Treading the Boards at The Stables
STUART BAILLIE
In the coming months I’m going to be writing about The Stables – Hastings’ vibrant and exciting theatre and art gallery down in The Bourne.
This won’t just be another ‘…and next week you can see…’ preview and review column. What I hope to explain is the breadth and depth of what is not just a thriving theatre but also an art gallery, with quirky exhibitions from a range of artists, and in addition a meeting place for community groups.
Like many others, we’d driven past the theatre so many times thinking, “we must go there.” but never did. Then I met Stables’ Chairman Neil Sellman, and his infectious enthusiasm drew me in. Neil leads a team with passion for what they do, all of whom are volunteers; something that many believe gives the theatre its unique atmosphere.
The Stables opened in 1959 and HRH The Queen Mother opened the new extension in 1979. While some of the biggest names in theatre and entertainment have appeared on on its stage, treading those boards week in, week out are local people for whom performing is a passion. The Stables has a reputation for the quality of its productions: that’s not just down to those we see on stage, but there’s also a technical team working with directors designing and building sets, working out the lighting design and crafting the sound, which might be ‘background’ music or something more technical – special effects, for example, that need to be delivered with absolute precision alongside an actor’s dialogue.
Every weekend, and most evenings, you’ll find the teams for upcoming shows learning lines, rehearsing and working with the technical team and all the backroom workers without whose input the magic could not happen.
In the last month I’ve been spending time with those involved in this month’s 60th anniversary run of Joe Orton’s sexy and subversive Entertaining Mr Sloane. I’ve sat in with the team putting together Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, and been there at the first meeting where Every Brilliant Thing was being discussed. It is casting in March and will take to the stage in May.
So I hope the prospect of this column excites you as much as it does me, as we explore all that needs to be considered when planning a show. Now I just need to check where I’ve put my tickets for tonight’s performance of Harvest – I’ll tell you how that went next time.
stablestheatre.co.uk
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