After a relaxing night at our hosts in Penrith, we were back getting ready for another performance, this time at Penrith Methodist Church. Some of the touring party didn't fancy a lie in, and they were richly rewarded with beautiful weather for a trip to Aira Force:
After a fabulous lunch of lasagne at the church, we prepared for our two performances at Penrith. It was unusual to have a midweek matinee, but Graham Allan and all his helpers were rewarded by two good sized audiences, including plenty of children in the afternoon. The Penrith choir was drawn from far and wide - some from Penrith itself, but lots from villages and towns all over Cumbria and North Yorkshire. They were excellently trained by the 'Rock Chicks' - Claire, Carolyn, Helen and Rachel. The church at Penrith is one of the more complicated to stage a musical - the choir had to sit partly to the side and partly behind the action, leaving the performing area an oval shape, but these challenges keep the cast and dancers fresh and having to think on their feet!
For this performance we had a kind of 'minstrels gallery', with the instrumentalists sitting up in the balcony of the church. While it meant they couldn't see all the action, it was lovely having the sound floating down from above!
Another highlight from Penrith was the signers Heather and Marcia. They had a special monitor which brought up all the words for the songs as well as drama operated by Graham at the back. It meant that the tenors and basses could watch and check the cast got their lines right...
Thanks to Graham, Thelma, the Rock Chicks and all their helpers for having us and organising a wonderful day.
1 comment:
aaah I remember the fun of touring and having to rework out the staging because the venue is a different shape than what you've practiced in :)
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