On Friday 23rd January fourteen intrepid Callington u3a members battled heavy winds and rain to travel to Plymouth for our first outing of the New Year, which was a tour of the backstage area at the Theatre Royal. What a totally different perspective you view from backstage, instead of observing from the front, the view from the stage seeing all the empty seats almost seems intimidating. It is difficult to appreciate just how high up you are in the upper circle, it looks quite scary, even more so the further back it goes.
We were then taken to "The Drum", which we had to confess of never having been to before. It was really interesting to be shown how this particular part of the Theatre can be adapted. It can be totally turned around through 360º, stage and seats, and even has room for an orchestra.
From there we were shown where every bit of equipment required by each Company is housed. How they manage to find it all still remains a mystery. We were then taken onto the stage where the show "Matilda" is currently being staged. It was quite awesome seeing all the cables, the markings on the stage where the actors have to be. and all the various bits that are actually hidden in the stage which are required in the production.
All in all, it was a highly entertaining morning and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Sadly we were not able to take photographs but hopefully it will leave an impression of exactly what goes on behind the scenes to enable the shows to be produced. Many thanks to Helen for organising such a fascinating event.