Rural Touring in The North of Eng- land

Pieces from the diary Rural touring in The North of England

Sue Robinson, a co-ordinator of International Village Of Culture [IVOC] had seen Akseli Klonk performing the play 3 Bears and 1 Goldielocks in Viljandi, Estonia in the year 2007. Since then there had been some correspondence between our office and Sue, and later on with the IVOC Showcase Programmer Gail Ferrin, that led to our participation in the IVOC Showcase and Conference in Durham and rural touring in the North of England.

Wednesday 25.3.2009

We had brought our props well packed to the airport a couple of days earlier, and now the most exciting part was to get the weird-shaped objects through the check-in and in to the plane. Somehow we worked it out without tears and after one change in Amsterdam we arrived on Manchester on a same plane as the props did. We landed quite late and after our tour manager Jai had picked us up with his huge van and driven us to our accommodation, we were wery tired. Still we needed to experience some Indian food with our tour-promoter Sue, her husband and a couple of their friends. After this great meal we were ready to fall in to our big fat beds.

Thursday 26.3

We arrived at the Boo (Horse and Bamboo Theatre) centre about three hours before our showtime, and the boys made a runthrough of the 3 Bears and one Goldielocks.We set up the lights and I got to know the sound-equipment and the control-booth, because I was doing the sounds for Jouni’s solo-performance Four skillful Brothers. The audience seemed to enjoy the the shows and we got som good feedback from our new poet writer-friend and some other people. The puppetmaker of the Horse and Bamboo center gave us a tour in her workshop, showed us their puppets and properties and told us about the history of the theatre. I was suprised that it was only six years earlier when they had given up their horsewagons that they used to do their tours with. Interesting masks, puppets, props and stuff and a great working space for the puppetmaker.

Friday 27.3

Woke up early in my own suite. The bed was so thick and soft that I sank in it and boiled like an egg all night long. I burned a few toasts for breakfast,went for a walk and took some pictures of the sheep and lambs that cattled in the field right next to our cottage. Then we set up the set for Fish in the Woods in our living room and, according to Janne’s idea started to practice the play,with acoustic music. Tommi and Mikko played the mandolin and balalaika from The play 3 Bears and 1 Goldielocks, and so we got a breath of traditional russian folk musik into our traditional Russian fairytale, which was great. So we practiced and did some changes to get the rhythm right to fit the new music and soundscape that we also took part in new ways. There was some stage-fever in the air when we drove to New Longton and parked outside the village hall. The audience and we performed our shows and got feedback, that we spoke very understandable english, but with a very funny accent. When our hostess was chatting with the audience she also asked the kids, if anyone knew where this foreign group comes from...one of the kids pointed at the door where we arrived to the stage and said ”They come from there”. It was a cracker.

Saturday 28.march

I had a nightmare that included several sheep and was somekind of an awful version of Orwell’s Animal Farm. I think I’m having an overdose of cute animals, and if this dream should have reruns over the next couple of nights, I’d be ready for my kebab. Still like a daredevil I went for another walk right after breakfast, but took Jouni and Mikko as a back up. The weather seems to be very interesting: one moment it rains, the next it shines and then what do we have, well, rain again. And some serious wind, blowing from several directions. Today it was supposed to snow, but luckily there were no sings of that, because in here where no one has wintertires the traffic gets totally jammed with just two inches of snow. The next place was called Seghill, a small village with obviously a bit restless neighbourhood, because we needed to bring all of our staff from the car to the house we were performing in. However the people were friendly,and the snack we had was a booster. This time we had quite small and intimate show, with an audience of approximately 30 persons. Cosy situation for

The Barbour Institute, Tattenhall Nr Chester

us,but it came clear that our tour manager Jai had been used to a bit bigger audiences.He had mainly been working with renowned rock-bands and had even had some Finnish customers earlier...a band called Hanoi Rocks. So I think that we were a piece of cake for him to look after...

Sunday 29.march

We travelled, for about 3,5 hours and ended up in Tattenhall, North Chester. We got a royal supper with coffee cake and queen Victoria’s cake for dessert.We felt very welcome. We set the lights, which was a bit of a show it self. Jouni needed to climb up on this quite shaky ladder. And then there were some problems with the transformer, so we only had four spots to work with. Luckily we found some orange-shaded bath for the beam, so we got to create some warmth to the spacious stage. We started out the two parted show this time with Fish in the woods. It was amusing and odd to notice that our audience was drinking beer and wine during our play. One fellow even looked a bit passed-out. Majority of the people were following the play very intensively and after the half time and second round the 3 Bears woke up even the sleepy fellow with his beercan. After the shows we spent a while with our pleased and chatty audience. There even was this one fellow wrapped in Finnish flag, who had spent a lot of time in Helsinki because his father had worked as an embassador there for several years.

Monday 30.March

We packed ourselves in the van and left to Durham, where the conference was held. We were stayin at ST Aidans college student accommodation, in the top of an enormous hill we got to climb several times during our stay.

Tuesday 31.Marc

We slept through breakfest and went to see the town in daylight. Came back to the campus at 2pm. Took part in this welcome gathering where the event organicers introduced themselves and the two groups: National Rural Touring Forum [NRTF] and International Village of Culture [IVOC] that had made this conference and our tour happen. So there were going to be meetings where we all could speak out and say what we thought of the tours, what kind of improvements should be done and how we all could make cultural exchange work better. Then we saw two products of cultural exchange, both were works in progress: we saw UK and South Africa co-work that mixed drama, dance, rhythm,s torytelling and singing. The other one was made by people from France and UK, and it was a mixture of physical theatre, comedy, music and animation. It started with this crazy-looking illusionist ”hypnotising” us and making his head grow smaller and bigger with an illusion made with drilling machine and a spiral drawn on to a round cardboard.

Wednesday 1.April

After breakfest Jai picked us up and we drove over the Penines, A croup of mountains, using these narrow roads with tough turns and scary edges. Jai was a very good driver and it was one of the many times that we send our thanks to Sue for providing him for our help. So we arrived to Croglin and set everything up. After having a meal in our hostess’ lovely little cottage we walked back to the villagehall. This time there were a big crowd coming, a buss full of teenagers. So the boys switched the gears a bit, let loose with the 3 Bears etc. They started the show by joking around with the windows, Jouni came in from one and the teens loved them playing it rough.

Thursday 2.April

Started the morning with mingling with some conference guests and took part with the rest of the group to this meeting with the promoters. The gathering was called Making international work reality and it was time for cultural actives from all over England and world even to talk with people performing and touring to find out what kind of arrangements it takes to get foreign performers to visit. Then our new driver Margaret,took us to Hamsterley Village Hall. Tonight the audience was going to be mainly the people from the conference, but we set some little chairs too and hoped for some ”real audience also”. Had another home-cooked meal and went to have some coffee in this local pub. Then it was time for big action: there was a bus full of people from the conference and local participants also, with the kids we had hoped for .I did the sound for Jouni from a little closet next to the stage by laying on my stomach to see but not to be seen. Then there was the interval, and the really good cookies and then there were some Bears on the stage. After cleaning up we went to the Campus Bar to meet some people and listen to live music performed by two Finnish guys!.. who who were playing folk music with three other guys from Danmark and UK. After the band had ended their set and left, the people from Estonian ja Polish folk-groups fetched their instruments and the party went on. Me and Jouni danced the night away and embarrased our selves and our company a bit, in a healthy way.

Friday 3.April

Did my last trip on Durham’s lovely public walking baths, by change broke in to Botanic Garden which was very beautiful. Then we drove off and had a dinner with the other performers in one little town’s hotel. Then Margaret drove us to our last venue in Riverside Whorlton, where we had the Fish in the Woods and of course the educational story about Goldielocks. After the show there were some unconstrained kids that wanted to see the puppets, so we showed them the bear-family and Goldielocks and chatted a bit.Then wrapped our props for the fly back home and said fairwell to the countryside. Then Margaret drove us to Manchester and left us at the Airoports Travelodge. The tour had reached its end, leaving me astonished and ready for another round anytime.

Fish in the Woods , New Longton Willage Hall.

Päivi Soini Diary edited by Timo Väntsi