Climbing John's Hill - a Tough but Rewarding Adventure

Doing Calendar Girls has been one massive hill for me to climb.  Its been a bit like John's Hill for me.    I watched the film with my Nanna before I lost her to this spiteful disease 5 years ago.

When it was first mentioned about this show,  I knew that I would love to do this in memory of Nanna, but never really gave the nude scene a thought  and put it to the back of my mind more.  When the time came for us to take our clothes off our director, Peta,  made it very tasteful indeed and got her kit off too!

Organising the calendar was something I never thought I could get off the ground;  but with talented models and a professional photographer, Louise Greenhouse, the skies were the limit.  The support  that we have had from local businesses to make this calendar possible was outstanding;  so thank you to each and everyone of you.  The sales  to date have been overwhelming and long may it continue.  Have you bought yours yet?  Why not - they are only  £5....available on the BLT website.....I am ever the salesperson! 

The Ladies of BLT - SBM 2nd from the left

I'm going to be doing my last show tonight and I'll never look back with any regrets, but it's going to be sad to put it to bed.  It was hard bearing all at first, but when the audience clap you feel like a superstar and your on cloud nine.
The TV coverage that we had last week,  has made the general public approach you in the street, and chat about the theatre - which has been lovely.  My  best experience was in a card shop in town and the lady said, " We've had two Celeb's in the shop this week you and Joe Calzaghe!"  We have just been on Real Radio and a fab review in the South Wales Argus newspaper.   It really feels more like Broadway than Blackwood.  

 
Rehearsals have been  both fun and emotional and I was a true blonde most of the time!  Sorry guys if I got on your nerves -  when I would walk on stage and shouldn't have been on at the time!! 

This is one play that will go down in our theatre history as being very special - and what a fab cast, crew and director to do it with!

Shelley Bethan Morgan.....(Celia) xx

Calendar Girls - Keeping it in the Family!

Well here we are towards the back end of our run for Calendar Girls and really can’t believe that it has gone by that quickly. It seems only yesterday that we knew that the Licence was to be released for performances by amateur theatre companies.

During the first meetings, we sat and discussed all the great ideas being thrown around by everyone in relation to raising monies for local charities. With heads spinning from all of those ideas and how we were going to do them, we also decided to perform this play for slightly longer that the ‘normal’ run by extending it 2 nights.

The reading then took place and the cast was announced by Peta Maidman, who took on, what turned out to be a mammoth task in both Directing and producing (many a midnight candle has been burned I have no doubt!)

To my delight my wife, Ros, was asked to play Ruth, with myself playing Rod and my eldest daughter Fay, playing Elaine. 

During the discussion of ideas, we decided to produce a calendar. This would involve all the ladies in various poses and states of undress. Even the ‘boys’ were down to do a page. When the time came, the ladies were photographed in various lovely locations around Blackwood and I was waiting eagerly to see where ours would be... which turned out to be a local car park! Well, with the weather we have been experiencing I wasn’t holding out much hope of being able to stay dry! However the day came for the dirty deed to be done and luckily it was one of those few days where it was nice and sunny. The 4 of us involved trooped down to the car park. With the van strategically placed, various poses were discussed and eventually settled on. A tentative look around and they were off (our clothes!) A few pictures later and everyone was happy and dressed, glad that we were not spotted by our local ‘boys in blue’. I did have visions of the Full Monty where we would all be carted off to the local station to be ridiculed.

The calendar was finalised and produced. I have to say that everyone looks great and they are selling so well that we have had to order more (smacks of the play itself). Talking of which, the play is going really well. We are pleased to say that we are playing to full houses and the feedback has been fantastic.

I know the ladies involved in the production have been worrying about ‘Scene 6’ (the photo shoot scene). Well all I can say is that they are all very brave and the scene has been handled tastefully which has resulted in everyone being confident that bits that shouldn’t bee see aren’t.  It goes down a storm every night receiving applause from the audience for every ‘photo’ set up.

 

The cry from the female members is now for the boys to do the Full Monty. Well the gauntlet has been thrown down. I guess it’s a case of watch this space!!

Jerry Grummitt - Rod

There’s Not A Cure For Baldness Either

I am a bit-part actor at BLT and have popped up in the last few productions to deliver a line or two as a supporting actor in the shadow of the stars of the show.  Therefore, when they were looking for a male actor to deliver a few lines in the first act of Calendar Girls, then die before the interval I was the obvious choice!

It is also a major advantage to the costume department that I am completely bald, well I like to consider my head shaven but I shan’t split hairs.  My baldness is a major advantage as I simply have to remove my headgear to appear gaunt and dying of an incurable disease.  Hmmm, do I really look that bad in real life?

I think that the play is full of a myriad of emotion, from laughter, tears, guilt, anger, selfishness, jealousy, grief…..or am I just describing five minutes sat in the ladies dressing room?  I am of course joking because I am impressed with the ladies in the show.  I think that true beauty isn’t superficial; it’s about who these women are.  Their true beauty lies in their confidence and the fact that they are prepared to bare their soul in front of a live audience.

In all seriousness it is full of all those emotions I mentioned and I can’t really describe the deep vibrant pleasure that watching it will give you.  I do however encourage you to open yourselves up to the emotions, perhaps a little like the moment just before a child bursts into tears.  He knows that he is about to cry but he does nothing to hold it back.  He has no shame; he wants to drown in it, to be swallowed up by his emotions.

This is what I want you to do, allow yourselves to be consumed by your emotions and enjoy the journey that this fabulous play will take you on.

John Clarke (Bleddyn – proud to be bald for my art)