To say that the last three days have been incredible would be a massive understatement. I have been blessed with a great cast and we pulled together (though I am biased) a great show.
That isn't to say this week has been easy. Monday practically killed me before we'd even done the technical - it's a long story involving a broken handle on my suitcase and the heel of my shoe. Needless to say, anyone looking closely during the show would have seen my right shoe was a little bit held together with gaffer tape.
The first day was the biggest day for me - because I had no idea whether the show was going to work. For those who haven't been following the blog, the show is made of four main sections, two I do myself and two which are chopped up into five chunks each (plus an epilogue). These chunks are played by the rest of the cast (numbered 1 to 11) six of which were different people each day. The remaining five (the core company) stay for the week. Everyone rehearsed on the day from 1pm till show up without any additional rehearsal - they just turned up knowing their lines and we went from there.
But on Monday the rehearsal task was greatest because everyone needed to be rehearsed, everyone was new to the show (even the core company) and we didn't know if the audience would like it. It was also incredibly hot and so everything seemed very intense.
But as the company arrived and I did the health and safety talk it became clear this show was going to work. Everyone was asked to bring cushions and nice cups and saucers, creating a nice tea party oasis on the stage. Sitting around the performance space everyone sat, getting up for their bit, sitting and watching the show with the audience. This was particularly effective as for the last quarter of the show no one, bar Richard Ward (who was the epilogue of the story) knew how it ended - so the cast was a geniune part of the audience for the end.
The Monday was the scariest of the days, but the Tuesday and Wednesday threw up surprises of their own. Because each day the cast changed, we got completely different versions of the story. On Monday Number 4, Simon Nader, brought placards for his section whereas on Wednesday Gillian Horgan and the company created the insides of an asylum through the medium of silly noises.
The audience feedback was entirely positive (our mailing list has swelled some what) and people went home happy. And I went home generally exhausted but with a lot more friends.
There is some footage of the rehearsals and blogs from the week, so I'll edit that up for people over the next few days.
Till next time,
Robx
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