GTX Playhouse trip

On Friday 11th December some of the GTX and GCSE drama students along with Miss Patel, Miss Finnegan and Mr Stiff went on a trip to the Liverpool Playhouse to learn about running a theatre from a business point of view, the history of England's fifth oldest theatre as well as to see some aspects of staging and preparing for a professional live production.
The tour started as we walked in the door as we were shown the set up of the foyer, bars and desks at the entrance to the theatre building. This was mostly and introduction to the general history of the Playhouse, which was originally opened as a music hall in the Victorian era, and a look at the business and financial side of the theatre, such as bookings, owners and partnerships, its main partnership being as it shares artistic and executive directors with the nearby Everyman Theatre. The group then entered from the lobby the sitting area in front of the stage, starting at the bottom of the three floors, the Stalls. In the stalls there used to be several large waited on tables as opposed to the fixed seats that are in place now. We were then taken to the dress circle and the gallery, which was some height above the stage. Of course a theatre tour could not be without a ghost story somewhere, and ours came as we sat in the gallery. The story was that a man, whose daughter never returned to her seat at the interval has waited in his seat ever since, and so most people couldn't resist having a sit down in the apparently occupied space.
We were then taken down to a level below the stage, through the dressing rooms of the actors and the green room, before coming back up to the other side of the theatre where the old entrance and lobby used to be. The old entrance was still in great shape and unlike the redeveloped front of the theatre, was a typically Victorian style with many original fixtures still in place, such as the gas taps.
Behind the stage was the area where the set designers and painters put together the scenery, sets and props for the production, and while we were there the Playhouse was in its first week of Patrick Barlow's reworking of the Hitchcock classic "The 39 steps" which some of the group had been to see with the school the night before. As it was a slightly surrealistic play that required a lot of props to be brought on and off swiftly as well as fairly dynamic changes of scenery the stage crew and designers had a job on their hands making the equipment easy to move while still looking effective. With the help of model planes, shadow puppetry and a vast array of hats, the play managed to travel from London to Glasgow, meeting dozens of characters despite only having 4 actors, very successfully, due to a huge effort from those behind stage and good teamwork between them and the actors.
The tour concluded in one of the quiet waiting areas on the older side of the theatre near the old entrance, which was used sometimes for actors to practise their lines, due to its remarkable acoustic qualities that clearly echoed back anything said from a certain position. This of course had to be tested by many of the students who all seemed slightly shocked by how clear and loud the reflection of sound was.
The trip gave an insight into the running of the theatre as well as showing the large amount of effort that has to be given by all the people who are involved with the Liverpool Playhouse and the Everyman, as well as a look into the history of one of the North-West's most acclaimed theatres. It also showed how much wider the possibilities are in career in drama or theatre beyond simply acting, and it was enjoyed by all who went.

GTX Playhouse trip

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