This Evil Thing: in Stratford

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‘How a lone actor with few props (the planks of wood are two small upturned drawers on which he balances) in the intimate drawing room of the Kempe Studio conjures such a visceral scenario is testament to Michael’s exemplary acting and his superbly crafted play … Michael switches seamlessly between his many roles: he’s a stretcher-bearer ducking fire on the front, a barking sergeant, a worried girlfriend, a troubled dad, an army officer, a philosopher, a politician, a campaigner… the effect is of a master storyteller at work’  Stratford-Upon-Avon Herald reviewing This  Evil Thing. 19th Jan 2017.  See full review here.

Following its acclaimed run in the Edinburgh Fringe last summer, THIS EVIL THING is now in the run up to a tour!  The next date is at Sibford School, Sibford Ferris on Friday, 3rd February. The performance will take place from 3.05pm to 4.15pm, and Sibford is extending the audience to include a limited number of free seats that are being made available to the general public. Anyone wishing to attend should contact the school’s community development officer, Ali Bromhall, on 01295 781216 (email abromhall@sibfordschool.co.uk).

Watch this space for future dates or use the Contact tab to join Michael’s mailing list.

 

A Dismal Picnic

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November 11th

Armistice Day, and I find myself in a large room in the building of Theatre Clwyd, north Wales, waiting to perform a trimmed down 60-minute version of my WW1 COs play       THIS EVIL THING, as part of the theatre’s series of lunchtime ‘Picnic Plays’ – organised by William James, associate producer there, who has been good enough to read earlier incarnations of my play, and who describes himself as an ’atheist pacifist.’

There is a regular avid core of thirty or forty folk who turn up to these readings, where they can buy a picnic bag on top of their ticket, or just bring their own lunch if they wish.  So it seems I’m going to be performing some quite serious material while people munch on their sarnies. Continue reading →

Back to earth

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As the leaves begin to turn this autumn, so my thoughts begin to turn to next autumn, when I hope to have a tour in place for This Evil Thing (the Edinburgh run of which I have just about recovered from – including putting a little of the weight back on that I shed through 23 sweat-drenched performances). And hopefully a London run, too.

Watch this space.

This Evil Thing: And breathe…

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29th August 2016

And so it’s over…the Edinburgh adventure.
Bit blue today, but greatly cheered by the comment below posted on my website – all the more meaningful as it comes from an ex-serviceman…

“Mr Mears, I saw your show yesterday, (28th), and found it extremely enjoyable, (although I don’t think enjoyable is an appropriate word for such a serious subject matter!) Certainly, it was thought provoking and led to a long discussion between my 16 yr old daughter and I afterwards.

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This Evil Thing: Stars in Their Eyes

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August 23rd

So, here I am in the final week of Edinburgh…and audiences for This Evil Thing are slowly building, but with over 3,000 (yes, three thousand) shows to choose from, it’s not easy persuading folk to see my show rather than the other 2,999.

In the first week, the List (Scotland’s version of Time Out) reviewed the play and it was a glowing review with not one bad thing to say – but it only received three stars.  The star system is, alas, so important in Edinburgh – one star more or less can make the difference between someone deciding to see a show or not.

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This Evil Thing: Highs and lows

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Monday 8th August

So, I have opened THIS EVIL THING at New Town Theatre, Edinburgh, with the help of my brilliant team, director Ros Hutt and sound designer Mark Noble.  Various teething problems with lighting boards and so on, but the incredibly mature and experienced Mark (aged 24) has dealt with them all.

First two performances last week went very well, including the two who travelled down from Dunblane and were very moved by the whole experience.

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This Evil Thing: and we’re off…

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First two previews gone very well! One audience member who travelled down from Dunblane was very emotional at the end.

Also a nice interview here with some background to the piece.

Tickets for THIS EVIL THING now on sale here.

Flyer for THIS EVIL THING below
MICHAEL MEARS Flyer for THIS EVIL THING

Michael Mears

 

This Evil Thing: three days to go…

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Did I catch him smiling?

So, we have completed our two London previews of THIS EVIL THING to small invited audiences in our rehearsal space at Room One – without stage lighting but with all the set, sound and costume.

And phew! they seemed to go down well. And I already seem to have a lost a bit of weight. Will need to up my carb intake etc etc in order to perform this piece – and make sure I stay hydrated.

I have strategically-placed sips of water available during the play (in a tea- cup, a sherry glass, a whisky tumbler, and a period bottle), but they are just sips. The serious drinking has to be done well in advance. A voice coach told me you need to start drinking water four hours before you perform to give it time to be fully absorbed by the body.

It’s been an incredible experience, feeling the piece come together with the help of such a brilliant team, Ros, Jane, Zoe and the two Marks…and without wishing to sound too mystical, I really feel the COs themselves are behind the project. I have a large copy of a photograph at home of Bert Brocklesby, the main CO in the play, given to me by his granddaughter Jill Gibbon. Now it may just be fanciful thinking on my part, but when I got home after the first preview I could have sworn that he was smiling ever so slightly – as if to say – ‘Hey up, lad – that were grand…’

His photograph will be coming with me to Edinburgh on August 1st along with photos of the other significant people in the play – safely stowed in an enormous suitcase with everything I might need for my month north of the border. Keep smiling on us, Bert…

This Evil Thing

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Just Over One Week To Go…

This time next week I will be safely tucked up in bed – in Edinburgh!!

Would it have been simpler to climb Kilimanjaro than mount THIS EVIL THING? Yes, quite probably. But I don’t regret tackling this hugely ambitious project for one moment.

And with such a great team – director Ros Hutt, designer Mark Friend, sound designer Mark Noble, lighting designer Zoe Spurr and stage manager Jane Andrews. And not forgetting Taylor and Foley who made the nine wooden crates.

Tickets for THIS EVIL THING now on sale here.

Flyer for THIS EVIL THING below
MICHAEL MEARS Flyer for THIS EVIL THING

Michael Mears

This Evil Thing: one and a half weeks to go – Bible and the Spud

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July 22nd
Hard at work, running chunks of the play now, and indeed the whole play, and although I know all the lines (AND, I think, am saying them in the right order), there is still the little matter of the choreography of the crates to master – the nine wooden crates that are now playing such an integral part in the production.

When the action of the play shifts to France, I have to move them from where they have been assembled to suggest a prison cell in Richmond Castle, to create a French pier or jetty, while some evocative accordion music plays. It’s almost like doing a dance…but myself and director Ros Hutt soon realise there isn’t quite enough music in which to achieve this ‘scene-change’ … so Ros suggests ten seconds more of accordion. But the play is already a minute or two over its allotted length of 75 minutes for Edinburgh, so I say, ‘Let me try it with just five seconds more,’ – and that does seem to solve the problem. Apart from Bible and the spud.

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