Reflections before reTHiNK…

I am in THE BEST MOOD EVERRRRRR!!!!

It is a week out from dress rehearsal for The Big reTHiNK…Hey! I hope you’ve booked… you better or you are gonna miss out! www.qtheatre.co.nz – GO! Do it now and THEN come back and read the rest of the blog – OK? Good. Don’t make me come over there…

So…we open next WEDNESDAY October 3 would you believe and aw man I am having an absolute BLAST!! We had great fun taking some cast photos on Sunday, we were goofing around and having a few laughs with each other while striking ridiculous poses. Then it was down to the business end of the day – rehearsal with the actual set furniture designed and built specifically for this show… interestingly LARGER than our rehearsal furniture but you think it phased the brilliant cast of ‘Mad o Phobic’? Nope. Not a sausage. Took to it like a wee duck to water. Like they had used it all along. Good kids - Mama’s stoked 

It’s a beautiful thing working on a very short but very original play... you have more time to experience the fact that audiences, actors and even the writer themselves don’t have some other version done at another theatre six months ago to compare it too. Haha – score! And who knows where it will go to from here.. The Dophin? Howick Little? Titirangi. The Basement perhaps or even Silo? It may travel… Court Theatre, Downstage, Circa? Who knows. West End maybe or oooh BROADWAY! And a Tony win for the musical adaptation to top it off. The possibilities are endless with a brand new play.

I PROUDLY come from a background in community drama… “AM-DRAM” as the ‘air-kissers’ refer to it and I am living proof that it is one of the best places to develop your craft. Not only in performance; but in professionalism. It is where the unwritten theatre etiquette is passed down through member to member, ghost stories are swapped, tales are told, memories gathered and suburban theatre legends are respected and revered.

These lessons I picked up as a 13-year-old novice performer with a desire to win an Oscar are so prominently featured during my journey to The Big reTHiNK show than ever before. So much is filtering in through my memory. Like performance advice from many different directors, feeling the energies, the encouragement, the depth and thought they put into every character and every aspect of the story. It blew my mind watching everything come together and it still does – every time.

I would see my extremely talented Mum create a pre-revolution French ensemble from scratch, worthy of an Academy Award, in our little kitchen out of yards of fabric cutoffs. I’d watch in fascination teams of volunteers’ - hammers in hand - building, molding, lifting, shaping, transforming a tiny stage into a completely different world.

The artistic flare of those gifted with a brush that spent hours into the night painting a deeper illusion into our make believe world, their backdrops and set enhancements taking audiences on a journey- back in time, forward in time, into different rooms, countries, forests, views, intimate moments and breath-taking storytelling. During this process of evolution you are surrounded by art and creativity whether you are ‘on the boards’ or not. Volunteers, friends, partners, neighbors, siblings, all driven by respect and an immense love for what they do.

Back in the days of manual lighting changes, portable tape decks for music and sound effects, stage managers that ran around cueing silently by theatre sign language and twenty actors all puffing on ciggies in the tea room at half time dissecting the audience technology and tact may have evolved but the actor’s half-time performance and crowd breakdown remains unchanged like generations before.

I remember clearly at final dress rehearsals the looks of pride in the bloodshot tired eyes of the crew … the Director with a hint of a tear and wobble of emotion as they formally hand the reins over to the Stage Manager. The buzz of opening night, the surprises that come with every performance, the friendships, the dramas and the many MANY fantastic cast parties on closing night.

This was my childhood, my escape, my pastime, my passion, my playground. It still is. Over 25 years of magical experiences, people and amazing storytellers. And here I am watching the magic unfold once again with The Big reTHiNK. Different theatre, different faces, same glow, same love – brilliant stories.

For the cast of ‘Mad o Phobic’ or “My Phobies” (including our awesome writer Lynz Wilmshurst and our wonderful PA Rachael Brough) I am so incredibly proud of them. They have had a challenging road that they hit with massive determination, commitment and passion. It is my hope that during this journey, all 8 of these amazing artists have gained a world of experience and come away with a huge sense of accomplishment. They have also taught ME a great deal in just a few short weeks – my teary eyes and wobbly voice will no doubt give that away.

Amazing. Just look at what a small team of people can do together when they play make believe and believe in making a play. In eight minutes.

See you all at Q Theatre :-)

Vikki xx

Like Minds... Like Mine. And have a BIG reTHiNK :-)

Sooo... what have I been up to lately?  Well despite the rumours I do actually have a life and don't just sit at a computer having a bleat to the vast blankness of the fibre optic universe.  Honest?!

This blog is all about what is keeping this little gal out of trouble and off the streets... yeah, honest!

In fact there are two facets to my life right now - one creative and one productive... one does my head in and one's in my head.  Guess which one is which from the two options below:

1. I am renovating my home
2. I am directing a short play for a huge arts festival

Yes I guess you could say I'm 'directovating' right now and even thought it has its challenges, man it is refreshing but one helluva mash up!

•  The house is a pigsty but the play is like clockwork.

• I'm an absolute klutz but a perfectionist
• I spill paint everywhere but my 'cutting-in' skills rock
• When I get excited with my cast the ideas flow thick and fast and look great in my head... it'd be freaken awesome if at that point my tongue was actually connected to the picture in my brain not asleep on the job. 

I also have to confess that yes... I have been... 'blogging around'. I'm sorry!  I couldn't help it... it was too good an opportunity to miss - my little piece was published on a website like, for real, using my actual name and everything... it was almost as exciting as seeing my Robbie Williams article (written solely around my obsession with his tight arse) published in Rip It Up magazine a decade ago! But hey... don't you dare feel like you aren't good enough to be here anymore - oh no my bloggees YOU have the privilege of seeing my SOUL... feeling my heart beat... laughing at my hilarious antics and losing yourselves in my sick mind.  Now THAT'S special.  Friends again?  Sweet.

Now that we've got that cleared up... you can either have a look here at the blog or you can just continue reading and you'll find it slotted in somewhere below...

First of all, a little bit of background info about the project I have signed up for courtesy of the official press release..

"As part of the Like Minds, Like Mine Campaign to reduce the stigma of mental illness, two kiwi mental-health promoters are attempting to bring attitude change to the public on a global scale.

Artistic Director and Producer, Taimi Allan explains “the purpose of reTHiNK is to take an audience safely through a journey of madness and into recovery. The family-friendly show attempts to mimic the rollercoaster of emotions associated with mental health challenges in a way everyone can relate to, without being lecturing or confronting” Mental-health promoter and co-producer Miriam Larsen-Barr adds, “The best thing is people go because it is entertaining but they leave with a message that makes a real difference to their lives and the health of our community.”

The call for creative works with mind-altering themes went out around the world in March and people from across the globe have answered in their droves. Final scripts have now been selected for The Like Minds Big reTHiNK and the production phase is now underway.

The top twelve 2012 scripts selected blind for The Big reTHiNK launch event at Q Theatre (October 2nd – 6th) come from America, Australia and across New Zealand. (Mine's called 'Mad o Phobic' by Lynz Wilmshurst). These plays are being professionally produced and directed at Q Theatre for 5 performances only to launch the first ever international mental-health arts festival.

And underway it certainly is... here's my first blog...

Rocking On with The Big reTHiNK

Tramping the boards since she was a young one and portraying everything from Smurfs to desperate housewives, Vikki Cottingham’s first love is theatre....

I stumbled upon directing during my days teaching for Donna Clark's Drama Studio where I wrote and directed term-end pieces for each of my classes.

In 2008 Titirangi Theatre launched their 24-hour Theatre Challenge... and I have put my hand up to direct every year since.

Every theatre challenge experience is exciting and rewarding but when Like Minds Like Mine and RETHiNK came on board in 2010 something special happened .

I was directing 'Beautiful Minds' written by Luke Derrick and the level of passion and creativity throughout the whole production was amazing.

It opened the door to a whole new world of talent and audience. It felt wonderful and fresh - I had a real purpose. My own personal experience with mental illness like many others was not taboo or hidden - it was embraced and celebrated artistically with awesome class and professionalism. I was so proud.

In selecting a script for The Big reTHiNK 2012 the stand-out for me was "Mad o Phobic" by Lynz Wilmshurst. You know you've found the one when you see it performed in your head from the first line in - sorted, job done, rock on with the fun stuff.

Many thanks to Lynz for "a cracker of a script", Taimi and Miriam for the opportunity again to be a part of something so cool, my awesome cast, the grouse production crew, RETHiNK, Q Theatre, Titirangi Theatre, and of course... my family.

And of course you can get tickets to see The Big reTHiNK from Q theatre.

Enjoy the show!

And now your personal, behind the scenes, condensed and edited for 'reality' television, special preview, exposey of the soon-to-be-smash-hit play 'Mad o Phobic'.

Ladies and Gentleman... A world first

7 Directors... 100 auditionees

One shot to shine…

Like Minds, Like Mine

Live from the Q Theatre

This… Is The BIG ReTHiNK

AUDITIONS

Sunday 26 August – 0700 - Somewhere in West Auckland tucked up in a cosy queen-sized bed...

BEEP, beep, beep,beep, beep, beep…far out - shock treatment for the ear drums. An alarm on Sunday is a completely foreign experience for me so I start the day more disorientated than usual. I also realize with great surprise that I’m a little bit on the ‘nervy’ side to tell you the truth… however off I go to a rather professional audition session to cast actors for my play ‘Mad o Phobic’ being performed at the 2012 Big ReTHiNK showcase at Q Theatre early next month.

I get more excited the closer I get to town…I was thinking about the writer of ‘Mad o Phobic’ - Lynz – we had the coolest catch-up a few nights back. Going over script together sharing some inside info and background dirt, well enough about me… she got to talk about herself and the play sometimes too - honest! It was a great night, and of course I am stoked to report that we were both… pardon the pun… ON THE SAME PAGE. Nice.

I arrive at the rehearsal room in the fantastically flash-as Q Theatre and I am handed the audition sheet. First thought is “far out there’s a few of them, what a grouse turnout”. I figure I’m going to have to have a pretty good system to make sure I can remember who they are and highlight those actors I’m going to do battle for. Easy peasy, off we go, warm up and then stuck into the monologues, good start. Asterix there, red pen here, underline there, question mark there. Sweet - I am on a role.

Suffice-it to say my system was crap.

Everyone was SO GOOD. It totally blew my mind and by the end of the day I had literally cast just about every person that walked through the door. Six times over. I was a mess. So here I was going from cool calm and a bit of a crack-up to flailing around bits of paper, red-faced, trying to figure out my weird asterix and red pen code. What a disaster.

I was lucky enough to have this funny little gut feeling that stayed with me for almost all of the day regarding most of the parts I needed to cast for my piece. During selection process this made things a little easier. I did have to flap around with a stack of photos so I could re-instate said gut feeling but in the end it was a highly successful and rewarding experience!

Lesson learned – ditch the red pen and go with me belly instincts (Please note that this is the one and only time I’ll give my ‘muffin top’ any kind of positive kudos at all… perhaps now it will be satisfied and willingly shrink?)

So I have a delightful cast… very eager, very committed, very cool. Naturally I establish that I’m a hoot to work with and we’re going to have a blast. I do this cleverly with witty emails full of well-organised information. Hopefully this makes me at least LOOK like I know what I’m doing so they won’t notice my knees knocking in sheer panic.

Sunday comes around very quickly and it’s our first official rehearsal. Everyone sort of dribbles in one-by-one, on time and obviously full of nervous excitement just as I am and we commence with our very first read-through of this crispy new script, the words bouncing off the page and poking you in the eye. Yeah! It is pretty cool.

The cast also got to hang out with Lynz for a while which is such a bonus. I mean how often can an actor get a chance to sit down with the writer of a play and pick their creative brain? Lynz also got to see her literature come to life – albeit in its infant stages. I got over my nerves a little and by the end of the day I think I found my director groove thanks to a great afternoon of creative collaboration.

So now I sit… waiting for the arrival of cast so we can embark the next vital step of this journey –

BLOCKING.

Give me strength!!

Okay now tix are on sale for The Big reTHiNK ... (I've spread the link all over this blog like peanut butter and jammy)and looking at the lineup of short plays, music, stand up comedy, art, film - the fact it is family friendly (yep no 'EFF' words or dodgy themes) and it launches Mental Health Awareness Week WORLDWIDE... you just HAVE to be a part of it... so don't miss out!!!

See you there

Stylz
Thesbian (that's with a TH!), Director, DIY expert and PUBLISHED writer
(yeah bitches!)

 xxxooo