Happy Holidays from The Print Room Theatre!!

Anda, Veronia, Justine, Isobel, Julia and Oliver would like to wish everyone a very merry holiday season!

See you all next year!!

x

New Season Programme!

8 February - 1 March 2014

The Print Room presents 

IGNIS

A new dance production inspired by fire.

Show Information   Buy Tickets 

15 March - 12 April 2014

The Print Room presents the UK Premiere of

THE DEAD DOGS

by Jon Fosse

Show Information   Buy Tickets  

19 May - 7 June 2014

The Print Room in association with Opera Erratica presents

TRIPTYCH

An experimental opera première, designed by Gavin Turk

Show Information   Buy Tickets

Throwback Thursday: Cheek to Cheek

Shameless confession... Yes, I am one of the few people that still watch Glee.

And during this performance from last weeks episode I couldn't help but be reminded of Kika Markham's heartbreaking voice singing this song in The Last Yankee.

New Shoes New Show

For six months I have wanted the same pair of shoes, and for a Gemini’s attention span this is a lifetime, this week the day finally came when I got these beautiful leather, steal capped, triple soled, buckled beauties.  My favourite part in the purchase of new shoes is the first moment you try them on and an instant partnership is formed, you are going to travel the world together, party together and walk taller, there is so much to look forward to. 

With no patience I wore them the first chance I had.  Things were going well for a while, and then the pain started.  I went and bought thicker socks, but the pain got worse, by the evening I had to ask for a plaster in a bar I had gone to, and by the end of the day I was limping home.  The partnership between the shoes and I had definitely turned a little sour, the relief I felt taking them off…well I can’t even explain.

I strapped up my heal and reverted to an old trustworthy pair of Dr Martin boots, but the pain just got worse, I battled it with pain killers and blister plaster, I even had the Theatre Manager get me a walking stick out of our props store.  The shoes have gone back in the box, waiting for me to heal so I can attack them again.

To deviate, or perhaps to parallel, this experience isn't dissimilar to putting together a new show.   The meet and greet, the first read through, that’s when you first try on the show and you know a fabulous production lies just a few weeks away.

Then everything gets underway and sometimes there are bumps, and it can be painful (sometime literally, yesterday I saw the theatre manager hit her head on a low door frame at least three times) rehearsals aren't always smooth, lighting can be temperamental, sets are enormous sculptures that take time and energy out of everyone.

But you have your team; they are your pain killers, your plasters, your bandages and your stick.  The support system that helps you through the pain, and before you realise it you have worn in the shoes, they have moulded to the exact shape of your feet and they are perfect.  And not only appreciated by you but by those around you, “That shoe was amazing, the best shoe I've ever seen”.

The pain is forgotten and you can enter into a wonderful run.

That isn’t to say everyone will like your shoes, there aren’t always to everyone’s taste, but it’s often just easier to ignore the critics.

Poetry @ The Print Room - Emily Berry

Emily Berry is a poet, freelance writer and editor. She grew up in London and studied English Literature at Leeds University and Creative Writing at Goldsmiths College. An Eric Gregory Award winner in 2008, she co-edits the anthology series Stop Sharpening Your Knives and is a contributor to The Breakfast Bible (Bloomsbury 2013), a compendium of breakfasts. Her début poetry collection Dear Boy (Faber & Faber, 2013) won the Forward Prize for Best First Collection and was short-listed for the Fenton Aldeburgh First Collection Prize.

On December 16^th Emily will be reading at The Print Room for our fourth night in a series of successful poetry evenings along with Daljit Nagra and Maurice Riordan.

Check out her website here:

http://www.emilyberry.co.uk/

And get a sneak peek into the evening by listening to her read from her début collection Dear Boy here:

“Emily Berry's debut is a treat. She is a new yet anything but hesitant voice. What is stimulating is that she approaches poetry as a flexible, permissive, dynamic ally. She seems to have complete freedom with form, and will use a poem whenever helpful as a vehicle for escape. A getaway car ... Berry's range is amazing.”

                                                    Kate Kellaway for The Observer

The Amygdala Cast

In case you have missed are beautiful line up of actors for Amygdala, here they are!  What more incentive could you possibly need to book tickets!

Jasper Britton, Hermione Gulliford and Alex Lanipekun

Who is Amy Gdala?

...Was my first question when our upcoming show was first announced, a stupid question to many, but as booking have been coming in, confusion on how to pronounce the word and what it actually means appear common place.

So first things first; “Am-ig-da-la” is the correct pronunciation of the word.

And according to Wikipedia (the source of all internet knowledge):   “The amygdalae are almond-shaped groups of nuclei located deep and medially within the temporal lobes of the brain in complex vertebrates, including humans.  Shown in research to perform a primary role in the processing of memory and emotional reactions, the amygdalae are considered part of the limbic system.”

Insightful!

In terms of what it means as regards to Geraldine Alexanda’s play, well it can be explained quite simply by reading the blurb on the back of our promotional flyers.

“Catherine is in a post-traumatic state and Simon, an eminent psychiatrist, is employed to help her recover her memory in time to give evidence in the trail of Joshua James.

As the date for the trial approaches, Simon becomes absorbed with the working of his patient’s brain, as he grapples with his preconceptions of truth, memory and perspective.”

Further understanding to these nut shaped nuclei and their connection to our upcoming play are explained thus:

Recent studies suggest that, while the amygdala is not itself a long-term memory storage site, and learning can occur without it, one of its roles is to regulate memory consolidation in other brain regions.

During the consolidation period, the memory can be modulated. In particular, it appears that emotional arousal following the learning event influences the strength of the subsequent memory for that event. Greater emotional arousal following a learning event enhances a person's retention of that event.

On The Runway

November 25^th will see our beautiful balcony space once again transformed into a dynamic theatrical set for Geraldine Alexander’s Amygdala.

Long standing attendees of The Print Room will know the space from either Ivy and Joan, performed earlier this year, or from one of many parties that have been held in this hidden gem of the theatre.

This time the space will be used in traverse with a catwalk stage running down the length of the balcony, and while undoubtedly a wonderful stage for theatre I can also personally guarantee that after a quick spot check with our artistic director it is perfect for strutting down… could this be the start of fashion at The Print Room?

The Balcony, used for an exhibition of Naples during our production of Tutto Bene Mamma?

The Print Room Handmade Cushions

Through the combination of a two hour and twenty minute play, an uncomfortable seat and a very generous donation from one of our friends, The Print Room’s sponsored cushions came to creation.

Designed, handmade and embroidered by my very own hands, The Print Room now offers personalised cushions, five times thicker than our standard seat cushions, so extra support for us means much more support for you.

 

 

The Dumb Waiter - Review Rundown

The Upcoming ★★★★

"The Dumb Waiter is a truly timeless play...still as pertinent and absorbing as ever - for any Pinter fan this production is a must see"

The Telegraph ★★★★

"Glover's blessed with two perfect Pinterians, Joe Armstrong finds a gawky innocence in Gus, who grows increasingly flustered, and Clive Wood was born to play Ben."

Time Out ★★★★

"What Glover really nails is the sense of encroaching menace: the way in which the absurd scenario and pair's blokey smalltalk transmute into something more sinister - upsetting, even."

The Evening Standard ★★★★

"this is as amusing as I've found Pinter in quite some time."

"the mood of actor-turned-director Jamie Glover's carefully modulated production curdles from anxious joviality through fretfulness to something far darker" “The Dumb Waiter has much to say about the banality of evil today and the manipulative, cynical power of those who really are in control, and whose success depends entirely on the gullibility of other.  It is exceptionally well directed by Jamie Glover.”

One Stop Arts ★★★★★

“The Dumb Waiter has much to say about the banality of evil today and the manipulative, cynical power of those who really are in control, and whose success depends entirely on the gullibility of others.”

Scampi and Chips anyone?

Food features strongly in The Dumb Waiter, not surprisingly when its the main purpose of the miniature culinary lift, and while I am sure I could write an essay on Pinter’s use of food in the text, this will be more of a general interest story, specifically Scampi.

“I’m not entirely sure what scampi is,” I asked our marvellous direct Mr Jamie Glover, “is it prawns?”

“I think its monkfish tail, but don’t hold me to that.” was the (slightly paraphrased) response.

So I did the only thing you can do when you need a question answered, I googled, and it turns out:

“Scampi is a culinary preparation of Nephrops norvegicus or a similar lobster such as Metanephrops.”

Of course!  Nephrop and Metanphrop I know them well…

www.ifood.tv Thankfully has a more enlightening explanation to the breaded seafood’s history.

"The shrimp scampi was first mentioned in the American cookbooks published in 1920. It referred to a dish cooked with shrimps which had been basted with olive oil, white wine, garlic and butter. The Italian scampi recipe gained popularity in America after the World War II with the Tenakill Restaurant of New Jersey being the first to advertise the dish. The Norway lobster started replacing the Dublin Bay prawns gradually in Britain in the 1950s and 60s. The scampi recipe from Italy recommended deep frying the large lobster tails after they had been coated in breadcrumbs."

Scampi around the World!

• USA- Shrimps served with garlic, butter and wine. A popular variation of this dish is made with chicken instead of the shellfish.

• UK- Norway lobster covered with batter and deep fried. Fried shrimps served with chips are also popular across Great Britain and Ireland.

• Greece- Baked shrimps served with Parmesan cheese.

• Italy- Fried shrimps served with linguine pasta and black pepper.

• Japan-Witloaf cooked with orange and olive oil is topped with shallow fried shrimps seasoned with herbs.

America even has a National Scampi Day on April 29^th!

Langoustine scampi with lemon mayo

Top of Form

Ingredients

·         vegetable oil, for deep frying

·         28 langoustines, shelled and de-viened

·         110g/4oz self-raising flour

·         110g/4oz cornflour

·         275ml/9floz tonic water

·         2 tbsp vodka

For the mayonnaise

·         2 free-range eggs, yolks only

·         2 tsp white wine vinegar

·         1 tsp Dijon mustard

·         300ml/10fl oz rapeseed oil

·         1 lemon, juice only

·         sea salt, to taste

Preparation method

1.    For the scampi, heat a deep fat fryer to 190C/375F. (CAUTION: Hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)

2.    Meanwhile, mix the flour and cornflour in a bowl until well combined.

3.    Pour the tonic water into the flours and whisk in the vodka until the batter is about the consistency of double cream.

4.    Coat the langoustines in the batter and fry in the oil for 3-4 minutes, or until golden-brown and crisp.

5.    Remove the scampi with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

6.    For the mayonnaise, place the eggs, white wine vinegar and mustard into a food processor and blend until pale and creamy.

7.    With the motor running, pour in the oil, in a slow steady stream, until the mayonnaise is thick (you may not need all the oil). Mix in the lemon juice.

8.    To serve, pile the scampi in a serving bowl and serve the lemon mayonnaise alongside. Finish with a sprinkle of sea salt and a squeeze of lemon juice.

A Younger Theatre: On Jamie Glover

Posted on http://www.ayoungertheatre.com 23 October 2013

Written by Lisa Carroll

I’m lucky to manage to catch Director Jamie Glover for a quick chat in between preparations for The Dumb Waiter, which is about to open at one of London’s most exciting new venues, The Print Room. Glover is a busy man, dividing his time between directing and acting, having built up a formidable CV on the stage, television and silver screen. However, he shows no signs of tiring of it all – infectiously effervescent as he is – and boyishly enthusiastic about his first directorial outing at The Print Room, a converted 1950s warehouse which offers diverse, eclectic programming and a unique atmosphere: “it’s unusual and brilliant and I’m loving it,” he tells me, and I am left in no doubt about it. 

When I ask him what it’s like switching between acting and directing, he is swift to point out how he sees the roles going hand in hand: “I do think they complement each other, and I think since I’ve been a director it’s made me more tolerant of other directors when I’m working with them as an actor – they definitely illuminate each other.” Where, as an actor, Glover might have had quibbles about certain creative decisions that were made, now, in reviving The Dumb Waiter, he tells me he enjoys the chance to make those decisions himself so that he can do justice to one of Pinter’s most celebrated works. 

When I ask him how he tends to approach directing, he tells me, “It’s not surprising, I guess – I’m a director who wants to facilitate the actor.” He insists that, with him, the rehearsal room is an open space to try out ideas, where he wants to make the actors as comfortable as possible in their parts. And, where many directors might see their role as central in deciding upon a vision or interpretation of a play, Glover prefers to step back: “I don’t want to shoehorn them into the concept I have, unwillingly. I think the most important people in the play are the writer and the actors.” 

Glover points out that with his work, it’s all about learning and continuing to learn, irrespective of which role you’re in or how far you’ve come in your career. Even though this is not Glover’s first outing as a director, he is sure that this experience of staging The Dumb Waiter will nonetheless play into whatever acting project comes next. He tells me that, “whereas before, as an actor, I might have been impatient earlier on in the rehearsal process about something not being fixed, now, since being a director, I think – do you know what? The fact that they haven’t mentioned it doesn’t mean they haven’t noticed it. They might be, quite rightly, biding their time about when to give that note or when to fix that thing and let something play out first.” 

Glover’s sense of the two areas bleeding into one another is refreshing, particularly when it feels that the theatre industry can be keen to classify people as director or actor, writer or – as Glover puts it – “fish or fowl”. Glover feels sure that, these days, the industry is developing to accommodate those people who do straddle various different skill-sets, since, as he sees it, they all “cross-fertilise” and make for a healthier theatre culture. In light of which, his advice to those looking to pursue a similar path is to “keep yourself open to different influences and put yourself through as many experiences as you can,” though he admits he is still working it all out himself as he goes along. 

And while taking everything as it comes in the bigger picture of his career, Glover nonetheless has a clear sense of direction with The Dumb Waiter: “we’re not setting it on Mars or anything like that – we’re doing what Pinter wrote. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – and this one certainly isn’t broke.” He tells me that audiences can expect this production to stay true to Pinter’s original text: funny, with those tones of menace and fear that Pinter was so well known for. “Hopefully they’ll have a knot of tension in their stomach,” he muses. 

Despite being first performed in 1960 at the Hampstead Theatre, Glover is fascinated by just how pertinent and political The Dumb Waiter still feels – “completely box fresh,” as he puts it. The production explores authoritarianism, as well as ‘divide and rule’ tactics, behaviours which we still see from politicians today around the world, as well as on the home front. And for these reasons, Glover is determined that The Dumb Waiter should speak to a contemporary audience, since “Pinter came through at a time with other playwrights who you could argue have dated, but he has remained absolutely, completely and utterly current.” 

And, though it is clear that Glover wishes to continue to wax lyrical about Pinter and his body of work, unfortunately our time is soon up and Glover must rush back to the rehearsal room. I quickly ask him what’s next for him – directing or acting – and he laughs, “hopefully something before the end of the year acting-wise – I want to be able to pay the gas bill,” and with fingers in so many pies and such passion added into the mix, I have no doubt he’ll manage to.

Poetry @ The Print Room -- Helen Mort

Five-times-winner of the Foyle Young Poets Award, Helen Mort received an Eric Gregory Award in 2007 and won the Ancherster Young Writer Prize in 2008. In 2010, she was poet in Residence at the Wordsworth Trust, Grasmere.

"Helen Mort is among the brightest stars in the sparkling new constellation of young British poets" (Carol Ann Duffy)

For Poetry @ The Print Room, Helen will be reading from her eagerly anticipated first collection Division Street.

 ‘this is a collection that cherishes specificity: the particularity of names; the reflections the world throws back at us; the precise moment of a realisation. Distinctive and assured, these poems show us how, at the site of conflict, a moment of reconciliation can be born.’

"Gritty, witty, stylish and totally memorable. Division Street is a book which has something important to say, addressing a wide range of topics with novelty and intelligence." (John Glenday)

And The Nominees Are...

Matilda Zeigler – Best Actress (The Last Yankee)

Andy de la Tour – Best Actor (The Last Yankee)

Jamie Vartan – Set Design (The Last Yankee)

AND

Best Production – The Last Yankee!

Yes, The Print Room has been nominated for four Off West End Awards and we couldn't be happier.

Check out the full list of nominations HERE

The Best Theatre Beyond London's West End

It’s always interesting to see how people accept compliment, some shy and wilt others grow a few inches, you see it happen every night as the show end as he actors emerge from their dressing rooms leaving their characters behind and faced with the daunting task of being themselves again a barrage of compliments.

There are a number of techniques used for the recognition of a compliment, such as:

The Volley

Volley that compliment straight back.

“You were really wonderful!”

Oh do you think so?

“Yes such a beautiful performance.”

Oh really because I wasn't sure about the part in the middle.

“No it was all marvelous.”

This can go on for a while and is perfect for the person who enjoys praise and comes in the crafty guise of modesty.

The Transfer

This technique is used by the genuinely shy and is the perfect way to instantly take the spotlight off ones self.

“You were fabulous.”

Oh yes it really is a wonderfully little play isn’t it, the characters are all so great.

This transfers the compliment onto the writer, director or overall production; it also transforms the compliment into a conversation allowing a discussion of the play to immediately follow.

The Distasteful

This rather vulgar technique is commonly used by American reality stars and is certainly frowned upon by most the English.

“You were amazing.”

I know right?!

A tricky technique that shouldn't be used lightly, it should only ever be used between friends and only ever as a joke.  It is actually for the secretly shy, by turning the praise into a joke you avoid truly accepting the compliment all under the pretense of over confidence.

Today I came across a rather lovely compliment about The Print Room, we were added into Forbes Travel Guide’s The Best Theatres Beyond London’s West End, I know right?!

For the link to the page click HERE

And this is what they had to say about us:

“Another former warehouse now playing host to an impressive range of work is The Print Room. Theater, dance, concerts and art exhibitions make up the program at this old graphic design workshop tucked away in the area just north of Notting Hill Gate. Opened in September 2010, the venue has quickly become one of the most respected fringe theaters in the city, and is known for its intense, intimate productions of exciting new work. September sees the launch of the venue’s fall season, which opens with the first major London revival of Arthur Miller’s The Last Yankee(September 7th through October 5th). This dark drama is followed by a new production of The Dumb Waiter, Harold Pinter’s hilarious two-hander (October 23rd through November 23rd).”

And for this we will go with the surprising rare technique.

The Gracious

This is really lovely of Forbes, was a great start to a Friday morning, and we are all truly grateful.

Press Night!!

Critics – the people we love to hate, or hate to love?  I’m not sure which, maybe neither, maybe both?  But regardless a necessary part of the industry we accept and at times even rely on.

It’s a strange relationship, no dislike the one between a parent and a potential suitor for their children.  The Print Room is the parent, the creative team our children and nothing the critics say will ever be truly good enough for them.  Even when – as in the case with The Last Yankee – the play gets wonderful reviews I can’t help but feel the adjectives could be slightly more hyperbolic and why not give them 6 stars, just this once.

In honesty the reviews for The Last Yankee were beautiful and just so you don’t have to go looking for them here are a few highlights from across the board.

The Stage 

“The most powerful and moving – and most Miller-like – scenes are those in which the husbands and wives cannot escape hurting each other while attempting to communicate their love.”

“Strong and sensitive performances by the entire cast are energised by Matilda Ziegler as a woman giddy and frightened in equal parts by the unfamiliar clarity of facing life without tranquillisers for the first time in decades.”

Time out ****

"Miller's later, shorter works need something special if they're to be made to sing. But Cathal Cleary's revival offers just that, with a striking design by Jamie Vartan that pitches us into the middle of a state mental hospital"

“But the play’s other great feature is a fine cast.”

Fulham Chronicle ****

“Notting Hill’s Print Room is fast earning a reputation for unearthing lost classics by the giants of theatre, and The Last Yankee is no exception.”

“Miller’s densely layered script, with flashes of laugh out loud humour, is well handled by the strong cast.”

One Stop Arts *****

"The excellent cast negotiate the unfolding drama with precision and grace" 

Poetry @ The Print Room - Jean Sprackland

Poetry @ The Print Room continues on Thursday 10 October, 7.30pm, with acclaimed poets Jean Sprackland, Christopher Reid and Helen Mort.  This will be our third evening in our series of Poetry events.

In the upcoming weeks we will be explaining a little more about what you can expect from each poet, this week:

Jean Spackland and her new poetry collection Sleeping Keys

In 2007 Sprackland won the Costa Poetry Award, with her first collection, Tilt, in which she looks back at endings and beginnings: the end of a life, old homes lived in and left and new homes discovered.  The poems speak of the paralysis and bewilderment of knowing something is over, and of the strangely significant, almost votive nature of the things that are left behind.

Her new collection, Sleeping Keys is a book of transitions – domestic and emotional – and it explores how the experience of change is painful, disorientating, even catastrophic, but also profoundly necessary and revelatory.  Change brings with it the hope that love can be recovered out of the ruins; change, in fact, is a creative, healing force that shows us we have been living amoung ruins – that even in the face of grief and loss there are ‘spectral futures / we must stride the ditch to reach’.

Full of exact, vivid, clear-eyed observations of a world of failure and flux, Sleeping Keys also illuminates a future world beyond.  For every object left emptied of significance, bereft, Jean Sprackland shows us another that’s charged and radiant with possibility – the possibility of miracles.



‘When Sprackland opens her poems up…both to metaphorical possibility and responsibility, her lyric energies are uncompromised and resolutely shine’ - Guardian

As a little taster check out this video of Spackland talking about her award winning first collection, Tilt:

Rehearsal Photos...

As promised.

Here is a sneak peak into the early rehearsals of The Last Yankee, which opened TODAY!

[L to R:  Kika Markham, Andy de la Tour, Paul Hickey, Matilda Ziegler]

[Kika Markham]

[Director Cathal Cleery with Matilda Ziegler and Paul Hickey]

[Matilda Ziegler]

That Christmas Eve Feeling...

There comes a point in every production where all elements become simultaneously inches away from completion.  It is customary at this time for the people involved to get a little more stressed and a little more nervous, however this is paralleled with an almost tangible sense of excitement.  It’s like the sound of an orchestra warming up or the thudding of dancers rehearsing leaps behind the curtain, you know what’s coming but have no idea what to expect.  It’s the Christmas Eve feeling.

I have always be the kind of person who has already felt all the gifts under the Christmas tree, has found all the secret hiding places in the house and come Christmas Eve I am pretty sure what I will be opening.  Terrible? maybe, but it’s a trait that has never been shaken.  As such I would love reveal all that will be experienced in our upcoming production of The Last Yankee, especially the beautiful set design by Jamie Vartan, however I can’t and I won’t, for now all that I will say is that audience member will be using a new entrance to the auditorium.

Today music from the show was projected for the first time through The Print Room offices; everyone spoke in hushed voices as the actors completed final rehearsals and there was a very serious conversation about a Ping-Pong ball.  Also, regular guest to our theatre will be relieved to know that the fruit bowl has been replenished and the bucket is currently holding sweets rather than apples, thankfully that apparent health kick was fleeting.

The Last Yankee is set to be a very proud achievement of The Print Room and the company involved, with tickets selling at an unprecedented speed.  I’m already bracing for the many “I’m sorry we’re completely sold out, no, com…plet...ely sold out” conversations that are sure to happen within a couple of weeks.

Some sneaky rehearsal pictures to follow…

One for the Bedroom Wall..

Time to get the blue tac out for our latest Print Room Pin-Ups.