Alfie Lewis as Young Pip in Great Expectations
Ten years ago this month I sat down in the Queen in the West pub with some friends and we discussed setting up a new theatre group for Lincoln. My wife and I were new to the city and wanted to start a theatre company where everyone felt welcome and where anyone could get a good part – or even direct a production – provided they had the ability.
A decade later we are celebrating the tenth anniversary of Common Ground Theatre Company. Members, supporters and friends will be gathering at Croft Street Community Centre, where we staged our first production in November 2001, to celebrate with dinner, music and comedy.
That first play was Spring and Port Wine by Bill Naughton, and since then we’ve staged 19 others in and around Lincoln. Our plays have ranged from comedies to Shakespeare with an emphasis on period costume drama; in future we aim to produce more contemporary theatre and even showcase the work of local writers.
What really characterises Common Ground, however, is our open access policy. When we set ourselves up we knew almost no-one in Lincoln, so we have welcomed all comers with open arms. Our productions are always cast by open auditions and I think I’m correct in saying that all 20 of our productions have featured at least one newcomer appearing on stage with us for the first time.
That’s not to say that we have lower standards than anyone else or that we allow just anyone to act; you have to be able to do it. But what we do say is that if you’re right for the part you can be in one of our plays whether you’ve been a member for ten years or have just joined this week.
Tickets for our anniversary party have sold out but you can see Common Ground Theatre Company in action in June when we will be staging the play Gigi (adapted by Anita Loos from the novel by Colette) at Lincoln Drill Hall.
Visit www.commongroundtheatre.co.uk to find out more about us.
Once you’ve seen Russell Kane’s high-energy stand-up a couple of times you start to notice a theme emerging: so much of his material is about his clearly difficult relationship with his father that sometimes you feel as if you’re eavesdropping on a therapy session.
It’s a seam of comedy which Kane mines expertly, and he got his biggest laughs at Lincoln Drill Hall (Friday 25th March) when describing his father’s knuckle-scraping attitudes to education, women, the arts and foreigners. The chicken shaslik routine will live long in the memory.
Kane’s sense that he has outgrown his working class roots permeates his Smokescreens and Castles show; he talks at length about his family’s upward social mobility, comparing the clipped Essex accent with the London drawl many people like his father have now left behind.
However Kane is an able improviser and many of his best lines at the Drill Hall came from his lengthy interaction with the audience, which he reckoned added half an hour to the start of the show. Americans, Australians, Internet daters, dads who are friends with their teenage daughters – all were mercilessly lampooned, as were the Brits themselves whose foibles he mocked with equal relish.
Given the amount of effort he puts into his live routine Russell Kane deserves to be a success. When he bounced onto the stage his sheer physical energy was a welcome counterpoint to support act Nat Luurtsema, who lacked material of similar quality and struggled to engage her audience. An hour and ten minutes later Kane called it a night and prepared to jet off to Australia, where he was due to step off the plane and perform at the Melbourne Comedy Festival.
There’s much talk just now of Lincoln becoming a provincial comedy capital, and if the city can continue to attract top acts like Russell Kane there’s no reason to disbelieve the hype.
She's behind you!
Great fun is being had by all at Metheringham Village Hall where the panto Puss in Boots opens tonight (Friday 21st January).
I haven’t done panto since I was at university and I’ve missed it. Of course, we have a laugh during rehearsals but the fun really starts when the house is full and we all get to bounce our performances off our audience.
It’s been a difficult week given the technical challenges of the show:- dancing girls, lighting and sound effects, a live pianist, several set changes, transforming cats and ogres, levitating sausages and comedy fruit falling from a tree to name but a few.
But after last night’s dress rehearsal we are finally ready to go. Those in the cast who are new to all this seem keyed up but looking forward to the experience; others who have been round the block a few times are already honing their ad libs in readiness for the big night. Our Jack the Knave of Hearts even experimented last night with a set of comedy false teeth which bring a whole new dimension to his characterisation!
Puss in Boots can be seen at Metheringham Village Hall on Friday and Saturday 21st, 22nd, 28th and 29th January 2011. Performances start at 7.30pm and there are Saturday matinees at 2.30pm.
Vicky and I popped out at teatime on Sunday for a quick pint uphill. Glad to report that the Strugglers was packed, even at 6pm, barely room to swing a cat or even the adorable dachshund sitting by the blazing fire.
I assumed the crowds had turned out for ‘Strummin’ Steve Jackson, the former county council press officer turned folk guitarist and singer; but then we were asked to buy a ticket for the mysteriously named Cheese Raffle which seemed to be causing some excitement.
I handed over my pound, despite the fact that I can’t ever remember winning a raffle, and was delighted to come up with first prize. We took home not just a piece of cheese but a couple of bags full – cheese, chicken, sausages, chocolates, you name it.
Sunday teatime in the Strugs could become a regular event…
Capt Campbell (Tony Smith), Major Ross (Matthew Morrissey) and Wisehammer (Bob Shirley) in rehearsal
Our Country’s Good ended its four-night run at the Lincoln Drill Hall last week so now I’ve got my evenings back…! The rehearsal schedule was long and punishing but the resulting production reflected all the hard work and effort which went into bringing this wonderful play to life.
It’s always great fun to perform at the Drill Hall, expecially when there’s a big cast and camaraderie backstage. Actors from a number of different groups came together to perform this fund-raiser for the Lincoln Mysteries Company and the sense of collaboration was really rewarding.
It was also great to be introduced at the after-show party to the actress who played Dabby Bryant in the original 1988 production at the Royal Court Theatre with Jim Broadbent. Like most people we’ve spoken to since she seemed to enjoy the play.
For the next year I’ll be ‘resting’ while others take to the stage and I look after childminding duties. Next up for Common Ground Theatre Company, of which I am chairman, is Great Expectations at the Drill Hall in November…
Gemma Pearson as Mary Brenham in Our Country's Good
Just two weeks to go before we take the stage with Our Country’s Good and our production is warming up nicely…
We’ve had some setbacks – some props in storage got inadvertently thrown away, and it’s always difficult to get all 20 cast members together for a rehearsal. But after a month’s break in August we’ve hit the ground running this week and building towards first night.
Our four-night run at the Drill Hall begins on Wednesday 22nd September and the play promises to be a memorable night out. Costumes look wonderful – some are being hired from the RSC; everyone is getting to grips with the sparse sets and the many quickfire scene changes; live music and sound effects are adding an extra depth to rehearsals.
If you’re unfamiliar with the play Our Country’s Good tells the true story of a group of convicts in 18th-century Australia who are encouraged by their Governor to stage a production of Farquhar’s The Recruiting Officer. In the face of great hostility and skepticism from some of the soldiers the play unites the convicts and unearths a hidden humanity within them.
As a metaphor for the redemptive power of theatre it’s hard to beat. It’s also by turns touching, funny and moving, and at the same time a fascinating piece of history brought to life on stage.
Our Country’s Good is being performed by the Lincoln Mystery Plays Company and tickets are available from Lincoln Drill Hall – boxoffice@lincolndrillhall.com or 01522 873894.
I managed to combine two of my passions – good beer and amateur theatre – at the annual meeting of Common Ground Theatre Company last night.
Difficulties finding a venue for our meeting were resolved when Eve at the Dog & Bone on John Street offered us exclusive use of half her pub. They even pulled a curtain across the entrance for a bit of privacy!
The Dog & Bone has rapidly become a Lincoln institution and thoroughly deserves its reputation as a friendly backstreet boozer serving great Batemans ales and the odd guest. My tipple last night as we ploughed through the order of business was Guzzler from York Brewery, a pale, refreshing summer bitter of the type which seems to be growing in popularity as brewers try to tempt lager drinkers into trying something more sophisticated.
By the end of our beery meeting I had returned for my second spell as chairman of Common Ground Theatre Company and the group had decided to follow Great Expectations in November with Gigi by Colette in June 2011. For more information visit the group’s site here.
The Dog & Bone is a great place for lunch, an evening drink or a quiet read from the well stocked library. Why not pop in during the pub’s summer beer festival from Sunday 25th July until Sunday 1st August?
Sipping beer at the World Cup 2006
It’s almost here: that most blessed of summer rituals. Better than a Lord’s test match or a bike ride to the Pyewipe – once every four years we’re treated to the magic that is World Cup month.
Given the agonies I have endured ever since I first started supporting England at the World Cup I have only modest expectations this time around. Anything better than the last 16 will come as a pleasant surprise. My first England- supporting World Cup was in 1982 (this after two World Cups when it was the norm for England to have failed to qualify). With Keegan and Brooking injured (sound familiar?) we nevertheless started brightly with a 3-1 win over France. However our lack of a cutting edge proved to be our undoing and despite having not lost a match in the entire finals we were sent home after two goalless draws in the second stage.
I’m looking forward to this summer’s tournament but unless England actually win it it won’t be as memorable for me as the 2006 World Cup. That summer I joined my brother on a brief foray to Cologne where we spent four days youth hostelling, sipping kölsch (the local beer) and watching games on communal big screens. The climax of the trip was my first ever World Cup finals match, France v Togo, where I got to see stars such as Thierry Henry and Franck Ribery strut their stuff in a routine 2-0 win over the underdogs. France were an ageing team back then and the tournament was a last hurrah for the likes of Lilian Thuram, Claude Makelele and Fabien Barthez. The home crowd was firecely pro-Togo as you might expect.
Tunisia 0 Ukraine 1
What sticks in my mind more than the game itself though was the atmosphere around Cologne during our stay. It was like a chilled out United Nations meeting where people of all continents and creeds had all had a few drinks in the sunshine and were feeling at peace with the world. We chatted to Germans on the bus about local history; we discussed the merits of Andriy Schevchenko with a couple of Tunisia fans; we searched in vain for those beautiful Brazilians the TV cameras always manage to pick out. In short, we had a wonderful time making friends at the world’s biggest carnival.
This summer we’ll have to watch from afar as the world’s top 32 teams do battle in South Africa. Here’s hoping we can bring the World Cup home in 2018.
The Drill Hall was packed to the rafters last night for the opening of the annual Lincoln Beer Festival, although I didn’t spot any togas despite the alleged Roman theme to the event.
The beer festival has become a regular favourite for thousands of Lincoln beer lovers and as usual it was good to see last night’s crowd dispelling the old stereotypes of the typical real ale drinker; on a warm night there were no chunky sweaters, only one or two ill-advised beards and generally a youngish look to the clientele.
As with all beer festivals you have to choose your beers carefully – avoid the 8% strength Oldershaw’s Dambuster’s Goner unless you’re sure you can handle it – and I recommend you navigate the bar by halves to allow you to sample a broad range.
I started with a Kirkby Lonsdale Monumental and remained steadfastly in the north thereafter. Looking at my crumpled beer list it seems I prefer my northern beers: I tried Copper Dragon Golden Pippin from Skipton, Saltaire Cascade from near Shipley and York Brewery’s Centurion Ghost – dark ruby in colour, fruity and malty on the palate.
But my favourite of the night was – would you believe it? – a lager. Actually a cask-conditioned ‘real’ lager from Hawkshead in Cumbria, a light, refreshing beer that showed fans of Fosters what good lager should taste like.
The beer festival continues until Saturday evening when some beers run out and other beers are sold off at bargain prices. Be nice to the bar staff – they’re all volunteers!
It was a hot weekend so what could be better than to idle in a couple of beer gardens and make our first visit to Lincoln’s newest curry house?
The Victoria - a winning combination of beer and slides
A ‘golden triangle’ has emerged in the shadow of Lincoln Castle for lovers of beer and curry: the Victoria, the Strugglers and the Castlegate Indian restaurant.
The Vic had an unsteady few months when Batemans brewery took the pub over from Tynemill a year or two ago. But now it seems to be busier than ever before; the beer is still on good form, a more adventurous menu has been introduced and the enlarged beer patio and kids’ play area is a boon for thirsty mums and dads.
We enjoyed a few beers outside the Vic on Saturday. We would have gone on Friday before our curry supper but there was not a seat to be had outside so we took the children round the corner to the Strugs where, thankfully, we were allowed through to the beer garden to enjoy a drink before dinner.
We’d tried to eat at the Castlegate the previous weekend but despite giving 24 hours’ notice we couldn’t get a table for four – frustrating at the time but an indication at least that the place is doing well. This was my kids’ first visit to a sit-down Indian and they really enjoyed it. The Castlegate combines pleasant surroundings, modern decor and an upmarket ambience with a reassuring menu of standards for those who know what they like. I still mourn the passing of the Malabar Junction in the Barbican Hotel but you can’t live in the past…
Looking forward to the Beer Festival this week. Let’s hope the weather holds so we can sit in the sunshine!
