Our first show was a 90 minute version of Macbeth, staged at Norwich Castle Rotunda, in March 1994.
Director, Jon Croose, wrote in his programme notes:
"Macbeth, like every other Shakespeare play, has become so loaded with theatrical baggage over the last 400 years that wherever a director treads he or she is in danger of following in some-one else's footsteps.
Most of us have an idea of the story of the play, of it's bloody reputation, the witches, and the savage catalogue of murder which seals Macbeths downfall. In adapting the play for tonights performance we have tried to focus on the visual, dramatic and emotional strengths of Shakespeare's work.
Those familiar with the play will notice some scenes have been cut or re-arranged. Minor characters have been combined, and the wounded seargent of Macbeth's first battle returns to comment on the tyrants crimes.
Shakespeare might not recognise our adaptation, but I hope he would approve of it's dramatic thrust. On a round stage in an ancient castle, two worlds collide. Macbeth and his queen set raw human ambition against fate and the hand of God. For a brief moment they hold destiny in thier hands until the chaos they have created closes in on them.Tonight we hope to give you a taste of the fear and the power of Macbeth's theatre of death."
The cast was:
the Weird Sisters: Fran Mann, Tracey Mavor & Rachel Hardy
a bloody captain: Jon Croose
Macbeth, thane of Glamis: Simon Floyd
Banquo: Dave Popkin
Duncan, King of Scotland: Tom Carver
Malcolm, his son: Chris Dickerson
a soldier: David Whyte
Rosse, a thane: Ian Brownlie
Lady Macbeth: Saff Edye
Macduff, thane of Fife: Jo Edye
Fleance, son of Banquo: Chris Edye
Lady Macduff: Helen Moore
daughter of Macduff: Joanne Edye
Director: Jon Croose
Music & percussion: Mog
Choreography: Fran Mann
Costumes: Saff Edye & the cast
Fights & armour: Tim Wilson & John Ludlum
Design: Julia Headland & James Higgins
Posters & Programme: Jo Edye
Front of house: Kim Norris & Paul McNeill
Crowns: Nick Warburton
Lighting: Murray Bannister
Prompts: Sue Beswick & Lisa Mckenna
The production was an enormous success, selling out all three nights, and forcing a hastily arranged extra performance at the Walter Roy Theatre, at the Hewett School.
Ken Hulme reviewed the play for the Eastern Evening News:
Theatrical peak of the year?Crude Apache, a local company with only one previous production behind them were no doubt highly pleased with last night's capacity audience in Norwich Castle Rotunda for their one and a half hour presentation of Macbeth.
Purists may be aghast at the cavalier treatment of the original script. Scenes have been cut or re-arranged, characters combined and a narrator introduced. But the overalll effect is electrifying and, in seeking to focus on the visual, emotional and dramatic strengths of the play, the company have been superbly successful. From the opening atmospheric dance of the witches to the symbolic battle scenes and the final fulsome conflict between Macbeth Macbuff (sic) it is brash, noisy, gutsy and vibrant with carefully controlled energy.
There are memorable scenes a-plenty all highlighted by the excellent sound quality of the rotunda arena, by sensitive lighting and particularly by the constant, distinctive background percussion. And not a weak characterisation anywhere. Rather, dramatic interpretation, vocal projection and tonal variation could scarcely be faulted.
Directed by Jon Croose, this marvelously imaginative and highly charged production could prove to be one of the peaks of the theatrical year.Ken Hulme, Eastern Evening News.
Summer 1994 saw Norwich City Council promoting outdoor theatre, so we decided to produce a large scale dramatisation of the story of Ketts rebellion. Conceived as something akin to pantomime, and blessed by glorious summer weather, we had another success on our hands.
The press release read:-
Rabble-rousing and revolution come to the Norwich parks this summer, when acclaimed new theatre company Crude apache breathe new life into the story of Kett's rebellion. Grotesque and hilarious caricatures, song, mime and movement combine in a tragi-comic tale of Kett's revolt against land enclosure and the peasant's march on Norwich in the summer of 1549. The 90 minute long free show, in which the spectators are encouraged to abuse the villains and shout advice to the ill fated rebels, is suitable for all ages. The Story Of Ketts Rebellion, with its sharp lampooning of authority, original acoustic music and poignant message about poverty and the tragedy of war, will be storming the City Walls from July 8th.
The cast was:-
"In the summer of 1549, Norwich witnessed a rising of thousands of small farmers and local peasantry against the greed and corruption of local government and a new breed of landed gentry. Had it proved successful, it would have changed the pattern of our society to no small degree.
Very few of us have not heard the name Robert Kett somewhere, be it from school, a local guide book, or a pub sign or street name. The story of Ketts rebellion is deeply embedded in Norfolk folklore. Through the years, it has been the subject of much scrutiny, and the inspiration for many works of fiction. In retelling the story, we have looked closely at this material, and by necessity have omited certain events, while focusing closely on others, allowing our imaginations a long rein in the process.
In doing so, we are aware that we leave ourselves open to the contentions and consternation of those who know much of the rebellion. We apologise in advance, the interpretation of events and characters involved are all our own doing, but we give an assurance that we rooted ourselves firmly in historical fact throughout the plays construction, and used this as the basis for all that you see.
We hope that some of the spirit of 1549 finds its way to you. Crude apache is proud to present our version of Ketts rebellion as part of the Norwich 800 celebrations. Enjoy the show."
"Open-air theatre in Sunday afternoon sunshine - and a tale of rebellion, injustice, blood and vicious retribution. The two might not seem ideal companions. But Crude Apache's story is told in the style of what might be called "pantomome documentary" - and it works.
There is much comedy, often farcical, much caricaturing of characters. But underneath it all, history and the gross injustices of an age are there writ large.
The large audience of adults and youngsters probably came away with a better idea of what relly happened in those eight fateful weeks in 1549 than they'd garner from your average history lesson.
There is flexibility and flow here both in script and presentation, which is surprising in that this is a "committee creation", which usually means slackness and indulgence.
Equally effective a partner is Bill Jones's music composed in a muscular folk idiom and sung with rhythmic assurance and projection.
Jerry Ferley, Tom Carver, Rachel Hardy and Ian Brownlie represent the masses who flocked to Robert Kett's flag at Wymondham before the assault on Norwich. They are admirably contrasted, a working band of players in whom one believes absolutely as ordinary men in a time of crisis.
Some of the other characters are so ludicrously caricatured as to get completely out of hand, like Jo Edye's Flowerdew the landowner; and Tracy Mavor doubling as cringeing servant and Norwich worthy Augustine Steward. At the opposite swing of the pendulum is Peta Morrant as the brutal Earl of Warwick, with eye patch, sabre scar, black leathers and swaggering presence. He deserves a green spotlight - and entirely merits the hisses and laughter he earns."C V Roberts. Eastern Daily Press, 18/7/94.
There is an amusing anecdote from this production involving the
great man and our own Simon Floyd. Being an outdoor production, there
was no formal seating, people happily sitting on blankets or bringing
folding chairs. CVR arrived to review the show a few minutes before the
start. Several of us were in the tent erected at the side of the stage
when Himself poked his head round the tent flap and announced his
presence in somewhat stentorian tones - "Charles Roberts, Eastern Daily
Press, have you a chair for me ?" at which the Floyd leapt to his feet
as if stung, gushing - "Mr. Roberts, sir, how wonderful to see you,
please step this way..."
Unfortunately by this time, a very large crowd had turned up, and no
chairs were obviously available. Not to be beaten, however, our man, in
a fit of extraordinary sacrifice, comandeered the chair on which his
seventy year old grandmother-in-law had up to that point been
comfortably seated, and presented it, with much grovelling, to the
unabashed gentleman of the press. Of such episodes are good reviews
made.
Visit the website of 'The Common Lot' and see all the details of the re-worked show presented in 1999, the 450th anniversary of the rebellion.
With the approach of winter we turned to darker matters, and the inspiration of Ian Brownlie. Although a novice playwright, with the enthusiasm of the company behind him, and the talents of ex stand up comedienne and actress, Helen Moore as director, he forged ahead with his tale of dysfunctional relationships.
The press release said:-
Iris is a psychological drama dealing with love, jealousy, betrayal, sex and death. Two men fight for the love of one woman. Vic, the husband, unemployed, angry, his life disintegrating around him. Julian, the lover, successful, talented, confident. Both obsessed by the vision of Iris, the flower, the window on their soul.
And through it all runs the brooding presence of Shakespeare's great tragedy, Macbeth, its haunting imagery exerting its terrible influence on their lives.
From the pen of Ian Brownlie and the rehearsal rooms of Crude Apache comes a dark fairy tale, a classic tragedy for our time.
The cast was:-
Helen Moore wrote in her programme notes:
"The first I heard of this was when I met Ian along Magdalen Street, and he informed me he had written a play.
On reading the first draft one could be mistaken for thinking this is a nineties kitchen sink drama, but there is much more. This is a highly emotionally charged piece of work, exploring the highs and lows of human nature. It is delivered in an original style, compassing symbolism, poetic dialogue and macabre references to Macbeth. Ian writes from the heart, a personal account of love, infidelity and death. A disturbing drama, which will strike a chord with us all."Helen Moore, director.
We started rehearsing the play as the first scenes were being written, but things did not go smoothly. The rehearsal space we were using, upstairs in Waterloo park pavillion, is a large, exposed room with many large windows. We had used it in the summer for Kett, and at that time had managed to get on the wrong side of the local yobs. They took delight in smashing the windows, and we took delight in chasing them off, which was fine when we were rehearsing in daylight with maybe 10 or 12 people, some armed with pikestaffs and clubs. However, in the dark of winter, with 4 or 6 people, this behaviour became much more serious and disruptive.
In a way, this problem focussed the actors on the darkness and fear within the play, and the fact that the window was a central motif in the piece gave the whole thing a kind of spooky relevance. However, it was not a particularly pleasant experience, and unfortunately things were to get considerably worse.
Ian had completed about three quarters of the play when he received the sad news of the death of his mother in Scotland. Rehearsals continued as Ian went to Scotland to attend his Mothers funeral, but a week later we heard that his father had also died. Rachel Hardy, Ian's girlfriend, went up to scotland to be with him and when she returned it became obvious that the play was not going to be finished, at least, not by Ian.
We all met up and discussed the situation, and decided to go ahead with the production, finishing the play with two monologues from the lead characters, which they would write themselves.
The play went ahead at the Walter Roy Theatre, and the production itself was a success, though it met with a mixed critical reception. Ian returned in time to see the last performance.
What do we like? Pubs, comedy, theatre, football? Right, lets do a
funny, ten minute play about football in some pubs. And we also did a
really stupid version of a Christmas Carol, as it was Xmas. Pub theatre
was a big success for us, and a lot of fun to do.
The landlord of one of the pubs in which we performed, the Alexandra Tavern was having a legal battle with his landlords, Grand Metropolitan, and so, in March 1995, we did...
Biggy Smalls & His Battle Against The Forces Of Oppression
"Tiny" Little is the landlord of the Alexandra Tavern
, one of our favourite watering holes here in the fabled city of
Norwich, in 1986 he signed a renewable lease with the Courage brewery...
November, 1990: Tiny applies to renew the lease.As the Alex was one of our favourite pubs, we felt it would be a good idea to commemorate Tiny's battle with a piece of pub theatre, which we performed in the Alex and several other Norwich pubs.
February, 1991: Grand Metropolitan write to say that they are now the property agents, that the original lease will not be honoured, and that the rent is nearly trebled.
March 1991: Tiny, with financial support from the NLVA (National Liscenced Victuallers Association) issues a writ in the High Court demanding that Grand Met honour the original agreement.
May, 1992: NLVA goes bust (oops)
November 1992: Tiny receives a copy of "White Knight", a confidential Grand Met policy document. Although only Tiny and Grand Met know what is contained within this document, we can safely assume that it is quite incriminating.
May, 1993: Tiny's solicitor tries to use the document in court. GrandMet obtain a high court injunction to prevent him using it, with costs of £10,000 against Tiny. (To this day he is still not allowed to disclose what was contained in the document.)
December, 1993: In the High Court, Mr. Justice Ferris rules "with regret" That GrandMet are entitled to refuse to renew the lease. Tiny complains to the police that a document used in the hearing contained a forgery of his signature. Tiny appeals.
May 1994: Tiny's solicitors pull out due to lack of funds.
June 1994: Tiny represents himself in the High Court, and GrandMet obtain a sequestration order transferring of all of Tiny's assetts to their ownership. Using funds raised through an appeal in the trade press, Tiny appoints a new legal team.
November 1994: A new hearing in the High Court, and justice is finally served, Tiny wins.
In the last couple of years, Tiny has been awarded costs, and has now bought the freehold of the pub.
The cast was:
Biggy Smalls: Tom Carver
Rita: Amanda Leeds
First Drinker/Justice Cockle-Carrot: Peta Morrant
Second Drinker/Sir Tristram Posh-Bastard: Duncan Jack
First Machine: Kathy Floyd
Second Machine: Lee Foley
Written & Directed by Jo Edye
Squeeze Box: Liz Holder
Bhodhran: Ian Hawthorn
Following the success of '1549, the story of Kett's rebellion', Norwich theatre company Crude apache comes to this years "Theatre in the Parks" season with another bright, original, song laden production.'Nature's Gentleman' is the story of Billy Bluelight - one of old Norwich's best loved and most affectionately remembered characters. Many can still remember Billy's pre-war exploits peddling 'Natures Beauty' and Dr. Leach's miracle cough cure on the streets of the city and, most famously, delighting the Sunday crowds racing the Bramerton and Yarmouth pleasure steamers.
An array of extraordinary characters pass through his life from his early start in the filth and poverty of the old Norwich slums, through the upheaval and excitement of the move to the new council estate¹s to his death in 1949 at shipmeadow hospital.
This is a play about Norwich and one of it's most enduring and unlikely heroes. A heart-warming tale of love, loyalty and laughter.
The cast was:
Billy: Karl Minns
Liza Cullum, his mother: Helen Moore
Ellen Cullum / Alice / the Matron: Saff Edye
Margaret Cullum / Bethany Brown / Martha Bly: Harriet Johnson
Gerald / Tom Green: Duncan Jack
Tibia / Janey: Kathryn Floyd
Amy Lock / Vera Price: Mary Gould
Old Jo / the Boat Captain: Owen Evans
George / Smothers: Lee Foley
Moses / Stan Cotton: Jon Croose
Prompo / Dr. Leach: Peta Morant
Constable Carver / J.J. Colman / Harry:Dave Popkin
And the production team:
Sets & Properties.....designed & constructed by Peta Morant & Saff Edye, with help from Lee Foley & Paul McNeil
Costumes.....by the Cast, with Saff Edye & Kathryn Floyd
Stage Manager.....Anna Reid
Publicity & Programme.....Jo Edye & Tom Carver
Photography.....Mike Askew
Music.....all music written by Bill Jones, song lyrics by Karl Minns
The Band.....Bill Jones, Pip Cartwright, Caroline Davidson, Sian Croose, Ian Brownlie, Tom Carver
Written by.....Karl Minns, Simon Floyd & Kathryn Floyd
Directed by.....Simon Floyd & Kathryn Floyd
Simon, Kathy and Karl, the writers, wrote in their programme notes:
Though Billy Bluelight died less than 50 years ago his name is inextricably woven into Norwich folklore - he was a legend long before his death in 1949.And another great review:
When we decided to delve into his life to tell his story we thought it would be easy. We placed an appeal in the Evening News and the phone calls and letters duly came flooding in.
It soon became apparent, however, that we were getting knotted in contradictions and inconsistencies, and nothing was providing the answers we were seeking. His early life was proving especially difficult to pin down. Not even Billy's closest living relatives could shed much light.
In the end we decided to take what facts we knew to be true, mix them with what we may safely assume and add a hefty spoonful of imaginative conjecture.
The result, therefore, may not be entirely correct in fact but we hope it is true to the spirit of this simple and extraordinary man who is remembered with such great affection by those who knew him.
Sympathetic and moving tribute to great character
A much loved Norwich character is being honoured in Norwich this week in a play all about him.
Billy Bluelight died in 1949 and is brought to life by Karl Minns' sympathetic and moving portrait of an eccentric whose courtesy and kindness made him hugely popular.
Mr. Minns, who co-authored the piece, Nature's Gentleman-the Story of Billy Bluelight, with Simon & Kathryn Floyd, plays him for real while others take a broader approach. Jon Croose and Peta Morrant, for instance, are great music hall turns as Moses and Prompo.
The mix works well and the songs, accompanied by a five piece band, are of the tuneful, infectious kind.Directed by the two Floyds it is also a strong, sleek and imaginative production that should do a power of good for the reputation of the company and outdoor theatre. The sequence with Billy racing the boats to Great Yarmouth is a delightful piece of fantasy.
Part of the production is social history because Billy's background was the sprawling filth and povgerty of the Norwich slums during the latter half of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
And yet, as we see in Helen Moore's equally real portrait of his mother, you could miss being part of a heaving, steaming mass of humanity. She didn't really want to leave the yard! And when she did it saddened her not to know the people passing by.
The heart of the piece is Billy's relationship with his mother. She questions why he doesn't marry. When she dies he is devastated.
Look out for it in other Norwich open spaces.Neville Miller, Eastern Evening News
As Christmas approached, our obsession with football and pubs once
again gripped us.
With Norwich City
F.C now struggling in the first division, we felt a tribute to our
under-acheiving football team was in order.
And a pub panto was the way to do it.
The title of the piece is in recognition of Norwich City's
extraordinary terrace song, 'On The Ball, City'.