Thoughts on The Queen's Corgi

Layla's Blog

The Queens Corgi was my first real stage play as an adult actor. My experience is mainly in singing and screen acting but this was at first impression a bit of a challenge. Then on reading this very interesting social comment on class conflict and the long lost mining community I realised that although there was no designated main character, I would start the proceedings with an opening monologue and close it as poniently as possible.

The thing that really made this play, short as it was, work was the fact that the cast started the gel as a cohesive unit very quickly. This was helped by the use of discussion and starting each rehearsal with games and character exercises. Something there isn’t much time for when shooting for screen. The cast led by the amazing Arwen Dale (director) felt the vibration of common purpose and teamwork by the third rehearsal. I was anxious that 5 rehearsals wouldn’t be sufficient to produce a good play but with leadership, open mindedness and a willingness to improvise and trust our instincts we flipping well SMASHED IT!"

Arwen's Blog

The Queen's Corgi came along at the perfect time, I was eager to do some theatre and meet northern creatives but what I got was even better. The company creatives were kind, welcoming, organised and professional. The cast was lovely and made each weekly rehearsal more enjoyable than the last. Every individual worked hard and by the day of the performance, I felt we had something really special. Thank you Noisy Cow, would love to work with you all again and can’t wait to see what you produce next!

Clive's Blog

Noisy Cow’s first ever play that was a part of our New Northern Writer’s scheme was my own, Live June, back in 2024 - so to be able to have come around the other side and directed our third one has been a treat.

Having previously managed a bar myself, I know the world that the play lives in all too well. I had fascinating discussions with the writer, Caitlin Willis, alongside the cast and crew, about the socioeconomic environment that created and, to this day, surrounds and defines “pub culture” - especially in regards to where it sits in working class life.

All the characters in this play you feel as if you have met before, the entire cast has been utterly incredible in their work and characterisation in order to achieve this. As a member of the audience you should definitely feel like a fly on the wall to the conversations that are taking place. The cast have thrown themselves into this work, and have taken such interest and care in regards to the characters and each other. It’s been a delight working with all of them, this play would not shine without them.

For me, a highlight in directing this piece has been teaching some of the cast Northern Soul dancing and discussing its history. Through the play’s soundtrack, as well as general script work with the team, I very much wanted to emphasize the roots of pub culture, as we know it now, exploring and paying homage to the 60s with the rise of Northern Soul, and the impact of the miner’s strikes and working men’s clubs from the 70s and 80s.

The Northern Soul aspect in particular has a personal meaning to me. Throwing it back to my bartending days, I knew a fabulous couple, Mike and Lynn, who ran Northern Soul events in Wakefield and have been engaged with the scene from its birth. Lynn sadly passed away in 2023 - but her’s and Mike’s passion and love for Northern Soul has been passed onto me, so I thank the both of them for introducing a new generation to the scene, its music, and its history.

It is a vibrant community that must keep going, so in a small way I wanted to help do this via the soundtrack for The Queen’s Corgi. Northern Soul is intrinsically tied to working class life and nightlife - so I knew it would be perfect as the backdrop to this story.

Our New Northern Writer’s scheme is incredibly valuable. Opportunities for Northern writers, and creatives in general, are tricky to come by so by running this scheme every Spring at Noisy Cow we aim to help remedy that. The arts scene in The North is becoming stronger each year, and I believe that because we have such discrepancies in opportunities and exposure to overcome, compared to other parts of the country and across classes, the arts community in The North is one of the most connected and supportive creative communities.

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