Tales from a rehearsal room floor: COMING UP - week 3

I make no qualms for saying this-- this is a hard show. But it's been a fantastic week

After the first 2 weeks of exploring and trying things out, this has been the week where we've begun refining and putting scenes together. Merging from one scene straight into the other. Albeit very very slowly, with an air of "what the hell happens next?" But we shall get there.

The process of merging scenes is very physical, so there is a lot of movement in the piece (i may have mentioned) - so we all hit a point of pure body ache this week. 

However, we've also had music in the room - written specifically for the show, to underscore and enhance what we're doing. And it sounds totally brilliant. An extra level to the show, which I do not doubt audiences will love (I hope)

There have also been initial costume fittings this week. With only 5 of us in the cast playing 20 characters, the costumes are very versatile. And with minimal pieces to represent certain characters (eg- a cross for the vicar) it's fair to say I can already see myself coming on with the wrong thing (at least, before we open!)

Personally at times my head has been going "what am I in, at this moment? Was my shirt last taken off on the left or the right?"

Oh, and the show also now has mask work and cartwheels in it. I'll leave it like that


So as we finish for the week, satisfied with where we are, we have our final week of rehearsals to look forward to. And the start of running the show in its entirely.

Eeeekkkkk!!!!

Ps- the full rehearsals shots can be seen 
http://www.watfordpalacetheatre.co.uk/page/coming-up#-Gallery

Tales from the rehearsal room floor: COMING UP -week 2

I hurt. It might be from moving a lot, or possibly (and more likely) laughing a lot. 

I thought last week was tiring...little did I know. Week 2 of rehearsals come to an end, and we're all feeling it. 

There are a number of set movement pieces in the show, so mostly this week we've been physicalising scenes, merging them together and getting a "flow" going. Literally non-stop moving. Think Brecht meets India. 

And of course working on a good old song number.  But don't worry, I'm not singing it. Your ears are safe.

Going through the scenes with lesser movement; we're briefly blocking them, knowing where we generally will be, and examining the script as we go. Really starting to build up the relationships between characters. If Coming up was a building, then this week has really been about laying some foundations. Albeit in a rather "spirit of chaos" way. Nothing is naturalistic here. 

But-- it's not all been exhaustively hard work. Oh nope. 

We're open to make choices, so for me that's a flag to play. And as an ensemble we've really played this week, meaning we've laughed a lot as well. 

Halfway through the rehearsal process now, so I look forward to more laughs next week. (And work!) 

Tales from the rehearsal room floor: COMING UP (Week 1)

"Lets get physical. Physical"- Thank you Olivia Newton-John for aptly summing up this first week of rehearsals. Even as I type this, my head keeps bobbing asleep (a bit like when you see someone fall asleep on a stranger on the tube-- but probably less funnier)

For the next few weeks I'll be doing a brief weekly blog on the rehearsals for COMING UP. A new writing piece, on at Watford Palace Theatre from the 10th- 24th October. (http://www.watfordpalacetheatre.co.uk/page/coming-up) 

The story itself is a magical, evocative, physical tale of broken family ties & the need for connection. Set in India.- Mumbai (Bombay) in the present day, &  Mangalore in the 1940s. All through the portal of an important family book.....

So be prepared for a fair bit of time jumping. This is not your standard, run-of the mill, kitchen sink drama. There are vicars, tigers, Nespresso coffee machines & more. Leave naturalism at the door, and expect proper theatre story-telling.

It all started as standard: the initial meet and greet on the Monday. Get to know the people in the building; who you'll be working with; first sit down read through of the script & a view of the set design. Great. We're doing well. Pass along the plates of biscuits please.

But that's it. No resting on them laurels for anyone hereon in, as the rest of this week has been quite the physical experience! It has involved a fair bit of stretching, walking, lifting, rolling, running, balancing & jumping. Even as I think about it, I start to ache. (anyone giving free massages?!)

With a cast of just 5, and about 20 characters in the play, its fair to say there's a lot of multiple personality disordering going on; as well as creating the physical language we need to show and inhabit. All in a way that serves the brilliant text & is entertaining storytelling for the audience.

So we've got to play a lot this week. Discovering different walks for the numerous characters; exploring the times & places of India; creating images that will help the audience's imagination and thinking about our inner animals (the monkey, the goat, the antelope, the contemporary dancer)*** to help us. Everyone has been pitching in with ideas. If it works, it works. If it hasn't, we've let it go.

Additionally we've spent time on some of the initial scenes- delving into characters & the text. Making the story come to life at its core: familial relationships & discovering who you are. 

Coming up (*ba-doom*. *groan*)  to the end of the first week, I can say it has been a complete ensemble experience. Knackered-- but in a completely satisfactory way. 

Lets see what week 2 brings.

(***please note, no real animals or contemporary dancers were harmed in our inner thinking.)

FULL SHOW DETAILS & TO BOOK: http://www.watfordpalacetheatre.co.uk/page/coming-up