Next week the show I'm currently assistant directing is opening at The Jack Studio Theatre. I'm really happy to be returning to The Jack, but this time as a director. Immersion Theatre is an emerging company dedicated to stage Shakespeare and his contemporaries with a gritty and gothic aesthetic. They push the dark elements of classic texts, which are there for the interpretation, but rarely the focal point of a production. I love this approach, as I had applied this concept myself in the Sheffield University Theatre Company production of Twelfth Night, my very first offering as a director.
I interviewed for this role (my first interview since OutFox Productions a year previously - I was so nervous!!) after applying via Stage Jobs Pro. Following my appointment as AD, several design and script meetings, casting sessions and four weeks of rehearsal we are close to opening. The process has been great fun. A lot of laughter and the cast have been fantastic to work with. I've enjoyed applying a lot of exercises and games, which unlock skills and emotional reference points, with the cast and this text. Measure is frequently labelled a "problem play" and while it has posed a tricky one to work on, I have enjoyed working in different ways to tackle the text. It's really stretching me as a director and giving me an understanding about my methods which is an invaluable tool for my own professional growth. The cast seem receptive to these exercises and its been great taking a couple out of the main rehearsal to work closely on moments in the play.
Working with director James Tobias is good fun too. He gives me a lot of creative input which I love. I'm very excited to see this one in the space, and to invite people to see this gothic take on a classic. It even features music by my teenage idol, Marilyn Manson. Which I'm over the moon about. That's my stamp on it!
No comments:
Post a Comment