Well folks, we have arrived.
I don’t have new pictures for you today or anything, i may have a couple over the next few days, but chances are the next few days will be pretty light blog wise since we shall otherwise be engaged in performance.
Even though it’s only a “workshop”, a lot of talented people have been working very, very hard to make this an enthralling and engaging experience, something far better than simply the staged reading of the show this could otherwise have been. I believe we have succeeded in actually making a magical little moment of theater, that presents not only the possibilities The Steampunk Opera has as a larger future show, but as an enjoyable evening of story and music in its own right.
Our actors, Lauren Osborn, Kate Young, Oliver Marsh and Mikey Shearer are top notch and turning in razor sharp performances. Our puppeteers Faith Brandon and Joni-Rae Carrack have brought Jasper eerily to life. Wait’ll you see our dancer Jorge Crecis dancing some bits by choreographer Nadia Adame. It’s killer. The band, MIljen Aljinovic, Tommie Ross and Ben Assiter, playing at probably the lowest volume they have or will ever play in their lives (no mics on the singers!) are killing it. Our designer Lily Arnold and lighting designer Zoe Spurr have created a magic little world in a black box to lose yourself in for 90 minutes. Jennifer Harding, our stage manager is literally the one holding this all togetherwith the help of production manager Tom Lee, and of course, all of this was taken from the aether and put forth upon the material plane by director Mark Swetz.
Workshop or not, we hope we have created a magical little experience. The time has come to open the doors and let the seats fill up. Here is our beginning and let’s just hope the future is on its way.
Thanks to everyone involved and of course my big thanks to everyone who has supported this endeavour out there in internet land. I do so hope one day we shall come to your town. In the meantime, here is the single step that begins the journey.
Wish us luck.
-Paul Shapera.
