And they lived happily ever after...

First things first - Merry Christmas to all our Mutabilitie fans, friends and performers!
Our Everyday Fairytales project came to an end on Sunday, just before the Christmas festivities began, with a fantastic finale.

We've even enjoyed proof of our impact upon the city. We've had people come up to us to ask where the street theatre they'd seen the flyers of was taking place. We've had people randomly contact Holly to ask where to be and when. And we've enjoyed entertaining everyone who's stopped to watch or simply passed by.

I also noticed a transformation in our performers' approach towards our outings. On our first performance back at the beginning of the month we were all of us nervous, not knowing what to expect and coping by focusing on our work.


By Sunday's performance we hit the streets with confidence and an attitude that got us noticed. We knew the reactions we might receive - we'd faced most of them in previous excursions. Our inhibitions had been stripped - as performers we lay bare to all who took notice and we revelled in the experience. We not only took our work seriously, we also took a true pleasure in the absurdity of it all.

For anyone who wants to know how our story ended - here's the final part!

The Prince, having seen his father and faithful servant both murdered by the Winter Queen and her Ice Henchmen, returns to his kingdom from which he had been banished.

There, with his true love the Summer Queen, he finds the Winter Queen and her minions. Whilst the henchmen make their way towards his love, the Prince focuses on battling the Winter Queen.

The Summer Queen melts the Ice Henchmen with the love and warmth bestowed upon her and her kingdom. The mortal Prince is meanwhile struggling to fight the power of the Winter Queen.

The Summer Queen renews his strength with her love and power, giving him the determination and energy to overpower the Winter Queen, finally wrenching her face from her wintery head. She is weakened and dies.

Gathering their spirits, the Prince and the Summer Queen make their way to a safe haven, where the Summer Queen's courtiers join them.



The Prince is crowned as the rightful King and everyone celebrates.

So thank you to everyone who helped us with this project. It came off brilliantly and we learnt so much from it. If anyone saw our performances and would like to comment on them - please do on our messageboard. We're keen to get any feedback.

Here's to a very happy 2008!

The story so far...

Before our final performance tomorrow, a quick recap for anyone wishing to join us of the story so far...

The benevolent King rules the land with his young, irresponsible son the Prince not quite willing to take on the duties of royalty. Why be responsible when you can lark about?

The evil Winter Queen has her cold heart set on ruling the King's land.

She lures him into a trap before killing him.

In his pursuit of fun and frolics, the Prince had been oblivious to his father's death. On discovering this he is held back from danger by his trusted Wolf Servant. The Winter Queen banishes him from the kingdom.

The Prince embarks upon a quest to win back his father's kingdom. As he sets out across the wild land he encounters some mischievious Tree Imps who harrass him with their curious ways. He uses his cunning to make his way past by distracting them but is parted from his Wolf Servant in the process.

Now alone, he sees the Temptress. She captivates his impressionable heart with her seductive charms until he discovers her brandishing a dagger to his chest. He is able to overpower her and moves on, learning to be careful of who he trusts.

Finally our Prince's path is blocked by the Keeper. Using a new-found strength and ingenuity, the Prince fights off the Keeper who then honours him by letting him past.

Meanwhile, having realised the Prince may well return to seek revenge, the Winter Queen sends out her Ice Henchmen to follow the Prince and kill him.

Back on his journey, the Prince has finally made his way to the Summer Queen's abode where he makes his way through protective Summer Courtiers to discover the Summer Queen herself. The two fall in love and she agrees to help him in his quest.

The Prince is reunited with his loyal Wolf Servant who then meets the Summer Queen but they have been followed by the Ice Henchmen. The Wolf Servant encourages the lovers to flee whilst he stands guard ready to see off the threat.

The Summer Queen and Prince watch on helpless at a distance as the Ice Henchmen move in on the Wolf Servant. His bravery is no match for their power and with an icy chill they kill him.

So, what will happen in our final part of the story tomorrow? Come to Kings Parade in Cambridge tomorrow from 4pm, then to Parker's Piece afterwards to find out!

Socialising skills

On Sunday evening, Holly and I got into the festive spirit at the ADeC Christmas party. All dressed up in our sparkliest clothes, we attended our first networking bash as a pair to promote Mutabilitie theatre company.

I'd like to recommend the venue for this get-together - the Babylon Gallery in Ely. Not many people know of this haven for artists and artistic types. It houses the work of some of the local area's most vibrant and exciting artists - a selective collection worthy of a visit for sure. Located by the picturesque river, just a short walk from the Maltings theatre and with some lovely waterside pubs nearby, it's a great place for a Sunday afternoon stroll. Had Holly and I had more time, I'm sure we could've spent the whole afternoon there ourselves.

We joined the room of chattering sounds, bright artworks and smiling faces. Picking up one cranberry juice and one orange (we know, we must calm down our wild partying ways!) we began to let some really rather lovely people know about the wonder that is Mutabilitie.

Amongst those we spoke to were ADeC Director Jane Wilson and Events Manager Nathan Jones.

Nathan seemed fascinated by our Everyday Fairytales and hopes to come watch one of our last performances during his Christmas shopping. We can't wait to see you there Nathan! And having heard of our escapades, Jane enquired into our walkabout talents. It turns out the ever-popular Strawberry Fair needs a team of entertainers. Reflecting on our recent experiences we believe we could do a fine job! So another project may well be on its way!

Both kind souls seemed very interested in Beowulf. Thanks to the scale and depth of this piece, it is sure to be the most exciting project yet for the company. And Holly's plans for our Edinburgh Fringe play were helped by both Nathan and Jane's suggestions. We'll be letting you know more details of this asap.

So, with a productive year almost behind us we're now looking forward to a very promising 2008 ahead.

A Hat-trick!

I'm at a loss to know how we managed it. Somehow on Saturday our little team performed three times in the space of three hours across Cambridge - from Trinity Street to Cambridge Leisure. But how on earth did we do it?! Join me as I reflect on a busy afternoon to find an answer...

We at Mutabilitie like to keep busy but this afternoon was more manic than most! Driving my over-stuffed polo into town, I wasn't sure how to get the costume bundles currently nesting on the backseat of my car from the car park to our makeshift dressing room at Heffers, let alone manage the whole schedule of events that afternoon.

We owe everything to our willing volunteers. The real stars of this whole adventure, Andy, Paul, Rob, Matt and photographer Carl kept us going on Saturday. We're so indebted to them, I'm not convinced the chocolates and biscuits we keep giving them is payment enough.

So to Heffers we made it, changing in the underground warrens of the store before Holly, Radha and Radha's talented friend ventured upstairs to perform. Radha's haunting melodies told of Hans Christian Anderson fairytales. Accompanied by Matt and Paul on harmonica and percussion, the three songstresses did a fantastic job.

While this was going on overground, underground (wobbling free) were the rest of us. When Holly returned we headed to Hobson's Passage for the next phase of our cunning plan.

With delicate ballet movements, Max, Ellie, Holly and I took on the physicality of Summer Queen and courtiers. We handed out flowers to passers-by to signify love and warmth. Most people thought we wanted money in return: an example of the scepticism rife in our culture but that's another blog/rant altogether!

Our Prince discovered the Summer Queen and the two fell in love, shown through tender contact work. We think this made a decent impression - some outspoken young people yelled in our general direction that we looked like we were from Strictly Come Dancing. I'll gladly take this as a sign my costume makes me look like Kelly Brook...although Chris is far more talented than Brendan Cole.

Meanwhile Jared, our crowd-pleasing Wolf Butler, had taken his place at Cambridge Leisure park. We made our way there and whilst the Summer courtiers transformed into Ice Henchmen in the dressing rooms of the Junction Shed, the Prince and Summer Queen joined Wolf Butler outside.

The atmosphere of this expansive area took us by surprise; it proved to be the perfect setting. The modern landscape was a blank page upon which we could paint our scene and the people who walked by were in no rush, happy to stand and watch our movements for a few minutes. So Chris and I showed off our contact work and Jared sniffed around small children, to their delight. And once the Ice Henchmen appeared, even more spectacle drew the crowds in.

With our brave Wolf Butler's death, we had aimed to bring a dark shade to our fairytale and comments from crowds showed we'd succeeded. The cause of death may've only been mild-strangulation by icy ribbons but was sufficiently gruesome for people to feel real concern.

As we regrouped to shed our fairytale attire, the mood was bright, festive and optimistic - a stark contrast to that of the beginning of the afternoon! As a team, we'd made it through a challenging day, coming closer in the process and provided some onlookers with some festive entertainment on a bitterly cold December afternoon.

Holly and I are learning all the time during this project. We can see when our planning works and when it is stretched. We can see when we take on too much and how to make things more simple. We can also see that the busiest places are not always the best in which to perform; a captive audience will only be captive if they have the time to be. And perhaps, next time, we will invest in thermal underwear for all cast members.

We're continuing to bring a little magic to the cold streets of Cambridge. And to see faces like these, it's all worth it...

More Mutabilitie...

Just a couple more pictures to show you what last Wednesday was like before we embark on our next late-night shopping excursion tomorrow evening.

Whilst Holly and Toby were playing chess as Icewoman and green Keeper, Chris and I as Prince and Summer Queen made our way to the Market Square to show off our contact work (beautiful dance skills, most of which is down to Chris' fantastic strength and balance) with some stunning scenery.


It may've been extremely cold but it was worth it. Our terrific friend and photographer Carl Fletcher came along to capture some sweet moments although his evil arch-nemesis aka The Darkness (as in lack of sunlight, not the band) caused him a few difficulties. Still, with his talent, he managed to produce these gorgeous images.


So we'll be back in Cambridge city centre tomorrow evening. This time Holly, Max and I will be prowling around to entertain, excite and possibly confuse a few late-night Christmas shoppers. Who knows what we'll get up to this time! Look out for three oddly-dressed fairytale characters whilst you're grabbing those last few Chirstmas presents from the shelves...

Juxtaposed!

Well, Wednesday evening was memorable! Dressed in all our finery, Holly, Toby, Chris and I took to the streets of Cambridge - poor Jared had caught a chill from our first performance so was sensibly taking it easy at home. So the four of us strode out in character to make an impression.

And I think we did. Whilst Chris and I, as heroic Prince and Summer Queen, made our way to the Market Square to dance amidst the Christmas lights, Holly and Toby (aka Ice Henchwoman and the green Keeper)headed to Starbucks in Borders. Having ordered coffee silently with the use of a chalk and slate, the two sat down to a game of chess. We then met up in a bar to play a silent card game gambling with gem stones and trinkets. A fantasy world fully formed in some rather everyday locations. What a juxtaposition.


Hats off to Holly's innovative direction, we each had aninstruction to hold onto when our improv inspiration ran a little dry. Princely Chris searched on an old, sepia-toned map, Toby could 'block' any street with his impressive stature and I would look lovingly at red shoes in the shop windows.

Now I'm fascinated at people's reactions to what we're doing. During our daytime performances so far we've had young teenage girls applaud loudly, young teenage boys shout unmentionables at us, we've had little children stare in awe and wonder and parents smile broadly. Adults alone will usually either do their best to ignore us or smile in a confused but intrigued manner.


With Wednesday evening's frolics being past most children's bedtimes (and mine really in all honesty!) and with a sparser cast we really had nowhere to hide. As a performer it was heart-pounding but we soon found out we had to throw ourselves into it to see where it lead.

The more we engaged with people, the more they seemed to respond positively (a flyer explaining things seemed to help!). The more confidence with which we hold ourselves the stronger the impact. Sticking together as a team seemed to show it's a performance although seeing the reaction to a lone performer is fascinating as well. It is so rewarding to see any reaction on people's faces, positive, scared, confused, whatever: Cambridge has a reputation for being rather reserved so to get the people of the city responding in any way is exciting.

This project is something captivating, something absurd, something DIFFERENT. It's worth being excited about.

Mid-week fun

So usually by a Wednesday morning, the initial post-Sunday rehearsal rush of note-making and emailing Holly with absurd questions and suggestions has subsided and "normal life" of work and responsibility has resumed...

But this week, the vivid fantasy world of Everyday Fairytales is still very much at the forefront of my mind. And I'm smiling all the more for that.

Tomorrow evening Holly, Jared, Toby, Chris and I will be 'freestyling' it in Cambridge City Centre from 6.30pm - possibly in the warmth of Lion's Yard although we've yet to hear from the relevant people regarding that. I'm hoping very much we're positioned there as I will be dressed as the Summer Queen and Holly will be my Summer Courtier and, well, Summer Queens and courtiers really don't dress for winter...

Wherever we are, we will take a break from telling our Everyday Fairytale to get back to the basics of total improv. Neither we nor the audience know what will happen - we may end up attempting to purchase things from shops in our silent performance state or we may end up dancing and interacting with the crowds. Madness it may be but it certainly beats sitting at home watching Hollyoaks!

So why not join us? Hopefully we'll brighten a few people's evenings whilst they do the mad pre-Christmas late night shop. Personally I've resorted to mail order and online shopping this year - every time I'm in the city centre I'm dressed like a fantasy character and I'm mute, which makes Christmas shopping a bit harder. Maybe tomorrow evening we'll give it a go...

The performance - Part One

A quick post tonight, as I have come down with a bad cold after all that running around outside at the weekend and badly need some sleep. From the look of the photos taken, though, it was worth it -A little girl looks in wonderment at Radha's Winter Queen.People stare as Toby passes by.

And the actors are applauded by two girls who passed us by on their way to the Grafton Centre then stopped and watched on the way back.

And to give you some idea of the actual performance, here's one of Chris as the Prince and Jared as his wolf servant trying to reach the King as he lies dying (cheering stuff):More to come soon from other members of the company...

A brief interlude

We had our first proper performance of 'Everyday Fairytales' today, which was... odd. But I'm waiting to receive the photos from the splendid Carl, who among many other lovely people braved the wet and cold to help us out, before writing too much about it. More to come on that front.

I thought that I'd write instead about a show I went to see last night - Punchdrunk's 'The Masque of the Red Death' at the Battersea Arts Centre. Punchdrunk are, to quote their website, a company that 'creates a theatrical environment in which the audience are free to choose what they watch and where they go'. They take over spaces - in this case the BAC (who knew it had so many rooms?) - and transform them into alternate worlds where the audience - masked for anonymity - can explore the space or follow the actors, thereby eradicating the 'fourth wall' and encouraging active audience participation. Last year they took the theatre scene by storm with their production of 'Faust', based on the man who sells his soul to the devil. This year they're doing 'Masque of the Red Death', which is 'inspired by the short stories of Edgar Allen Poe'.

It's certainly atmospheric. The moment you enter you're pushing through thick drapes lit only by sparse candlelight, forced to move slowly in case you trip. Smoke and dim lights are the order of the day in this building, and my goodness it's huge. Opium dens; perfume shops; attics; wine cellars; tiny, claustrophobic spaces hidden behind fireplaces... this production presents you with a world and an atmosphere and tells you to be brave. The actors use the space as if it were a circus ring, dangling each other over banisters, levering themselves up doorways and throwing themselves around with astounding energy and bravery. I'm ashamed to say that on more than one occassion I found the producer side of my brain wondering how much the insurance cost.

I didn't get much sense of a story - I was too slow to keep up with many of the actors, and wasn't lucky enough to be one of those spectators grabbed by them to accompany them on their next journey. However, at the end of the evening a bell summoned us to a huge ballroom - complete with Phantom of the Opera organ pipes - where an acrobatic dance was performed to my favourite piece of classical music - Dance Macabre. Watching the actors spinning over each other's heads and leaping with abandon into each other's arms was breathtaking. I didn't even mind very much that I had missed experiencing the build-up to this astounding climax.

Very sexy, very beautiful, and very eerie. More 'live art' than theatre, I felt, but if you can get hold of a ticket it's worth every penny.

It was also interesting for me from a Mutabilitie point of view. We want to explore the boundaries of theatre; mixing art forms together and using unusual spaces, and this did that superbly. I think that I would choose to concentrate on story more, but perhaps that's taking a limited view of what performance should be. A thought provoking evening, and one I won't forget in a hurry.

[in case you would like to know more about Punchdrunk, you can visit their website at http://www.punchdrunk.org.uk]

An odd sort of shopping trip

So I'm going into Cambridge tomorrow to rummage through charity shops and costume places for the final bits and pieces for 'Everyday Fairytales'. I made out a list of everything I need to find. Below is a trunkated version of some of the wackiest:

Prosthetic glue
Red corsets x 2
Leg warmers
Green hair spray
Pointy ears x 8
Thick brown socks x 3
A beard

I think that speaks for itself...

And below is another photo from Sunday's rehearsal, just because:

It's blurry because I'm still getting used to the new camera. Radha as the Snow Queen (in mask), Chris as the Prince, and Max playing Toby's part (the dead King) very effectively I think.

The Day after the Night Before

...or something like that.
The day after rehearsals for 'Everyday Fairytales' has traditionally gone something like this:
1. Rehearsal photos are posted on Facebook.
2. Everyone makes witty comments about said photos.
3. Juliette emails me lots of ideas and questions arising from rehearsal.
4. I realise how much still has to be done.
Today 3 and 4 came before 1 and 2, as I have just got back from a long day of reading scripts for Menagerie Theatre Company (I work there part time as their 'Literary Associate' - sounds a lot more glamorous than it actually is) and attending meetings for Horseshoe Theatre Company (for whom I'm directing a devised piece at the Round Church next Easter), and am just beginning to download photos from my father's snazzy new camera. We got some lovely shots, and some embarrassing ones too (in one episode I play a snake-like 'temptress', and we rehearsed my scene with Chris yesterday - it's very hard pretending to seduce your good friend of eight years!). We also got this photo of Radha's son Manu, who brought his play-dough to rehearsal and was generally adored by all of us:
So much for 1 and 2. As for 3 - Juliette always reminds me of all the things that I think of during rehearsal and neglect to jot down. Such as - how characters are going to 'appear' on Christs Pieces or how any characters that may or may not die (I'm trying not to ruin Saturday's show for anyone who may be coming along!) will be transported to a 'backstage' area. And more often than not, I find it's the simplest solution that is the best.
But, as ever, there's always tonnes to be done still before the opening performance. We're several costumes short of a full wardrobe, so I'm going to be spending my Friday hunting around charity shops for grey coats, and picking out leaves and twigs from my garden to go into tree imps' hair (the actors are going to love that). But I know it will all get done in the end.
It's not just 'Everyday Fairytales' that's all go go go. 'Beowulf' launched last weekend and we're now into the beginning stages of marketing, as the lovely Janet Cornish - secretary of the Cambridge Preservation Society - has been in touch asking for blurb for various newsletters. And the script is well underway: we had two extracts read by local actors Gary Mackay, Matt Brown and Juliette at the launch and got some very positive and constructive feedback on them. Now to write the rest of the script!

Revamp!

At last the new website is up and running, just a week before the first proper performance of 'Everyday Fairytales' (our first 'non-proper' performance was as part of the Christmas Lights Parade in November, where we did some movement in the Grafton Centre and were rewarded by large crowds and a number of rowdy children chasing Jared in his wolf's costume).
We had our final rehearsal this afternoon. I'm usually very stressed on such occassions but today I was remarkably calm. Possibly this has something to do with the fact that 'Everyday Fairytales' is basically improvised physical theatre, so it's good for me to let go instead of trying to choreograph every move in minute detail. With this project the spontaneity of the movement is very important.
Then after rehearsal some of us went on to CB2 - a wonderful little cafe/restaurant on Norfolk Street with a basement that new writing company WriteOn! use for their series of rehearsed readings. Juliette had written and was acting in a very powerful monologue - I was blown away by the ideas behind the piece. And she says she isn't a writer!