The South Devon Players Theatre & Film Company
Follow us on our social networks
  • Home
  • About us
  • Box Office
  • Auditions
  • Crewing
  • Find Us
  • Latest news
  • Previous projects
  • Contact
  • Casting services
  • FAQ
  • Reviews
  • Youtube
  • Acting & tech resources
  • Policies
  • Blog: Creating An Arts Organisation
  • Family stories
  • Training Zone
  • Merchandise Shop
  • Ebay
  • Fundraising & sponsors

Update on our Arts Council/ Torbay Culture funded local folklore project

27/9/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
This weekend, the main filming took place for our local folklore project. Funded as part of the Arts Council England's Create To Recover programme, this project provides paid work for four local actors, as well as a writer/director, and an editor/ camera person, a fantastic thing especially in these times! 

The project brings to life four local spooky tales which have existed in the local folklore of Brixham for decades, and centuries;  which will be released in time for Halloween. 

With the Covid restrictions, as well as safety concerns around filming in public places where not all members of the public may socially distace, and the fact that some of the team live with relatives in "at-risk" categories, it was decided to record entirely over Zoom. Using costumes, props, greenscreens, home lighting and digital backdrops of our in-house collection of original Victorian postcards of Brixham, the cast created performances from their homes, each taking on a character from Brixham's colourful past. 

Who is the broken man who forever mourns his son? What was the ruse the smugglers used to get contraband to Totnes? What did the young sailor do when his beloved was not allowed to marry him? Who is it who is seen to this day around a well known local landmark? Find out, as these stories are brought to life. Humour, tragedy,love and indomitable spirit are all brought to life in these tales, taking place around locations in the town which you can visit yourself. 

The screening details will be available soon, and in the meantime, editing is well underway. 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

Autumn Covid update & answering a few questions

24/9/2020

0 Comments

 
A few people of late have asked us why, as a professional touring theatre company, we have not returned to live rehearsals and theatres following the Government's annoucement that theatre can return with socially distanced audiences. However, following industry-standard safety advice, this is not feasible. While we fully intend to return to live, as opposed to online, shows as soon as we possibly can, the situation outlined below, is current as of the date of publication; and from the recent official press conferences is expected to continue for some months. 

For theatre shows, it is very simple. We rely on ticket sales to pay our actors and crew. If, for example a 200 seat theatre, to maintain social distancing, can only admit 20 audience members, we are unable to pay our cast and crew. Not paying your cast and crew, and becoming an amdram club, is not something we are willing to entertain as an option. 

Outdoor venues need to have strict marshalling, distanced areas, specialist equipment (which we do not own), as well as strict backstage procedures, and are not currently an option due to people-power and equuipment. 

Behind the scenes, backstage procedures reccomended by unions, and the Health & Safety Execuitive, require single occupancy dressing rooms, one way systems, performing through masks or visors. Physically, theatres do not have that kind of space backstage, where they can be  rather cramped, and historical dramas do not lend themselves well to performing through masks and visors .
Casts and crews should also isolate in a bubble for the length of the show, and for a time before and after, requiring the hiring of a house or a hotel.  Many of us have second jobs, which we cannot afford to take the time off from especially if we are not able to earn from the shows, and the company does not own the funds to hire a house or hotel. 

In rehearsals, actors must stand in taped areas, enforcing the 2M distancing, as well as wearing masks, with staggered breaks. They also should not face one another while speaking in case of exhaling in the direction of the other person. This makes it impossible for any natural dramatic performance. 

Finally, there is the general directive to work from home where you can, and to avoid putting vulnerable people at risk. Many of us work more than one job, or live in households where we have a relative who relies on another job, or who is in an at-risk category. By exposing ourselves, we also put them at heightened risk. 

We understand that some theatre companies and drama schools have returned to creating work, or classes, but it is not something that we find we can safely do for our people. 


0 Comments

Long update on our projects & news this autumn

15/9/2020

0 Comments

 
Hello everyone! 
This is our big update on our projects and what we are doing while this Covid situation continues around the world. Please read on to find out the latest on our online shows, offline shows, and other activities. 

As things stand, the UK goverment have just brought in what is commonly known as the Rule of Six (meaning that only six people can meet up in a space), as infections nationally are on the rise. 

--- Returning to live shows
For now, our first returning shows are being booked for Jan/ Feb 2021, with our production of Jack The Ripper. That is hoping that it will be safe for theatres to reopen by then. If there are delays on this, we will postpone. In the meantime, our cast are busily rehearsing and fine-tuning the show. We are currently rehearsing soley on Zoom. As things stand, physical rehearsals are not viable. We would need to be 2metres apart at all times, facing forward away from one another, which is impossible to create a natural show between different characters. While we will return once it is safe to do so (and viable to rehearse in a suitable way), at the moment it is all over Zoom. 

---Online shows
We have a great autumn season of four shows, Tickets on sale via our box office HERE for all of the shows, with synopses, and breakdowns, with brilliant transatlantic casts. Every penny from ticket sales will be shared equally among the cast and crew of the show - after all, this is all about creating work for actors and creatives during these tough times. 

Should the covid crisis run into the New Year, any delays in returning to the physical stage, will lead to a winter/ spring Online Season. 

---The Spooky Tales of Brixham
With Arts Council funding, from Torbay Culture, our team are creating a video of local spooky ghost stories. With a Halloween broadcast, tickets will be on sale from the beginning of October, and all funds raised will go to our friends at Brixham Theatre. 

---Professional actors available
We have a fantastic team of actors who are available for (paid) voiceover work, home-recording for zoom projects. If you have a casting call, please email us on southdevonplayers@gmail.com. We are committed to doing our best to create work for our actors and crew. 

--Other activities
We are using the time as usefully as possible. Studying and developing new trends in marketing theatre, creating new technology for our live shows, developing new resources to assist new actors joining the 

0 Comments

    Updated by our founder
    ​Laura Jury

    This is our new format news page. To read all our news between 2010 and Jan 2015, please see our old format news page HERE

    If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at
    southdevonplayers@gmail.com

    The South Devon Players Theatre & Film Company, is the trading name of The South Devon Players Limited;
    Registered at Companies House: Company number 11569166 
    ​

    Subscribe to our mailing list

    * indicates required
    Email Format
    Picture
    Picture
    Tweets by @sdevonplayers

    Categories

    All
    1307
    Actors
    Arts Council
    Assassins Creed
    Audio Drama
    Auditions
    Awards And Prizes
    Behind The Scenes
    Ben Hur
    Bristol
    Brixham
    Brixham Theatre
    Cabaret
    Casting Agency
    Collaboration
    Copyright
    Costume
    COVID 19
    COVID-19
    Education
    Equity
    Fanfilm
    Film
    Film Festival
    Filmmaking
    Fundraising
    Great Gale Of Brixham
    Harry Potter
    Henry V
    Inclusion & Diversity
    Jack The Ripper
    Les Miserables
    Local History
    Macbeth
    Marketing
    Midsummer Nights Dream
    Modeling
    Mordred
    Music
    Networking
    New Writing
    OnlineMidsummer
    Our Stage Productions
    Photogallery
    Photography
    Pirate
    Police
    Poster
    Press
    Publicity
    Radio
    Radio Play
    Reviews
    Safety
    Schools
    Shakespeare
    Show Dates
    Show Results
    Special Effects
    Steampunk
    Supporters
    Templar
    Theatre
    Theatre Festival
    The Edge
    Three Musketeers
    Titanic
    Torquay
    Training And Workshops
    Venue
    Victorian
    Video
    Vintage
    Virtual Theatre
    Voiceover
    Wellbeing
    Young People

    RSS Feed

    The South Devon Players theatre company, Brixham

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.