Final week of rehearsals, its looking good! We're running the show every day and tweaking and tightening scenes. Its been great fun too, we're laughing a lot in rehearsals. Its been a very interesting process. Working with new people can introduce you to new skills and approaches that you may have not considered before. Alternatively you might discover a new method or exercise which is born from its requirement in the current rehearsal, but can be used in future projects. Working with this cast we really delved into the historical and cultural background of the time and location we were using - something I've never felt the need to do before. Ana, our accent coach, has provided a fantastically rounded view of not only American expressions and accents, but loads of information on the what it would be like to live in a town like the one we're setting our play in. We looked at music, films and historical events of that year and preceding years. We even looked at the chronology of our play and worked out how much time had passed between scenes, and key events that occurred both before the play begins and during the timeline of the play. If you're curious, our play begins on the Wednesday 17th March 1971.
It may seem like an indulgent exercise, but the things we discovered in this discussion informs other aspects of the play. By pinpointing the exact location of the play and the month the action occurs in, we could deduce what the weather would be like. This information feeds through to costume. They can then communicate this through the types of clothing that they select, as well as helping to communicate the passage of time as each character wears several different outfits in the play. Our lighting designer also can use this information to make sure the light coming through the window is accurate - no point having glorious summer sunshine if its a chilly spring morning! These tiny details are not explicitly telling an audience these facts, but they all contribute to giving a consistent and realistic presentation of the environment we're setting the story in.
We have rehearsal shots online now too! David Monteith-Hodge came to see a run-through of the play and took some gorgeous photographs. You can see David's website here. I love rehearsal shots - can capture some fun moments of the team as well as the scenes we're working on.
The one thing that became hugely apparent after only a few rehearsals is the sheer amount of STUFF involved in this play. Considering the play is set in a dilapidated family home, it is logical to assume that a lot of their possessions will be visible onstage. Mr Zindel even calls for lots of junk in his stage directions. The amount of stuff in the play becomes oppressive. I always remember someone saying that a messy bedroom can affect your resting state of mind and quality of sleep - I completely agree with that statement! The script also contains a lot of dialogue which exists in the background of a task - that is to say that I can see the characters doing a task (reading the paper, making a drink) and talking at the same time. Its true of life - how often do people sharing a home just talk to each other, completely focused on the other person? We're all involved in our own activities and relating to each other simultaneously. Our rule of thumb is "if you're not doing stuff in a scene, you probably should be" so the props list is huge! We're thinking of things the characters might be doing while talking. Its a mammoth task for our lovely ladies, who are having to remember all the blocking and the prop-work as well as all the lines. They're doing a smashing job. The production team are also doing fantastically to source all of the props we're looking for. Many kitchens, charity shops and theatres have been raided and our rehearsals are full of these props. But I must say it looks great seeing the actors using them while talking. Some plays call for it - 'On Beauty' anyone?
Book tickets here!!
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