9th May 2011 - Starting to look like a play

I am very happy to say that in places, this play is starting to look like it will be an enjoyable experience to watch. Whilst there is technically only one scene, the conversations and action take place between many different cast groupings and scenarios.  This helps to keep the dynamics varied.  Also, as the cast become more familiar with their (many) exits, entrances and stories, and help to smooth moments of uncertainty in our interpretations, the flow of dynamics is becoming smoother.  This means that ideally, the audience experience, through the stories and characters depicted, a range of emotions, and the transition between these emotions is smooth and uncomplicated.  If this happens, the audience will become truly absorbed in our tale, and will hopefully be happy at the end.  If it doesn't happen, we will know because they will have all rushed off to the pub just as we got ready to perform our end of show bow.

At this point in the proceedings, my first concern, with any performance, is not about technical correctness, artistic interpretations, historical accuracy.  The time to ponder on and manage these aspects of our creation is coming to a close.

The most pressing concern to me now, is will the audience be entertained?  People will be travelling quite a long way to come and see this play, and we need to be able to confidently say that the journey will be worth it in terms of enjoyment, and for this kind of community endeavour, also in terms of the social experience.





In this session, we carried on blocking and working with smaller sections of the play.  Focussing also on the part of Rachel, as we have Sue for the first time in a couple of weeks.  It is fantastic to see the characters becoming more developed, and revising our own interpretations of what happens.



During initial readings Rachel's part had come across as quite together and with it, holding the fort in moments of trial and difficulty.  However, we are now seeing that in fact Rachel is far more human than this, and experiences confusion, fear and at times blind panic, as her carefully controlled world gradually falls apart.  Emily looks like she is finding some new strength by the end, as she becomes more assertive with both Rachel and Douglas.  Godfrey is found to be a truly unpleasant man, but there is an element of pathos about his character, and voices feeling of anger, hurt and rejection that sometimes people feel in their own lives but often do not have a way to speak of.  Anthony struggles with the conflict between his childlike need for a parent and the calling of adult independence and autonomy.  Vicky experiences shock and trauma, and looks for comfort in her mother, who has far too many concerns of her own.  Through all of this, family friends, who know part of the tale, and army officers, who know none of it, weave out a small part of their own lives, all affected in their own way by the events that unfold at the House in 1944.

And so the script and characters are peeling from the black on white page and becoming colourful, three dimensional entities, depicting life and some of the many events and meanings that affect us all.

So what next?
One more drama day to go - this Sunday (15th May).  We will continue to work in detail, ideally getting through the whole play. For the first time we will have the whole cast, and so we will need to do an enrolment session for the benefit of the new people - that is exploring the characters and their relationships.  This will take about an hour.  after that we have 3 hours of rehearsal.  I think that we have the sound equipment coming then, so there will be some time dedicated to setting this up - perhaps during the enrolment session?


On Saturday (21st May)  There will be dress rehearsal at 3pm followed by performance at 6pm.  I will be at the Hayes most of the day if people want to come along and work on anything or bring along props/costumes.


Nearly there folks!