Attention: You are using an outdated browser, device or you do not have the latest version of JavaScript downloaded and so this website may not work as expected. Please download the latest software or switch device to avoid further issues.

News > General News > OP takes stage role to online screen to raise money for the Royal British Legion

OP takes stage role to online screen to raise money for the Royal British Legion

After playing the character of Stephen Wraysford in Rachel Wagstaff's stage adaptation of Sebastian Faulks' best-selling novel Birdsong, OP Tom Kay recently brought his stage role to online screen.
31 Jul 2020
General News
OP Tom Kay (97-07)
OP Tom Kay (97-07)

The special adaptation of the stage version of Birdsong was filmed to celebrate the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme whilst also raising money for the Royal British Legion.

Birdsong online was not like any ordinary production filmed for screen however, as it was put together during lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic and filmed using video technology, live performance, sound design and music, all woven together to create a unique masterpiece.  The 14 cast members were provided with historical prop weapons, period costumes and a crash course in hair and make-up before recording their performances in their own homes on tablet devices. 

Speaking in an interview for the Mail on Sunday (7 June 2020), director Alastair Whatley admitted that the project had required some playful camera use and film making techniques to capture scenes which were pivotal to the storyline. First World War trench scenes were apparently created with the cast ‘writhing around on their kitchen floors’ in front of green screens, so the backgrounds could be added by computer later. 

In the article in the Mail on Sunday, Sebastian Faulks who narrates during the production, praised the ingenuity of the film, saying: ‘I don’t begin to understand all the tech, but it’s a bit like making a feature film with all the actors in different places.’ 

The new production, from the Suffolk-based Original Theatre Company was screened online twice in July, for three nights each, to coincide with the 104th anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Somme, in which more than 19,000 British troops died on the first day alone. Ticket sales from the screenings included a donation to the Royal British Legion.

Similar stories

Congratulations to all OPs who finished their degrees this summer under what must have bee More...

The inaugural OP Manchester Drinks held at The Gas Works Brew Bar on Tuesday 3 March attra More...

OP Jodie Hill (00-06)

OP Jodie Hill (00-06), the Leeds-based employment lawyer, is delighted to have been appoin More...

OP Rob Webber (94-04)

OP Rob Webber (94-04), Sale Sharks and former England hooker, has announced he will retire More...

OP Luke Potter (17-19) has successfully gained a place to study computer science at Washin More...

A bumper number of OPs came along to this year’s OP Newcastle drinks event on Thursday 3 More...

OP Mike Strong led the Pocklington team to a respectable second equal place in the annual More...

Yorkshire Academy prop, Ben Carlile (07-18) has signed a full-time contract with premiersh More...

Most read

Pocklington's Snake Lane 10-mile road race on Sunday 26 February 2023 was a great success for the OP team with 22 OP and staff runners, the largest tu… More...

OP Seb Williman gives a career update, after his love of brass has seen him perform both in the UK and internationally and be included in the nominati… More...

OP Simon Holden (97-05) has been appointed the Commanding Officer of HMS Dagger, a brand new class of sea vessel in the Royal Navy. More...

Submit your news

 
This website is powered by
ToucanTech