Un Chapeau de Paille d'Italie at the UEA Drama Studio

On the evening of Friday 28th March 2014 I attended the Sacre Theatre performance of Eugene Labiche's Un Chapeau de Paille d'Italie at the Norwich UEA Drama Studio. Sacre Theatre is the UK’s longest-running permanent French language theatre company.

Written in 1851, Eugene Labiche's vaudeville, Un Chapeau de Paille d'Italie, was immediately successful and has been revived many times, often adapted to a more modern era. Largely intended as entertainment, it also depicts the petite bourgeoisie of its day, and much of this (concerns over money and moral hypocrisy, for example) remains relevant. However, the plot consists of a string of misunderstandings and breathless chases verging on the absurd.

This is Fadinard's wedding day. He is to marry Helene, the pretty daughter of Nonancourt, a country nurseryman (pepinieriste), a class somewhat below his own. Early that morning, as Fadinard was riding through a wood, his horse ate a straw hat belonging to Anais (married to Beauperthuis) who was secretly meeting her lover, Emile. The consequences of the horse's greed are about to unfold.

I had a fantastic time at the Norwich UEA Drama Studio as the Sacre Theatre told us the story about the horse that ate an Italian straw hat with all the hilarious consequences. The Sacre Theatre perform every year at the Norwich UEA Drama Studio, often at the end of the spring semester.

As You Like It at the Norwich UEA Drama Studio

On the evening of Friday 6th December 2013 I was back at the Norwich UEA Drama Studio to attend the performance of William Shakespeare's As You Like It. The Arcadian Project was put together by the UEA's students and academics to uncover a major missing tapestry in theatre history.

Combining a unique adaptation of Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia with a production of Shakespeare's beloved comedy As You Like It, the project aimed to shed a brand new light on the works of Britain's most renowned playwright. I attended the performance of Arcadia on Tuesday 3rd December 2013.

In As You Like It, having been banished from the oppressive court, Rosalind and Orlando are forced to flee into the wild depths of the Forest of Arden. Within this strange and wild realm, the roles of gender, politics and nature are turned upside down as their love, wrapped in a game of mistaken identity, begins to blossom. One of Shakespeare's most cherished comedies, As You Like It journeys into a world of freedom and explores how beguilingly bewildering life can be.

As You Like It was directed by Tony Frost and was performed brilliantly by the UEA's Third Year Drama Students. And this our life exempt from public haunt finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones and good in everything. I had a fantastic time at the UEA Drama Studio and very much enjoyed As You Like It.

Arcadia at the Norwich UEA Drama Studio

On the evening of Tuesday 3rd December 2013 I attended the performance of Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia at the Norwich UEA Drama Studio. The Arcadian Project was put together by the UEA's students and academics to uncover a major missing tapestry in theatre history.

Combining a unique adaptation of Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia with a production of Shakespeare's beloved comedy As You Like It, the project aimed to shed a brand new light on the works of Britain's most renowned playwright. I will be attending the performance of As You Like It on Friday 6th December 2013.

Arriving upon the utopian shores of Arcadia two young princes, Pyrocles and Musidorus, disguise themselves as an Amazon and a Shepherd to gain access to the Arcadian Princesses, who have been imprisoned by their father to avoid the dangers foretold by a mysterious Oracle. Together they venture into a world of beauty and deception, where every shepherd is a politician, where the court lies in the country and where comedy cascades into tragedy. Under a tree will I take my rest for, howsoever a man be exalted, the beginning and end of the body is earth.

This performance by the UEA's Third Year Drama Students directed by Anthony Gash took us on a journey through fields and forests in search of the lost golden world. I really enjoyed my evening at the UEA Drama Studio and was able to see how this play influenced Shakespeare's As You Like It. The sword fighting was great as well!

Macbett at the UEA Drama Studio

On the evening of Friday 15th March 2013 I attended the Sacre Theatre's performance of Eugene Ionesco's Macbett, a play in French at the UEA Drama Studio, Norwich. Written in 1972, Ionesco's satire on Shakespeare's play loosely follows the plot adding some characters and twists to the story.

Two generals, Macbett and Banco, put down a rebellion. In payment for their heroic service, Archduke Duncan promises to bestow on them land, titles and cash, but he reneges on the deal. Encouraged by the seductive Lady Duncan, Macbett plots to assassinate the Archduke and crown himself King. He tries to maintain his tenuous grip on the throne through a vicious cycle of murder and bloodshed. Meanwhile, he is haunted by the ghosts of his victims and discovers that his new wife is not all that she seems.

Written during the Cold War, Macbett remoulds Shakespeare's original play into a comic tale of ambition, corruption, cowardice and excess, creating a tragic farce which takes human folly to its wildest extremes. Innovations include a long conversation between the thanes of Glamiss and Candor and a lemonade seller and butterfly hunter, and the revelation that the rightful heir to the throne is a worse tyrant than Macbett ever was.

This was a brilliant night at the UEA Drama Studio with the Sacre Theatre who are a UEA staff-student theatre company which specialises in French language productions putting on a wonderful production of Macbett. It was a night of French culture which offered no ray of hope but was able to offer moments of humour throughout the play. I very much enjoyed Macbett which is a production that evokes a number of different emotions.

Rhinoceros at the UEA Drama Studio

On the evening of Friday 1st March 2013 I attended the Minotaur Theatre Company's performance of Eugene Ionesco's Rhinoceros translated by Martin Crimp at the UEA Drama Studio in Norwich. This translation of Rhinoceros was first produced by the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre in 2007.

The play belongs to the school of drama known as the Theatre of the Absurd. Over the course of three acts, the inhabitants of a small, provincial French town turn into rhinoceroses; ultimately the only human who does not succumb to this mass metamorphosis is the central character, Bérenger, a flustered everyman figure who is often criticised throughout the play for his drinking and tardiness.

The play questions issues of morality, philosophy, love and what it means to be a human being. This was a though provoking play which I very much enjoyed. Rhinoceros is comical in parts and there were lots of moments to make you laugh. Listen out for the sound of Ahhh Ahhh Brrrrr! I'm a Rhinoceros!

Jane Eyre Volume II at the UEA Drama Studio

On Friday 7th December 2012 I was back at the UEA Drama Studio for Jane Eyre Volume II. After attending Volume I on Tuesday evening I was eagerly looking forward to the second part of the UEA third year drama students unique adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's classic novel.

Volume II is the story of a traumatised Jane found homeless and vagrant, wandering across the moors and trying to run away from her troubled past. Heartbroken and alone, she stumbles across the Rivers’ house where she attempts to forget the love she has lost and the pain she has suffered. But what is it that happened at Thornfield? Who is this character, St John, who appears to have such an interest in Jane? And will she ever find a way to be reunited with her true love?

This was another wonderful evening to be in attendance at the UEA Drama Studio as yet again the audience were taken to the harsh world that Jane Eyre would have had to face. Dark and funny with added original music, the play incorporated dreams, flashbacks and delusions which made for a very interesting performance. "I am not an angel," I asserted; "and I will not be one till I die: I will be myself."

Jane Eyre Volume I at the UEA Drama Studio

On Tuesday 4th December 2012 I attended the UEA's third year Drama students adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre Volume I at the UEA Drama Studio in Norwich. This was the first part of a two part adaptation which reinvented the traditional period drama with a large ensemble cast bringing together original music, dance and a brand new script.

Volume I follows Jane Eyre, a young girl who comes from nothing but wants to seize all that life can offer. Surviving her bleak childhood through strength, determination and a keen spirit, Jane begins working as a Governess at the mysterious Thornfield Hall. Here she finds the love and comfort she has always longed for in the shape of her master, Mr Rochester. But Thornfield hides a dark secret and Jane is forced to choose between her beliefs and her chance of happiness.

I found the play very enjoyable and experimental. This is a dark adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's classic novel. We were taken to the world of Jane Eyre and were able to sense the harsh reality that she would have had to face. I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.

Le Mariage de Figaro at the UEA Drama Studio

I went to the UEA Drama Studio on the evening of Friday 23rd March 2012 to attend the Sacre Theatre production of Le Mariage de Figaro. A play in French by Pierre Beaumarchais on which Mozart based his Opera. The play was written 5 years before the French Revolution. This production was set somewhere between the two World Wars of the 20th Century.

French Theatre at the UEA began in the 1970's and is aimed at developing and underpinning language acquisition skills while exposing key elements of French Theatre to UEA students, Norfolk Schools and the local French speaking audience.

The play begins shortly before the marriage of Figaro and Suzanne in a room in the Count's palace. Suzanne tells Figaro that the Count has made several advances on her. Meanwhile Marceline discusses a lawsuit with Dr. Bartholo. Figaro owes lots of money and cannot afford to pay the sum. He will be forced to marry her which would lead to the Count being free to seduce Suzanne.

Suzanne tells the Countess about the Count's attentions. Figaro plans to spread a rumour that the Countess is having an affair so that the Count will become suspicious and distracted enough to let him marry Suzanne. She agrees to pretend to give in to the Count's advances by accepting to meet him in the garden after dark however the Count hears that this is just a trap.

Figaro's trail with Marceline begins where Figaro discovers that he is in fact Bartholo and Marceline's illegitimate son. Figaro is delighted to meet his parents but Antonio will not let Suzanne marry an illegitimate child. Bazile reveals his former intention to marry Marceline but changes his mind after discovering that Figaro is her son. Figaro tells Suzanne that as their wedding and dowry are now secure she must not meet the Count as planned. The Countess urges her to go ahead, proposing that they swap clothes, so that she can expose her husband's infidelity.Figaro decides to seek revenge against Marceline's advice.

Figaro gathers a group of witnesses to assist him later on, then launches into a lengthy monologue against women, the aristocratic class and his own unhappiness. The Count enters and attempts to seduce his own wife, disguised as Suzanne. Figaro then approaches Suzanne, disguised as the Countess. After the various characters come out of their hiding place, the Countess reveals herself and the Count begs for forgiveness which he is given.

The Oily Rag Band brought together Beaumarchais, Mozart and early jazz on an splendid evening of French Theatre at the UEA Drama Studio. We were all entertained and most of us were laughing out loud as the Sacre Theatre gave us a night to remember. We all said God damn doing the Lambeth Walk as Erwann Limon as Figaro and Yael Chausson as Suzanne took us to the era of films like La Regle du Jeu and The Hunting Party that provided a similar view of the end of seigneurial privilege.

Macbeth tragedy at UEA

I was back at the UEA Drama Studio on Thursday 8th December 2011 for William Shakespeare's Macbeth another production from the University's final year Drama students. This is Shakespeare's tragedy of power, corruption and bloodshed.

The play is set in the bleak landscape of medieval Scotland. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth with the prophecy of the three witches are tempted into a ruthless hunt for glory. Dark and full of horror, Macbeth is not for the faint hearted.

The setting created on the night was spot on as we were taken back to the 11th Century. This was another triumph from the UEA Third Year Production Team. I enjoyed both my visits to the UEA Drama Studio where I experienced a warm and friendly atmosphere.

All-Female Twelfth Night at UEA

I made my way to the UEA Drama Studio on Wednesday 7th December 2011 for an all-female production of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night by the University's final year Drama students. It was a night that put a new perspective on this funny and moving comedy as it is normally performed by an all-male cast.

Shipwrecked and separated from her twin brother, Viola disguises herself as a boy in order to serve the Duke of Illyria. While wooing a countess on his behalf she finds herself the object of his beloved's affections.

Viola's brother Sebastian arrives and a trick is played upon the countess' steward Malvolio. Confusion reigns in this romantic comedy of mistaken identity.

A fun time was had by all with lots of laughter filling the UEA Drama Studio. There were splendid performances from all the cast who brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm to this play that is full of shifts and surprises.