon Studio from 16th September to 20th September 7.30pm and a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm.
£13 Full Price
£11 Concessions
Box Office - 01702 351135
www.southendtheatres.org.uk
You can follow Nineteen12 Productions on Facebook under Nineteen12theatre and on twitter @1912theatre and use #1912ladykillers
Click here for Review