Noises Off (2004)
Directed & Designed by Will Howard
Performances: Tue 7th to Sat 11th December 2004, Bell Theatre
Contents
Introduction
"That's what it's all about. Doors and sardines. Getting on - getting off. Getting the sardines on - getting the sardines off. That's farce. That's the Theatre. Thats life..." says ‘Nothing On' Director Lloyd Dallas lays all his studies of world drama at our disposal...
'Nothing On'?? isn't this thing called 'Noises Off?
'Noises off' is essentially a farce about a farce - not one play, but two. It follows an ill-fated professional tour of a 'bedroom' farce 'Nothing On' and the backstage farce that develops during its final dress rehearsal and tour.
Set in the living room of a country house with innumerable doors leading off it, 'Nothing On' is as fast a-paced farce with as many mistaken identities, sheiks, sheets, dropped trousers and sardines as anyone could wish for.
Peopled with the usual suspects one would expect - 'Noises off' opens on the dress rehearsal in Weston-Super-Mare, with things not going quite to plan. Through all the obstacles and stop-starts, true professionals that they are (including the desperate director, weedy ASM and almost comatose Stage Manager), the cast somehow manage to make their way through the first act to a well earned tea break. We then witness the same act some weeks later, where the relationships between the actors are disintegrating. They exit from the farce onstage to enter the even worse nightmare going on backstage…the audience watching 'Nothing On' really wouldn't know, but behind the scenes they are all trying to kill each other. However - the audience watching 'Noises Off' can see quite clearly as they watch the action from backstage. Finally the show reaches Stockton-on-Tees, where things have become so bad, that the personal disagreements are no longer confined to backstage, undermining 'Nothing On' completely, as we see the whole thing unravel and watch the farce degenerate into a farce....
Cast
- Dotty Otley - Eileen Coan
- Lloyd Dallas - Christopher Vian-Smith
- Garry Lejeune - Robert Sloan
- Brooke Ashton - Sally McEwan
- Belinda Blair - Rebecca Grzesik
- Poppy Norton-Taylor - Rachael Watkins
- Frederick Fellowes - Simon Gleisner
- Tim Allgood - Steve Ellis
- Selsdon Mowbray - Peter Medd
Crew
- P.A./Stage Manager - Elinor Morgan Jones
- Assistant Stage Manager - Maggie Kruger
- Backstage Crew - Helen Davies, David Garnett & Simon Haskey
- Lighting Design - Will Howard
- Lighting Operator - Alison Rockbrand
- Sound Operator - Fiona Daffern
- Set Construction - Jon Wade, Will Howard, Maggie Kruger, Elinor Morgan Jones, Ed Cowell, Lisa Marsh, Steve Ellis & Mike Elliott
- With thanks to: Mike Elliott, Christopher Vian-Smith, Lisa Marsh, Alan Buckman, Lancasters.
- A special mention should be made for Jon Wade, Maggie Kruger and Elinor Morgan-Jones. Without their incredible help, hard work and support throughout, this production simply would not have been possible.
Reviews
Some review quotes go here
Gallery
Reminiscences and Anecdotes
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See Also
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Or add anything that is related within this site. The author's page for instance or other plays with a similar theme.
References
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