One week and counting...

Well, we are about to go into the last week of Yellow Moon in New York and I have to say (probably unsurprisingly) apart from catching up with loved ones I will be sorry to leave. This whole time has been a blast. The show has been going great. This last week especially the audiences have been a great mix of ages and they seem to really follow the whole journey Lee and Leila go on. We even had a one woman standing ovation, that tickled us. I do love it when there is a mix, different generations seem to see different things in the play and it's so fun to see the audience watching each other as much as us.


The whole 'Brits Off Broadway' season has got a really good buzz about it now as well. David Greig's other show 'Damascus' opened this week and Stellar Quines 'The Unconquered' has been going great guns too so the theatre is busy with audience and actors and the ever cheery staff. It would be nice just to hang on for a bit and soak up the New York and 59E59 atmosphere for longer but Britain beckons and I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to seeing how the rest of the tour goes. But this really has been an experience we will never forget. Even just last night the staff partied with us in the bar with their resident Saturday Latin DJ (very good he is too!) to celebrate the birthday of Neal from Stellar Quines (and man these cats can dance!). Kenny (the house manager) nipped out and got him a cup cake and candle, they are so darned sweet here! Of all the things in New York I think I'll miss the staff of the theatre most of all. They are cracking! A home from home really.

Onto Dumfries and Galloway after next week. From a beautiful American city to the beautiful Scottish countryside - and boy is it beautiful down there. I think Dumfries and Galloway really comes into a league of its own in terms of beauty in the autumn but quite frankly any time of the year is bonny there so it should be fun.

So, here's to our final week in the big apple. Let's hope the audiences keep coming and keep enjoying watching it as much as we enjoy doing it. And Helen, the blog lady herself, joins us this week so should be a good one! Wish us luck.

Beth x

I may not come home

Ok I have finally got round to adding to the blog!! Guilty! This city is so brilliant that sitting at the pc just hasn't happened yet. So let's start at a week and half ago. The wierdest thing was arriving in New York and immediately feeling at home. The atmosphere and the people just makes it feel like Glasgow except that the surroundings have had an american makeover. I know that sounds crazy but believe me it's true, my other half and our pal just left today having stayed a week and they said the same thing. It took me a week and a trip up the Empire State Building to finally have the 'woah I'm in America' mind blow moment - what a view. Even the way the architecture catches up on you reminds me of Glasgow. Edinburgh is obviously the traditionally beautiful city in Scotland but when you actually look around Glasgow you see so many hidden gems and beautiful buildings and here is full of the same. You have huge tower office blocks next to gorgeous stone stores or houses. And Central Station and the Public Library truly are as stunning as they look in pictures. So to all you scots out there, come to New York! The people are fab, the atmosphere rocks, I may never come home!! (Only joking U.S immigration authorities!)

As Keith said, the theatre is great. It's situated a couple of blocks from the south east end of Central Park (which I heard was modelled on Kelvingrove Park but I don't know if that's true).
So, an hour's walk through the beautiful park from our apartments on the north west side and we are at work. It's such a buzz to work in a building where the staff are so welcoming and helpful and all comment how much they like their jobs. It's like a big family atmosphere which is a compliment really to Peter and Elizabeth - the big high heid yins. They are truly enthusiastic and passionate about theatre and supporting the talent that New York and further afield has to offer. The enthusiasm is infectious! And the audiences have been great, Peter was saying he has been well impressed by initial turn out. We expected to play to maybe 20/30 people tops (including lots of invited freebees) but the first week was averaging 50/60 (without freebees) every night and the theatre only seats 70 odd! It's been great seeing the American reaction to the show and affirming that the subject matter and characters David has written really are recognizable and universal. We had a hint of that at the Edinburgh Festival but it's nice to have it reaffirmed. It's been mostly over-21 audiences so far but we did have 2 schools from the Bronx in and that was brilliant. It was great to see how the reaction of american kids wasn't too different from their scottish countertparts. Lee's 'rapping' went down very well! We were saying the other night it would have been brilliant if we could have taken it into new york schools like we did and will be doing again in Scotland. It's hard to beat the buzz you get with this show when its done on home territory.

So, needless to say, we are having a ball and spending far too much money! And some traditions never fade. Andy has a growing u.s fan club, including the lone older woman who passed him and Keith in the street and randomly said "I like the tall one, come on let's go!". Let's just hope all the reviews are as nice as the New York Times and the audiences keep coming. As they say here, 'lader'!

Beth x

"Now at last we're in a story"

Our first blog entry from the cast of Yellow Moon in New York -

"So here we are, a week and a half into our New York run. Where to start? We're all feeling blown away by this incredible city, and are loving the reception the play's getting.Beth, Nal and I landed at Newark on Sunday 20th, having not slept for about 33 hours (3am taxi to Glasgow Airport...), so I for one was feeling a strange mixture of sleep-deprived spaced out-ness, excitement and nervousness as we sat in the yellow taxi from the airport, catching our first sight of the Manhattan skyline as we drove through the industrial hinterland. A creeping suspicion was in the back of my mind that despite all the work in getting back up to speed with the play, I might arrive to find I'd forgotten it completely... Anyway, we arrived at the apartments in the Upper West Side, met Andy, and were all relieved to find that our studio apartments were all equally lovely (no danger of flat envy!).

So after a good night's sleep we met Guy in the afternoon for a line run in the park in Bryant Square, where we sat by the lawn in cast iron chairs, surrounded by tall trees, themselves dwarfed by the tall buildings around them, and with a clear view of the Chrysler building glistening in the late afternoon sun. By this point we were feeling well and truly happy to be in New York. The line run was fine; I felt reassured that I still knew the play.Work started in earnest the next day in the theatre, where we met our very capable and friendly stage manager/sound operator, Ray, who was being trained up by Andrew Coulton in operating the sound for the show. Rehearsals went very smoothly - over the next day and a half, the show felt in good shape. So we felt confident about the first performance on Wednesday, but wondered, what would an American audience make of it? In the event, we needn't have worried. The first night went very well, with a good house and a really warm reception from the audience. They completely "got it". It really felt good to be presenting the audience with a world which might be unfamiliar to them (Inverkeithing and the Highlands), but which they completely engaged with; and to find that we have essentially the same relationship with them as we've had with our Scottish audiences. Which is something I like about this play. Given the direct eye-to-eye contact we have with audience members, you really do feel you have a relationship with them. And with a script as good as this they have something of real depth and substance to engage with.

So we've had a great week so far. Everyone at 59E59 Theaters is incredibly welcoming, especially Peter Tear, the executive producer, who has been warm, enthusiastic and supportive throughout. It's lovely to be working in the kind of place where the focus is on creating the kind of relaxed and supportive environment in which good work can get done.

And we're all loving exploring the city. It's great to walk out of the theatre and find yourself in Midtown Manhattan, surrounded by tall buildings, and in a warm breeze. I've been overwhelmed by how much variety there is here, so much to see and do - going running in Central Park (always full of runners, rollerbladers, cyclists, dog walkers), the East Village (a bit like Camden only more glamorous and exotic), Williamsburg, ramshackle and kind of industrial, but very appealing with its scruffy clapboard houses - and so on and so on. High point for me so far has been the Lenox Lounge in Harlem, where we saw a brilliant jazz band called the Sugarhill Quartet (have I got that right? There were about 10 of them...), fronted by a guy called Patience Higgins with a very charming line in chat with the audience. All fantastic musicians, and the dude (or should I say "cat"?) on saxophone, wearing a yellow velour tracksuit with basketball logo, was jawdroppingly good...

Anyway, I'm heading out now to catch some sun before getting my head into gear for doing the show later on.

Wish you were here!

Keith"

...so do we! Hx

Beth's blog...Crossroads, Judy Finnegan's neck and Blair Witch

Well, in Inverness having stayed in a brilliant little hotel called Crossroads just 13 miles outside Banchory for a couple of nights. Only a 2 star but so deserved more. I had french toast with bacon and maple syrup this morning, you don't get that on offer every day. Liam had the poshest room I've ever seen, a total boudoir according to Keith.

The schools in the north east have been brilliant. It's a funny thing when you walk into a school you can generally tell within 5 mins what the school is going to be like by the atmosphere. Things like if the staff are friendly and happy the pupils generally are and all the schools up here have been like that. Every one has had a really happy atmosphere and felt like a nice place to be, I'm moving up here, the quality of life and general jollity is awesome!

The people carrier has become a disturbing blend of paranoia and Judy Finnegan's neck. Helen (TAG administrator) taught us a game which involves the instruction 'do not think of Judy Finnegan's neck' (you're seeing it now eh!). Now I have nothing against Judy Finnegan or her pretty neck but really, enough already! Every hour or so a plaintive cry comes from yet another company member as Judy invades their brain, it's not healthy.

And the paranoia? Because dark things are afoot amongst the company! The 2nd midnight walk we took turned very blair witch (I obviously tempted fate). We were merrily jaunting through the wood taking pictures of dodgy Keith and his beard lurking behind trees when we came to a crossing over a ditch and discovered a sign. Next to carefully placed piles of fir cones and sticks a note was pierced on a stick saying "enter at you own risk and you will die". Andy immediately wanted to go home though he claims it wasn't out of fear (aye right!) and I immediately thought we must have annoyed the neighbours the night before (because sound doesn't half travel in the dark) so they were trying to scare us into shutting up. Me and Nal thought it was really funny though and as everyone was talking about it we decided it must have been one of us because who else would know we had been having the blair witch experience the night before. The main suspects are Keith and Andy coz they went for a run before dinner and had plenty of planting opportunity and Liam because he just would! But 3 days later no one has fessed up. Sensibly, and obviously, we are just utter egotists and it wasn't aimed at us at all but was a game amongst some local kids which we happened to stumble on, but this doesn't seem to wash with anyone else ‘cept me and Nal. Whatever it was it's genius coz we have been utterly paranoid since and every time one of us is away the other 4 seem to convince themselves it was them. It's all in good humour but everyone is totally suspicious there is a mole in the van! Either that or Helen drove all the way up and did it! With the help of Judy Finnegan I bet!

Still feel like we're on holiday. We had a lovely scenic drive to Inverness today to have our day off which included watching Andy disappear into the heathery wilderness to take pictures and yell which was rather amusing. Also had a wicked jaunt down a beautiful sandy beach on Friday. Yep, definitely going to retire up here.

Next week is Fife including Inverkeithing where the play starts and my old school in St. Andrews - that'll be weird!

Right, missing Eastenders so better go. Roll on Fife!

Beth

Beth's Blog...scrabble, charity shops and stars

So we are on tour and so far so very good. Newcastle was great first time i've ever been in the city apart from passing through. We were particularly intertested to see how the young folk who were coming would take it and they seemed to like it alot so we were well chuffed. Pretty city too!

Now we are in the north east of Scotland and it feels like we're on holiday! Liam (the boss... apparently hehe) has found us a wicked cottage in the middle of nowhere and it is stunning. We have been cooking and relaxing and playing scrabble, Honestly it was more interesting than it sounds coz Keith and Andy were in serious win mode. Andy came whizzing up from the rear with a finish of 66 points and stole the game by one point from me and Liam, genius...ok maybe you had to be there.

We were in Banchory today and finally found a wireless connection, much to Andy's delight, hence the blog. The schools up here have been great and the charity shops are fab. I just picked up 3 mint condition 70s casserole dishes in green and white. I'm a rubbish cook so they will probably never get used but, oh, they are a thing of beauty!

Tonight we are planning another after dark wander in the woods, we went last night but only had one torch between 5 of us so it was all a bit blair witch, especially when you have a dodgy bearded actor with a hoodie lurking behind trees and a technical manager who likes to disappear and jump out on you when you least expect it. It was like something out of the play, very atmospheric. Tonight we are prepared, we have 3 torches courtesy of Asda for the prime price of 58p, no expense spared. They'll probably die on us within a minute.

Ok it's still on the holiday theme, rather than we are actually up here working, but the nights up here are amazing. Outside the cottage there is just a blanket of stars and we have seen a shed load of shooting stars so yep, lots of wishes for work disappearing into the cosmos i imagine. Even a debatable couple of satellites though the likelihood is they were just very far away planes.

I should probably stop now coz we are off to make some tea and quite frankly I sound like an advert for the Aberdeen tourist board but hey, this is the life that's all I can say.

Beth

Beth's blog

More news from the frontlines, from the cast of Yellow Moon:

Well since I am computer-less I have finally picked up a request to send in the odd blog so I thought since my esteemed colleagues have been having their tuppence worth so would I... (though I'm not sure I have much of interest to say! Though I will not be sending them at sunrise or any such half asleep nonsense - only joking Keith! x).

Well the week has begun when apparently we have lots of people coming from the British Council (oh yes, go on, take us abroad!!? 4 bodies, 4 chairs, 1 man with a disc and a show you could do anywhere to anyone... you know it makes sense!). However I must admit to slightly mixed feelings. I'm really glad they are coming don't get me wrong but because the show is basically now a sell out I feel a bit sorry for the normal punters who can't get a ticket for love nor money, including my granny!! Yep not even can the cast get any strings pulled.

It should make for a really interesting mix in the audience though coz there are a few schools booked too I hear. That's the thing about this show, it never gets boring to do because you can never guess what the audience reaction is going to be. Different ages seem to have their own take on it in a way I've never experienced in any show I've done before. You can never relax or rest on your laurels, it's a good feeling. It makes each show exciting and new to do - I love it. I'm looking forward to this week, it's just a shame the festival is going so fast, it's been a real pleasure.

What else has happened? Oh Keith got new trousers coz the last pair split at the knee but he wasn't happy with Liam's choice (much to his disdain - in the nicest possible way) so he is off to change them today. It does sound silly from the outside but it is true that when you have a character all there and working the clothes have to feel right too... mmm it does sound actor nonsense doesn't it so I 'll leave this one. But for the record I'm with Keith on this one. Sorry liam x;)

Nal's caught a tummy bug of some kind which is a real shame but you'd never know it from the outside - what a trooper. The audiences so far have been so good you forget any outside nonsense anyway once you're on. It's the fab thing about doing a show a second time it seems to take on a new life, not radically different, just moved on in some way. I noticed today there were little nuances from the first show that had kind of been swept away slightly and were starting to layer on again and knit in. It made a lot of what I watch from the sidelines really fresh which was nice - no acting required. Not sure if I making any sense whatsoever, which wouldn't surprise me but there ye are.

Apart from that I am desperately trying to get to all the other shows that seem to be booking out which is a bit of a pain and my time is nearly up on this pc (god bless the library service) so I shall leave it there. Oh and don't worry bout my gran, my mum is donating her ticket, bless.

Beth

Nalini's blog

(Ed. Our Yellow Moon cast continue their blog of Festival fun).

Ahh. My day off! I have time for reflection now the exhilaration of the first week has passed. I am aware of just how wonderful it is to be part of the festival, and how quickly time flies when you are having fun!

Edinburgh is my hometown (well Longniddry, but near enough). It seems ideal to come back and perform the show here. Returning from the burbs of London I realise what I am missing out on. It suddenly strikes me that having a city-centre which is overlooked by a formidable castle built on volcanic rock is actually rather special and not the norm. I have always taken it for granted. The gothic Old Town looks more magnificent than ever and I feel a real pride to call Edinburgh home.
Performing at Edinburgh has its hazards - temptation surrounds you. There are so many things to do and shows to see, friends to meet, ways of spending your time and energy (not to mention money.) It seems very easy to get carried away and forget to save yourself and your energy for the reason you are here…the show. I feel a bit like a kid in a sweet shop. I recognise a familiar fringe feeling, akin to that of said child in sweet shop, where having overindulged in the goodies all around me I end up goggle-eyed and light headed, after a day of watching a succession of shows, and having one too many coffees in between.

There is less time to prepare and warm up before the show than we are used to due to the quick turnaround time in Traverse 2. As a result my warm up has been pared down (of course it is normally comprehensive, ahem) to some quick stretching, a few breathing exercises, mandatory humming and a couple of tongue twisters, done hurriedly in-between changing and trying to focus on the task in hand. I also have a pre-show playlist of songs which I insist on listening to as a way of getting me in the mood. This has become a ritual I daren’t miss. I reflect that it is slightly obsessive compulsive in nature to have to do something for luck, but am reassured when I see how often Keith (playing Frank) has to double check his shoelaces before we go on. Hehe. You can’t be too careful.

I am pleased at the renewed thrill I get from doing the show. My worry was that coming back to the piece after a year may make it less fresh and exciting than the first time around. However I think the reverse is true. I find I am able to relax and enjoy the show and apart from the odd day when my energy levels have been flagging slightly, I am pleased with how it is going. I had forgotten how the play carries you along, like surfing a wave, the pace and power of the writing takes you on such a journey that is fun to become lost in it and enjoy the ride. It is great that everyone in the cast made it back for this run; I know this is not always the case. Guy, our director is very busy in rehearsals for Hamlet, but we promise to keep him updated on how it’s going, minus all the blunders we have made (only joking Guy!).

My festival hit-list: performing Yellow Moon (of course), being able to see countless other shows; the chicken sandwich with potato wedges served in the Traverse bar, yum; the red dresses worn by the gorgeous women in The Bacchae (I considered going on strike until I was allowed to perform in one. Maybe not very Leila though?) Going past the castle everyday - It still stuns me, spotting famous(ish) folk, chatting to the audience members who have seen the show in the bar afterwards - great to be able to get their feedback, and not having to take the tube.

Cons: The bleeding huge mirror which confronts you on the landing of the Traverse. Inescapably in your eyeline. To look or not to look that is the question. Vain or coy? Vain or coy? Let’s go for coy. Yikes!! I looked.

Andy's blog...

My name is Andrew Scott-Ramsay. I make up one quarter of the cast of a play titled Yellow Moon on at the Traverse Theatre. This blog entry and the play's run at the fringe are, for me, tied together by the fact that it’s the first time I have done either. So, when Helen Black, TAG theatre's administrator (Ed. I’m the marketer!), approached me to write this blog I was willing but uncertain. I’m not what you would call an avid internet user but I am online enough to, perhaps, call myself moderately internet literate. However, as mentioned, I’m very inexperienced in the art of blogging so please excuse any violations of Blog etiquette (Ed. there’s nothing to worry about…just be yourself).
Last years staging of 'Yellow Moon' was my first professional acting job, I will always have fond memories of it. So, to be asked to re-explore it for this year’s Fringe Festival was a very exciting prospect. This excitement, however, transformed itself into worry when I was told we would only be re-rehearsing it for three days.

As a result of this a lot of questions and anxious thoughts have played themselves out in my head over the last couple of months, this being the first play I have ever re-visited. Will I remember everything? Can we do it in three days? Will we lose something from not having gone through a thorough rehearsal process? Can we re-create a show with the same essence and dynamics without simply regurgitating the same 'moves' that filled it last time?

The first task was to read the script again. I did this for the first time around the start of June, as I read I was comforted both by parts that seemed to come flooding back but was also a little frightened by parts that seemed to have vanished. Over the next few weeks I read the script maybe another four or five times, the play coming back to me bit by bit.

Next, I hesitantly watched a DVD recording of the show and consulted a rehearsal diary that I had written last time around. The latter proved to be very helpful, reminding me not only of intricate technical aspects of the show but also topics that were debated during rehearsals and random thoughts that I had about the play.

As I continued along this path of re-learning I eventually got to the stage where I felt that to get a fresh feel for the show I couldn't do much more without being surrounded by the rest of the cast and director and so it was with much relief and anticipation that the first Monday of rehearsals arrived.

The three days that we had were crammed full of intensive work trying to bring the show back and also creating and exploring new avenues that had manifested themselves in the intervening period. The one thing that stood out was simply how much fun I have doing this show.

Our festival run is now underway and we already have a few shows behind us. Edinburgh is a great place to be at this time of year. There’s a real buzz to the place and it really feels like your part of something when you are here. The show feels like it’s in a good place, we are enjoying it and people still seem to enjoy watching it, I don't suppose we could ask for to much more.

Andy

Morning Thoughts

In my last post, I alluded to our having found all sorts of new detail in our re-rehearsals of Yellow Moon. Of course, it’s worth remembering that the reason we have the opportunity to find all this new detail, is because it’s all there in David’s script already, waiting to be discovered. That’s the pleasure of working on a script this good- there are always new things to find in it, and, hopefully, bring on to the stage.

This morning, having woken early, and lying in bed wondering whether to just get up, I was thinking vaguely about the play, and suddenly had one of these realisations that has you hitting your forehead, and thinking, how did I miss something so obvious?
I’d always assumed, without particularly reflecting on it, that when Frank is left on his own with Leila and puts on a record, his choice of song isn’t immediately significant to him. On the contrary, it now occurs to me, it’s the most evocative and personal song he could choose, and so it must be a conscious choice to put it on in the first place. Seeing Leila and Lee together reminds him of the start of his own relationship of twenty years ago, and he puts on the record because he already wants to talk to Leila about it. (He doesn’t manage to.)

This scene has one of my favourite lines in the play:
“And the girl looked at him in the dark of a bedsit somewhere just off the Great Western Road sometime in 1985 and she says:
Well you’re not lost any more.
I’ve found you.”

The image of this dark bedsit just off the Great Western Road sharply evokes a time and place I remember. For me, as for Frank, 1985 is a distant country that I once lived in, to which I’ll never return, and the memories of which can, on occasion, elicit sudden nostalgia.

Moonrise

Monday. We turn up for re-rehearsals of Yellow Moon, which we last performed in November last year. We only have a few days to get it up to speed again, so everyone’s been re-acquainting themselves with the script on their own. I’m feeling a strange blend of two different forms of excitement: 1) the “first day of rehearsals” feeling, and 2) the “the show goes up in 3 days’ time” feeling. We all have a manic glint in our eye.

Guy sensibly starts with a run of the whole thing. Let’s see what we have here. Will everything that we thought we’d got our heads back around fall to pieces once we do it in the rehearsal room? We run it and,… actually, it’s all there. Some rough edges to smooth off, certainly, but we still have a living, breathing show. Relief all round.

The next few days of work on it are good humoured and intense, the awareness of the Thursday preview focussing us on the job. It’s apparent that the time away from the piece has enabled us all to look at it with a fresh eye, and find new ideas. I can see lots of new details in the other actors’ performances, and Guy is adding to and refining the staging and our performances, adding new detail, clarifying the meaning. Liam, our new production manager and sound operator, has mastered the fiendishly complex sound cues with impressive ease. And so the show has grown and is growing, as shows do, detail by detail.We have several moments when we feel like unreliable crime-scene witnesses. “I’m sure we did it this way last time.” “No no, we did it this way. Definitely.” “No, we-“ “Let’s watch it on the DVD.” We gather round the laptop, each assuring the other how wrong they are. Liam fast-forwards to the scene, presses play. There’s no arguing with the action replay. Triumph on one side; bewildered disbelief on the other- “But I was so sure…”

And so we arrive at the preview night. On the train through we engage in typical first-night-actor-talk. “Oh, I just got a wave of nerves there.” “Yeah, me too, I had butterflies a minute ago.” “I don’t know what to eat before the show- not pizza, too heavy.” And so on. All to the good. It’s when you don’t have nerves that you’re in trouble.

And so the first performance comes. I always have a feeling on the first performance of a show that no matter how ready you are, you need to make a sort of leap across a gap, from rehearsal to performance, and land on the other side. The preview goes well, but the first official performance is the big one. It goes even better- the audience laugh in the right places, and are attentively silent in the right places, and seem very warm and smiley at the curtain call. We’ve arrived. Up and running.