22/1/12
So excited.
Today saw another relentless rehearsal and each person worked incredibly hard. Every second was filled with the usual high intensity, and we worked on several songs and blocked Act Two. There are already some very vibrant and hysterical scenes with great performances from the principal cast. I must give some special "well dones" to all of the male principals who picked up their dance so quickly. It looks so good and I noticed that many of our females were doing the moves in the background wanting to join in! This show is well on schedule, and promises to be a real scorcher in every department. The singing, dancing and acting is already first class.Oh and by the way, tickets have been on sale for 5 days only. The posters aren't even out of the printers yet, and we have already sold 25% of our total tickets. Yes, we may only be doing three performances instead of our usual four, but the hall capacity has been increased with the utilisation of the tiered seating at the back of the hall for this show.
I'm so proud.
Ian xx
8/1/12
Some things just "can't" be done, right?
Up until 1954, the top scientists and athletes agreed that running a mile in under four minutes was physically impossible. Never been done in all of history. That is, until Roger Bannister did it on May 6. Just 46 days later, another runner broke the four-minute mark and from then on, times continued to decrease.
With a fresh year ahead of you, you're probably reflecting on the things you want to do. Throughout the journey, you'll be met with challenges that will test your resolve. You'll be dealt that inevitable setback, making it easy to play the victim card. When you say something "can't" be done, you are relinquishing your power.
Often the difference-maker for high achievers is that they are willing to do what others won't, not what others can't. They own their outcomes, and take personal responsibility for seeing it through rather than playing the blame-game.
If you are pursuing anything worth doing, they heat is likely to get really hot. Before you forfeit your dreams, perform a careful examination to see if you are really in a "can't" dead-end or just a "won't" situation. Turns out that most of the things we think are impossible just require some extra grit and determination to make them a reality.
2012 is your time. Your time to shatter conventional wisdom. Your time to do the never-been-done-before. Your time to crush the impossible. Your time to make a difference.
Dream for the impossible. Be proud. Be smart.
Be MAD enough to try.
Ian & Sian xxxx
4/12/11
The songs are also rich in harmonies which takes practice, but I must say, they are sounding pretty amazing already. The pace will step up over the next few weeks, and then creep up a notch again after Christmas. But don't worry, this show will be in the bag in no time at all and then we can start enjoying ourselves, which is something our audiences always feel.
Have fun guys, love,
Ian xxx
3/11/11
Snow White's performance run has ended, and now we are all at a loss as to what to do with ourselves! It truly was a whirlwind of success far greater than any of us could have imagined! Not only did we sell out four nights, we had to put out as much as 40 extra seats per night and had the caretaker running around like a madman squeezing in seats wherever there was a spare few inches of space - we were just about within the fire regulation limits for the hall!!
Not only was the show popular, we delivered the goods. In the past few days, I have been told constantly that this show was incredible - our best yet, and that it "had it all" from the moment the Overture struck up to the final curtain call. I'm utterly chuffed by the quality of this production, and hope the cast and crew are extremely proud of themselves. The acting, singing, choreography and effects were all simply stunning and all of the well rehearsed scenes moved quickly and seamlessly into each other without any "down time" for the audience to be kept waiting.
I had the pleasure of watching the entire show every night from my position at the back of the hall controlling the smoke, lasers and pyros, and could hear the non-stop laughter, hisses, boos and tears of the audience who clearly lapped every bit of it. During the next few days, I'll be adding the lovely emails we've started to receive from our audience and I'll be adding the splendid production photographs taken by the talented Andrew Owen.
In the meantime we have the aftershow party to look forward to and then we go BACK TO THE 80's for our next musical, and audition details can be found on this website! I'm so excited for this show! It contains all of the essential ingredients that makes a great modern jukebox musical. Not least, the excellent soundtrack will be an integral part of this production, and the story is very funny but also allows for some tender moments witin the script. I can't wait to get started!
See you at the aftershow party!
Ian xxx
29/9/11
As everyone is aware, MAD like to do things differently, otherwise we end up being just like everyone else. Sometimes it's hard for people to get their head around the passion we place on small, seemingly insignificant things, but they are important to us - and it all mounts up.
But there really is method in our MADness.
All of these little differences add up to one big fresh approach to amateur dramatics. When we started this process, we set ourselves a strict 18 month plan, and made sure it was adhered to. It worked.
We have now set ourselves a further 18 month plan, and I guarantee that this one will have greater success. What all of this means is that we carry on producing better shows that please everyone.
At the end of the day we have to ask ourselves, "what do we do this for?" and the answer is, "to entertain." I believe we have done that with increasing success. But we have much more work to do, because make no mistake, if we stand still, we move backwards.
The results speak for themselves - Snow White is our fastest selling production to date with unprecidented tickets sales. At the time of typing there are only 15 tickets left with over 3 weeks to go, and the Saturday performance sold out two months prior!
We are MAD.
Ian xx
9/8/11
As we are ahead of schedule, we're allowing ourselves two weeks off in August starting this weekend. This is because we have made great progress on both acts of the show, and when we start back after our break, scripts will be down and BOTH acts will be rehearsed every single weekend.
This year has seen some great potential and publicity for us as a society and I'm convinced that it's due to us showcasing genuine talent that always caters for the audience rather than the egos of cast and crew. There is no propaganda - just a humble, honest approach, and that is what make our audiences warm to us.
It's important to mention that ticket sales for this show are selling very quickly and we've had unprecidented ticket sales during this early period, mainly off the general public and repeat audience members.
I must stress that we anticipate this show will sell out very quickly, so it would be a pity if family and friends of the cast couldn't buy theirs because they didn't get them early enough. In short - get yours now!! We will be bringing the printer to rehearsals with us every week. And dont forget you can order them online 24/7, or you can call Eric for them.
Don't forget the MAD Karaoke on Friday night. I've heard there will be some surprise appearences (Debs and Lorraine, maybe?) and we look forward to seeing you all there. Give yourselves a pat on the back!
I'll have a Guinness.
Ian xxx
5/7/11
Excited is not the word!
With so many elements coming together behind the scenes, this well oiled magical machine is gaining momentum with incredible speed. Snow White will no doubt be a show stopper containing all the elements you would expect from a modern panto, with no shortage of the MAD twists and turns everyone has come to expect.
Our creative minds are now working overtime, and there is honestly not enough time to put all of our ideas into this show - they will be put into storage for next year!
As far as rehearsals go, there is amazing progress on all fronts. My congratulations go out to every cast member for their incredible commitment, determination and dedication to make this MAD show a sensation. It's the true MAD spirit of the cast and crew that makes it all happen. No-one else can get near, us let alone touch us.
I'm extremely proud to be part of it.
Life is short. You're capable.
Ian xxx
5/6/11
The rehearsal began with the principals making headway into their new scripts downstairs with me, and the dancers joining Ceri & Sian for a punishing routine that set the tone for the show - bigger, better, faster and smarter than ever before! All of the cast made excellent progress today, marking a positive start to what i'm sure will be a great rehearsal process for a magical show!
22/5/11
It was great to welcome the sixteen new members to MAD and I know that the MAD veterans will extend a warm welcome to them so that they settle into this incredible group quickly.
As I type this, Sian and I are adding to the 29 musical ideas we already have for this show. We are confident that this will be the funniest and most colourful show yet!
Can you wait to get started?
Dream. Believe. Achieve.
Ian xxxx
7/5/2011
Enough time has passed for us all to reflect and dearly miss what was an amazing show week. I think we were all told so many times by our audience members that they thought it was our best show yet! Don't get me wrong, every show we have done up to this point has been incredible, but to constantly improve and give the audiences positive things they weren't expecting is definately the direction we have to be heading in!
The audience numbers were better than we had predicted, and we sold out three of the four nights. The exception being the Friday due to the royal wedding, but we were still near capacity and would have indeed sold out this night too were it not for that event and all the street partys!
From a director's point of view, I reflect back after every production run and can usually find a few small things that I wish I had included in the show. In the case of Oliver, I wouldn't change a thing. The acting was first class, (indeed, there were several surprisingly brilliant performances from some) and the routines were very clever and perfectly in sync. The scene changes, which were intricately choreographed to keep the scenes moving without any down-time to the audience were like clockwork and the sound and lighting cues were spot on.
But I think what sells us to the public more than anything else is the genuine support for each other as friends and performers that is uniquely tangeable to the audience member. It has been said by our public many times that they can't put their finger on it, but there's a chemistry there between us all. One audience member said simply, "Your group has so much heart."
I know the rehearsals have been tough for this show, but I know we all miss it terribly now. Oliver has been a production ambition of mine for many years, and I am very pleased with the outcome. This could not have done without EVERYONES input, for which I am very apprecative! But we must say "Cheerio" to Oliver and "Hello" to Snow White.
I can't wait to get started on this show. The script is a real gem, and I know that this show will be the most creative yet!
See you at the aftershow party. Mine's a Guinness!
Love you all.
Ian xxxxxxxxxxxx