Hello,
After a whirlwind of a summer I feel like I'm finally coming back down to earth and it's with an enormous THUD!
For the past few weeks my life has been totally absorbed by rehearsals for National Youth Music Theater's performance of Brass performed at the gorgeous Hackney Empire, of which I was lucky enough to be in. It was also nice to be based East of the city for a change, lets call it more "edgy" than the west.
Brass follows the story of a group of musicians from Leeds who become the Leeds Pals and find themselves in the trenches of the Somme in WW1. Meanwhile the women they leave at home join Barnbow Munitions Factory to do their bit for the war effort. They also find themselves attempting to learn Brass instruments in an effort to keep the men's Brass band running. Of course that's only a basic overview of the plot, and I can't do the beautiful intertwining story-lines justice. Nor can I explain how amazing the music is without having you listen to it. I'm totally biased of course but it is the best new musical score I've ever heard. (The critics seemed to think so too). The production was a fantastic success and I have never been prouder of a piece of work!
Of course being a part of Brass meant immersing ourselves in the world of these women from the 1900's. We explored everything from family life, working conditions, clothes and entertainment. Hobbies wise knitting seemed a popular choice back then and most of us girls seemed to enjoy learning to knit. In fact i found myself doing it in breaks and between scenes backstage. It worked off all that nervous energy and was really comforting. It had a stress ball effect upon me however I believe my character - Charlotte Ethel disagreed and despite my best efforts both myself and my characters knitting skills remain questionable. The same also has to be said for my Euphonium playing, but I did improve loads considering I'd never touched one before we began rehearsals.
When it came to costumes all of us girls were super excited. For two weeks we had been dressed in dance gear, sweating in the heatwave that I had certainly not packed for. Now we had the opportunity to sweat under the stage lights of the Hackney Empire in original 1900's gear. Five layers tights, petticoat, bustle, skirt, shirt, mic-pack and a hat to top it all off was a sticky experience but hey we all looked great! Thankfully our munitions worker costumes were a lot lighter. Despite sweating off half my body weight, minimal sleep and wearing nothing but leggings I miss Brass so much! It was the best experience of my life and post show blues have never hit harder. The cast, crew and creatives are wonderful and I'm so glad I get to see everyone again for a performance in October!
Oh and please give this blog a cheeky little follow for me :)
Have a lovely week,
P.S - I got some new black Docs as a post show treat - How can I be in love with a pair of black shoes?
