Juggling pots on the stove
January 20, 2012
I thought I should tell you a little bit more about the process. With these three plays to rehearse it's a bit like we're preparing a complex meal and juggling pots on the stove.
We had two runs of Comedy yesterday. The production is beginning to emerge, and it's style looks to me organic and not 'imposed'. From today David Farr will have rehearsal call priority for just over a week to call whomever he likes for The Tempest.
Meanwhile, Nizar can fit in some Comedy rehearsals downstairs with cast that is available, and there can be music calls with Adam Ilhan for any of the plays, together with voice and text calls with Michael Corbidge in other rooms.
The other ensemble company's King John has joined us in the Clapham rehearsal rooms so the whole building is buzzing and the green room is rammed.
We tackled the Tempest opening storm this morning, having not had a proper rehearsal on the play for five weeks, the other two plays having enjoyed 'priority' for a while. Fortunately we did manage, last week, to gather some of what we are calling 'The Europeans' to rehearse our arrival on Prospero's isle. That helps to keep a non-priority play alive in our heads, and gives us a chance to run the words together.
So now we're on Tempest until we come back to Twelfth Night near the end of the month. That period of downtime for the play will, I think, prove beneficial because things will have had a chance to gently cook with the lid on. A bit like the flavours in a good curry having the chance to develop and mature.
Photo: Michael Corbidge checking his text and his tuck
(The What Country Friends is This? plays are; The Tempest, Twelfth Night and The Comedy of Errors, and are part of the RSC's World Shakespeare Festival)
by Nick Day
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