And here we are, exactly a month after the opening of The Thrill Of Love - time for some final thoughts.
My involvement with the Cardiff Players production of Amanda Whittington's play, while sometimes exhausting and exasperating, proved ultimately rewarding. From the very start my interest was sparked in all things relating to Ruth Ellis and her world; even the creation of this blog was part of that. It led to one of my favourite parts of the process - research - where I could immerse myself in the culture and styles of the time, while giving me an excuse to watch old movies. All in the name of research, of course.
Those enquiries aided my creation of the video images which would form part of the set for the backdrop of the play. This would mean delving deeper into the creative possibilities of Final Cut Pro, where I would compose not only the slides for projection but also the four trailers, each of which were very well received. The versatility of the program allowed me to put together some great imagery, far exceeding that which I had made for
Robin Hood, the Player's previous production.
Then of course, I needed a cueing program which would allow me to seamlessly present the images onto the long vertical screen on the
Thrill set. QLab proved perfect for this, although it challenged me with a nigh on vertical learning curve, right up to dress rehearsal. Even during the run there were a couple of glitches during the third and fourth nights, where the application inexplicable froze; luckily, stage manager Alison was on hand to blank the projector, enabling me to reset the presentation and carry on. It went unnoticed by the audience who were enraptured by the acting, luckily!
Most importantly, the production gave me the opportunity to become familiar with a story that I was only aware of through
Dance With A Stranger. Carol Ann Lee's excellent book
A Fine Day For A Hanging proved an essential read during this time, providing a detailed background to Ellis's life, the events that led her to shoot David Blakely and the aftermath which fired up the public debate, culminating in the abolition of the Death Penalty in the UK, albeit ten years later.
All told, while it was an occasionally gruelling experience, it was a quality production that I feel privileged and proud to have been part of.
As for this blog - well it's not quite all done with yet… ;-)
