Christmas is come
December 19, 2011
Christmas is come. The Ferryhouse is decorated with fifteen pounds worth of sparkly goods from Poundland and the smell of mulled wine floats out of the Dirty Duck as you walk past; the cast Secret Santa has been drawn and the presents bought (hopefully!). But most Christmassy and magical of all, the RSC Christmas Carol Concert has occurred.
Surrounded by the magnificent stained glass windows and ancient stone work that encapsulates Shakespeare's resting place and encircled by the most talented, generous and creative group of people, I have never felt more blessed and lucky in my entire life.
There were readings from many members of the company, James Hayes, Bruce Alexander, Oliver Ford-Davis (Lancelot Andrewes reading his very own sermon for those of you who have seen Written on the Heart!); a hilarious sketch done by Peter Bray and Emma Manton from the Robin Hood company about what would actually happen if the song 'The 12 Days of Christmas' became an actuality... A house full of birds and milkmaids it seems! However, most beautiful and moving of all was a reading of Luke chapter 2, verses 1-14 by Greg Doran and then translated into Icelandic by Darri Ōlafsson.
The choir sang brilliantly with some of our cast amongst them, Joe Kloska, Sam Marks, Annette McLaughlin, Bruce Alexander and Jim Hooper were forefront of the Wassail and we all left the church with a warm glow.
These past couple of weeks have flown by in a blur, first there was the Written understudy run, and then the following week it was Measure's turn. I got the chance to perform the roles of Francisca, Juliet and Marianna. It was the most exhilarating afternoon, we were flying by the seat of our pants as Measure is so complicated with a million and one scene changes so you never really knew who or what was coming next!
The most terrifying part was performing Marianna's song, I have never really sung solo before apart from once at drama school and so doing it for the RSC was terrifying needless to say... I would have rather have performed on X factor! But I got through it and with a lot of help and encouragement from Alison Bomber our amazing, insightful voice coach, even ended up enjoying it. Whether or not I got through to boot camp or not is another matter entirely!
This week brings the rehearsals of Heresy of Love with Nancy Meckler directing. A new play, a new challenge, a new cast... Bring it on!
by Laura Darrall
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