All the world’s a stage
On this weekend of national celebration, I indulged in my love of all things stage and production. There couldn’t be a show bigger than a monarch’s coronation, but whether it’s a global production for billions of viewers or a local street party (and everything in between), there’s something magical for me about putting on a show. I love the feeling of being involved or invested in a big production. The planning fascinates me, the behind the scenes, the attention to detail, and how it all comes together I find really quite amazing. So a trip to the theatre, a royal coronation, and a daughter’s stage audition ticked all my boxes this weekend.
First up, I went to watch Leicester Theatre Group’s (LTG) production of Everybody’s talking about Jamie – a show I’d never seen before and knew little about. In a nutshell, it’s the story of a Sheffield boy who wants to be a drag queen. LTG is for 8 – 18 year olds, and so this was a junior production, but there was nothing junior about this show. It was epic. As the lights went down, I felt nervous for the youngsters who were about to perform – none of whom were even mine, but great theatre stirs all kinds of emotions. This show was funny at times, poignant in part and I won’t lie, there was a lump in my throat for the performance of ‘He’s my boy’. It takes a special kind of confidence to stand up in front of a room full of people and sing solo, but every one of the cast who did, did it beautifully.
Beyond the performances, the staging was clever. Around 10 boxes were used to create all of the scenes, from walls to beds to stages and catwalks – the cast moving each piece into position as needed. The costumes, especially Jamie’s killer red sequin dress, were lush too. Productions like this take an army of unsung, unseen volunteers to deliver. A seamless production is the result of hours and hours’ worth of dedication, training and rehearsal. The better the prep, the better the production, and the team had clearly prepped incredibly hard to put on this show.
Saturday, I was glued to the coronation. Like all big royal set pieces, it was fascinating to watch. The run of show, the master event bible, must be insane – oh to be able to see it! Whilst it has felt like a chunky period of time since the Queen’s passing to the King’s coronation, watching the military precision of this operation tells you why. It was a masterpiece in event production; from the fashion and uniforms to the musical choices, the carriages to the seating plans. And then, the entire procession starting simultaneously on a single soldier’s order was sublime. Only the weather couldn’t be ordered and pre-planned to perfection.
And yet when the sun came out on Sunday, it was communities all around the country, those who had done their own version of party planning, for which the dry day was almost more important. Whilst the great and the good would be very satisfied that the national celebrations went off without a hitch, there’ll also, quite rightly, be villagers very proud of their own smaller, but important occasions too.
With street parties in full swing, the youngest Miss Donovan was off auditioning for a role in a future stage production. Full of cold, attending a theatre company she’d never been to before, I was a proud mum, waving as she went in to give it her all. I sometimes think it’s more nerve-wracking being the parent in this situation, handing my daughter over to be judged by a group of strangers. Some of the lines from Friday’s show were ringing in my ears, ‘Everyone wants to be a performer these days’, and she does with all of her heart. So we had to wish her good luck and be on our way while she tried her very best. These auditions were for a production taking place in the spring of next – proof again of the preparation needed to produce a good show.
Later, as I settled down for Sunday’s coronation concert, I could only imagine the butterflies in the tummies of some of those performers, engineers, producers, presenters. Not forgetting the drone pilots who were orchestrating displays up and down the country. This was the world stage. It doesn’t get bigger than this. You only had to take a glance at the TV to recognize the level of planning required. Imagine the thrill of pulling it all off! The combination performances of art, music, ballet, theatre and production made me ask myself some big questions about how to ensure there’s always plenty of these things in my life.
In a chicken and egg situation, I can’t work out whether I love this stuff because my daughter wants to be part of it, or whether she loves it because I do. Maybe it just runs through our blood – it gives us energy, we want to be involved, whether it’s in the spotlight on the stage (her), or organizing it all behind the scenes (me). Either way, it brings us joy.
As the weekend came to a close, I checked my diary. When would I next enjoy a weekend as stimulating as this? Not to worry. In just 10 short days I’ll get the next shot of my drug. For the first time, we’ll be heading to Glastonbudget, self-proclaimed as ‘the world’s biggest tribute festival’ and I cannot wait. A weekend full of fun and music being performed on another big stage.
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