If the Christmas Shows were Instagram filters...

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I’ve found myself thinking about productions in relation to instagram filters this week – I know this is weird – I’m aware my head should switch off more than it does but it doesn’t and so because I have these thoughts about the Christmas shows in relation to Instagram filters I’m going to share them with you in this blog…

When we first start rehearsals in September we are under the influence of Normal: No filter applied we don’t really know what it’s going to look like, what we want it to look like – it is what it is…but what we spend the next three months doing is tinting and colouring and highlighting and shading til we get what we want…

So let’s take this show by show – and in the spirit of equality I’m going to list them in the order of the techs…

The Frog Prince is filtered with Lo-fi: Enriches color and adds strong shadows through the use of saturation and "warming" the temperature I love this piece – we have a puppet, we have a cast of excellent people and a brilliant set of “expert narrators…it’s a whole helping of Sapphire happiness…

The Christmas Box by Purple Company is X-Pro II: Increases color vibrance with a golden tint, high contrast and slight vignette added to the edges oh my, you are in for a treat with this gem of a Christmas wish…

Calender has a1977 filter: The increased exposure with a red tint gives thephotograph a rosy, brighter, faded look a poignant, witty insightful look at what it is to grow up a year…it makes me laugh and brings a lump to my throat…

One Foggy Christmas Eve is Nashville: Warms the temperature, lowers contrast and increases exposure to give a light "pink" tint - making it feel "nostalgic" inspired by the gorgeous little people of Orange Company and Perry Como’s Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer – a childhood favourite of mine and it’s a joy!!

The Snow Queen is Hudson: Creates an "icy" illusion with heightened shadows, cool tint and dodged center we’ve worked hard to make it as cold and sharp – to create a world devoid of warmth – I think we’re just about there – dramatic and classy – a bit like Gold Company really

Red Riding Hood is hard to define in a single filter – it’s a sort of Sutro:
Burns photo edges, increases highlights and shadows dramatically with a focus on purple and brown colors/ Aden: This filter gives a blue/green natural look and lots more – it’s dark and twisty – a proper full on physical theatre creation and just my sort of thing…

So there you are my Instagram guide to the Christmas shows – come and see them this week – it’s worth every moment of being stuck in traffic on the M62

This is also my opportunity to do some thanking…so thank you to the amazing Gemma and Oz for being…well themselves really – to Richard for giving up his Sunday to help sew everything together technically – to Adam who got up to light the shows after not finishing work this morning until 5am.  To the parents for the lifts and the costumes and props and lifts and line learning and support.  To all the actors obviously but to the following youth theatre members particularly – Amy, Libby, Dec, Hannah, Abbie, Beth, Lucy, Marianne for sound, coffee, suppott, help and generosity.


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