Keith's blog

Walking before we can run
Originally this blog was going to be dedicated to the very first tentative steps taken to put Hamlet on its feet having been sat around the table analysing the text for two weeks, but I'm afraid what with one thing and another it seems to've been a long time a-cooking so that theme is a little old hat now as, to be honest, we've been on our feet for about three weeks and did our first run through of the whole play last Friday week … sorry for the delay folks!
 

At the stage of rehearsals immediately post-text-work, it's always a great relief to be able to run around, wave ones arms about, and do some acting. I'm playing Marcellus, who appears at the very beginning so I was amongst the first to start the journey across the undiscovered country that is the physical life of our production of the play. In the first scene I bring Horatio (Peter De Jersey) to the battlements where two nights previously my comrade-in-arms Barnado (Ewen Cummins) and I have seen a ghost (Patrick Stewart) whilst on watch, in the likeness of the recently deceased King. Thus the scenario with which the play Hamlet starts is already an extraordinary one and Shakespeare ratchets up the tension right from the outset. To kick off, we started to explore what its like to be in pitch darkness in the freezing cold in a remote part of a castle waiting for a ghost that may be an evil spirit … or not, and when it appears how that affects us physically and mentally, the relationships between us etc. As 21st century actors we continually need to remind ourselves that the people in Shakespeare's world lived was believed in ghosts, witches and the like that could bring great harm, and we have to make those fears as real to ourselves as we can. Our rehearsal room is big and very light and it's impossible to black out the windows in the ceiling which means that rehearsing this scene took quite a leap of our collective imagination. So a couple of days later we re-rehearsed all the battlement scenes on The Courtyard Theatre stage in complete darkness and just a couple of torches for light. This was a very fruitful exercise; I was surprised at how jumpy it made me feel and Patrick's first and subsequent appearances were genuinely startling. We were also able to experiment with how we might use the auditorium in the scene when Horatio and Marcellus are desperately running around searching for Hamlet after his encounter with the ghost.

In these early rehearsals we arrive at physical shapes for the scenes that are rough-hewn and unfixed, over the weeks we shape them more precisely to how we will eventually perform them, although unless there is a technical reason for precise ‘blocking' – like needing to be at a certain place on the stage to be lit or some such – there's usually room for change even in performance; when a company is working well together there's always scope to experiment and surprise each other with new moves and nuances to character. Obviously this must be within reason, for instance it'd probably be a bad idea if on impulse one night I decided that Marcellus spoke with a squeaky high voice, or suddenly developed a severe limp; any variations to the scene played live in the moment should spring from what happens between the actors and the audience, anything else should be discussed first – needless to say we haven't yet discussed the squeaky voice or the limp. One aspect of the physical life of a play for which there's no room for experiment are fight scenes. The fight at the end between Laertes and Hamlet is as major set piece in the play. Ed Bennett (Laertes) and David had been working on the core of this with the fight director (Terry King) for some time; basically it is a fencing match in three sections that gets wilder and more out of control as it proceeds with catastrophic consequences. A couple of weeks ago the rest of us were brought in to be onlookers – as the Danish court – some of whom get drawn into it, my brief as Marcellus is that I'm head of security at Elsinore so this includes me in restraining mode grappling to separate the increasingly violent combatants. The priority in any stage fight is safety absolutely above and beyond everything else especially when there are swords involved; in this case rapiers are the weapons of choice and whilst they are blunted they could easily hurt or even blind someone. With the risk of serious injury, things are choreographed with exacting precision in order that the sword points don't go anywhere near anyone's face even if not directly involved in the fisticuffs. In addition there's the danger of collisions, furniture knocked flying and hitting folk, falling off the edge of the stage, tripping over stuff on the floor and the list goes on. To obviate any risk of injury from any source the fight is practised again and again, and when we're up and running, as a matter of course in any production, there's always a fight call to go through the moves before each performance.

Thus we worked through all the scenes in Hamlet one by one, and then, when they were sufficiently developed, the week before last we assembled them act by act, rehearsing each and then running it. Thus our walk through each scene of the play accelerates to a jog through each act culminating in the Friday first run. It's very exciting to assemble the fragments, to put the whole picture together or at least the first sketch, and to see the bits one isn't involved in and haven't seen before, to see and hear the shape of the play, how one scene chimes with another as the whole journey is undertaken. Inevitably as we're poised to start there's a frisson of uncertainty as to how it'll all hang together; however well rehearsals seem to've gone and even though we all know this is not the end product, the question hangs in the air: are we on the right track or hopelessly lost? In the event the run through went extremely well, by turns moving, disturbing, painful and sometimes very funny; it really is a wonderful play that turns on a sixpence. Greg was very pleased, there's fine work from all the company and David is going to be a brilliant Hamlet. But the evolutionary process doesn't stop here, nothing is fixed and our task now is to assess where we're at, what works and what doesn't what we will try and discover next.

Later that evening we were back to the warm sensuality of A Midsummer Night's Dream, a welcome contrast to the rottenness in the state of Denmark.

To round off the week, it was Patrick's birthday that Sunday and some of us drove through the rolling hills of middle England, green turned gold in the summer sun, to his beautiful house in Oxfordshire for a light lunch and drinks, it was a beautiful day for it, a wonderful way to unwind after a long week as we gird our loins for our final weeks rehearsal …

KO 23/7

   Respond to Keith's blog

Responses to Keith's blog

"I've loved all the blogs. I think rehearsals are my favourite part of a production(which is why I'm now a techie). I'm coming to the first preview, break legs everyone - I'm sure it will be fantastic."

Alison

"Your blog entries are fabulous! I love reading details about all the work that the cast has put into Hamlet. Despite how amazing a stage performance might be, I still think many of us in the audience tend to underestimate how much time and effort really goes into the final product. It’s such an education to find out how a play moves from concept to opening-night reality. Your glittering descriptions and keen wit make your blogs a joy to read. Thank you so much for taking the time to post them for us. I can’t wait to see you in December!"

Lisa N

"It's been greatly informative to read your blog. As someone who has been extensively involved in stage production (albeit on a high school level) as a sign language interpreter, I know the hours of rehearsal and time of preparation. I've always wondered how that rehearsal time worked on a professional level (not high school) and I want to thank you for the insight into that realm. I was excited about attending Hamlet in October and after reading your blog, am even more so. Thanks so much for sharing with us and to you and all the cast BREAK A LEG! You'll be brilliant. "

Susan

"Good bit about stage combat. It may be blunt and dull but its still a steel baseball bat traveling at 400 miles per hour at the tip."

Wendy

"Love these blogs, great idea, giving real insight into the whole process - and you just made me giggle over the understudy 'forced' to beat himself up and your variations on Marcellus with the squeaky voice/limp! Would suggest the Ghost comes on in the Tardis - that'll bring the house down, but it might detract from said leg. Thank you so much for such entertaining articles. I have been going to Stratford for many years (remember the long hot summer of '76 when I was but a teenager!) and have always appreciated the thought and effort that goes into the productions. I would say 'break a leg' to you but that might be one leg too many for Marcellus to cope with! All the very best and I look forward to your next blog. "

Marja

"I read, with fascination, all of your blog entries and wish you all the best for this much anticipated production of Hamlet. I saw Midsummer Night's Dream in May, a play I always like to bring a 'Shakespeare Virgin' too ~ and my friend is now totally hooked! What an amazing visual spectacle that was. I was intrigued to hear how you learn your lines, and can see the problems with remembering your lines as an understudy. I'm particulary interested to hear how actors remember their lines with associating movement and emotion with their lines, still it must be tricky to remember all that text! I also read with interest one of your earlier blogs about your OU degree and your computer qualification! I work in IT, more by accident really and would love to get invovled in the theatre ~ I too have an OU Degree (graduating in 2007) in English Language and Literature, what an amazing institution the OU is. I envy you working in the theatre ~ when I walk into the Courtyard I have to take a moment to take in the sights, smells and general atmosphere of the place ~ such escapism in this crazy world is incredible ~ however I fear Hamlet will be a little close to some of our stark realities than we are comfortable with! I can't wait to see you all on the 5th September ~ good luck ~ and let's hope you don't get called upon for your understudy duties ~ the mere sight of the ghost is probably scary enough... Right ~ I'm just off to brush up on the text ~ I'll be the one in the second row, looking all in awe of all of the proceedings, taking in the atmosphere thanking her lucky stars to be part of it all for one evening ~ after all 'The Plays the thing'... Warmest wishes to you and the cast, and I look forward to your next blog ~ when you get time! "

Genette

Latest blog posts

- Labouring On 
- Open Day 
- Bottom up! 
- Love's Labour's Last
- A pressing engagement
- Sunday lovely Sunday
- It's the Final Countdown!
- Bits and bobs
- Walking before we can run
- Words, words, words
- Up and Down
- Athens to Elsinore 
- A bit of a break
- Dream on   

About blogger Keith

         

Likes: Music, cycling, food, theoretical physics

Dislikes: Queuing, flying, mice (and creatures of similar size), smoking

Keith plays Marcellus in Hamlet, Egeus in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Marcade in Love's Labour's Lost as part of the ensemble.