Design Inspiration. Planet Stencil Library.

100 Years of Vogue and Curtain Up!

If you can get to The National Portrait Gallery in London before 22nd of May this year I strongly recommend booking a ticket for Vogue 100 A century of Style.

This major exhibition celebrates Vogue's first 100 years and it was worth taking a day of holiday and taking a train to the capital. It took me an hour and forty minutes to watch every film clip, read every description and stand before each of the pictures drinking in the colour and beauty of the exhibits. It is a visual feast and I would liked to have spent an other hour revisiting my favourite bits but I had only an afternoon to visit three exhibitions spread across the city, also I wanted to go shopping in the V&A's book store and then attend the trade preview of Ralph Lauren's  Spring/Summer home range before returning to Newcastle.

No photography was allowed in or surrounding the exhibition so the best I can do is show you the book of highlights starting with Mario Testino's well known picture of Kate Moss in a union flag jacket.

This picture was Ryan McGinley's shot of Sienna Miller who was playing the part of Tippi Hedren in the film The Girl. I spent a very pleasant hour chatting with Tippi Hedren some years ago, we were passing time on a film set and she was telling me about her animals.  It wasn't all Kate Moss or beautiful actors on the walls of the NPG though; Prince Charles and his chickens made an appearance, his photograph was also by Mario Testino.

One of my favourite Vogue covers is one that you would not find at the exhibition it is a spoof made by my husband and given to me as a Christmas gift in 2008. 

I am wearing a silk skirt which I stencilled with LTL11 a wisteria stencil from our Larger Than Life Collection; I bought the skirt from a Ralph Lauren outlet in Orlando when I was there for a stencil convention and it took me years to pluck the courage to paint it!  The picture was taken to accompany a 'how to' blog post showing how I decorated the skirt.

The other exhibitions visited that day were Botticelli Reimagined which is on until the 3rd July and Curtain Up which runs until 31st August both are at the V&A Museum. I had specifically gone to see Curtain Up because it features the work of set designer Bec Chippendale, her model for the stage set of the musical Matilda was a popular exhibit and I had to wait in a queue to take my out of focus picture. Bec is one of my husband's family.  The Chippendales are a  talented bunch.

Another exhibit at Curtain Up celebrated 40 years of 'A Chorus Line', I recall my boyfriend taking me to see it when I was a stage struck teenager and A Chorus Line was the hot new musical. A large group of his friends from university came with us; we all linked arms and high kicked our way home along the London Streets singing 'One' .... it is still a memory that makes me smile.

I noted that Tippi Hedren is appearing at the Hay Festival talking about her experiences with Alfred Hitchcock and her work with big cats amongst other things. I think that will be well worth a ticket purchase too!

Helen.

Reviewing Drama In The Parlour

The Drama in the Parlour Theatre Group performed their spoof, vintagey radio show in our parlour at Stocksfield Hall at the end of September.  Photographer Roger Jones was on hand to take photos.

The cast

The writer and the presenter

The Peapod Twins sing about pawn..not porn

Gladys Gilbert's sound effects table

A review of Drama in the Parlour 5 can be read at The Hexham Courant. I can not find a link to their review of the 4th Drama in The Parlour which I think is my favourite so I shall show you a picture and you'll have to click to enlarge it.

Gemma Brown wrote 'Whoever said sequels could never be as good as the original hasn't seen Drama in the Parlour' She went on to say that she had enjoyed a good belly laugh and continued writing  'the six cast members in their best dinner jacketed finery whipped through a complex script of multiple mini series with enough over the top humour to keep any audience entertained'.

Characters from the fictional radio show are now tweeting and blogging!

Drama in the Parlour 'on air' this week.

The comic, spoof radio show Drama in the Parlour will be performed in our house later this week. Chips and I spent the weekend moving our furniture out of the drawing room and replacing it with rows of chairs. Of course they are stencilled chairs and stencilled rooms!  Our dining room has become the bar and tea room. We gave the front garden an overhaul which meant a trip to the nursery, hurrah. Soon after dawn this morning I went to check that the rabbits had not eaten all my new plantings. They haven't so far.

Tonight is a dress rehearsal and photo call and by this time next week the four night run should have passed successfully and I should be enjoying my annual foray around the decoration and design shows in London. Drama in the Parlour runs from this Wednesday 19th to Sat 22nd of September at the Farm House, Stocksfield Hall. Northumberland. NE43. Contact me for tickets and further information.

Drama in the Parlour 4.

Yes it's that time again when I swap my stencil brushes for a script and several silly voices.

Click image to enlarge.

Drama in the Parlour 4 will be performed at Stocksfield Hall from the 9th to 12th of May. The first read through was last night and I laughed till I stopped.

What is it?  Well, it is a radio style show set somewhere round the 1940's.  The cast dress appropriately for the period and entertain a 'small but perfectly formed' audience with humorous sketches, songs and thrilling serials. It's all acted in the stencilled parlour of my home. Some of the audience dress up too, it is encouraged but not obligatory.

The cast and audience in the parlour.

This is the fifth one in the series, they are written by Alex Swan and I think the latest may just be the funniest yet.  Here are some images from past shows because we need some new photographs! 

Drama in the Parlour at the real BBC with Jonathan Miles.

writer Alex Swan in the dressing room.

The Drama in the Parlour Victorian Christmas special in the dining room.

Tickets in advance from The Stencil Library or from local Stocksfield shops. PayPal payment now accepted. The 'theatre' holds 33 audience and seven cast members...it is not your usual night out.

Helen.

Drama in the Parlour presents Victorian Christmas

It's back! By Wednesday my home will have turned into a theatre again for comedy show Drama in the Parlour.

It is the fourth production in just over a year.  Instead of presenting Drama in the Parlour in it's usual guise of a thirties radio show they will travel back in time to England in 1837.  Albert Strongarm has made his fortune from indoor flushing lavatories and Queen Victoria is on the throne....errr not the flushing one though.

Preparations include stencilling the theatre chairs. Students Dyane and Louise did these using a tear out stencils from the Stencil It book.

I make sure that the Strongarm's festive table is set.

 

and the indoor lavvy has been seasonally decorated.

Strongarm (Andrew Palmer) and his wife Meryl (played by me) are hosting a party to show off their wealth and benevolence.  They have invited the famous novelist and playwright Charles Shakesworth ( Alex Swan) and a team of actors to entertain their guests. The coach carrying the actors has disappeared without trace and so the hosts, their cousin (David Walker), their hapless maid Milly (Marie Swan) along with Maude the governess (Margaret Matthews) have been drafted in to assist Mr Shakesworth bring his readings and plays to life. Being the season of goodwill Meryl and Albert bring a poor urchin (Cameron Swan) to their home for an evening.  Will he want to be clutched to the bosom of this family? What is the spirit medium trying to tell Albert?  Will the steam train ever reach the moon? Why is there a governess and no children? What are the rules of posh etiquette? Might miserly Bob Scratchpole embrace the idea of Christmas and will Oliver Twirl?  To find out you will need a ticket for Drama in the Parlour I have some for sale, there are only a few left for each night.  Wed 14th - Sat 17th December 7.30pm in the parlour of Stocksfield Hall. Stocksfield. Tickets are £7. Complimentary hot drink and mince pie. Dress up, dress warm. 

Helen.  

Drama in the Parlour episode 3

It's back. The third Drama in the Parlour will be performed at Stocksfield Hall, Northumberland at the end of March and the first two days of April.

Does the idea of watching a fun, radio style show featuring lots of sketches, songs and serials appeal to you?  Yes?  Then order tickets for Drama in The Parlour episode 3. The venue is the parlour in my home and there are a maximum of 30 seats per show. The audience is encouraged (but not expected) to dress in 30's to 50's type clothes. There are excerpts from the last two episodes on you tube...but don't let that put you off.

Listen up North

Here is something a little from my usual posts which are always visual.  This one is an audio experience.

Friend and playwright Rachel Cochrane finally got her long anticipated web baby launched last month. Listen up North is a website devoted to the talents of writers in the north of England. The content includes audio dramas, poetry, monologues, interviews novels and me.  Listeners can log on and download all kinds of fodder for their listening pleasure and it is free of charge.

The latest addition is a two part radio play called Oranges And Lemons and I play the central character Ellie, she has a kind heart, a troubled past and an alarming future, only she does not know that when the story starts.

The writer Rachel Cochrane directs a scene where I am attacked. You'll have to stay tuned to see whether I survive!

Rachel describes the process of creating Oranges and Lemons and Listen Up North in her blog. The website has taken two years of constant work by Rachel and Oranges and Lemons is now available to download.  If you like it please give your support by passing the link to friends who may be interested in the spoken word, it's not all in funny accents. I shall recommend it to friends who enjoy listening to audio books whilst dog walking or driving their cars..or stencilling.

Helen.

photo by Ross Parker

 

 

 

Drama over

It is two weeks since the latest performance of Drama in the Parlour. The actors and the audience have departed, my house is put together again.  

The Drama in the Parlour team will go their seperate ways until we start putting together the next show in the new year. It seemed to have been very well received again and was fun to do.
Margaret Frayne sings at Drama in the Parlour.

There is now a Drama in the Parlour area on You Tube. I visited it and laughed my socks off at the song performed by Posh Totty. I can not believe that I am going to share the link with you and I may remove it in a few days.

Posh Totty sing big back burner man.

Anyway, it shows fellow actors Margaret, Marie and I singing Big Back Burner Man written by Debby McClatchy. We sang in very English voices circa 1940's BBC. I hope that it makes you laugh. There are quite a few sketches on the Drama in The Parlour pages and I believe that more was being uploaded.

We built some branding into the latest show.

Then ate it.

Montgomery Montgomery (the writer Alex Swan)

Margartia Morrison (singer Margaret Matthews)

The compere Albert Armstrong (Andrew Palmer)

That's all from the stencilled dressing room. Thanks to those that sent photos and film footage.

Since publishing this post I am please to say that we had a lovely write up in The Hexham Courant, Thank you to Ruth Lognonne for the report and Jill Cowley for the review.  I was unable to find a link for you to read it but will keep trying.

Helen

 

Drama in the parlour radio show....at the BBC

The first three nights of Drama in the Parlour written by Alex Swan and performed in the parlour of the stencilled home have gone well.  There was masses of laughter from the audience, the actors were on form, no one complained of the cold, flowers floated and candles flickered and generally a good time seemed to have been had by all.

refreshments from our sponsor.

Drama in the Parlour is a spoof radio show with an improvised play built around it.  It is sponsored by the ficticious Fegwells Multi Restorative All Natural infallible Compound, which cures everything from gout to farmyard machinery.  This is the second episode of the show, the first was performed in May 2010.  The debut plot allowed Tilly the coat check girl to save the day when the train carrying singing sensation Viola Fontaine failed to reach our theatre.  Tilly had been waiting years for the chance to have just one line in a radio drama and now she was to be the star of the show.  Heck, it's radio, no one will see her...and what could go wrong?   

Guest starring on the latest story is Margaret Frayne.

In real life Ms Frayne is a singer, actor and dancer with her own cabaret show.  In Drama in the Parlour she plays Margaret 'Fluffy' Frayne.  A pink and frilly lady, famous for her swoony love songs and 'the one about the cat'. She has also had 'a past' with one of the radio actors. All the cast are fans of Fluffy, especially Tilly.  They are very excited to meet her. Again I ask..what could go wrong?

In reality Margaret was not able to attend rehearsals for Drama in the parlour, so when she stepped onto the stage to entertain the 'radio audience' it was the first time that the cast had seen her perform.

Tilly, Clive, Margarita and I (Helena Handcart) visited the BBC Centre in Newcastle to record a piece for the Jonathan Miles show.

We recorded a jingle and a sketch about Fegwell's guide to marriage but I am not sure whether that was used. I will try their listen again feature in case I missed it. Our chat was played in the last five minutes of the program.  The link will only be live for a few days I was in character for the interview so if anyone hears it who knows me, fear not I have not turned into a Grande Dame (yet). For those that don't know me  I'm not as posh as I sound.

 A few tickets are still available for Saturday 9th October. You can contact me or the drama in the parlour site or buy them from shops in Stocksfield.   

Helen.

Drama in the Parlour...yes it's back

Actually I am not talking about dramatic decoration of parlours or any other room.  I'm talking comedy. The Stocksfield Players will be performing Drama in the Parlour...in my living room again. 

Click on poster to enlarge.

It's an entertaining evening built around characters performing a good, old fashioned comedy in the guise of a spoof radio show. It is performed in the parlour at Stocksfield Hall and tea is served in our dining room. Drama in the Parlour has now got a blog and web site You may be able to follow the life and times of the productions, the actors and their characters.

 
The blog, web site and the facebook page are all written by Marie Swan actor,singer and wife of the playwrite Alex Swan. That's her in the blue frock next to me and Alex is on my other side. If you are into unusual theatre pop over and give her your support.  I'll be acting (and singing) in the next production.

Auntie Beryl has to be one of most enjoyable characters that I have ever played and she makes a return to this episode. The guest star will be singer, actor, dancer and writer Margaret Frayne, yep all that talent bundled into one slim package.

Margaret Frayne. If you are near enough to Stocksfield why not book a ticket and see the show? They are available from the Stencil Library and shops in Stocksfield .  Tickets can be bought online using Paypal contact Drama in the Parlour (or me). 

Read what The Journal newspaper and the Hexham Courant wrote about The Stocksfield Players earlier this year.

Helen

Drama In The Parlour reviewed.

It's done! 

We seemed to have staged a popular event with the audience having as much fun as we did.

Each person that helped us with a survey said they enjoyed the first Drama in the Parlour and want to return for the second.  I suppose we can not ask for better than that.  Next one September! Read the review in The Hexham Courant.

Drama in the parlour. First night

 

Today there are bowls of floating flowers along my garden path.

I call them bowls of sky because when the water is still they become a perfect mirror.

Tea cups stand, ready to be filled.

 
There are odd stencilled signs that would not normally be in my home.  I know where the fire exits and lavvies are.

  

Chairs with stencilled cushions are laid out in my living room

All ready for the first night of the Drama In The Parlour Radio Show.  Written by Alex Swan and performed by The Stocksfield Players in my front room at Stocksfield Hall.

Radio as you have never watched it before.

Sponsored by the fictitious Fegwells Multi Restorative All Natural Infallible Compound.

Helen