So,
weiter gehts mit dem bloggen muss ja noch einiges nachholen…..
Ihr habt ja bereits einiges davon gelesen wie ich meine Zeit in Edinburgh verbringe, all die Parties, Uni Kram, Reisen….
Nun wirds Zeit, dass ich auch mal was über die Napier Drama Society berichte… denn mit denen verbringe ich auch einen Großteil meiner Zeit in Edinburgh. Zuerst ein Tipp für jeden der an eine Uni im Ausland studieren geht, werdet Teil einer Society. Es ist richtig gut! Ich hatte nur Schotten um mich herum und habe dadurch Leute und Land auch etwas anders kennengelernt. Natürlich dauerte es eine Weile bis man sich gut mit den Leuten versteht usw. aber bei der Drama Society gehts ziemlich schnell, cause it’s all about havin a good time 
Ich muss schon sagen, ich habe dort ziemlich außergewöhnliche Leute kennen gelernt. Es fing alles damit an, dass die neuen Mitglieder erstmal richtig in die Society integriert wurden mit diversen Workshops, Activities, und natürlich Partyabenden wie z.B. Karaoke im Bank Hotel, Pub Quiz im Frankensteins, Vorglühen in der Union Bar, Bowling bei Fountainbridge… usw….
Dann gings aber auch schlagartig los mit den Vorbereitungen für die Christmas Show die bekanntlich am 12ten Dezember stattgefunden hat…. es war eine Sketch Show bzw. so wurde es geplant und ob ihr es glaubt oder nicht, ich hab tatsächlich selbst einen Sketch geschrieben… “Mafia Christmas” (ok, mir war in der Vorlesung Scottish Culture bissl langweilig und ich hatte halt mal ne Idee und hab losgeschrieben)….meine gute Kollegin Anne aus Irland hat mir bei den Dialogen geholfen bzw. auch noch ein paar gute Jokes miteingebaut 
Im November war Pitching night, d.h. jeder, der eine Idee für einen Sketch hatte, konnte diesen vorstellen und es wurde per Zettelwahl von der gesamten Society abgestimmt, ob der Sketch in die Show kommt. Wir hatten über 17 Sketche die vorgestellt wurden, aber nur 11 konnten neben dem eigentlichen Weihnachtshauptsketch in die Show….dazu kam es auch noch, dass jeder nur eine Minute für die Vorstellung seiner Sketche hatte…. Scheiße was soll ich nun machen… ich hatte eigentlich mit mehr Zeit gerechnet und mir alles zurecht gelegt was ich zu sagen hatte… damn….naja und was passiert wenn ich unter Druck gerate? Natürlich habe ich den italienischen Mafiosi der in mir lebt rausgeholt und in dem Akzent gesagt: Do u like mafia, do u like christmas, n a bit of killing n good jokes thn vote for this sketch, otherwise u know whats goin to happen….. Die Leute haben sofort angefangen zu lachen und ehe ich eigentlich erzählt hab worüber es im Sketch im Detail geht, welche Charaktere usw. hatten alle schon das Ja angekreuzt. Am Ende haben Anne und ich sogar erfahren, dass unser Sketch so gut wie keine Nein Stimmen hatte im Gegensatz zu anderen Sketch
Na gut, der erste Schritt war getan! Juhuu ich bin teil der Christmas Show… aber die Arbeit hat damit erst begonnen…Einerseits musste ich nun die Rollen für meinen Sketch casten andererseits musste ich aber auch zu den Castings der anderen Sketche, denn natürlich wollte ich auf die Bühne
Da ich für meinen Sketch keinen passenden Mafia Vater gefunden habe, hab ich ihn letztendlich selbst gespielt. Mein Mate David, der mir ja schon beim Dracula Stück damals mit Special effects und den richtigen Sounds geholfen hatte, hat auch diesmal erstklassige Arbeit geleistet… Musik vom Paten als Intro, Türklingel Effekt, Reggae Musik uvm. Da ich ja nicht alles gleichzeitig machen kann, hat mir Anne als Director ausgeholfen…. und siehe da für die anderen Rollen hab ich super Schauspieler gefunden, Chris als schwulen sohn, Aurore als die etwas “bitchige” Tochter, Adam als Reggae Boyfriend, und Steph als die Mutter und natürlich nicht zu vergessen Random und mon frere Baptiste als Marco und Polo, bzw. meine Brüder und Bodyguards.
Bei den anderen Castings war ich anscheinend auch recht erfolgreich… unsere Amerikanerin Jenny, hatte am Abend vor dem Pitching day… einen Sketch geschrieben und mir eine der Rollen gegeben… ich spiele sozusagen ein amerikanisches “arschloch” dass ziemlich viel Scheiße in einem öko-hostel erlebt…..
Eine weitere meiner Rollen war die eines Stalkers in Richards “watcher/watched”… ziemlich creepy und für mich zugleich die größte Herausforderung bei dieser show, denn es war ein doppelmonolog und dementsprechend viel ENGLISCHER text…..
Im Finalen Sketch habe ich auch noch eine der kleineren Rollen ergattern können, und zwar die eines armenischen Gastarbeiters… naja es war anscheinend bekannt, dass ich verschiedene Akzente drauf habe….
Anyway… los gings mit rehearsals, rehearsals und richtig rehearsals… die Zeit war verdammt knapp, wir mussten in 3 Wochen 12 Sketche Bühnenreif hinbekommen… Die Zeit war echt arbeitsintensiv, ich glaube ich habe während diesen Wochen mehr Zeit mit der Society und den Leuten verbracht als mit den anderen aus Edi… dazu mussten ja auch Requisiten gekauft werden und man muss ja auch Zeiten für Proben finden wo wirklich alle können… so kam es auch, dass wir an einem Sonntag 4 Sketche bei mir Zuhause geprobt haben… und wie sollte es auch sein, natürlich hatte ich für alle nen Kuchen gebacken….(genannt Zitronenspeise a la Jamie Oliver)
Montag Abends war ne Generalprobe manches lief gut manches nicht… Dienstag waren wir dann im Theater um die Lichteinstellungen und die Soundeffects durchzugehen… means Techrehearsal…. dabei bin ich vor allem mit den Theaterspezifischen Begriffen extrem durcheinander gekommen Frontstage left usw… aber mittlerweile hab ich sie auch drauf
Am 12ten war es dann soweit, Time for the Show! Eine Reihe hatte ich komplett an meine Leute verkauft Thanks again for comming. Alle waren recht nervös, bevor die Show los ging gabs noch die richtige Einstimmung auf den großen Abend:
Wie die Show letztendlich verlief, beschreiben diese Worte (vom Kollegen Douglas) am besten:
Where do we begin? How do you tell an adequate tale of such proportions that can sum up the immensity of the saga!!! The valiant account of actors, of writers, of stage crew, of technicians and all the fuck-stains who tried to stop us!
The people who said – no! The people who said it couldn’t be done! The people who said – we’d fail miserably! What’d we do? We grabbed the bull by its fucking horns and pulled off what could very well have been the best Christmas show in the history of the society!!!
Once again, we did a show full of memories! We put on a show that we can stand tall and stand proud and say, it was ours! We wrote it. We built it. We performed it. And they fucking loved it!
We opened the doors to the death of Santa Claus! Who the fuck decided on that? But who cares? It was brilliant! The CSI team, complete with good jokes, that’s ‘good’ spelt – S. H. I. T. E. But fuck it, it was done, completely original (cough bullshit cough) and it was awesome!
Next up was Gina. Poor Gina. If there was a person in the whole show that had a tougher time of things than Gina, then I call them a liar. She had the job of relying on all the directors to tell her what they needed, when they needed, and how they needed it. She ran the backstage tonight. That room, was her domain! And on top of all that, she even got a piece in the actual performance! How the fuck she had the time to organise that, I don’t know! But bloody hell! And it was good too! She’s fucking wonder woman!
Bring up Jenny and the Fallen Leaf. I liked this; it had half naked girls in it.
Next up was Farrah…
Ok, seriously, Jenny’s piece was hilarious! Based on a true story, it tells the tale of an Amsterdam hotel and its venture to save the planet, by effectively destroying the health of all the residents, killing them before they have an attempt to harm the atmosphere! At least that’s what I got!
Megan was brilliant; she carried the scene like a pro. Kawe was everything that we’ve learned to expect of him. Funny as fuck! Estelle learned how to use a suit case properly, with her big ass smile. Then came the naked people!!! But overall, a fantastic sketch and well written, and well pulled of script!!! Well done guys!
Next up was Farrah singing. Farrah and singing are 2 words which just go together full stop! Fantastic piece wasn’t her first choice, but by god is she good!!!
Next up was my piece! Chelsea and Chris’s evening debut, and poor Chris…poor, poor Chris. He wasn’t type casted, but let’s face it, all his characters had a bit of a commonality to them. He pulled it off well again, as a seasoned pro! A good warm up for him for the evening! Chelsea was fantastic! Pissed off and caring at the same time, they did me proud! Even Jennifer and Lauren made me happy with their small excerpts! Thank-you guys for putting my piece on so well!!
On came Steph with ‘Through the Screen’. I saw this one first of all at the run through on Wednesday! And I pissed myself! Now, to be fair to Nigel, he pulls off being a dirty man scarily well! Leads to wonder what he really does in the lab late at night! Heather was fantastic! A small part, but by fuck, I would go so far as to say that it was her that stole the piece! Pure brilliance! Lynsey and Steph were in the middle, Steph being the crazy one pulling the strings and Lynsey being the poor sod who has to deal with the consequences. No, I’m serious guys, I’m still talking about the sketch here! The two of them were perfect for the piece, and it fucking showed!!
Now we have an experience. Into the mind of Random Dave. And once you’re in there, he locks all the doors and doesn’t let you out! No matter how much you beg, and beg, and cry, and beg some more. Severus Snape, back from the dead for the day to be an Air Steward. I think the question is – WHAT THE FUCK??? But to fair, who cares! Chris came on looking like a manically depressed EMO from hell, intent on making people’s lives miserable! Fuck he was good at it! Lauren and Jenny began the scene with some good banter, typically Random, but it’s always refreshing to see other people pull of his humour better than he does! The concept was great, and actors were perfect!
On came Etienne. The most fucked up person in the society! We knew what it meant when we picked him to be in the show, but we didn’t care. It was good then, and it was fucking brilliant tonight!!! An unusual insight into French culture. But dammit, I loved it!
Maybe I was wrong. Etienne’s pretty fucked up, but what the hell possessed Richard to pitch the Watcher/Watched Sketch? Creepy as fuck! But you know what, it served a dual purpose. It helped vary the tone of the show, to help avoid the monotony. Plus it creeped the shit out of me! Not just because of the script, but the cast was perfect! Lynsey looked vulnerable, as if she really was scared of Kawe. And Kawe, was just incredible. Quite possibly the best performance of the night!
On came Chelsea. Was the voice of an angel. There is nothing more to say. Just an Angel! Thank you.
Now I remember the pitch for this one. The concept was fantastic! It was the most popular sketch voted by you guys. It’s Kawe’s mafia Christmas. What was wrong with you dude? Did you hit your head when you were a kid?? What gave you the idea for this one? You know what, I don’t care! It was easily the funniest piece on paper, and on stage. Thank you man, thank you.
Kawe himself, being the German-Italian don, was fantastic. Steph, being the homicidal wife, was brilliant as well! Baptiste and Random, must have had a hell of a hard time learning their lines, but looked menacing the whole time. Chris was the gay son. Just brilliant! The poor fucker, throughout the night, the sketches get bad to worse for him, but he didn’t care, just did them to the best of his abilities. Aurore, wearing not very much, I hurry to add, was fucking brilliant! And Adam! Words cannot describe Adam. Sound effects can’t do it! To be fair, it wasn’t even a big part, but fuck he was good!!!!! All of them, were perfect! No other word can describe it, fucking perfect! Thank you Kawe, written, directed, and cast beautifully!
Craigs piece was next! Time and a Half. I read the script for this before it was Cast, and I was going to audition for it, but I missed the audition. But you know what, I don’t care, because it was done brilliantly! Lauren and Stuart had a great on stage chemistry. Neither of them could be fucked! It was awesome, and knowing where Craig works, probably an effective insight to Staff and customers in Tesco! Jenny was brilliant as the overly happy boss, the sort of role that she’s born to play! Nigel had a chance…well, to be Nigel for a change, instead of being a dirty old man! And Steph was hilarious too! Well written, and well directed! I thought it was brilliant!
Anne. Anne, Anne, Anne. Vagina Monologues. I think she deserves points for having the courage to go on stage and perform that! Fucking awesome!!!
Rik + Lauren! The elephant love song from Moulin Rouge. When they auditioned I Pissed myself with laughter at the image of Rik in full KISS gear going mental! Some would argue that choices of songs are wrong for Christmas. But you what, they may be right! But all the songs were fantastic for the show, and as our last 2 singers, they rounded it off nicely! Well performed, and well done to them both!!!
Santa on Trial. I am the luckiest bastard in the room! Simply because each person involved in the sketch, was perfect for what I imagined. Steph was the lethargic ‘I really don’t give a shit’ judge. Perfect! Stuart was the very thin, very young, very strange man, claiming he’s Santa Claus!! You know he’s lying, he knows he’s lying but still, he does it anyway, and although the lines are few, he does it really well! Nigel, had 12 words! I threatened to kick the shit out of him if he forgot them, but it was brilliant! Aurore! I’m going to embarrass her here, so I apologise! But there are fewer things that make me prouder than when I see people come into the society, with English as a second language, and perform their hearts out! And Aurore is a perfect example of that! Each one of you guys are incredible. Aurore had some tough lines in this, there was one which I couldn’t fluidly say myself, and I wrote the fucker! I still couldn’t say. She did! And well done to her!
But Lynsey. Sweet Jesus girl, you are incredible. That sketch was all yours. You owned it. I can’t begin to say how thankful I am to have had you in that. Thank you. Perfection!
So, Rik asked Random, Craig, and myself to write a piece to be the main sketch of the show. “Right you wee fucker!!” we said. So we pulled our brains together and did it.
Rik was going to direct it, and I’ll admit, my first thought was ‘bad idea’. Not because it’s Rik, but rather because he’s the producer. And fucking good one at that! This was our first Christmas show in a proper theatre. To put it in perspective, we saved shit loads of money because we hardly needed anything! The set was there, the lights were there, and so was the license. So a big thank you to Rik for that! And to think he organised it all so far in advance that he had enough time to direct!
When you make a sketch, or a show, or even a film, it’s made 3 times. First by the writer. Second by the director. Third by the editor. We don’t have an editor. The three of us wrote the words. But Rik put on the sketch! And he did it brilliantly!
Lee, was fantastic! No other words to describe him, he has the quote of the entire year in my view when he said in rehearsal – ‘the true meaning of the Christmas spirit is actually….FUCK!’ but on stage he was perfect.
Richard was just incredible. It was not an easy part to play, but fuck it was good! Well done to him!
Into Mickie D’s. On comes Chelsea as the poor girl behind the counter. Small part, but played with determination. It was brilliant. How she didn’t crack up on stage, I don’t know!
Chris and Stuart as the Neds! Best piece from Chris! His best bit of the whole night, just perfect! And Stuart, I pissed myself so much when I saw you do this part. It’s just ace. You don’t say anything, but I was hanging on, waiting for you to do something! It was perfect!
Into Amsterdam! Adam was just perfect. There is no there is way to describe it. Not what I pictured when I created the character, but fuck it was so much better!
And Anne! I don’t ever want to piss this girl off! Perfect as the peeping Tomasina! The two of them were better than what I could’ve imagined!
Into France we go. Casting French girls as French chicks was well imaginative! But they were brilliant! Kawe and Heather as the Armenians were great too. Kawe scares the shit out of me, because I don’t think he knows how to blink in that scene! Heather is just perfect with her deadpan expression, loved it!
And then on to the end, Steph came out with a wee cameo bit to tie things off nicely. As one of the writers behind the creation of this piece, I can honestly, we didn’t give you a sketch, we gave you words, and you turned it into a fucking brilliant sketch! Thank you!
Behind the scenes, the show could not have been performed without the backstage crew. Pete and Jen made sure everything was where it was supposed to be on the stage. Thank you guys.
George, went from being the most hated man in drama to a God! The man is a genius! Thank you.
Duncan, first year behind the scenes in the tech crew. The man has a bright future ahead of him. Thank you.
Craig, the Artistic Director. How do you know if the artistic director is good at his job? You don’t see him, and you don’t look for him. He comes to you, if he needs you, when he needs you, and if he’s not happy, then you’ll fucking know about! But you know what, he did it brilliantly! Thank you Craig, it was ace!
I could talk all night about each and every one of you is fantastic but I’m not going to. I need the loo.
In conclusion, I don’t want anyone thinking today “what if?” or ‘maybe I should’ve’ or ‘but I made a mistake’ because a very wise woman once told me that with “if’s” you could fit Paris in a bottle.
The facts – we said at the beginning that it was your society. The Exec’ is not here as a governing body, but rather to ensure that you get to do what you want to do.
This is your society.
This was your show.
And you should be pleased at how well it turned out. I’m proud to have been a part of it. I’m proud to be able to call you guys friends. But most of all, if we ever needed an excuse, I’m proud to say that we are THE NAPIER UNIVERSITY DRAMA SOCIETY 2007/2008!!!!!!!!!!
Douglas
Ich würde sagen, die harte Arbeit vor der Show haben sich echt gelohnt!
Neben dem Theaterspielen, gings in der Society natürlich immer darum gute Freunde zu finden und einfach eine gute Zeit zu haben….
So ging es z.B. meistens nach unseren Meetings zur Union Bar, zum Frankensteins…. dann natürlich zum Bank Hotel fürs Karaoke singen und sobald der Laden um 1 dicht macht, gings letztendlich ins Nicol Edwards mit günstigen Drinks und Live Music…. meistens hörte der Abend dann um 3 Uhr auf, denn dann macht auch der letzte Laden dicht… jedoch je besser man die Leute kennengelernt… so ging auch der Abend bei einem der Kollegen mit Pizza und Wii Sports bis in den frühen Morgenstunden weiter… achja im Dropkick Murphys waren wir auch ein paar mal… anyway hier mal ein paar Bilder um euch einige Eindrücke zu geben:
Weihnachtsparty von der Drama Society vom 6ten Dezember
Hang out im Dropkick Murphys
Die Show war zwar schon vorbei, aber aufs treffen bei diversen Hausparties wurde trotzdem nicht verzichtet!
Lynsey’s Geburtstagsparty im Shanghai club im Januar..
Sing out your hearts at the Bank Hotel
Live music im Nicol Edwards….. Rik unser el presidente durfte auch mal sein Talent unter Beweis stellen..
ma homies
und was soll ich machen…. sie mögen mich..
ob ohne Bart
oder mit
das Interessante ist aber, dass sich die Leute, obwohl sie mich mal ohne Bart gesehen haben… sich nie, wenn ich meinen Bart gerade habe,ohne diesen vorstellen können…..
Anyway… alle Bilder gibts natürlich –> hier
