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.”