Gareth Fordred is a founding member of the faction theatre co. In the 2012 Rep Season he is playing Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Leicester in Mary Stuart and a reveller in Miss Julie.

Uncovering The Faction #7: Pride

‘‘freezing my behind off on a cold stone floor’

2 shows open.

1 bottle of whisky drank.

1 horrendous burn – from the oven branding my forearm after New Years’ steam-blowing-off.

11 cast members.

0 fatalities.

11 interval quiz topics given out.

32 ____________________ . of ____________ .

Like a dream, or some twisted out of body experience from a Hunter S Thompson novel – the first two of our three-show Rep Season are up and running.

Two completely different beasts.

In one I bear a leg calliper and yellow stockings, in the other a sharp Elizabethan-edged boardroom business suit. I can’t see how they could aesthetically be more disparate.

So . My evil goblin overlords will want me to mention our reviews by name and number.

4 Stars – The Guardian – Mary Stuart

4 Stars – The Independent – Twelfth Night

3 Stars – The Times – Twelfth Night

There are more on their way. I started the week not wanting to know about any reviews. I think they turn your head, stop you focussing on what really matters, staring the person on stage with you into the wall. I mean, if they’re bad – you start questioning what you’ve been doing for the last four weeks just on one other human beings opinion. If they’re good – you can get cocky and lose your edge in a different way.

Hopefully this doesn’t happen. Because these reviews are good. Very good.

I don’t really know how to fully describe the pride I feel in the people around me.

As said in earlier blogs, we’ve come a long way in 3 years. I remember freezing my behind off on a cold stone floor toilet in the backroom of a pub* really wondering what I was doing with my life and why I didn’t study something sensible, like archery.

This week we have initiated a Faction green room tradition of quizzing. We have assigned topics to each cast member, and as of next week the interval will be punctuated by quizzes on topics such as:

-rodeos

-the history of the moustache

-cheese

-Mark Leipacher

-hereditary peers

-types of stool

And some more I can’t remember. The best and most interesting factoids from the quizzes will creep their way into this blog.

Also, and shame on me for not mentioning this sooner, we have a new Olympic Sport which is being championed by the Faction Rep cast: Ti djien.

First encountered in my recent theatre tours out in China, Vietnam and Cambodia – this game is awesome. Meaning literally ‘kick’ (ti) the ‘djien’ – this is a game involving a kickable shuttlecock made of brightly coloured feathers. In a ‘keepy uppy’ fashion the players have to keep the djien airborne using only their feet. The Faction ti djien team have been admirable and the core members have advanced beyond national and are now at an international standard. We have just advanced to introducing a badminton style net to play over. Have yet to figure out how to mark up a court every day without destroying the marks for the plays. Photos will accompany. Our top score for the amount of hits is 33. Get involved.

Here’s to Miss Julie – the third show of our modest little Rep Season. Rehearsals start in earnest tomorrow.

Its 5am and I can’t sleep. But at least this got written. Now if I can just stop _____________________________ . going round my head, it’ll all be fine.

*In a theatre which I have a special place in my heart for. Pub theatres I think are a wonderfully British feature of the theatre scene that I wouldn’t trade for many things.

-GF

The Faction’s Rep Season opens @ The New Diorama Theatre, NW1 3BF

Jan 6^th – Feb 18^th a cast of 11 perform Twelfth Night, Mary Stuart and Miss Julie

Visit www.thefaction.org.uk for times and tickets