Benny’s Pom-pom Antennae

Read Stage 1 of Benny the Beeboy’s life >>
Read Stage 2 of Benny the Beeboy’s life >>

We have been busy making our oversized bee antennae for Benny the Beeboy (fellow competitor of the Great Human Bird Competition from My Dad’s a Birdman).

The designer wanted the antennae to look like wool pom-poms. We cut out our doughnut shaped cardboard pieces and sandwiched them together. We then made a small ball of wool and tying it securely through the hole, then began to wind the wool around the doughnut ring.

Step 1: Cardboard doughnuts

Step 2: Sandwiched together

Step 3: Wrap wool around cardboard

Step 4: All finished

Once we had enough wool wound around we then very carefully cut through the outer edge of the ring. Before removing the cardboard we tied a piece of wool through the middle of the two cardboard rings. When this was secure, we removed the cardboard and fluffed out the pom-pom.

Step 5: Cut around the outside edge

Step 6: Remove cardboard and fluff out

We attached the pom-pom to some garden wire and then secured it to an alice band.

Step 7: Attach to the alice band

Our pom-poms are intentionally very large, if you were to make them you might want to make them smaller as although they are made of wool they are very heavy. We are going to secure them to the person wearing them’s head in a special way which you can see during the show.

- Catherine, Head of Costume

Fact 5 – that’s right, Joseph started here

The Young Vic staged the world’s first performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat in 1972, directed by our then Artistic Director Frank Dunlop.

Presented by the Young Vic Theatre Company, the tour started off at the Edinburgh International Festival in August and September, then moved to Youung Vic in October and Roundhouse in November. It was the 2nd musical written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice (first being The Likes of Us which wasn’t actually staged until 2005).

Who did it feature? Gary Bond as Joseph, Peter Reeves as the narrator and Gordon Waller as Pharoah. View of a photo of the original cast here >>

The production was then recorded for an LP released on the RSO label in 1972!

May I return to the beginning
The light is dimming, and the dream is too
The world and I, we are still waiting
Still hesitating
Any dream will do

Read other facts of the great 40 Anniversary Facts >>

(Fake) Benny the beeboy

Read Stage I of Benny’s life >>

Stage 2 of Benny’s life
We are progressing with the bee! We have created a toile of the bee costume for the person playing the bee to practice in. A toile is where we make up a cheap version of the pattern so that we can check that is works before we cut out the real fabric. In this case we also wanted to check that the costume was comfortable . The wings are made and attached to the toile ( being modelled by our wardrobe work placement Naomi Emmanuel ).

The designer has seen and approved the toile and now that we know the costume works we will start cutting out the real fabric . We are going to make the yellow and black stripes of the bee by using two lycra fabrics , one in yellow and one in black. We have worked the stripes into the pattern. You cannot see them on the toile because it is all black, but it is imprtant when first creating the pattern to look ahead at how it will look when it is finished.

Our next project for the bee is the antennae . . . .

- Catherine (Head of Costume)

My Dad’s a Birdman opens tomorrow, Thursday 25 November. Come see Benny the Beeboy in this uplifting tale from the award-winning author David Almond, with fun catchy tunes by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe of Pet Shop Boys!

Congratulations!

We’re happy to announce that the winner of the Penguin’s Spinebreakers + Young Vic The Glass Menagerie Script-Writing Competition (13 – 18 year olds) is Amber Thomas!

Congratulations Amber, see you at the Press Night of The Glass Menagerie and hope you enjoy the complimentary production programme and playtext by Tennessee Williams!

Winning Entry:

***

This play is set in 1960’s Liverpool. It is set in a little cottage in the middle of town.

Props:
Teddy: Belongs to Lilly and is a special toy, she is unable to sleep without it.
Banana: Toby eats which infuriates Jane.
Pram: Where Lilly sleeps for some of the time.

The Characters:
Jane: Mother to Lilly and wife to Toby. A worrier, but headstrong and firm, she knows what she wants and how to get it.
Toby: Father to Lilly and husband to Jane. Is unable to find a job and support his family. Desperatly wants to impress his father.
Lilly: Child of Toby and Jane.

Scene One

(Lights up on a kitchen where Jane stands juggling a baby on her hips looking at the clock. When she speaks it is with a Liverpudlian accent.)

Jane: Hush now darling, Daddy will be home in a minute. A minute isn’t long to wait, (Looks at child) no it’s not is it, not when poor Mummy has been good to you all day.

(Picks up a Teddy from kitchen table.)

Jane: Look sweetie, who is it? It’s… Teddy!

(Door flings open, and in strolls a flustered Toby. Shrugs off his coat and throws it on the floor. There is a pause as he looks at Jane, but then flops down in a chair.)

Jane: Well?

Toby: There is nothing going, I have tried everywhere, the docks, the factory down the road. No where is offering.

Jane: We can’t live like this Toby. I can’t live like this. I agreed to move out of me parents house when Lilly was born, but we can’t carry on like this. Do you know Toby we’ve had five more bills today, not to mention the rent, Lilly has hardly any clothes and she sleeps in her pram…

(Toby interrupts angerily.)

Toby: What is it you want from me Jane. Yes I haven’t got a job, yes we are in debt, yes Lilly hasn’t got much- but there isn’t much else I can do but try.

Jane: There is Toby. When we found out about Lilly you said you would support us. YOU said you would put a roof over me head, and it all sounded so romantic so I believed yer, and now look where we are. Lilly deserves better, Toby, I deserve better.

(Jane turns around towards a pram in the corner and gently lies Lilly down. She then turns towards Toby.)

Jane: Toby, look. The fact is this. There is a financial crisis in this country, and everyone needs jobs, including you. We can’t carry on like this. I should still be at school, learning about Shakeswear and Jane Adams and Emma Bronter… or whatever they’re called. But no, instead I am stuck with a man who can’t put two and two together and go and ask for a job from his father. No, you have to prove a point and go and beg. Toby, you are not the person you were five years ago, you have responsibilities as a father and husband, so face up to them.

Toby: Jane you know that when me parents found out about you and Lilly they cut me off. You know I told them that I would stand by you, and you know that they said they would cut me off. I chose you, Lilly and a life that I know would not be easy- so give me a break here. I will have a job soon.

(Jane stands up and puts on coat.)

Toby: Where you off to then?

Jane: If you will not ask your parents then I will. We are 16 and 17 Toby, we can hardly look after ourselves let alone Lilly, I feel embarrassed to take her into town with her clothes and her pram. If your parents say no then… well… we will have to cross that bridge when it comes to it.

(Toby grabs Jane’s hand.)

Toby: You can’t go there Jane. Please. Please.

Jane: Why?

Toby: Because… because… because Jane ever since I was little I have wanted to impress me father. He was never interested. All he liked was the booze and the girls, I came last. (Voice Trembles.) I suppose with Lilly I wanted to prove him wrong, make him proud. I know it is stupid, and it is, but I just want him to think “Me boy has done good.”

Jane (scathing): Ahhhh, touching, really. But that does not solve the problem here Toby. (Picks up a banana) The point is we are barely surviving. And I am not going to bring up Lilly like this, not knowing whether she is coming on going. She could surprise us all, and bring us into a lap of luxury, but unless you get a job. It. Will. Not. Happen. (Brandishes banana at him. Toby snatches away, peels and eats hungrily).

Jane (angry): Do yer not get it Toby? Do you not know how much a banana costs? A pound for four it does. We won’t have bananas or any type of food in this house if this carries on and then it comes down to me to scavenge for food, don’t it. Don’t you know me life is full of worries- about you, Lilly and now your job…

Toby (interrupts): I promise yer, I will nave a job by next Wednesday, cross me heart hope to die.

Jane: You better, otherwise I am taking Lilly and meself back to me mams and dads and yer won’t see her again.

(Pause)

Oh, and didn’t I tell yer, I am pregnant again, so yer have a lot more to lose than banana. (Walks out of the room.)

Buzzzzz….

Lately, our Costume team has been busy (as bees) with building fancy, fun costumes for our Christmas children’s show My Dad’s a Birdman. One of the more challenging costumes is for one of the fellow entries of the Great Human Bird Competition – the bee! Over these few weeks, keep your eyes peeled on our blog to see how the costume is coming along, as our Head of Costume Catherine reports:

Making a bee costume for one of the Birdman competition entrants:

Because the person has to jump onto a crash mat, the costume cannot have any hard parts or sharp edges. The frame or skeleton is being made out of plastazote tubing which is strong and flexible but also soft.

Over the skeleton goes the skin, which will give the bee the lovely round bottom the designer wants. This is made out of plastazote sheeting, cut into little orange segment shapes, covered in stretchy fabric and then stitched together to make a round shape.

- Catherine (Head of Costume)

Fact 4 – Tiles & Hooks

Fact 4: Did you ever wonder why our box office looks unfinished? It is because every single tile in the box office is authentic – they are the original tiles of the Wilson Brothers butchers shop.  Plus if you look on the walls, there are still some butcher hooks up from those days.

Did you miss FACT #1? FACT #2? FACT #3?