Did anyone else get an audition for the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony?

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Which segment Kit-Yan?

EG

44SUF. We're only a small segment, so they probably want to focus on the larger 44 groups. It must be such a challenge for Toby and the choreographers spreading themselves across so many groups at every rehearsal. But I've not yet seen them look stressed or lose the plot. They are so professional.

Reply 9561

Olympian

Original post by Mandy_Panda

there's men shops too! And a hell of a lot of food places.

I hate shopping though except techy type shops to have a look around .. Food palces could be intersting, i need a bit more variety as eating out all the time near hotel or sandwhiches etc becomeing boring :smile:

Reply 9562

Mandy_Panda

Original post by phawesy

I'm really not happy about this whole accreditation thing !

a) I haven't even got the e-mail
b) I have no intention of coming down from Northampton just to pick up a pass that they could easily hand out at Dagenham !
c) It's not like we haven't got any spare time when we're there !
d) I'm self-employed and I'm just not prepared to lose another days pay !!
e) I was thinking of giving up anyway, I've lost the motivation I originally had. Yes it looks amazing, yes it would be great to be part of it, yes it's a once in a lifetime thing, but I just feel like they're taking thev p**s !!
f) 44-A might be another one light when the e-mail arrives !

It's a shame you feel that way, but if your heart isn't in it, then maybe there is a reserve or understudy whose dreams you could make come true.

Reply 9563

Kit-Yan

Original post by Mandy_Panda

is it because you're all so fabulous already?! :biggrin:

mais bien sur!
Actually, I think it's because we're just a small group and they probably need to focus on the larger, mass movement groups. And of course, we are fabulous and are working well as a group. I'm loving it!

Reply 9564

Olympian

Original post by Kit-Yan

I agree, they are doing an amazing job and I havent seem them stressed either, really professional as you say.

Reply 9565

Mandy_Panda

Original post by Kit-Yan

I think I've heard about your group and it sounds immense if I've heard correctly. Exciting!

Reply 9566

Dancerwoman

Blimey!! Spend a day away from TSR only to find that you guys have been extremely busy on here :smile:

From a "wind up merchant" :stupid:

who provided "entertainment" :nutcase:

which many of you :laugh:

quite rightly joked about :clap2:

, discussions about Danny Boyle's vision :sheep:

in yesterday's Evening Standard to viewpoints in relation to Oyster Cards, Time Accreditation Passes at the Olympic Park and time spent waiting around at rehearsals. Not forgetting, the unexpected appearance from Beautifully Tragic :cool:

.

Re: Oyster Cards - I had another rehearsal last night and in order to make use of my Oyster Card and speaking as someone who lives outside London, thought I'd half drive / half tube it. The journey in itself took me a little over 2 hours and I arrived 15 minutes late.

Late Start times - upon arrival at the station I half sprinted to rehearsals (half sprinted because couldn't go into a full on sprint due to my calf "almost" recovered :stickyman:

and did not want to risk prolonging its recovery. Even though both my legs were well and truly wrapped in bandages as a precautionary :nurse:

measure). I had visions of Casting marking me off as absent :eek:

because I distinctly remembered in one of their earlier emails the importance of arriving at rehearsals on time and not to be late. Although I was one of the last ones to arrive, there were still people giving out numbers. Then after a considerable amount of sitting around, didn't start rehearsals until one hour after the "start time". A couple of people at the rehearsals remarked at the preference of starting on time and finishing early as opposed to hanging around, rehearsing for [say] a couple of hours with more waiting around incorporated.

After rehearsals, it was the long journey home - didn't help that the junction on the motorway nearest to my house was closed last night :mad:

, which meant me doing a 30 minute detour which resulted in me getting in a little before midnight. By the time I got in, I was so doggone tired, I only had just enough energy to kiss my other half goodnight and flopped into bed. (Poor thing :frown:

, he must have thought I was really unsociable because that's unlike me not to enquire about how his day went like I normally do.)

The previous rehearsal I drove down and although the whole journey took only one hour, the major drawback is in situations when rehearsals start at 5.30pm, I couldn't attend at that same time as that is also when the parking restrictions for the day are lifted. Thus, by the time 5.30pm arrived, resulted in me arriving at rehearsals (the same) 15 minutes late. Also, I thought I'd try a different route in yesterday (train route that is), partly drive in to a Zone 6 Station, in order to make some use of the Oyster Card.

However, as I have found, although I do get to use the Oyster Card, it definitely isn't worth it :no:

if using the same results in a journey lasting twice as long.

So the result of all this is although it would be great to use the Oyster Card, no matter which tube / train / car combination I use, it just isn't viable and alas, with a heavy sigh, will have to resort to :driver:

driving to the rehearsals from now on and forget the public transport option. It is a shame because I feel as if my Oyster card is going to waste.

At yesterday's rehearsal, there were two "understudies" who (having attended rehearsals from the very beginning), were officially made full cast status :biggrin:

. There was a guy I'd never seen before who has joined my group and he too is full Cast status. I'm not too sure whether he was an Understudy, or a reserve previously but will make a point of asking him next week. It was really difficult to tell because our number "counterparts" were also at yesterday's rehearsal so there were many people at our rehearsal yesterday that we'd never met before. As they were rehearsing on a different day to us but were doing exactly the same "bits" as us. (Those who were at my rehearsal yesterday will know what I'm talking about.)

Reply 9567

Olympian

Original post by phawesy

I dont think they are taking the P*** I just think it is the logistics of it. Its not the ideal situation, but giving up is not going to solve the solution. I havn't go the email either and I come from Liverpool, some people come from further afield, including Belfast. I'm sure realistcally they wont expect people to go to London from those places for the day. Just do what I am doing about it, be chilled and work around the problem, try and tie it into one of your rehersal days.

Reply 9568

Kit-Yan

Original post by Mandy_Panda

OH. MY. GOSH.

(it may be because you're a man, not a northerner)

It's the new-ish (open a year nearly?), massive shopping centre in Stratford, it has viewing platform overlooking Olypmic Park. And a pub. And shops, And restaurants.

It's like Heaven.

Haha.

Haha!!! I also can't help myself. I LOVE Westfield. I want to hate it. I dislike malls in general, but suddenly having it on my doorstep I can't get enough and 'just pop in' to John Lewis on a regular basis (clearly I have left my leftfield youth behind and am now a signed up middle aged, middle class member of middle England). And get this... I even have 'my' parking space and am peeved when it's not available. (ok, I am now sounding like a TOTAL, consumer saddo. I'm not...honest!).

You won't be able to drive to Westfield from next week until after the games.

Reply 9569

Mandy_Panda

Original post by Kit-Yan

I'm like that with Bluewater. It's not sad, we've just been programmed that way :wink:

Reply 9570

Olympian

Original post by Kit-Yan

I will definatley have to go there then to see what everyone is on about .. one of these days, I may even drive down from Liverpool and pinch 'your' parkig space haha :smile:

Reply 9571

phawesy

Original post by Olympian

Sorry, giving up will solve it for me !!

Reply 9572

Olympian

Original post by Mandy_Panda

I'm like that with Bluewater. It's not sad, we've just been programmed that way :wink:

Yay I know what Bluewater is, been there .. even though i'm a man a northener haha :smile:

Reply 9573

Olympian

Original post by phawesy

Sorry, giving up will solve it for me !!

Ok fine, but may I suggest that if you give up, that you let your cast person know sooner rather than later so that someone who is understudying or is on the reserve list can be put out of thier misery sooner rather than later

Reply 9574

Pinnerite

Original post by Mandy_Panda

It's attached to stratford tube station. There's a casino, cinema, bowling alley. There may even be a hotel - don't quote me on that last one though.

Yep there is a hotel - the Premier Inn right in the shopping centre and jolly good it is too - immaculate and very slick check in etc. I have stayed there once and am staying there again when we have the late Friday/ early Saturday rehearsals. Saturday nights are expensive but my Friday nights were £40 odd quid- worth it as luckily I do not have travel expenses over my oyster card.

Reply 9575

Olympian

Sorry, just got to say this, the one thing that hacks me off on here is that people are moaning about waiting times, having to travel etc etc and then threaten to pack it all in. You knew what you were signing up for. If you are going to pack it in, dont go moaning about it, just do it as there a lot of people who are only too eager to replace you. Rant over

Reply 9576

Dancerwoman

Original post by phawesy

In some ways, speaking as someone who lives 4 or so Junctions away from where you're based, I totally get what you're coming from phawesy.

Yesterday afternoon before leaving for my rehearsal I said to one of my colleagues prior to me having to leave early for the journey into London : "at the beginning (the rehearsals in London) were great but now the novelty (in terms of travel) is slowly wearing off". I said that after viewing my schedule yesterday morning and it's coming to the time when the rehearsals will be more frequent.

As the rehearsal yesterday and the one I have next week occurs on a night when I'd normally teach in my "self-employed" role, (due to my college and work placement in the daytime, I can only do self-employed work outside college hours), the amount lost from not teaching plus travel costs (car), means that I will be £100 worse off. I feel terrible getting sub teachers to cover for me whilst I head down to London for rehearsals but obviously it was my choice in the first place.

Although it's totally understanding to feel the way you do but I don't think they are taking the p*** though for I agree that it's most probably the case of logistics and the days that the relevant people doing the checks are able to do. However, I hasten to add that they should have given some warning about this when they issued the Cast Offer emails including prospective dates so as to enable many of us to plan our diaries / personal lives effectively.

Reply 9577

Kit-Yan

Original post by phawesy

I really appreciate how challenging this ('this' being changes to rehearsals, the accreditation issue etc) must be for so many volunteers for many and varied reasons. I guess you have to try and focus on the big night and how it will feel to be part of it, but there will come a point when it's no longer viable for some.

The issuing of the accreditation passes is not being done via the cast co-ordinators. The appointments are being sent out in waves and we need to have the passes by 16th July.

From 2nd July the centre is open every night until 8pm, so hopefully you can get there before/after one of your rehearsals.

I think you're part of the big group aren't you - all individually playing a really important role. I think your role is quite hard work and, at the moment, involves a lot of hanging around but when it all starts to come together it will awesome. A real spectacle. Hang in there...

Reply 9578

1983mike

To those who don't know about Westfield (where have you been?? :P)... it is amazing and it's right next to/in the Olympic park! Anyone visiting the Olympic park via Stratford station will walk by/through Westfield.

Reply 9579

Pinnerite

Original post by phawesy

Sorry, giving up will solve it for me !!

Really sorry to hear that phawesy. I know you were in 44A but which letter Group are you in now? I know some groups have been much happier than others but in my relatively small group every person counts and we all pull together well and would seriously miss our numbers dwindling, but so far we have had an excellent attendance rate.