A few weeks ago it was announced by the Cardiff Players that their next production is to be Amanda Whittington's 'The Thrill Of Love'. Freshly finished from a run in London and only just made available for amateur groups, Whittington's retelling of the story of Ruth Ellis - the last woman to be hanged in the UK - is to be adapted by director Juliet Lake.
Our Jules helmed the highly successful production of 'Glorious!' last year, into which I was recruited to provide video backgrounds and serve as projection manager on the four night run. It was my first time ever to be involved with a theatre group of any kind, but provided me with a relishing challenge. 'Glorious!' was a highly ambitious production, with the Players utilising video projection for the very first time and that threw up a whole load of technical challenges which needed to be resolved. Luckily, technical director Fred Skilton had done much of the ground work before I got involved, sourcing material for screens, researching the right type of projector for the job, locating another projector at the last minute when the first one blew its lamp... It was a sometimes fraught but ultimately rewarding production to be involved with.
For 'The Thrill Of Love', Jules has raised the technical bar to vertiginous heights, the likes of which will make the challenges of her previous production seem like a primary school panto. I have already been informed that this production will 'break' me. That remains to be seen...
The purpose of this blog is to document the journey to the Thrill from my perspective. And, unlike 'Glorious!' I am involved right from the very beginning. The play is due to open at the YMCA Mike Barlow Theatre on 9 October. It seems a long way off but in theatrical terms it may as well be tomorrow.
So, buckle up - the time machine is set for the neon-drenched, peroxide-bleached, 1950s London...
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