Introduction

I am twenty four years old, and have just graduated from university with a Drama degree and a keen aptitude for theatre and performing arts. Throughout the last several years my knowledge of the theatre industry has expanded (and continues to do so) and despite being inundated by overwhelming amounts of negativity and highly pessimistic reports about the nature of this industry, I find myself at the end of my degree feeling strangely optimistic.

I know that a great amount of hard work and dedication needs to go into any theatrical production, and that one can feel completely burned out by the time any production comes to an end. I have learned this by experiencing it, and have built up a significant body of experience over time.

I have not been handed anything, and don’t believe that I am blessed with any natural talent. This has lead me to work at my craft for years and years, to build my abilities from the ground up. It is a very gradual process, and can often seem like a thankless one (I have seen many people lose interest and abandon it altogether) but I have persevered, developing a very pro-active work ethic and also my abilities as a performer have reached a much higher standard than what I started out with. I always try to avoid becoming complacent within my own abilities.

I have partaken in productions which have been hugely successful, as well as productions that have failed spectacularly. I have had to deal with rejection on many occasions, as well as the demoralizing feelings that can emerge from criticism. As an actor you make yourself vulnerable, presenting yourself on a stage for all to see, which leaves you fully exposed to ridicule. I have experienced all of this, and feel that it has prepared me for the actors’ life within the real world.

This new blog is designed to chronicle the progress of an upcoming production of “The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe”. Theatrical companies, Brite Theater and Midsummer Madness Theatre Company are combining their efforts to bring this classic and well beloved tale to life.

The idea of staging C.S Lewis’ classic children’s novel is not a new one – as there have been many staged productions of this play before – but it is the realization of an idea that many within our respective companies feel very passionately about.

For a long time the notion seemed little more than a fanciful ideal, the sort of thing that would often be talked about, but that would ultimately never happen. However, about a month ago a small group of us put our heads together and made the decision that it was really happening. We then divided up responsibilities, and set about turning this idea into a reality.

I shared the responsibilities of casting the show, as well as adapting an original version of the script (published versions do exist, but we made the decision to write our own adaptation). The majority of the casting ended up being a relatively straightforward process, as we had access to a variety of very talented performers whom we have worked with previously, and many people just seemed like a natural fit for their characters. Another factor was people’s enthusiasm for the project: we didn’t hold auditions as we already knew what people were capable of, but a requirement for any potential cast-member was that they had to show enthusiasm for the project when presented with the idea of it.

As for the adaptation, we wanted to make sure that it was faithful to the original text – which consequently became the foundation of the script. There were many dialogue-free gaps which needed filling in, and we referred to the other adaptations (the 2005 film, as well as the 1988 BBC mini-series) to see how they dealt with such sequences. Drawing upon what we considered to be the best aspects of each version, we conflated everything together into our adaptation. We then went through the entire script and ironed out any difficult areas, making minor cosmetic changes in some areas, adding in small sections of dialogue in others, and sometimes trimming away any excess. It took a long time – and will probably require further alterations in due course – but once we’d finished, we felt very satisfied.

With the show cast and the script complete, rehearsals could finally begin. It’s time to venture into the wardrobe!