I do have an excuse - we are expecting our first Mulberry Baby in September and I've been pretty constantly sick since March - and everyone else has been out of the office more or less all the time. (Cue sounds of violins!).
So, in summary:
Both Arvo and James have been touring with Stan's Cafe's new show, The Cleansing of Constance Brown. James went to the Vienna Festival with the show; and Arvo has been to the Cork Festival and will be going to the British Council Showcase in Edinburgh, accompanied by Hugh, at the end of August. There is a very strong possibility that the show will continue to tour on both a National and International basis in 2008.
The events and industry side of things have also been moving along satisfactorily, with the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner taking place in GMEX during April. Arvo also had a chance to light up the outside of the Liver Building for the opening of the Beetham West Tower in Liverpool.
New pictures of all of these have been added to the Lighting page.
For the first time in the next couple of weeks we will be sending out an email newsletter - the plan is to send it approximately quarterly. If you would like to subscribe to it to keep up date with what we've been doing, please email us.
25 July 2007
One of the things I dislike about having an e-Newsletter or page like this is that it makes the website look really neglected if it's not updated regularly - I aim to update at least once a month - but this has pretty much slipped by the wayside since March.
Gappy ...
Posted by Cheryl Keating
From next week, Arvo will be involved with Stan's Cafe's new show, The Cleansing of Constance Brown, which is due to open at the Warwick in May and then transfer to Vienna.
Our crew members have been invaluable during the last three months and have again and again proved their technical skills, their professionalism and good humour and their flexibility. A big thank you to all of them.
27 March 07
Since the New Year it feels as if we have been run off our feet. James has been selflessly giving up most of his Fridays and Saturdays for the last couple of months lighting a series of awards dinners all over the country, as well as designing visualisations and planning upcoming jobs with Arvo for events that will be taking place during the rest of the year. And in between they have designed and implemented the lighting for the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner and Arvo has been to Budapest with Stan's Cafe's 'Black Maze'.
Busy busy ...
Posted by Cheryl Keating
We are all going to miss those afternoons in the back office, better known as 'The Magazine' pub in Wallasey. Our meetings began by discussing serious, work-related things and descended in to discussing, well, anything and everything; but particularly the high quality of Mr Timothy Taylor's 'Landlord'. We hope to carry on the tradition as a mark of respect to Paul.
Arvo has got himself successfully back from the Antipodes, where the show he was lighting was very well received.
This week, he's at the Aviemore Conference Centre, Scotland.
So not much change of climate going on there, then.
6 November 06
Mulberry Grove said a tearful goodbye to Paul Arrowsmith on Friday - he was made an offer he couldn't refuse by a company who were looking for someone organise them. We wish him all the best - and are particularly envious of the 9-5 hours he'll be working.
When the lights go on again ...
Posted by Cheryl Keating
We have got our lines of communication organised and he is video calling with us via broadband and Skype to keep in touch; it's working well most of the time - when we get the time calculations correct.
We were joined at the beginning of September by James Markey, a talented technical theatre graduate and lighting designer who is bringing his remarkable skill-set to bear on Mulberry Grove's design and visualisation work. Watch this space for more of his work coming soon.
7 October 06
In many senses, it's been rather an upside down summer and beginning to the autumn. We are just about settled in the new office - who knew that there would be so much paperwork that we could actually get rid of? - and now Arvo is upside down in reality. He flew out to Australia with Stan's Cafe earlier this week to take part in Melbourne Arts Festival.
Upside down
Posted by Cheryl Keating
30 May 06
The trouble with having a newsletter is that if you don't update it regularly it looks like you don't actually have any news.
Feeling the pressure
However, our issue at the moment is that we have so much going on that we don't actually have any time to write about any of it.
Paul Arvo has been shut in a well known Manchester venue for most of May, playing with, among other things, Daleks. The rest of us have been getting periodic texts with far too many exclamation marks saying 'EXTERMINATE!!!! EXTERMINATE!!!!' at odd times of the day.
Paul Arrow has been commuting up and down to London with a rotating set of our other crew on what seems like a weekly basis rigging, operating and then de-rigging again; and has now managed to squeeze in a week off camping with his family.
So apparently there are lots of stories; they are just not mine to tell and you'll have to wait :).
Posted at: 16:42 by Cheryl Keating
02 May 06
You know how Morecombe & Wise use to share a double bed on their show. They'd wear striped pyjamas and drink tea... with endless jokes about "tea Ern?"....
Morecombe & Wise
.... well that was Arvo and I on Friday night, due to a last minute crew re-jiggle our man James stepped upto the mark and said he would help us de-rigg on Saturday morning. Meaning he had to stay over, he had my room and I had to share with Arvo... in the double bed!
So after a hard days rigging & show we down a beer, and then went to bed. For about ten minutes we sort of just sat on the bed like Morecombe & Wise, but we were watching the Soproano's... eventually we crawled in bed and fell a sleep, each taking turns to wake the other with our snoring.... it was a bit surreal...
Posted at: 14:25 by Paul Arrowsmith
20 April 06
So yesterday, amid the quotes and the waiting expense claims that I've been putting off, the phone
a difficult decision ...
goes.
It's Charlotte, the Administrator from Stans Cafe. Always good to hear from them, usually spells a long period of creative brain strain. My previous communication was last week, when James, the Director, sent me a text saying: "Am designing a new theatre space for Stan. How high should it be for lights etc.?"
With Stan it's always something, and always fun.
So after saying my hellos-and-how-are-yous to Charlotte, her opening gambit is:
"So, d'you fancy going to Australia then?"
Hmm...tricky.
Posted at: 16:49 by Paul Arvidson
13 April 06
Of course Easter can represent a lull for some in this industry. And like many, we find ourselves able to enjoy the Easter weekend.... But not before sorting the numerous quotes and technical specifications that lay across my desk. Plus I need to make sure that all my paperwork is pretty much upto date, or I'll come back in on Tuesday and immediately get a headache as I sort out where I am meant to be!
Easter Time...
Pretty much next week we hit the ground running with jobs and meetings and I like to know what's happening before it happens, not afterwards. That would be bad!
Plus I don't want to be bogged down with work when I don my "Camping Hat" and head off to the lakes with family next weekend....
Enjoy Easter.
Posted at: 14:03 by Paul Arrowsmith
13 April 06
It's always tricky writing the first post in a new newsletter.
First post!
We want to use this space to write about things that are happening to us, things coming up that are exciting us; maybe even a couple of stories that we've come across that we want to share.
We're aiming to keep the newsletter updated regularly - if you'd like us to email you when we've done so, please leave us your email address by clicking on the link below.
Leave us your email address
- Cheryl
Posted at: 13:52 by Cheryl Keating