Before the curtain goes up on the first night, months of preparation will have already taken place behind the scenes.
The Royal Shakespeare Company has 'in-house' the huge range of specialist skills required to bring a play to life. Each department works together over a period of months making sure the production is ready for the opening night.
Choosing the play
The Artistic Director chooses the productions the company performs. More than one production may open at any one time and as soon as one production opens the next is already well underway with future work being carefully discussed and planned with the Planning Department.
Casting
The casting team works closely with the director to ensure that the right actors get the right part. Auditions are held and a shortlist is drawn up. This can be complicated as, at the RSC, actors are often cast in more than one production (cross casting), directed by different directors so it is important that they are able to realise more than one director's vision.
Planning the production
The Director and Designer work on the style and period in which the production is set. Once the decisions have been made, the model box is produced and presented to the Production Manager and the various workshop and wardrobe departments.
The model box is a three dimensional miniature version of the set with all scenery and props scaled down on a scale of 1:25. The model acts as a tool to help everybody create the vision of the director and designer on stage. It is a main point of reference when building the set and the props.
The set
The Construction Manager and drawing office provide detailed drawings of how the set should be built. Each set may be required to play in many different venues and must be capable of being taken off stage quickly to change over to a different production the following day.
Every item of scenery has detailed construction drawings produced on Computer Aided Design (CAD). The plans are then handed to the scenic workshop and Paintshop and props team.
Props
A prop may be a hand prop, furniture or small items, which may be man-handled. These can range from huge casts for tall statues to a bunch of flowers or a letter. Attention to detail is crucial and reference books are constantly in use to ensure accuracy to a particular period.
The costumes
In collaboration with the Costume Department the Costume Supervisor and Designer decide on the best way to create the costumes. This may include the shoes, hats, armour, underwear, jewellery, buying the fabrics, booking the costume makers and setting up the costume fittings.
To create a particular period feel or a design with a particular colour scheme, neutral fabrics often arrive direct from the factory to be treated by the Dyeing Department. Fifty percent of costumes are broken down in some way to look worn or to show general wear and tear. Common tools of the trade for the department include a cheese grater, sandpaper, Stanley knives, a blow-torch, emulsion-based paints and fabric paints.
At the beginning of rehearsals all the actor's measurements are taken. The Men's and Ladies' Costume Departments work closely with the designer to discover the best way to interpret a costume. The Armoury and Boot Department make, recycle or adapt boots and shoes for a production. The Hats and Millinery team create a particular look using felts and straw, wire, buckram, plastics and veils.
Wigs and make-up
Hairdressing, wigs and make-up complete the final look. An actor often uses their own hair in a production, which creates difficulties, as the look required will differ in each production they appear in during the season. The Wigs' team may have to cut, curl, dye, or add extensions or hairpieces to the same actor.
Unless specialist make-up is required most actors apply their own make-up. The team creates blood effects for daggers, blood bags or smearing using glucose, sugar and fruit colouring. Black treacle is used to darken the blood. The team may even be required to make prosthetic parts of the body such as the nose in Cyrano de Bergerac.
Rehearsals
Whilst the set, props and costumes are being made, the actors are busy working away in the rehearsal room. The RSC spends six weeks rehearsing a production with the Director, Voice Coach, Fight Directors, Musical Directors and Stage Management team.
Aspects of the set are often built in the rehearsal room so actors can get a feel for the set before they reach the stage, which is only four days before the first public performance.
Stage management
Rehearsals are constantly monitored as decisions in the rehearsal room directly affect the production process. The stage management team records these developments and the rehearsal notes are passed on to the relevant workshop. The Stage Manager keeps a detailed script, marking entrances, exits, scene changes, and actor's positions.
Stage Department
The Stage Department deals with the nuts and bolts of the scenery and takes the set from the workshops on the Sunday prior to the first technical rehearsals. There is then two days to build the stage before the crucial technical rehearsal period. The stage-hands move scenery during the production and have to solve any problems with the set if they arise while a play is being performed.
Lighting and sound
The specialists in the Lighting and Sound Departments work closely with the director and designer to build up an atmosphere with the lighting and sound for a production.
Fit-up, technical rehearsals and dress rehearsals
This is when the work from all the various teams comes together on stage for the first time - Elex rigging, focussing, sound balance, set construction all preparing the theatre for the production.
The actors arrive on the stage four days before the first public performance and the detailed technical rehearsals begin. The first dress rehearsal often takes place on the afternoon of the first public performance. This is the very first time the actors, crew and technical team have run through the show with everything in place. Adrenaline runs high in anticipation of the first performance in front of an audience...
Support work
There are a number of non-production departments for example, Marketing, Education, Press & Public Affairs and Development, who are closely involved in the production process and directly support the work that takes place on stage.
