The Café Fantastique. A place where dreams, stories and reality merge. A place where you can lose yourself, find yourself and generally get yourself completely mixed up with other people. A place where a tenuous grip on reality is a definite advantage.
Fantastique: "A French term for a literary and cinematic genre that overlaps with science fiction, horror and fantasy. What is distinctive about the fantastique is the intrusion of supernatural phenomena into an otherwise realist narrative." Wikipedia
This Youth Theatre production is unlike anything we have ever attempted before. The show is in 2 acts. Act 1 is a film. We've been filming since December 2006 and are scheduled to finish in early March. They we go into 'post-production' and edit the film we have into a coherent sequence of events (we hope it's coherent anyway). We also have to put on the sound effects, soundtrack and voice-over parts. While we are in this phase of the film work we'll also be creating Act 2. Act 2 continues with live action taking over from where the film left off, and because it is set in the Café Fantastique you can expect it to be rather strange, grotesque, beautiful in part and, of course, musical.
At the request of the Youth Theatre members this show is dedicated to the memory of
Peter Frampton
1927 - 2007
Inspirational friend to us all
Belluvia Stardust/Princess - Emma Gibbons
Katerina/Housekeeper - Angharad Smith
Roderick Wetherton/King - Joe Rolt
Grando Grulsh/Court Magician - Josh Raven
Angel/Elini - Ellie Scott
Sunbeam/Suki - Scarlett O'Donnell
The Amazing Benedict Bean/Genie - Ben Marshall
The Sensational Selita/Princess - Steph Street
MC/Prince - Josh Herriott
Bezzy/Bisara - Joanna Handley
Mia/Melina - Cathy Scott
Ana/Anwen - Beth Flathers
Jeremy/Jalari - Matt Oliver
Court Entertainers - Bethan Clement, Matt Handley and Lewis Tudge
Travelling Players - Timmy Oliver, Liam Stobart, Alex Cofield, Nicky Barlow, Kirstin James and Matt Brodie
Singers - Mary Ann Wall, Miranda Phillips and Alice Gaston
Lady of the Court - Hazel Cornwall
The Royal Dog - Louis D
Original Soundtrack composed, performed and recorded by Corin Harper. Featuring the voices of St Richards School Choir (Clue: look out for the Elvish bits .....) We are very grateful to Corin for producing such an excellent soundtrack in a short space of time!
Song 'MacCrimmon's Lament' (Trad) beautifully arranged for 3 voices by Tim Phillips, recorded & engineered by Jim Rolt & sung by Miranda Phillips, Alice Gaston & Mary Ann Wall
Cameraman, technical whizzy things, post-production editing, sound recording etc... Jim Rolt
Lighting ... Boz Farey
Designer/Director ... Barbara Hockley
Costumes... Alison Stobart, Jill Turbin and Barbara Hockley. With thanks to Liz Burton at QEHS and Jenny, Ann & Judith at The Conquest.
Make-up by the Company
Photographs & AV by Boz Farey
Sets constructed & dressed by Barbara, Jim, Boz, Nic and cast when present, not learning lines or asleep
Clapperboard & boom operators ... most of the cast at various times, Arron Smith & other random people found wandering perilously close to the set
Filmed on location at St Richard's School, Bredenbury and at The Conquest Theatre
Many thanks to Nathan Cheesman at St Richard's for allowing us in the building and the grounds (and we kept coming back!)
Location catering by Sam'n'Ella
This film was partly funded by Bromyard Town Council (who supported the residential shoot on location at St Richards); The Herefordshire Youth Council (costumes) and Elmley Small Grants Awards (post production time)
Belluvia Stardust - Emma Gibbons
Katerina - Angharad Smith
Roderick Wetherton - Joe Rolt
Grando Grulsh - Josh Raven
Angel - Ellie Scott
Sunbeam - Scarlett O'Donnell
The Amazing Benedict Bean - Ben Marshall
The Sensational Selita - Steph Street
MC - Josh Herriott
Bezzy- Joanna Handley
Mia - Cathy Scott
Ana - Beth Flathers
Jeremy - Matt Oliver
Waiter - Liam Stobart
Audience - Alex Cofield, Bethanie Evans, Alice Gaston, Hannah Bishop, Hazel Cornwall, Arron Smith, Thomas Mason , Andrew
Jim Rolt performed and recorded the backing tracks for Virginia Avenue (by Tom Waits, sung by Angharad & Emma); Fever (by Otis Blackwell & Eddie Cooley, sung by Angharad); These Boots Are Made For Walkin' (by Lee Hazlewood, sung by Joanna and Joe) and Will You? (by Hazel O'Connor, sung by Emma).
The performance pieces for Benedict Bean, Grando Grulsh, Angel & Sunbeam were all composed, performed and recorded by Corin Harper - thank you!
Stage Manager ... Jim Rolt
Sound ... Libby Vale
Lighting ... Hugh Farey
Director/Designer ... Barbara Hockley
Set Construction & Dressing ... Jim Rolt, Barbara Hockley, Libby Vale, Alison Stobart
Costumes ... Jill Hockley, Alison Stobart, Barbara Hockley
Make-up ... The Company
Big thanks to
Joy Simmonds for help with choreography
Jim Rolt for filming & technical support
Boz Farey for more photographs
This review appeared on 'Off The Record' June 2007
We were promised a spectacular evening and, my goodness, we certainly had one! This production that was a mix of film, stage and cabaret was just what the title suggests – fantastique!
This show had taken a long time to plan, prepare and execute – but it was evident that all the hard work hard paid off. It was extremely professional, excellently finished and very entertaining, and the best part was that all those responsible had obviously thoroughly enjoyed themselves in the process.
I remember being very impressed by this group at ‘Dead Rock Manor’ which I think was at the beginning of last year – but their latest offering to the public showed their development beyond anyone’s wildest imagination. This was confident, colourful, and a credit to themselves – my only criticism was the lack of audience. Why don’t the people of Bromyard support their youth? We are always quick to criticise and complain about their activities, but here was something positive and to be encouraged – how sad that so few turned out to witness it.
The first half of the show was entirely film that they had made themselves – and they were the first to concede that they had learnt a great deal from the experience – this wasn’t just playing around with a video recorder, this was real. The content of the film set the scene well and the audience got to know who all the characters were and, to a certain extent, what had happened to them in the past to shape their futures. All took place through the eyes and imagination of Belluvia Stardust, played admirably by Emma Gibbon, and who, it became evident, was as unhinged as the rest of them! The film was recorded in the main at St Richard’s School in Bredenbury and was a perfect setting for a grand medieval type court with extensive grounds outside to give the impression of lots of space. The whole film part was no mere feat either, it lasted about an hour – that represents a huge amount of working time, and if that was their first attempt at this genre I think we should wait with bated breath at what might develop next.
The second half of the evening took place on the stage in the nightclub – Café Fantastique - with all the characters showing their true colours and getting what they deserved. The set was fantastic, the costumes amazing and the colour and lighting effects all added to the overall image. This part of the evening gave many of the characters a chance to sing as part of the cabaret – again competent, confident performances every one. Angharad Smith proved she can sing as well as act, Joe Rolt as the King ‘finding’ his voice again (now, hasn’t he come along way in the last year?), and a pleasure to hear the younger members of the cast – for example Joanna Handley – giving as good a performance as the older members of the cast. I am bound to miss someone out and, please don’t be offended, there was just so much good to say about all of this – but special mention must go to the two spooky puppets – Ellie Scott and Scarlett O’Donnell. We were led to believe that these two were originally wood sprites that had been transformed into ‘human’ puppets by the evil magician played by Josh Raven – they were completely controlled by him in all they did. Or were they? Certainly, they plotted his downfall very successfully. Excellently portrayed – they were scarily realistic – a super performance.
Conquest Youth are to be congratulated on their immense hard work and their achievement with Café Fantastique and recognition should also go to their talented director Barbara Hockley who has the ability to inspire and draw out the very best in them.
In Bromyard we are so lucky to have a theatre such as this of our own. It is a wonderful space and gives excellent opportunities for all. This was just one example of an excellent night out to be had on our doorstep – have you visited the Conquest theatre lately?
MS
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