Theatrical Blog Tour
Hey Guys!! Welcome to my stop on the Theatrical Blog Tour! I've been looking forward to this for so long! I feel so honoured that Stevie @ Usborne asked me to be a part of this! So thank you so much! <3
@usborneyashelfies
The book is out now btw! And here's the synopsis:
Hope dreams of working backstage in a theatre, and she’s determined to make it without the help of her famous costume designer mum. So when she lands an internship on a major production, she tells no one. But with a stroppy Hollywood star and his hot young understudy upstaging Hope’s focus, she’s soon struggling to keep her cool… and her secret.
My Thoughts:
I read this book back at the end of last month, and I enjoyed it so much! The characters were so wonderful and I loved seeing their journey's through the book. The Main characters Hope and Luke are so cute, and it was lovely to see their relationship develop and grow, and it seemed really natural, like how a normal new teen relationship would be. However was expecting the romance aspect to play a bigger role in the book than it ended up doing. I wanted more of them being cute together and getting to know each other more, I wanted more mush haha
The book gives such an amazing insight into the backstage of theatre productions, which is something we don't really get to see very often in books! Books that have a centre around theatre / productions seem to mostly focus on the actors rather than production. It showed me how much work and effort actually goes into big productions and it was so lovely.
My Experiences
I haven't really been to many plays/ theatre productions but I remember being part of a musical production of We Will Rock You at school back in the day! It was honestly one of the most fun things I've ever taken part in, and I would honestly love to do something like it again! It brought everyone together and we all had fun and enjoyed ourselves, and it was a great way to end the primary school era.
I didn't play a major part or anything, but it was just so fun to be part of it, and sing the songs and dance on stage. I don't know if i'd be brave enough to do it now that I'm in my 20's though! Even though it happened about 11 years ago, I still have fond memories! I think I have a cast photo around somewhere in my house too! If I manage to find it, I'll have to upload it sometime! haha
Maggie's experiences of school productions (written by Maggie):
So many actors say the first time they felt they wanted to act was when they were in school productions: I can completely understand this because something very similar happened to me. It was school productions over the years that taught me the very last place I ever wanted to be was on a stage.
In my head, you see, I’m a brilliant and talented natural actor.
In person, I am… not. And I’ve had ample chance to prove it.
Every year, my school put on what was called the “Easter concert”. Really, it was more of a variety show than a concert, and the whole school took part. Over the years I was Hyena in “How the Camel Got His Hump”, Grendel’s Mother (don’t ask), a Victorian girl who no boys wanted to dance with – talk about typecasting - and a village leader in something I don’t quite remember because I got hit by a car two days later and fractured my knee, giving new meaning to the phrase “Break a leg”. Then there was the adaptation of Roald Dahl’s “Revolting Rhymes” in which I played the starring role of Goldilocks - in head to toe black, DM boots and a blonde wig. I had about two lines, and had to fall off a chair on cue. It was not, shall we say, my best moment.
And then, a couple of years later, just as the running order to that year’s concert was being set, the drama teacher wasn’t paying attention one day and I’m ashamed to say I took complete advantage of her. Which is how I ended up writing and directing a short scene about a group of friends being attacked by a vampire, and how we put that on in front of a theatre full of teachers and the whole school’s families. Actually, I’m probably not quite as ashamed as I should be, and the only reason I’m ashamed at all is because the vampire was called “Darktooth” - which struck younger me as the perfect vampire name. Anyway: there I was, with a script I’d written in my hand, standing at the side of the stage and looking out at it – not on it, looking out at the audience – and for the first time I felt okay about being in that theatre. I felt like I knew what I was doing.
I didn’t, by the way. The whole thing was a complete shambles, and everyone was confused (the friends I’d cast and the audience) and Darktooth the vampire tripped over a mic stand on the way offstage… but I still remember what it felt like when we all bundled together in the wings, and felt like we’d made something. Because we had. Nobody – us included – quite knew what… but whatever it was, it was ours.
And I hadn’t even had to fall off a chair.
Thank you all for reading my post!
Were you ever part of a school play? If so what was it? :D
I'd love to read about some of your experiences :D
Abbie <3
