Kingfisher Players' 2008-9 Robinson Crusoe

Altered Song Lyrics

2008-09-02T05:33:00.001-07:00

With pantomime, it is inevitable that the songs you choose will have some lyrics which don't fit the show. Hence Good Morning Baltimore is now Good Morning London Town.

It's also necessary to trim most songs to make them panto-friendly. This year is no exception.

I've uploaded the lyrics to the usual place and you can download them here

Cast Announced

2008-07-15T05:24:00.001-07:00

Robinson Crusoe Rachel Barlow

Mrs Crusoe Mike Roberts

Billy Crusoe Peter Ward

Broody Tracey Horne

Sukey Perkins Rachael Cooper

Polly Perkins Jemma Phillips

Britannia Gail Barlow

Davy Jones Chris Blake (tbc)

Will Atkins Togga (tbc)

Jolly Roger Lauren Richardson

Rueful Rupert Rebekah Trayhorn

Girl Friday Jackie Cooper

Old Sal Carolyn Roberts

Britannia’s Attendants Amanda Bocking & Stephen Bocking

Cabin Girl Emma Roberts

Helmsman James Bocking

Pirate Selling Maps Emily Seward

Cannibals Charlotte Roberts & Simon Cooper (tbc)

The cast list is also available as a pdf which you can download here.

Script now available publicly

2008-07-01T05:50:00.001-07:00

I've uploaded the script again as some people were having trouble accessing it. There's no security on it so I'll take it down at some point during production.

Download Robinson Crusoe 2008 Script (version 2.1) (pdf)

Cast Update 2 - Character List

2008-07-01T05:48:00.001-07:00

To help you prepare for the auditions, I've prepared some character descriptions and suggestions of how they might be played. You may have ideas about how to create the character, so please bring as many ideas as you can to the auditions and to the rehearsals - the more ideas the merrier.

Once again, this is in the form of a 'cast update' - there will be many, many more as people will testify who have done shows with me in the past!

I'm trying to save paper, so if you can possibly get away without printing them, that'd be great.

Download Cast Update 2 - Character List (pdf)

Information for potential cast members

2008-07-01T05:46:00.001-07:00

This is information I gave out during Interludes so it's just in case anyone wasn't there!

Download Cast Update 00 - Potentials Information Sheet (pdf)

Cast Update 1 - Audition Piece List

2008-07-01T05:45:00.001-07:00

Something new as I haven't got a clue what most of you are capable of when it comes to Panto - Auditions.

Now, don't be scared... Okay, scratch that, you're already showing signs of fear. These won't be hugely stressful. We aren't requiring you to learn anything and we certainly won't expect finished performances.

What we really want to see is how well you can put over a character - the way they stand, talk and move. There will be a singing audition, but we are going to have one song for the ladies (Only You - the Flying Pickets version, not Starlight Express) and one song for the men (Yo Ho A Pirates Life For Me).

I've uploaded the list of audition pieces, so please feel free to download and have a scan through the script.

Download Cast Update 1 - Audition Piece List (pdf)

Script Now Available Online!

2008-06-23T10:41:00.001-07:00

The current version of the script for Robinson Crusoe is now online. To protect copyright, I've placed it on Windows Live Skydrive.

I will put other material, like backing tracks and other song words on here later.

Robinson Crusoe 2008 script

Blocking Starts Today

2008-05-31T02:16:00.001-07:00

Although I'm normally much earlier with my planning and blocking, rewriting the script was something I really needed to do as a priority. But, now that it's finished, I can start to work on the blocking.

Defiinition: to block: (transitive, theater) To specify the positions and movements of the actors.

With the dimensions of the Tempsford stage, I'm choosing to adopt a slightly different approach to normal. In past productions, every movement will have been worked out before the first word is spoken. However, because I've never even performed in the space (although that will change in a few weeks!) I need to be a lot more relaxed in how scenes are worked out. I also want to experiment with a more organic approach.

Ah, the organic approach... also known as letting your actors block themselves. It just doesn't work in amateur theatre. However, it might work as part of an overall approach to bring out the creativity in the cast and to just have some fun with it.

When it comes to choreography, though, it will have to be much more prescriptive.

So, the plan is to do some basic blocking today and then to transition into the rewriting of song lyrics this evening. That's the plan anyway!

The Script is Finished!

2008-05-30T05:52:00.001-07:00

They say that great musicals are not written, they are re-written. Hopefully, the same can be said about great pantomimes!

The script for Robinson Crusoe was originally written by one of the founding members of The Little Hadham Pantomime Group, Margaret Elder. It was then almost completely re-written for a 1990s production by long-standing member, and frequent director, Doreen Musgrove.

Amazingly, I managed to contact Doreen over Facebook to get her permission to perform her script. I received this reply from her within just a couple of days!

Hi Mike,
Yes, of course you can use the script. Have you got a copy? I know I have one somewhere.

I love this one. I did it here in Spain a couple of years ago. The average age was 65! The principle boy must have been at least 58/9 but looked terrific. She was from the naturist urbanisation so her body was in good shape. She did wear clothes for the show! We did it on a stage 12ft x 12ft. The scenery was super. The men that designed, made and painted said it was the most fun they had had for ages. All the flats came from skips where the apartments were being refurbished.

Can you imagine elderly men sculking round the tips at night and carrying stuff off?!

The audiences were lovely.We did 4 performances but could have done at least four more! Broody, of course, stole the show, as your mum did.

Let me know where and when and I would love to see it. Hope you are all well. We leave here on 2nd April, home about a week later.

Having been in Doreen's production in the 1990s, I can honestly say that it's one of the most fun, most interesting pantomimes that I've been in (and I've been in a lot!). It has a strong plot, lots of fun characters and a wide range of locations. It is not without problems, though. At the time we performed it, we were not in contact with a local dance school, so one thing I have had to add is opportunities for our resident ballet school. So far, they have two full-scale dances and also one piece of acting and one piece of 'appearance that we can put in at the last minute'. :-)

The other issue is caused by the two villains. We have Will Atkins, who has the majority of the stage-time but is a bit 'useless' - he is a hypocondriac (!) and Davy Jones, who is the more evil of the two, is of the 'mythical' type, but is onstage far less. Having seen a couple of pantos at Harlow Playhouse, and from past experience, it is essential that the audience can really hate the villain, but without making him/her so scary that children start to walk out! So, I've added a few lines and words to existing lines. Not so much that the changes stand out as additions, but more to make Will Atkins more memorable. This has necessitated changes at the end of the script where Will ends up with... well, I'll leave that as a surprise! Suffice to say, before the match-up it was too easy for Atkins at the end, so it's been tweaked!

Once myself and Leigh have added the songs, with the re-worked lyrics, it'll be posted up here for the cast and crew to enjoy and (hopefully) print out! In the meantime, though, here's a little snippet to enjoy:

From Act I, Scene 1

Roger What a bit of luck (They both pull Pop guns from their belts)
Hand over your treasure map, or we’ll blast you full of cork.

Billy But I don’t have a treasure map.

Roger That’s awkward.

Rupert (Putting pop gun away) Well, that’s that then.

Roger I know Rupert, we’ll sell him one.

Billy You won’t, I’m skint.

Roger Life’s full of little difficulties, isn’t it? We’ll lend you some money then. Rupert, lend him a shilling.

Rupert Yes, I knew it would be me. (Gives Billy a coin)
There you are.

Roger Now you give it to me (He pockets the coin)

Rupert Hey, that’s my ……….

Roger Ssh, Rupert, give him a map. After all he’s paid for it. (Map to Billy)
There now, you have got a treasure map haven’t you?

Billy Yes.

Roger (Gets out popgun again) Then hand it over!

Billy (Mystified) All right.

Roger (Puts popgun away) Very satisfactory. Come Rupert.

Rupert (Puzzled) I think there’s something wrong somewhere.

Welcome to the production blog

2008-05-29T00:46:00.000-07:00

I was trying to come up with an easy way of allowing the (potential) cast and crew to get access to information about the upcoming production. This was the best option I could find. So, here's the first lot of information!

Production Team
Director - Michael Horne
Musical Director - Leigh Smith
Choreographer - Michael 'Wayne Sleepy' Horne
Stage Manager - Steve Ward

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