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Sam Winder with this weeks guest blog...always a happy event!

Oscars week! BAM! BOOM! BANG! KAPANG! A statement worthy of much onomatopoeia. Yes, it was rather a delightful idea as it transpired and full of much guessing about who was dressed as who, not to mention all the duelling and re-enactments of various scenes from films. I am amazed at how everyone relished the opportunity to dress up, not something you would ever see at school… I daresay that you may have already seen photos of such things but before I begin, I would just like to applaud Sapphire Company – oh, and all the other companies - on their costume gathering skills. It was, in a word, a spectacle.
So, it was after a game of Cowboys and Indians that we began work on Children’s Excursion. Apart from a bit for the Miners Memorial, I have never really done physical theatre before and so creating our little pre-show was a joy to say the least. I found it a very different way of working when compared to how we usually devise for non-physical theatre things; we were stood up much sooner than usual to try different things out and we had to think more carefully about how to get our message across without words.
For parts of our piece we were working in unison and consequently a certain level of teamwork was required. We were quick to try and find ways to make sure we were on time without it looking like we were just copying the person next to us: our peripheral vision was incredibly useful for those at the front, and counting out the music while we practiced helped us work out exactly when to change actions.
When we put the whole thing together, each group taking place in the final composition, I can only assume that it was a splendour as I wasn’t able to witness it myself. Each section had been developed individually and we all had an equal part to play towards the end picure.
I look forward to next week when we can continue our work on Children’s Excursion (Maybe not as excited as Bobbie is for us though) and I think it suits Sapphire Company very well. As well as the more sobering aspects the play has opportunity for humour - lighter sides being Sapphire’s speciality – in what I would call a good balance.
To finish, feel as if I should end with the same energy with which I started. So, BAM! BOOM! BANG! KAPANG! I hope you all enjoyed your own Oscars week frolicking as much as we did!

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