Paines Plough Blog

Following on from Friday’s blog we asked another of our amazing volunteer ushers to share their experiences of the Roundabout Season and give their personal recommendations of which shows to see in the final week …

Name: Jon Barton

How are you finding the Roundabout experience?

I’m having a really great time. I’m a writer myself so its a useful learning experience for me.

What’s your favourite part of the Roundabout Auditorium?

That it’s in the round. It completely changes the dynamic of the productions and really does justice to the writing. Also we don’t have enough in the round theatres in the UK and it’s a breath of fresh air.

Which plays have you seen so far?

I’ve been lucky enough to see all of them.

Which one would you recommend and why?

One Day When We Were Young is probably my favourite but they’re all unique in their own ways. Lungs is a really affective love story and The Sound of Heavy Rain is great fun.

Give us your 140 character review of the play…

Nick Payne has written a compelling love story that lends itself to the intimacy (and theatricality) of the Roundabout space. In a story that spans six decades we meet Leonard and Violet – wartime lovers looking to enjoy their last night together. Leaping forward to the sixties we see the extent of their estrangement, until events draw them together once more in 2002. Clare Lizzimore’s production excels in its execution, mining the writing for every bit of tenderness and inelegance. Exposing set and costume serve a timeless quality to the story and remind us of the advancing years. What stays with you is the quiet power of the triptych and its ability to quietly break your heart.

Excitement is building to fever pitch at PPHQ as we gear up for the biggest project we’ve ever undertaken – a season of three extraordinary new plays in our very own portable, in-the-round pop-up theatre.

Yes indeed, The Roundabout Season is nearly upon us. Six weeks showcasing three new plays by Duncan Macmillan, Nick Payne and Penelope Skinner at Shoreditch Town Hall in our beautiful mini 360 degree auditorium.

We’ll be talking about it quite a lot in the coming weeks, as you can imagine, and we hope you’ll come and see the plays and the theatre and be so excited about it all you’lll want to talk about it too.

So we’ve created some hashtags to streamline those Twitter convos:

The Roundabout Season
#RoundaboutLDN

One Day When We Were Young
#OneDayPlay

Lungs
#LungsPlay

The Sound Of Heavy Rain
#HeavyRainPlay

So tweet us up @painesplough and let us know what you think of the plays and our gorgeous little theatre.

You can buy tickets for the shows via the National Theatre website.

Nice one. See you there. We can’t wait.

Variety is the spice of life

We’ve all heard that old saying but nevertheless we are rather keen on it here at Paines Plough.

For our Roundabout Season London this autumn we want to treat you to a mezze plate of new writing. We will be presenting three new plays from three of the UK’s hottest young writers at Shoreditch Town Hall from 19th September – 27th October: One Day When We Were Young by Nick Payne, LUNGS by Duncan Macmillan and The Sound of Heavy Rain by Penelope Skinner.

So whatever your taste in theatre you can find it at the Roundabout – from young love sparked in the embers of WWII (Nick Payne), parenting debates in the queue at IKEA (Duncan Macmillan), to a mystery unfolding at a smokey cabaret bar in Soho (Penelope Skinner).

All three shows will be performed in the unique 360 degree setting of the Roundabout auditorium.

And to help you make your selection, you can choose your theatrical tapas of choice (liking these food puns?) from our spanking new schedule below:

And if you fancy a buffet then we you can catch all three shows in one day on Saturdays and Sundays for only £45 (this offer has limited availability so we recommend booking in advance via the National Theatre’s Box Office line 020 7452 3000).

If you want more information or to book for the Roundabout Season London click here.

It’s now only a month until the Roundabout Season London gets underway and we are all getting very excited!

Rehearsals for LUNGS by Duncan Macmillan and ONE DAY WHEN WE WERE YOUNG by Nick Payne both kick off next week and with that in mind we asked Kate O’Flynn (starring in LUNGS and THE SOUND OF HEAVY RAIN) to give us an insight into what it is like acting in the round…

Q: Have you worked in the round before?

A: Most of the theatre work I’ve done has been in the round – in fact I don’t think I’ve done anything proscenium arch – and what I love about it is how intensely you can feel whether or not the audience is engaged with the piece; being aware of that really keeps you on your toes.

Q: What surprised you the most about working in and creating work for the ROUNDABOUT auditorium?

1.       A: It was during LUNGS that I was most affected by the space; the production has two actors on a bare stage and that’s it for 90 mins, I think that gave me a heightened sense of the environment we were acting in. There was something about the structure being built out of wood that made it really warm, nonthreatening, and open.

Q: What do you think makes ROUNDABOUT auditorium a different audience experience?

1.       A: There was also a real ‘in it together’ relationship with the audience that you don’t always get in theatre.

If you would like to find out more about The Roundabout Season London or book tickets click here

With The Roundabout Season London only 7 weeks away, we’re all getting very excited. If like us you can’t wait that long, we have a treat for you.

Theatrical legend Richard Wilson, who is directing LUNGS by Duncan Macmillan for the Roundabout Season, shares his thoughts about directing in the round…

Q:  Have you worked in the round before?

A: Yes I have directed in the round before at the Royal Exchange  and the Royal Court Theatres.

Q: What surprised you the most about working in and creating work for the ROUNDABOUT auditorium?

A: ROUNDABOUT is a very special space once you see it it creates its own boundaries, and once you start to apply them the process becomes very exciting. Having decided on a “ no set, no props” format also added to the production’s style and feeling.

Q: What do you think makes ROUNDABOUT auditorium a different audience experience?

A: What makes the ROUNDABOUT auditorium unique is the way the audience embraces it and enters in to the very marrow of the play with the actors.

If you would like to find out more about The Roundabout Season London or book tickets click here

So whilst IOC, LOCOG, Danny Boyle, Lord Coe and Olympic Deliverance team (yes, I am talking Hugh Bonneville and co) can now breathe a small sigh of relief as the Olympic Torch burns brightly in the East – at PP HQ we are just getting started…

Hopefully our wooden Roundabout Auditorium will not have the same fate as this fiery cauldron designed by Londoner Thomas Heatherwick

It is 51 days until we open our doors to the Roundabout Auditorium and the first preview of Roundabout Season plays by Duncan Macmillan, Nick Payne and Penelope Skinner and from that day (Wednesday 19th September) we will dwell at Shoreditch Town Hall for five and half week in heart of East London.

So whilst we won’t spending £27million on an opening ceremony (more like a few sausage rolls and perhaps some local jellied eels) and there is no ticket ballot process (and hopefully less empty seats) simply go to National Theatre, we do want your help on one things – your tips for all things East.

So give us a London style holler back @painesplough #RoundaboutLDN with your top picks and if we like them we’ll send you one of the Roundabout Season plays.

Ahead of our Roundabout Season in London this Autumn, Lighting Designer Emma Chapman discussed her experiences of working in the round…

Q:  Have you worked in the round before?

A: One of my first experiences in theatre was as a work placement at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond.  It is a beautiful space in the round.  I have previously lit a production for the New Vic in Stoke which is also in the round.

Q: What surprised you the most about working in and creating work for the ROUNDABOUT auditorium?

A: The ROUNDABOUT auditorium is a unique space to work in, designed to fit within existing buildings, it has a language of its own which requires you to approach it in a particular way.  The fact the first row of the audience are raised helps the lighting angles into the space, making it easier to light an actors face without lighting into the eyes of the audience behind.  The position of the entrances opposite the staircases means it is possible to float the actors within the round, this allows a new dimension to the space.  The entrances also provide the chance to use strong keylight to emphasis for example a doorway, throwing the actors shadow across the space – the ability to pursue a film noir quality.  The first outing of the roundabout in Sheffield saw the structure remain in it’s original bare wood structure, this provided some challenges as wood bounces light making it difficult to focus the space – the audience however helped this with the variety of clothing!  Everything within the ROUNDABOUT is visible so decisions about houselights, step lighting and lighting underneath the rostra is vital to the overall experience of the ROUNDABOUT.

Q: What do you think makes ROUNDABOUT auditorium a different audience experience?

A: The proximity of the audience to the actors is fantastic, it has an old fashioned  amphitheatre feel.  The height of the auditorium gives uninterrupted views of the acting area from all seats, offering a unique experience from different areas – the front row feels as though you are onstage, whilst the areas over the voms give the feeling of a private box.  It is quite unusual to have a pure round, from my first experience of working in the ROUNDABOUT I feel this accentuated the audiences experience of the text and their ability to connect with the actors.

If you would like to find out more about The ROUNDABOUT season or book tickets click here

This autumn we will be presenting three new plays by Duncan Macmillan, Nick Payne and Penelope Skinner in our purpose built, portable in-the-round Roundabout auditorium at Shoreditch Town Hall.

Following on from Alistair Cope ‘s interview on Tuesday, Maia Alexander (One Day When We Were Young and The Sound of Heavy Rain) gives us her insight on performing in the Roundabout auditorium…

Q.       Have you worked in the round before?

A: I have worked in the round only once before, in a production of The Crucible I did when i was at drama school.

Q.       What surprised you the most about creating work for  and performing in the Roundabout auditorium?

A: The most surprising thing? There’s this little spot exactly in the middle of the roundabout where you suddenly feel like your in a bubble of sound, or like your mic-ed or something, you hear yourself completely differently, which can really take you by surprise when you suddenly walk into it!

It also surprised me how easy it was to find the world of the play (which changes dramatically from scene to scene and from play to play) in the Roundabout; which i think has a lot to do with the audience’s focus surrounding you and locking you together within the space.

Q.       What do you think makes the Roundabout Auditorium a different audience experience?

A: I think the way in which the audience enters the space – through voms onto the stage itself or arriving at the top and making your way down into to the middle – immediately makes the space an active one, and the audience a part of what ever happens in that space from then on.

To book tickets for the Roundabout Season click here or you can ring the National Theatre box office on 020 7452 3000

Photo by Elyse Marks

The summer has still not started properly (lots of pale skin in the office) but we are already looking ahead to the autumn when our Roundabout Season comes to town!

We will be presenting three new plays by Duncan Macmillan, Nick Payne and Penelope Skinner in our purpose built, portable in-the-round Roundabout auditorium at Shoreditch Town Hall.

To whet our appetites, actor Alistair Cope who is in two of the Roundabout plays (Lungs and The Sound of Heavy Rain) gave us an exclusive interview to discuss what it is like performing in the Roundabout auditorium…

Q.       Have you worked in the round before?

A: I have worked in the round before on numerous occasions. It’s actually something that really attracts me. I was fortunate enough to appear in The Old Vic’s production of The Norman Conquests when the theatre was converted into the round 4 years ago. It was a fantastic experience and really showcased the benefits of having an auditorium like that. I can’t think of one person I spoke to who who didn’t love the fact that they were sat around the stage. I feel it really makes the audience feel part of the piece.

Q.       What surprised you the most about creating work for and performing in the ROUNDABOUT auditorium?

A: The intimacy of the ROUNDABOUT was probably the most surprising aspect for me. Certainly in Lungs, it felt as though the audience were listening to your every heartbeat and their combined energies were focused on the stage. It’s also surprising how much you can do in a confined space. Being clever with a space is part of theatre and the ROUNDABOUT forces you to challenge your preconceptions of how a scene should and could be played and re-evaluate it from a different angle.

Q.       What do you think makes ROUNDABOUT auditorium a different audience experience?

A: I think the audience feel they are immersed (in a good way) within the ROUNDABOUT. Once you have got used to sitting so close to everyone and being able to see the other side, people really let go and seem to invest much more in the piece. They feel as though they are onstage themselves and well and truly in the middle of the action. I think it can be quite a daunting experince for an audience to sit in the round in such a compact auditorium, but after the first few minutes, I feel the audience understand the uniqueness and excitement of the space.

To book tickets for the Roundabout Season click here or you can ring the National Theatre box office on 020 7452 3000

The past few weeks have been an exciting time for Paines Plough and there has been plenty going on in the office as well…

We had a visit last Thursday from an old friend who turned up with a lovely present from Sugar Sin:

Sadly it has only lasted a few days with us – despite Stephanie’s attempts to hide it Tara still managed to keep finding it!

It did start a controversial debate in the office about favourite sweets though. Sean has a hankering for sherbet lemons, whilst Claire prefers Jazzies. White mice divided opinion but cola bottles were a universal success.

Another big development this week was the Feng Shui of the store cupboard.   The piles of scripts, files and office equipment had been threatening to engulf anyone who dared enter. Luckily the lovely Mainzelmännchen (Germanic house-elves) have come to our rescue and it is now looking spick and span:

And of course there has been the amazing sunny weather to enjoy, with creative chats in the park and ice cream in the office. We also discovered the new PropStore bar down on the South Bank next to the National, constructed out of various props and set from past shows. We’re just hoping the hot weather will continue so we can go have a drink there on Friday evenings.