MANSFIELD PARK & RIDE What we owe to Joy...
Wednesday 25 November 2009
"Don't worry! You'll be fine: you're blind, and you've got a job to do..."
I'm writing this entry whilst being berated into participate in an ‘audience participation' sing-a-long... not to spoil it too much for you...
Richard's return (as composer) is imminent and a palpable feeling of relief that someone who is adequately qualified to direct the music fills the rehearsal. I'm off the hook (for one day, at least!) Hopefully he will like what we've rehearsed, (with the added dancing)... The only debate that's we've had is whether you, beloved audience member, know Beethoven's Symphony No.9? Come on, you know it! And if you don't, I'd get a listen on if I were you.
Samuel Webb - Assistant Director
MANSFIELD PARK & RIDE Blue Walls
Monday 23 November 2009
"Yes, that's all very well, but where are you going to stick your gun?"
After a weekend of relaxation, skipping town and return for the morning's rehearsal, your here blogger has been greeted to the third week of rehearsals, which have an energy all of their own. The performance is in sight, all have worked hard over the weekend to get on top of their lines, and even the technical crew are starting to pin us down on set pieces and props.
We were welcomed this morning to walls of blue! It seems Ian and crew were busy over the weekend, putting on the base coat of blue for the beautiful walls which flank either side of the stage.
Jane Austin parody moment of the day: you know that moment when someone has a story to tell from their past that finally reveals something about another character, closely related to them? (Wickham and Darcy for example...) Well, we've got it! Complete with piano underscore! Not a straight face in the rehearsal room, thanks to Greg's piano playing...!
Samuel Webb - Assistant Director
MANSFIELD PARK & RIDE Flu Jabs!
Thursday 19 November 2009
Flu jabs!
Today was a strange day... it seems Eastern Angles are providing flu jabs for all its company! Well, you wouldn't want to watch a snotty Lady Fitztightly or Mrs Bonnet all night would you? It's not that we don't trust you, our beautiful audience, its just we know how hot it gets in here.
Samuel Webb - Assistant Director
MANSFIELD PARK & RIDE Week 2
Wednesday 18 November 2009
Week 2
People aren't really sure exactly what an assistant director is meant to do. Are they the personal assistant of the director? Are they just there to help the actors with their lines? Do they just make the tea for everyone? The philosophy I was taught, and have always experience as the best, is being an assistant to the production - or basically everyone's assistant. So, you could do all of the above, or none, if that's what the production needs.
The other fun bit about being an assistant is that from time to time you get to have some creative influence over something in the show, and my duties for this show included devising the little "dance" numbers for the songs, and rehearsing the music when our composer, Richard, had taught them to the company. This usually means having a vocal warm-up after lunch, and then singing the songs back to back - with some room for working on particular bits during that. Some days we'll focus on one song, and devise the dance-y bit for it, and others will just a recap, doing the songs quickly so we can get back to rehearsing the play itself. The company have done a great job at taking responsibility for their songs though, which has helped rehearsing them no end.
Greg Wagland and Vera Chok have shared piano duties, and have both done an amazing job at getting up to speed with Richard's score, which hasn't been easy! ‘Costume drama', ‘Great Yarmouth', ‘What's to become of us?' can be quite complicated at points, and sometimes very fast! Still, the songs are really funny, which helps, and are never a chore to hear once more - you'll be singing them on your way home, I can assure you!
Today was the day we finally worked through to the end of the play. With all the scenes blocked and in their first stages our next aim is to go back to the beginning and polish them up, fixing any moments that don't feel right and sorting out any problems with blocking... and if in doubt, just make it funnier. This stage is all about getting the actors to really own what they're doing, rather than just standing a speaking where and when the director/writer wants.
Samuel Webb - Assistant Director
MANSFIELD PARK & RIDE Day 3: What do you mean I have to sing??
Wednesday 11 November 2009
The third day of rehearsals and the Musical Director has arrived, so the building is full of singing - musical ditties that we know will be stuck in our brains for the next 2 and a half months! The Designer is measuring people up for costumes, and the set has started to be built. We have just 3 weeks before our opening night, and we've hardly started!
Jon Tavener
MANSFIELD PARK & RIDE A new cast, and a new script!
Monday 09 November 2009
Welcome to Christmas!
Yes, for us, Christmas starts on Day 1 of rehearsals, and we've just welcomed Greg, Sally, Sophie, William, Vera and Penny to the Sir John Mills Theatre. The Readthrough is when everyone involved in the production sits down and reads through the script. Penny, our Stage Manager, reads in the stage directions, and everyone struggles to work out which characters they are playing. This is often a surprise to them, as such things are in flux from the very beginning. Two hours later and the cast is tucking into a buffet lunch, and wondering what the next 3 and a half weeks might bring....
After lunch, the cast is straight into rehearsals - Act One Scene One - and we're off!
Better start ordering the mince pies then!
Jon Tavener
