Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards
The nominations for the Fleur du Cap theatre awards are going to be public this morning; in about an hour, so the idea of speculating is ridiculous, and yet! I have butterflies. Will Noah of Cape Town be nominated, and if yes, for what? How do you choose performers from an ensemble cast like that? Obviously I believe that Jaci de Villiers was the best director of the year (if not the decade) and Dicky Longhurst’s design was beyond spectacular and Mannie Manim’s lighting took the production into the stratosphere, but hey, I am a bit biased.
We’ll know at 9 this morning!
Noah – The end is nigh
I am feeling very weird this morning. There are two shows left tonight and then the run of Noah of Cape Town is done. I hope like mad that it will have a future and be seen elsewhere on South African stages, and the world. The truth is; I just don’t know how to make that happen. Generally, (and there are exceptions) us theatre makers are not great marketers and sellers of our product.
It’s weird to think that what has taken up most of my brain (and heart) for at least the past six months (not to mention the eight years leading up to it) will now be put on a kind of back burner while I focus on other things for a bit. Which is good. And scary. Because what if Noah of Cape Town doesn’t happen again? I think that will be a great pity.
So it’s with pride, confusion and a little sadness that I’ll watch the final show tonight and have drinks with the magnificent cast and crew afterwards.
Tonight’s the night
Noah of Cape Town
Pic by Giovanni Sterelli
Last word tonight
I have had one hell of a day. I was either screaming or crying, and every time I left the house I forgot something behind. Then we, Brett, Ryan and I did some improvised character based performance at the launch of the Alphen hotel’s new menu. It was quite fabulous actually; I was Dr James Barry. At events like these you hope you won’t know anyone and I was completely surprised by the sight of someone I didn’t really want to see. It was so weird playing with and to forty odd people and avoiding one.
So when I got to the Baxter too late for the first half of the first preview of Noah of Cape Town I had a glass of wine on an empty stomach, felt completely vulnerable and exhausted and went in to watch the second half, sitting next to the genius director Jaci de Villiers. And I wept. At times I actually struggled to control my sobs. I don’t care what anyone says; this show is mind blowing. I am humbled, awestruck, grateful and so proud. Thank you most beautiful and amazing cast and team of Noah of Cape Town 2009.
The Noah of Cape Town Set
I had to dash off to the rehearsal venue for a quick meeting and Jaci called us into the rehearsal space to “take a look”. She was dying for us to see the actors working with the set. Simon, Floss and I went in and it was like seeing another show, another level, another world, another possibility. I have to say, Jaci is a visionary. There is this huge metal hexagon that is steeply raked and made up of giant triangles, and everything is see through and… I could never begin to accurately explain. The actors are singing, while standing on this massive thing, while being spun around! I was awestruck and dumbfounded and excited and moved. Just you wait. Noah of Cape Town is coming. Just you wait!
Here is a picture of Walter, the production manager, helping to put the monster together.
Noah is coming!
Yesterday afternoon a handful of us gathered in the rehearsal room in Woodstock to see a run through of Noah of Cape Town. Jaci had warned us earlier that the cast were nowhere near ready to be doing a run through; they had only really done detailed work on act 1 and they weren’t ready for an audience. I think she was protecting them and making sure that everybody understood how early on in the process it is. And there is no set, no costumes, no anything, except for the cast.
Needless to say, we were all totally blown away. Literally. Jaci, Amanda and the cast are doing the most amazing job. The story is being brought to life in the most conscious, creative and honest way. And as for the music, it is magnificent. Although it is quite long; almost two hours, it is absolutely riveting.
You know that thing where you are watching something completely amazing and every time anyone does something or sings or says something you think that they are your best, until the next person sings or speaks? That’s what happened to me yesterday. I fell in love with 16 people. Hopelessly, overwhelmingly in love. This cast is unbelievable.
Sometimes I wish all people could see this part of the rehearsal process. It is so raw, so alive, so electric. I was honoured and grateful and terribly emotional. But not as emotional as Simon Cooper, who was wracked with sobs at the end of the run. Oh Simon, our dreams are literally coming true. Our dreams are coming true.
It has started
Noah of Cape Town has begun. As I write this the cast of 16 magnificents, as they shall become known, are in their second day of rehearsals. When I called the Big Magnificent, or Jaci de Villiers, yesterday afternoon to find out how it was all going I could hear the magnificents singing in the background. Omigod. This is the most exciting thing that I have ever been involved in. I am actually drooling. And I’m not even there. I can see what’s going to happen though. Sneak visits to the rehearsal venue. “I just thought I’d bring….”, “I was thinking that maybe…”,”don’t you guys need….?”.
I can’t wait. Literally. I am beyond excited.
Check out our facebook group and join. Follow Noah of Cape Town on Twitter.
It’s the end of the world as we know it.
Oh the interweb
So I’m sitting here with the magnificent and talented Big Friendly and we (and when I say we I mean me swearing and complaining while Big friendly does stuff and complains when I can’t finish my sentences about what it is I’m complaining about but most of the time it’s interweb stuff so I don’t know exactly what I’m doing or even complaining about) are trying to make the Noah of Cape Town web site. Big Friendly has a list of things he needs me to do and he is setting up twitter profiles, facebook pages, and google thingamies. My head is almost exploding.
It really is starting, and man, oh, man
I am beyond exhausted, energy sapped, and jangling. I was at the Kalk Bay Theatre from 9 this morning and I got home literally ten minutes ago, after being there all day and night (it’s Tuesday and we play TheatreSports there on a Tuesday night). Today fab director of Noah, Jaci de Villiers, musical man and writer Graham Weir and MD Amanda Tiffin ran the Cape Town call backs for Noah, our original accapella musical. And it was kick-ass, massive and brilliant. All (nearly all) those actors I had complained about? Well, these weren’t them. I loved these call back guys. They were fantastic, focused, disciplined, humble, prepared, talented and dynamic. They worked in groups and on their own. They brought amazing energy and skill to the process. They listened, they gave, they responded. I sat and heard our dialogue be brought to life and become meaningful. I got very, very excited. I fell in love with about seventeen people. I saw the possibility.
Well done and thank you to all who gave their time, energy and, mostly, commitment to this gruelling process. Choosing a cast is going to be so hard and I am so glad that it’s not my job.
I also learn so much from this whole experience. I keep learning about music and singing, which is amazing. I can’t believe how hard it is to be both a brilliant singer and a brilliant actor. I am learning audition techniques. I am learning about performers and how they think and feel. I am learning how to be generous and warm to people who are nervous and anxious. I am learning how to read between the nerves. I am learning to be surprised by people. I am learning to let them change my mind, and heart.
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Randomness
