The first RSC productions in the World Shakespeare Festival are three plays cast from one acting company, looking at migration, exile, and the discovery of brave new worlds. Actors Nick Day and Ankur Bahl share their experiences in rehearsal for The Tempest, Twelfth Night and The Comedy of Errors.
Nick has beached on the shores of the RSC for the fifth time. Having drifted about in a variety of theatre, TV and film roles over 40 years the winds and tides have given him good passage into our waters a little more often lately. He loves it here and has absolutely no desire to be taken off this magic isle.
After spending his youth on the international jump rope circuit, Ankur arrived in Britain six years ago as a postgraduate studying migration and diaspora. Shipwrecked in London, he began performing in theatre pieces about the people he was studying.
May 30, 2012
Having just arrived in London to start work at the Roundhouse I was drawn back to Stratford on spiritual elastic to see what promised to be, at the very least, an interesting take on a difficult play. I knew it would be my only chance to see Greg's Julius Caesar, and I was determined not to miss it.
by Nick Day
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May 29, 2012
A frightening trend has emerged in rehearsals this week. I have taken to sneezing at particularly tender moments in the plot.
by Ankur Bahl
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May 23, 2012
A beautiful phrase. Marvellous sweet music to our ears. 'Show call only' means there will be no other calls for the day except the normal calls for the performance.
by Nick Day
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May 21, 2012
A quick blog post today. This week is Learning Week at the RSC – a wonderful opportunity to learn skills from one's colleagues.
by Nick Day
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May 11, 2012
Well, I did fear the blogs might run dry, but yesterday, a bunch of us from the WCFIT company went to see the understudy run of King John in the Swan. What a joy!
by Nick Day
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May 11, 2012
In our version of The Comedy of Errors, Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse (played by Jonny McGuinness and Bruce MacKinnon) arrive in Ephesus in a wooden crate.
by Ankur Bahl
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May 7, 2012
After a brief respite following the press nights, the company started the process of rehearsing and running full productions with all the understudies.
by Nick Day
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April 30, 2012
We made it. It was a long journey to the opening performances, and there is such a sense of relief all round.
by Nick Day
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April 26, 2012
Shakespeare's Birthday. We don't really know if it was the 23rd of April, so it might as well have been the 21st when we celebrated it on the streets of Stratford.
by Nick Day
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April 25, 2012
In The Comedy of Errors I play the Messenger, who crashes into Act V with some very bad news. He has just witnessed Antipholus of Ephesus (played by Stephen Hagan) in a state of madness.
by Ankur Bahl
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