WEDDING OF THE YEAR by Norman Robbins

Presented by The Teesdale Plaers at Lartington Hall near Barnard Castle in County Durham

he production is discussed by Peter Dixon (actor) John Lowdon stage management and actor) and Jane Scally (make-up)

The play is written in two acts with four scenes The cast consistshyId of ten actors six women and tour men

THE PLOT

Alison Murchinson who lives a t home with her widowed mother

the Aunt Cilia (who has stopped upstairs for the last six years) and her Uncle Frank is the last sort of girl one would visualise as a heroshyne She is over-weight bespectashy

ded and it looks like she is going to be left on the shelf Frank decides t enter her in il Wedding of the leal Competihon even before he l5 found her a suitable husband Ills eye falls on Walter Thorntons

Idvyn a frustrated inventor and an appallingly clumsy young

This is all to the disgust of friend Peggy who has

- for her daughter winning the btion and Melvyns father who had secret hopes of

rn-ing Ethel Visits from two old maiden aunts who speak in proverbs add to the

1eh n feels sorry for Alison roposes The wedding date is

md Frank starts to make all the ~ including arranging for an mend Harry Elphinstone the

dress designer to create a redding dress

In a series of on and off stage enls Melvyn becomes stuck to

ltII up ~th his new wonder glue dama e5 Ethels new chair covers

hi trousers smashes a 300 ase sets fire to the curshy

demolishes the local

bull til marrY Frank propos-P L e accepts and as the

~ ay Alls well that ends

BACKGROUND

For several years the Players have produced programmes that included editorial about the history of the play Although the play has been produced successfully by amateur groups since in was writshyten in the late 70s it has not been performed professionally As we had few details of previous prod ucmiddot tions we contacted the author Norman Robbins He was most helpful and in a long letter gave us enough information for our proshygramme and a few angles that were used in our press releases

Norman told us A girl Assistant Stage Manager who was rather on the large side but very pretty and talented remarked to me bitterly I wish someone would write a part for a fat girl and make her the lead 1 never get a decent part in anything 1 know I saw a picture in the local paper of a recent marriage with the caption Bride of The year and wondered why as the girl in question looked to be the size of a house and quite plain and Id always thought this sort of accolade went to the rich and beautiful I never learned the answer but this gave me the situashytion I needed

Three of the funniest characters in the play are the elderly aunts Norman told us These three charshy

i

acters were based on three elderly ladies living in my home town back in the Forties The elder sister appeared quite normal and had litshytle patience with her siblings who were Pure Victorian till the day they died One never saw them dressed in anything other than Music Hall costumes complete with large straw hats covered in cherries berries and feathers They constantly glanced at each other as their elder sister passed on the days gOSSip and an occasional knowing smirk would touch their lips

THE THEATRE

The play was produced in the ballroom of the seventeenth centushyry country house Lartington Hall The ballroom was added in 1832 to house the owners collection of fosshysils rock specimens fine paintings and books In 1867 the well known architect Joseph Hansom (inventor of the cab that bears his name) designed a grand entrance and corshyridor leading up to the ballroom

By 1979 when the building was taken over by its present ownshyers Robin and Claire Rackham its condition had deteriorated but since then the entire Hall has been lovingly restored The Rackhams have been great supporters of The Teesdale Players and they kindly allowed them to use the ballroom

ever since the group began in 19 In the Spring of 1992 a stage constructed which gave the groll permanent base for rehearsals a productions Mrs Claire RackhaJ directed and appeared in this pr ~ duction Sadly this will be the lao theatrical production the Hall see for some time as the ballroom currently being converted into recording studio

REHEARSALS

We met each Thursday evenir from the casting in May until production in November Amon or so before we opened this w extended to three nights a week

Early in rehearsals we took couple of weeks out to make a ta recording of the script All the cdgt found this a valuable aid to lear ing the lines

We did have the enormo ~

benefit of being able to rehearse our own stage and as the spa was not used for any other activi with the set permanently in plac The groups approach to rehea could probably be described more laid back than many a teur groups Many of our comp are involved in other local grou or are regularly away on busin so from the outset we all had accept that cast members wo often be unavailable

SCENERY

The set design was quite simshyIe We decided to set the play in

original period of 1979 so the mgle sc t had to resemble the inteshy

Ir of a 19705 living room The middot1 l1s comprised a series of framed

- ft by 10ft plywood panels rpshufshy Id from our previous two producshy

ons of ARSENIC AND OLD ACE and WHE WE ARE MARshyED Decoration comprised two mplementary 705 style waLlpashy

ers bought from the bin end box It the loca l decora tors TIw floor _ as cilrpeted and covered with a arge central rug

There were three exits front tage left and right with the main exit being through an arch to a dummy hallway in the centre rear panel A sash window was placed in one of the windows left The wall behind WilS decorated with leaf camouflage to give a garden wall effec t

We had the benefit of being able to pinch bits of furniture from the many rooms in L rtington Hall with a few other items supplied by cast members On stage were a matching two-piece suite and two dining chairs either side of the archway A small round coffee table in front of the sofa was used to place tea cups and biscuits A iolding table was situated in a rear (Orner to hold a large tea tray rather than the actress having to bring it on stage It was later used 0 display the wrapped wedding presents A magazine rack was placed next to the armchair A small table in the hallway was decshy)rated with a lamp Two large paintings and a mirror mounted on the walls completed the set

LIGHTING

There are no problems for the lighting designer of tills play AU

e equipment used was our own ing a combination of exis ting 3mps and some recent secondshyand purchases We used two

SCOW floods on the floor Two Tshy- nds were purchased in order to flount four 500W spk spots in Jiagonal pairs approximately 15 ~t from the front of the stage

11ree 200W floods and three 200W ots were used in the ceiling of the

-ain stage Two 100W lights were -ed to light the hall area at the rear

the stage

COSTUMES

Our wardrobe mistress and -t had great fun digging out their

Seventies wardrobes There re no great difficulties with any

the costumes although aU the bull had everyday clothes in the t three scenes and a change to

odding dress in the final scene

y

Our director made the decision to dress the two maiden aunts in idenshytical clothes so their two costumes had to be made specially but it gave an excellent effect and set the tone for their de tty characters

Our Ali son was far trom overshyweight so a padded suit had to be made and worn under he r cosshytume A full body suit with arms and legs was created using six layshyers each increasing in size of polyshyes ter wadding

MAK -UP

The make-up plot is such that the make-up artist had to be preshysent throughout the performance Many of Melvyns disasters happen off stage and are recounted by the actors An effective use of make-up added to the laughs as the victims made their entrance on stage

[n Act 1 Scene 2 Uncle Frank appears with a black eye and a few scra tches Instead of the entire cirshycle of the eye being coloured only the upper cheekbone below the corshyner of the eye is affected Later Melvyn appears with a black eye but he has sustained a more serious knock than Frank AU-shaped bruise is applied for Frank For the colouring of the bruising a combishynation of yellow-orange blue azure and dark red creme make-up was used

A stubble sponge was used for the effects of scratches This is an invaluable aid in make-up It is also used for the appearance of broshyken capillaries which the three old aunts needed Plenty of time was required on the night to age our actresses A grey beige base was applied for a cadaverous look

In the first scene of the second act both Frank and Melvyn had to look like they had just survived the demolition of the local pub Soot from a real open fire was used on their faces hands and chests Straw was gelled through their hair An open wound had to be a applied to Melvyns knee For this effect derma wax coloured with bordeaux red creme was worked onto the patella A straight horishyzontal furrow was made and film blood squeezed into it with plenty running down the shin producing the desired horror effect Again the stubble sponge using dark brownblack creme was applied to give the effect of gravel grazing

The final scene took place ~ix weeks later so casualty make-up bad to be removed and fresh basic reapplied

For basic foundation we used Max Factor Pan stik which comes in a range of shades and is easy to apply It has the advantage of being inexpensive and is oil based For flattening down eyebrows in order to cover over with base colour a slightly moist bar of soap was used You need to wait for it to dry before applying the base

MUSIC ~

No music is required during the play but we made up a tape of late 70s hits that was played durshying the pre-show and interval to add to the atmosphere

SPECIAL EFFECTS AND PROPS

The effects were straightforshyward Heavy rain and thunder sounds were taped from a soundshyeffects CD The effect was enhanced by dropping the stage flood lighting A metal tray and bag of broken crockery was used to simulate off stage cups and plates being dropped

Time needed to be spent coorshydinating Ethels entrances and exits as her constant solution to every disaster was to go off and make cups of tea for all the other characshyters Several characters had to ea t biscuits on stage We undertook extensive trials with a variety of biscuits Jaffa cakes came out tops for allowing the cast to continue talking with their mouths full

For Ollr curtain call our director came up with the idea of Alison removing her padding suit and takshying her bow wearing a wedding dress (having been on stage when

sDral

the curtain fell wearing a dressing gown) It required a double quick change but the effect was well received as she rushed on stage having lost all that weight

CONCLUSION

As with any farce the pace was fast and required good timing and co-ordination from the actors The play was well received We played to reasonable houses and the play being relatively inexpensive to proshyduce showed a good profit A great way to conclude our years at Lartington Hall

(Photographs by Carolyn Naseby)

ALL SCRIPTS SCORES AND LIBRETTI FEATURED IN

THE PLAY PRODUCED AND THE MUSICAL PRODUCED

CAN BEOBTAlN 0 FROM

17

SCENERY

The set design was quite simshyIe We decided to set the play in

original period of 1979 so the mgle sc t had to resemble the inteshy

Ir of a 19705 living room The middot1 l1s comprised a series of framed

- ft by 10ft plywood panels rpshufshy Id from our previous two producshy

ons of ARSENIC AND OLD ACE and WHE WE ARE MARshyED Decoration comprised two mplementary 705 style waLlpashy

ers bought from the bin end box It the loca l decora tors TIw floor _ as cilrpeted and covered with a arge central rug

There were three exits front tage left and right with the main exit being through an arch to a dummy hallway in the centre rear panel A sash window was placed in one of the windows left The wall behind WilS decorated with leaf camouflage to give a garden wall effec t

We had the benefit of being able to pinch bits of furniture from the many rooms in L rtington Hall with a few other items supplied by cast members On stage were a matching two-piece suite and two dining chairs either side of the archway A small round coffee table in front of the sofa was used to place tea cups and biscuits A iolding table was situated in a rear (Orner to hold a large tea tray rather than the actress having to bring it on stage It was later used 0 display the wrapped wedding presents A magazine rack was placed next to the armchair A small table in the hallway was decshy)rated with a lamp Two large paintings and a mirror mounted on the walls completed the set

LIGHTING

There are no problems for the lighting designer of tills play AU

e equipment used was our own ing a combination of exis ting 3mps and some recent secondshyand purchases We used two

SCOW floods on the floor Two Tshy- nds were purchased in order to flount four 500W spk spots in Jiagonal pairs approximately 15 ~t from the front of the stage

11ree 200W floods and three 200W ots were used in the ceiling of the

-ain stage Two 100W lights were -ed to light the hall area at the rear

the stage

COSTUMES

Our wardrobe mistress and -t had great fun digging out their

Seventies wardrobes There re no great difficulties with any

the costumes although aU the bull had everyday clothes in the t three scenes and a change to

odding dress in the final scene

y

Our director made the decision to dress the two maiden aunts in idenshytical clothes so their two costumes had to be made specially but it gave an excellent effect and set the tone for their de tty characters

Our Ali son was far trom overshyweight so a padded suit had to be made and worn under he r cosshytume A full body suit with arms and legs was created using six layshyers each increasing in size of polyshyes ter wadding

MAK -UP

The make-up plot is such that the make-up artist had to be preshysent throughout the performance Many of Melvyns disasters happen off stage and are recounted by the actors An effective use of make-up added to the laughs as the victims made their entrance on stage

[n Act 1 Scene 2 Uncle Frank appears with a black eye and a few scra tches Instead of the entire cirshycle of the eye being coloured only the upper cheekbone below the corshyner of the eye is affected Later Melvyn appears with a black eye but he has sustained a more serious knock than Frank AU-shaped bruise is applied for Frank For the colouring of the bruising a combishynation of yellow-orange blue azure and dark red creme make-up was used

A stubble sponge was used for the effects of scratches This is an invaluable aid in make-up It is also used for the appearance of broshyken capillaries which the three old aunts needed Plenty of time was required on the night to age our actresses A grey beige base was applied for a cadaverous look

In the first scene of the second act both Frank and Melvyn had to look like they had just survived the demolition of the local pub Soot from a real open fire was used on their faces hands and chests Straw was gelled through their hair An open wound had to be a applied to Melvyns knee For this effect derma wax coloured with bordeaux red creme was worked onto the patella A straight horishyzontal furrow was made and film blood squeezed into it with plenty running down the shin producing the desired horror effect Again the stubble sponge using dark brownblack creme was applied to give the effect of gravel grazing

The final scene took place ~ix weeks later so casualty make-up bad to be removed and fresh basic reapplied

For basic foundation we used Max Factor Pan stik which comes in a range of shades and is easy to apply It has the advantage of being inexpensive and is oil based For flattening down eyebrows in order to cover over with base colour a slightly moist bar of soap was used You need to wait for it to dry before applying the base

MUSIC ~

No music is required during the play but we made up a tape of late 70s hits that was played durshying the pre-show and interval to add to the atmosphere

SPECIAL EFFECTS AND PROPS

The effects were straightforshyward Heavy rain and thunder sounds were taped from a soundshyeffects CD The effect was enhanced by dropping the stage flood lighting A metal tray and bag of broken crockery was used to simulate off stage cups and plates being dropped

Time needed to be spent coorshydinating Ethels entrances and exits as her constant solution to every disaster was to go off and make cups of tea for all the other characshyters Several characters had to ea t biscuits on stage We undertook extensive trials with a variety of biscuits Jaffa cakes came out tops for allowing the cast to continue talking with their mouths full

For Ollr curtain call our director came up with the idea of Alison removing her padding suit and takshying her bow wearing a wedding dress (having been on stage when

sDral

the curtain fell wearing a dressing gown) It required a double quick change but the effect was well received as she rushed on stage having lost all that weight

CONCLUSION

As with any farce the pace was fast and required good timing and co-ordination from the actors The play was well received We played to reasonable houses and the play being relatively inexpensive to proshyduce showed a good profit A great way to conclude our years at Lartington Hall

(Photographs by Carolyn Naseby)

ALL SCRIPTS SCORES AND LIBRETTI FEATURED IN

THE PLAY PRODUCED AND THE MUSICAL PRODUCED

CAN BEOBTAlN 0 FROM

17