Hello, you gorgeous lot you!
I aim to bring you a sneaky peek of what’s happening in rehearsals and introduce the cast and crew of Spamalot. Our fearless Herd Leaders, Alex Hinton and Lisa Lowarch have high expectations and we intend to meet them, in what will be an amazing production of Spamalot!
Don’t miss out, book your tickets at Theatre Severn !
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Mad Cow Productions present our trailer for SPAMALOT! – Thank you Tom Marshall, who runs PhotograFix, click here to pop over and have a look at his work! The company sounds amazing! Even if I do say so myself
Rehearsal Diary: The Final One!
Well…this is it! The last Rehearsal Diary entry, as tomorrow night we will be on stage performing.
If you missed any posts and want to catch up, here is;Week One/Part Two, Week One/Part One,Week Two/Part One , Week Three , Week Four , Week Five and Week Six!
I’ve been thinking…I know it will be a shock to most of you 🙂 But I’ve been asked a few questions since I started doing this: Why I want to do shows? Why join Mad Cow’s? Why am I writing a Rehearsal Diary?
The answer is simple…because I wanted to. (Chuckle) But it’s more than that, I don’t think people realize how exhilarating it is to be up on stage. Yes, you’re nervous, yes you feel sick and get the shakes as you wait in the wings for you entrance. But the second you’re feet hit the stage and you’re under the lights, it evaporates.
Each person on and off that stage has worked hard for months, their hearts and souls are bared for you, the audience to see. It would blow your mind if you knew all the hours and planning Alex, Lisa, Chris and the rest of the Herd have done in order for this show to go ahead! They are committed to bring you the best show you’ve ever seen!
Mad Cows aren’t just a theatre group to me. They are friends and family, we learn together and support each other no matter what. I have had the joy of watching members confidence grow, my own included. Of seeing how they work together and rally round anyone struggling and the beaming smiles when they get it right! It was exactly what I was looking for, a caring and passionate group who are willing to push themselves in order to put on a show that they can be proud of.
It is for that reason that I wanted to write the Spamalot Rehearsal Diary. To show all the hard work and fun we have and how fantastic the company is, on and off the stage! I would like to thank all of the Herd for getting on board with the Diary and letting me write about all of you! It will be fantastic to be able to look back through the Spamalot memories we have made.
One last thing…I need to thank my blog stars, Bec’s and Annette…without you two writing in the note-book and doing very funny things, this wouldn’t have worked!
Blog Stars! Becs and Annette.
But for now…let’s take one last look at more of the ‘special moments’ we’ve had together!
I have a few Chris moment’s to share with you. He really is a star for putting up with all of us!
Chris: Are you ready for your Ah So’s? (Yes, some of us(me) are that immature, but it was hilarious when he said it!)
Chris:No…L ( we were singing grail and kept lingering on the note at the end.)
We sang it again…and got it wrong.
Chris:Noel…It’s not christmas! Cue cast laughing, but on the next go we got it perfect!
The next Chris moment occurred on a Friday rehearsal…I blame end of the week tiredness of the cast.
Chris:I don’t know how you can do anything passionate with your arms folded! Cue a case of the giggles as our minds wander into naughty territory and then stop when we see Chris’s face…we made him sad…sorry Chris, we didn’t mean to, I promise.
This time from the note-book, I have a few fab moments of Matt…Mwa ha ha!
Matt was rehearsing ‘His name is Lancelot’ with the boys.
Matt:Those girls over there, are standing in puddles at your hips! (Lauughed my head off…haven’t been called a girl in years…but wow those hips do move well…you’re in for a treat!)
Matt: For the Navy- I’ll even join the tooth Fairy! It’s a good line…unfortunatley it’s the wrong way round and the whole room burst into laughter along with Matt.
Bec’s coment on Matt had me in stitches when I found it…
Bec:Oh! Two weeks till show week and Matt brings out the low cut T-shirt! Cue girly squeal!
You are fab Bec’s!
A wonderful moment with Robert!
Robert: I should have gone upstairs.
Alex:Upstairs? Really?
Robert: I meant upstage!
Whole room errupted into laughter!
Becs was listening to Annette singing and heard…”You may even have some shit stirs making stew.”
It would seem that Annette hasn’t mastered ‘Jewish’ yet!
Annette: Is it you may even have some schnitzel making stew?
The answer is no…it’s not…not even close Annette 🙂 I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
For the Vocal Booth massive…just a reminder. What happens in the Vocal Booth…stays in the Vocal Booth! You get me! 😉
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Meet the Cast and Crew!
Up first this week is the…Glamorous Natalie Watts! 
I am Natalie and I am playing the lady of the lake. This is my third production with the Mad Cows and instead of talking about me and what I have done or achieved, I would like to take this opportunity to talk about the amazing company that I am part of.
Like most people my life has taken a series of ups and down since I joined the herd, who I consider to be some of my closest friends. The three hours of rehearsal not only improve my cognitive functions, (remembering those bloody harmonies – big up to Chris for his patience with us all!) but the humour and love in that room is enough to brighten anyone’s mood and that comes from the top in the form of the very lovely Alex and Lisa.
You rarely come across a bunch of people that are as genuine, friendly, loving and accepting and I feel very blessed that me and my lovely daughter are part of that family.
So, I won’t bore you with mundane facts about my quite uneventful life.Instead, I want to let you know that you should definitely come and see Spamalot – so you can see that all that loveliness has made this, a show worth watching!
The Handsome and Very Talented Choreographer…Matt Robinson! 
Hello! My name is Matt…. I am 37 and I’m an alco…Oops sorry, wrong BIO…
I was born in Wolverhampton and from a very young age my parents decided to channel my ‘showing off’ in a positive direction…
I trained in dance, singing & drama at Telfords – Gaston Payne. Whilst there I performed in numerous pantos / shows. I danced in 3 shows for Heather Games ‘Game Productions’.
At seventeen, I successfully auditioned for a three-year Musical theatre course at Laine Theatre Arts. During my time there I was fortunate to dance in 3 professional pantomimes. On completion of my three years, I went straight into a full UK tour of Pirates of Penzance w/ Paul Nicholas (ask your mums kids) From there I continued touring the UK & Europe with Anything Goes, 42nd St and Jesus Christ Superstar.
In 2000/01 the bright lights of London’s West End came calling…. For a year I was in Bill Kenwrights ‘Blood Brothers’. After that I went onto, what can be only described, as my hardest job…EVER. I did a six month stint singing in hotels in Ibiza…I tip my hat to ANYONE who does this! In theatre, people pay to watch a show. They want to go and watch that show…In hotels, it’s just family’s w/ kids running about and drunken idiots trying to grab the mic off you and duet to ‘Angels’….
In 2006 I started what would be a two-year world tour with ‘Mamma Mia’. This was brilliant for many reasons, I got paid to see the world (China, Israel, Sweden, Holland, Dubai, Doha…the list goes on.) Perform in Arena’s with audiences up to 7000…and I met my wife, Kellie.
Good times.
I’m really babbling now…. Damn you Heidi!… So to cut a long (boring) story short… We finished, got married and decided to start a family… Cue the arrivals of George (6), Thomas (3) and Oliver (2). I’ve said it before and I’ll say it now… My best ever part? Being a Dad!
Unfortunately, my ‘pro’ career came to an end after I was part of the ‘Ghost the musical’ workshops, when I tore all my ligaments & tendons in my right ankle (having previously broke it 5 times) I promised myself to walk away completely from the industry. So I came back to the sunny midlands to start a new chapter…or so I thought…
Cue the Cows…So as legend has it, Lisa Lowarch trawled Facebook & phonebooks looking for ‘Matt Robinson’. Someone had dropped out of their upcoming production of ‘Drowsy Chaperone’… and Lisa STALKED me to ask if I would replace… I politely declined. I came to watch a couple of rehearsals and was blown away by the level of professionalism. I loved what Alex (Hinton) and Lisa were doing and asked them if I could come in from time to time to ‘clean’ or choreograph…. Drowsy, Kiss Me Kate, Crazy for You and Hairspray later…. I’m still here (just)
Alex and Lisa have always sat back and watched me work and they couldn’t help but notice I had a slight itch to get back on stage…with each show I helped with…it was turning into a rash…a BIG rash.
And so, a few confidence boosting chats with the Cows and 2 auditions later…Here I am… The wig wearing, Sir Galahad. Not as light on my feet, carrying a FEW extra pounds but I’m about to go on stage for the first time in 6 years……
And the best thing about it? My eldest son, George, will get to see what his Daddy used to do……
Moral of this long winded story? ‘Never say never’….
The Stunning…Poppy Dhansingani! 
Hey! I’m Poppy and I have been cast as one of the Laker Girls! This is my second show with Mad Cow before I hopefully set off for university in September.
Being a Laker girl has been challenging with the everyday limbering as Alex chants, “limber, limber, limber!!” But the hard work is proving to be worth it, as it always is. Especially for this hilarious show Spamalot. The whole cast has been so supportive of each other and the company gels really well together, making everyone feel at ease.
I love all the dances within the show, my favourite being the Laker cheer when we transition from an elegant ballet number, to an American style cheer with pom- poms!
The leader cows; Alex and Lisa deserve a massive thank you because, as usual, they’ve managed to coordinate a whole herd to produce such a high quality show.
I have enjoyed the experience a lot and it’s my last bit of fun before swapping the showgirl, Laker attitude for pens, paper and endless revision for my exams!
The Gorgeous…Lauren Newland-Nell! 
Being born and raised in sunny South Africa, I am the International Herd Member. As a little girl I did what all little girls do and danced ballet until the age of 9. I was lucky enough to be cast in our National production of ‘The Nutcracker’ at the age of 7 and continued to perform in Local productions, along with playing the piano to concert level and singing in our children’s choir, until I had to choose between ballet and horse riding lessons. Thus began a life-long obsession with all things horses!!
Having competed nationally in Working Hunter Competitions in South Africa and after studying my Bachelor of Science degree, I decided to immigrate to the UK in 2003 after I spent 2 years here training and competing prior to studying. For years I satisfied my musical interests by doing ‘Dressage to Music’ with my 2 dressage horses, which keep be extremely busy outside of Mad Cows and work. I also work as a Medical Sales representative selling a dermal skin template for the regeneration of skin for major burn victims and reconstruction surgery. I also volunteer for Shrewsbury’s local riding club and am on their Committee to organise their dressage teams, dressage clinics and manage their Facebook account.
I joined the Mad Cows 3 years ago and was DSM for ‘Lend me a Tenor’. My first on stage production was for ‘Crazy for you’ and I have been involved in every production since then in some form or another, from helping with sound to props and learning some interesting DIY skills building and painting sets. I really do consider the Herd as my family away from home, you couldn’t hope to find a nicer and more supportive bunch of people if you tried. I however did have my doubts about joining the cast for Spamalot as being from South Africa I didn’t really ‘get’ the Monty Python sense of humour!
The cast has absolutely made this show for me and they are hysterical! My biggest challenge in this show is keeping a straight face as the cast are all so brilliant in their performances that I just keep laughing – 6 months in and it’s still not old! I am extremely grateful to the dynamic duo (Alex & Lisa) for keeping me in the Herd – I really don’t know what I would do without this crazy lot of fantastically talented people! If you have your tickets already – enjoy the show – you are in for a real treat – if you don’t – WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
One of our gorgeous Herd members, Emily Ireson – is raising money for two charities, The Little Princess Trust and Macmillan. On Saturday the 7th of May she will be cutting eleven inches of her very long hair off and donating it to help create wigs for children, who have lost theirs and to help raise money so that the charity can continue their fantastic work! She is also collecting for Macmillan who helped so much with her Nana!
If you would like to support and sponsor Emily, Click here to visit her Just Giving page!
It is such a good cause and I know Emily will really appreciate anything you are able to donate! Thank you
A huge thank you to our wonderful Sponsors!
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They have generously supported Mad Cow Productions for almost a decade!
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I am a huge fan of deadgoodundies! They also supply our shows with underwear when needed and my hubby was lucky enough to receive a pair of fire engine red briefs and Wow! They are truly amazing. I tried to get him to model a pair for me but …sigh…he refused, so here are two wonderful pics of their latest products.
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You won’t find a better place to buy a wide range of men’s underwear, swimwear, thermal wear, T-shirts and lounge wear. They sell worldwide so click here and have a gander!
Thank you so much for taking the time to have a read and supporting us.I really hope you’ve enjoyed it! Feel free to share or even send me a message But for now this is me, Heidi Brown, signing off from the Spamalot Rehearsal Diary…But who knows, I may get to do an after show post just for you! One day to go!
The only remaining questions left are…Who will find the Grail ? Who will be our Sir not appearing in this show? Come and watch our fantsatic show Spamalot and find out for yourselves! I look forward to seeing you !
part in the play, ‘Noises Off’ as the part of Tim. Since then I have been in every other performance Mad Cow has produced.
years ago, (and for many years before in other societies.) These are quite varied, starting with the large fridge from which the cast emerged in the ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ and includes packing cases and boxes to sit on; reinforced luggage cases to be stood on, fire axes and my favourite…a historic radio set, which has been used in three play’s and is ongoing!
heidibusbybrown 