Wed 22 Sep, 8pm
Pavilion Theatre
For a taste of new work mentored by Brighton Dome & Festival, come to our Scratch Night - a unique chance to see theatre performed in front of an audience for the first time. Have your say and be part of the work’s development by giving the actors your feedback after the show.
Rachel Blackman – That In You I Might Have Ceased
Andrea loves her daughter, her husband Nathan and her favourite play. Nathan loves his sustainable water for Africa project, his Eco kitchen extension and his wife Andrea. That In You I Might Have Ceased is the third in a trilogy of solo works around the theme of the struggle to love by performer Rachel Blackman (pictured). Created by Rachel Blackman for Stillpoint, co-developed with the Nightingale Theatre.
Brian Mitchell & Joseph Nixon - Big Daddy vs Giant Haystacks
At 4pm every Saturday from 1976 to 1988, tens of millions of Britons were in the grip of an extraordinary sports phenomenon: watching two fat men pretend to fight each other. This is their story. Featuring fellow Foundry Group members Ross Gurney-Randall and David Mounfield.
David Mounfield & Ross Gurney-Randall – Benny Hill, Close
After over 35 years as a TV comedy star, Benny Hill has just been axed from ITV. Drinking with his producer in his exclusive but spartan batchelor flat, he looks back at a career that led him from a background of poverty and crippling shyness to be the most popular comic in the world, only to be shunned by an industry he helped invent and by the women he most adored. Will the fastest milkman in the west ever ride again?
Told by an Idiot – And the Horse You Rode In On
A rather well-known rabbit attempts to stop an alien blowing up the earth. In a Berlin cafe a professor pleads with her student not to commit an atrocious act. And in an infamous London department store, the weirdest ever episode of Are you Being Served? is about to begin. Join Told by an Idiot for this work in progress for their new show. Looking at extreme acts, the lengths people will go to for what they believe in and often how powerless we are stop them, And The Horse You Rode In On promises to be a sinister comedy of ineptitude.
A Prodigal Theatre collaboration with Andrew G Marshall – Caruso and the Monkey House Trial
When legendary tenor Enrico Caruso was accused of pinching women’s bottoms in the Monkey House at Central Park Zoo in 1906, it was never going to be a ordinary trial. Ignacio Jarquin recreates the famous tenor in the first celebrity trial of the modern era with live singing from Puccini and other works made famous by Caruso. In this one man show the audience is the jury and must balance stories of police entrapment against Caruso’s reputation as a notorious womaniser. Who is telling the truth? You decide.
Tickets £4
Call Brighton Dome Ticket Office on 01273 709709 or click here to book online.
Photo: Rachel Blackman by Toby Amies
Gregory Nash
31 August, 2010
This is the Dome’s first ever scratch night and we’re delighted with the programme – interesting and really varied content. Local artists have come forward with really good ideas. Benny Hill at the Pav? Who would have thought it…. Saw Rachel Blackman doing an excerpt from her Steal Compass at the Nightingale a few weeks ago; if this is as good then I can’t wait.
david mounfield
1 September, 2010
Exciting innit? Benny’s coming on a treat; I am short of documentary footage of the man just talking in his own voice (its remarkable how little he does in his shows) so if anyone has any links/footage I’d be grateful. Also looking forward to Rachael’s offering and Being Giant Haystacks for a day! cheers DM
rachel blackman
2 September, 2010
I am looking forward to this; learning a bit about Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks and and I’m excited to see the Told By An Idiot offering. Looking forward to some of the forums and showings as well.
This scratch will be very much a beginning for me. After depicting a woman battling with lost love, then a man struggling to balance a successful career with the demands of lust and love, I felt it was time to explore what brings us together; across genders, generations and cultures (as well as all our more trivial differences).
I have been developing a relationship between an awkward but yearning teenage girl and her passionate, self reliant mother. An man who loves the mother, but whose life’s work is under threat from a corrupt off-shore government and someone who (I haven’t decided who yet…) is battling with their faith.
Also a few other ghosts emerging from the darkness…
Thanks for the opportunity to share ideas.
Rachel B
Avis Wrongie
2 September, 2010
We are very excited to have this opportunity to show ‘ World of Wrong’ at the Corn Exchange. It is always great to perform in Brighton to our home crowd who have lunged with us many times!!
After the shows in the Brighton festival, we have also shown this work at BAC as part of their N20 comedy festival and have taken a 30 minute excerpt over to Bar25 in Berlin.
We have been reworking and developing sections within the show since May, allowing a period of reflection to evolve the initial ideas with the feedback from artistic peers and mentors and as we grow and develop as artists this is reflected in the changes we have made.
Our biggest challenge was to work on the transistions between the various sections of the show, these are parts that tie everything together and though looking at the show as a whole piece the nuances and connections between the different sections of the ‘World of Wrong’ are clearer to us and the audience.
We are now in rehearsals and final developments for 21st.
We have just finished reworking the final section with the help of Petra Massey of Spy Monkey , whose experience and expertise as female comedy performer has been invaluable to us. Thanks Petra!
Also big thanks to The Basement (of whom we are associate artists) and Helen Medland who have not been afraid to take risks in the work it supports. The Basement’s relationship with the Dome has allowed an us, an emergent company, with work that is brave, candid and risky to be able to showcase their work in internationally renowned venue.
rachel blackman
23 September, 2010
Thanks for the chance to offer a little window into what is to come last night. Great to have such a full audience and diverse array of material to sample. It was interesting to see various artists approach to the scratch format, which presents its own conundrums and issues.
I spoke to some non theatre-y people after the show. A group of 5 audience members who came because the ticket was cheap and they were excited at the thought of being able to share their feedback at the end of the pieces. They expressed minor disappointment at not having being given a chance to offer their thoughts and feedback to individual artists like they felt the night had promised.
I wonder if future scratch nights could include a more structured approach to the Q & A after the show.
Perhaps taking after the Nightingale Theatres/Battersea Arts model where as an audience member, you can approach the artist of your choice to offer your thoughts with the artist/company directly, by sitting at a table with a mentor who is responsible for facilitating and contextualising the feedback.
It may be that in a space the size of the Pavilion Theatre this isn’t feesable, but it might be worth a rethink.
Thoughts anyone?
Adrian Bunting
23 September, 2010
The scratch night was a fantastic buffet of aperitifs. Four of the five made it into an evening of really rather excellent and extraodinary value for money theatre. I look forward to seeing those developed. Two, enormously so. Unfortunately “Told by an Idiot’s” offering was of such poor quality that the fact they took 35 mins to showcase their 10 min piece, really rather overshadowed things. Congratulations nonetheless. Lets have more such events.
Lisa Wolfe
24 September, 2010
First, well done to all participants. I agree with Rachel that the feedback needs to be properly managed, and questions asked of us, the audience. Also more consideration to the range of work shown so that there is some coherence to it and artists know what to expect.
For the work seen:
Rachel as ever very strong communication and stage presence. Introduced the characters well. Curious to see how it develops.
Benny Hill: I’m sure will exploit comic potential – beyond a bio-pic. You could get quite surreal with this, you could get political…
Big Daddy vs Giant Haystacks: proved that the laughs are there and will be plentiful. Great palate of characters to play with – go for it. Avoid convention, don’t give us too much back-story, bring in sub-text and broaden the issues; I know you have all this in mind. Do something extraordinary with it; these are larger than life men in a bizarre game at a specific period in the 20th century. Expand our world view. Give it to us with all the grapple and thud you can muster. We’ll take it. We’ll love it.
Caruso: A fine extract. Humour and pathos. Sure to be a good follow up to The Quake.
Told By An Idiot: a very different take on the Scratch, and probably better served at their own showing on Thursday. Interesting to watch the devising process actually in process and to be actively involved. Like the layers of thought being built and the playfulness. Best of luck with it.
Lou
27 September, 2010
Really enjoyable night, and would definitely do again.
Rachel’s performance was (as ever) clever, talented and mesmerising. Really looking forward to seeing the final product.
I enjoyed Benny Hill very much, but did find my mind wandering a bit near the end. Not sure if I would want to see an entire show, but definitely has potential, perhaps mixed in with something else?
Big Daddy vs Giant Haystacks made me laugh out loud. Say no more…
Caruso was fantastic. I like the varied pace, and was completely immersed in the story.
Told By An Idiot, I’m afraid I didn’t get this at all. Infact, I felt like I was in the middle of a bad dream I couldn’t wake up from. But maybe that’s the idea! I like slap stick and I like black humour, but I didn’t think this was good enough to be classed as either. Sorry.
Rich
28 September, 2010
I have mixed feelings about Scratch Nights but I really enjoyed Rachel Blackman’s, Big Daddy.. and Caruso and would love to see the finished work supported and put on during the festival next year.
Peter Chrisp
29 September, 2010
A fantastic scratch evening – amazing that so much talent exists in Brighton, and great that the Dome is supporting it.
I agree that Told by an Idiot didn’t work at this stage, but liked their idea of dramatising the Bugs Bunny vs Marvin the Martian cartoon…
Loved Rachel’s piece, the Caruso monkey trial, and the Benny Hill. Big Daddy vs Giant Haystacks had me hooting with laughter. Ross was born to play Big Daddy – Dave is great as the manager, but needs massive shoes to play Giant Haystacks…
Danielle
29 September, 2010
Having been a huge Big Daddy fan as a young girl it was highly entertaining to see his story come to life. The audience’s lively reminiscing after the event appeared to echo my own feelings. Big Daddy & Giant Haystacks was a witty, well paced start to what could be a fantastically engaging piece of theater. Commission it!
Re: Told By An Idiot – Despite being a fan of improvisation as a process, I found the ‘torture’ of the dog came at the end of a tortuously long ill structured experiment. Sorry!
jerry rulf
30 September, 2010
all the funded stuff made me not want to pay tax anymore…musicians and other artists don’t get paid to work ideas into concepts etc…its disappointing that its not level playing field.
the shining example of engaging proper stuff was the obvious hit of the night, big daddy wrestling thing. that was interesting and a laugh and didnt bend over backwards to be obscure.
mertlemusic
19 December, 2011
iloveyoujerryx