King Lear

Stage Management

In this section, you will find notes from rehearsal [RSC 1982, 1990, 1993], examples of props needed [RSC 1993] and an exercise to try and show reports from 4 productions of King Lear [RSC 1991, 1994 and 1999] (including a classroom activity).

The American novelist Henry James said of King Lear, “it is impossible to imagine a drama that accommodates itself less to the stage.” Not the most frequently performed of Shakespeare’s plays, the RSC has nevertheless mounted 6 productions since 1982. But it can be difficult for students reading a Shakespeare play to imagine some of the many aspects theatre companies need to consider when producing plays.

The rehearsal period is a time of experimentation and exploration. Some of the choices directors, designers and actors make often need to be negotiated with other departments. It is vital therefore that decisions made during rehearsal are communicated to the relevant departments in the rest of the organisation. This job falls to the Stage Management team. The Deputy Stage Manager has specific responsibility for information coming out of rehearsals. He or she sits in the rehearsal room, making notes of what is required from each department and, very importantly, why it is needed.

King Lear directed by Adrian Noble [RSC 1982]

Wigs
- Possibly for the blinding scene, it will be done by Regan taking pins
out of her hair and poking Gloucester’s eyes out with the pins.

- One of Gloucester’s eyes should be made up with blood in it ready to
squoosh out.

- Two actors (Austin and Casey) will put the dark patches on
Gloucester’s eyes and squirt the blood onto his face.

Props
- Cornwall will be carrying Gloucester’s 2 eyes before the blinding
scene.

Wardrobe
- We need somewhere on Cornwall’s costume for him to carry
Gloucester’s 2 eyes until the blinding scene. Also somewhere to put a
bloody sponge to wipe Gloucester’s eyes.

King Lear directed by Nicholas Hytner [RSC 1990]
Some discussion needed Since we cannot have 100 knights on stage, there has been an idea to represent Lear’s 100 kinghts by having 100 saddles, or bags, or pairs of boots on stage.

Wigs
- For the blinding of Gloucester, Richard Ridings will need to have 2
blood bags set in his pocket. He will burst them in his hand, so when
he holds up his hand after the deed, we will see the blood dripping
down his arm.

- Gloucester’s eyes are NOT bandaged so we will need a make-up job
on Norman Rodway’s eyes to make them look like eyeless sockets.

Wardrobe
- The Fool is to be picked up by the scruff of her neck so a harness or
something needs to be designed into the costume to accommodate
this.

Props/Design
- New Prop: Lear has a real mouse in Act 4 scene 5 (p.79)

- Pg. 77 Act 4 scene 5 Lear is to wear a felt hat wound round with
hemlock, burdock, nettles, cuckoo flowers, darnel, rank fumiter and
furrow weeds.

King Lear directed by Adrian Noble [RSC 1993]
Notes from rehearsal from Stage Management regarding:

Set/Design
- Can Simon Russell Beale (Edgar) appear on the moon? Is this
practical?

- A paint pot Down Stage Left will be kicked over by Lear in the first
scene. This would be red paint to match the floor under the paper - is
this practical?

- The long table should be very slippery for the Fool to slide along.

- Can the Fool (Ian Hughes) hide under the table?

- There is a possibility of the hospital screens being cut and the bed
wheeled on from Stage Right.

Wigs
- We will need blood for Owen Teale (Edmund) in scene 5a when he
cuts himself.

- Scene 20d - in the fight between Edgar and Oswald we will need blood
bags. These will be used as Edgar looks to be bashing Oswald’s head
with a stick, this will be done upstage so we can cheat the blood bags.

LX (Lighting) (King Lear is a bleak play but it’s interesting to remember that much of the action takes place in summer)

-Scene 5a takes place at 1.00am - Gloucester is in the shadows.

-Scene 8a takes place at dawn.

-Scene 18 takes place in high summer.

-Scene 20 takes place on a hot day in high summer.

Wardrobe
- The 3 sisters, Gonerill, Regan and Cordelia, all will need crowns

- In scene 16, David Bradley (Gloucester) crawls on from stage left. We
have knee pads in rehearsal, can these be worn under his costume?

- Lear (Robert Stephens) will have a handkerchief with him throughout
the play: has he a pocket in his costume/coat? Could he have two
pockets in his coat as he has a purse, flowers and the handkerchief to
accommodate.

- The Fool’s trousers need to be baggy with pockets in both sides.

- See note under WIGS regarding scene 20d - Oswald (Mark Lockyer)
may need a separate pocket for the blood bags. Also in this scene we
need several pockets in Oswald’s coat to accommodate a purse
(inside left pocket?) and a letter. These pockets need to be easily
accessible as the action is very quick.

Music/Sound
- Scene 8 - trumpet sound from stage right (p.110)

- The Fool will probably play the mandolin for the following:
- p. 84 “Fools had ne’er less grace in a year” [1.4.163]
- “Then they for sudden joy did weep”
- p. 106 “And follows but for form” [2.4.75]

PROPS
The following is a list of props used in Act 1 scene 4 of Adrian Noble’s second production of King Lear for the RSC [in 1993]:

Long table - this needs to be slippery, as the Fool is pushed from
Upstage Right down the table

Table cloth - this needs to be in two pieces, the onstage end being
the smaller piece for the Fool to whip off and use to cover Lear’s
head. The table measures 5’ 6” x 8’ 2”

12 chairs - 3 of which will be left on stage. These will need to be
reinforced as they are roughly treated

Paper crown - this is for the Fool and is ripped up in each
performance therefore will be a running prop

Document folder and papers for Oswald. It needs to be strong as it
will get hit hard with a riding crop.

Pen for Oswald, to sign letters

Deer corpse or bloody boar???

9 riding crops for the knights

9 hunting bags for the knights

Riding crop for Lear

Tray with 8 drinking vessels and a pitcher

Raw egg

Blanket tied with string for Kent. He puts his sword in the middle and
wears this round his back.

Mandolin

Try this:
Imagine you are staging a production of King Lear. Choose a scene and draw up a list of props you will need for the scene. Some will be props referred to in the text [e.g. the stocks for Kent in Act 2 scene 2 or flowers for Lear in Act 4 scene 6]. Others will be props arising from production choices [e.g. a throne in Act 1 scene 1].

SHOW REPORTS
Sometimes the unexpected happens in performance:

cues are missed

actors get injured in fights and falls

understudies have to go on for actors who are sick

machinery gets jammed

props break etc. The Stage Manager logs all such incidents in
the show report, which is typed up after every performance.

The following list records incidents from previous productions of King Lear at the RSC:

1991 Barbican Theatre [director Nicholas Hytner]
- Candles on dining table would not light.

- Heavy rain caused leak through top of fly tower, landing just offstage
in Prompt Side wings.

- Member of audience complained of creaking floor in Prompt Side
wings. To be followed up.

- Mr Troughton (Kent) slipped on some orange peel and hurt his knee.
He was hobbling badly through the storm and hovel scenes. I will ask the actors to stop throwing orange peel at Oswald in Act 1 scene 4.

- Miss Kerr Scott did not take the curtain call as she felt unwell.

Barbican Theatre 1994
- Less rain tonight but still two falls: Mr Lynne slipped in scene 18 and Mr Stephens fell as he exited from scene 20. Mr Beale also slipped. Since last week I have taken the following action:
1. reduced the level of rain
2. reduced the amount of clay worn by Edgar [Poor Tom]
3. we now dry the stage with a high power fan for the length of the interval
4. any person who has slipped now has rubber soles on their shoes if they didn’t before.

1999 Barbican Theatre [director, Yukio Ninagawa]
- Massive blood spill from prompt side boar in hunting scene, floor
mopped in scene change, unfortunately still slippy when Mr Armstrong went on for the mock fight and he fell and damaged his scabbard and had difficulty getting his sword out. - Mr Fish’s dagger went into the front row of the stalls during the blinding. It didn’t hit anyone and was returned by Front of House staff.

- One of the eyes from the blinding was left on stage. Mr Tennant
attempted to remove it and left his letter on stage in the process!! - The letter was later removed by Mr Clayton.

- Relatively smooth show though VERY long.

Same production, at Sattama Arts Theatre - Sattama - Japan
- Japanese royal family in attendance + director + British Ambassador

- Mr McGaughey (Edgar) and Ms Chancellor (Regan) avoided a difficult
situation in the blinding scene - a catch on his costume became entangled in her wig - brute force resolved the situation, fortunately upstage so the audience didn’t see the disconnection!

Try this:
Imagine you are the Stage Manager for a production of King Lear. Write a show report listing problems during one performance.


			In this section, you will find notes from rehearsal [RSC 1982, 1990, 1993], examples of props needed [RSC 1993] and an exercise to try and show reports from 4 productions of King Lear [RSC 1991, 1994 and 1999] (including a classroom activity). The American novelist Henry James said of King Lear, “it is impossible to imagine a drama that accommodates itself less to the stage.” Not the most frequently performed of Shakespeare’s plays, the RSC has nevertheless mounted 6 productions since 1982. But it can be difficult for students reading a Shakespeare play to imagine some of the many aspects theatre companies need to consider when producing plays. The rehearsal period is a time of experimentation and exploration. Some of the choices directors, designers and actors make often need to be negotiated with other departments. It is vital therefore that decisions made during rehearsal are communicated to the relevant departments in the rest of the organisation. This job falls to the Stage Management team. The Deputy Stage Manager has specific responsibility for information coming out of rehearsals. He or she sits in the rehearsal room, making notes of what is required from each department and, very importantly, why it is needed. Wigs - Possibly for the blinding scene, it will be done by Regan taking pins out of her hair and poking Gloucester’s eyes out with the pins. - One of Gloucester’s eyes should be made up with blood in it ready to squoosh out. - Two actors (Austin and Casey) will put the dark patches on Gloucester’s eyes and squirt the blood onto his face. Props - Cornwall will be carrying Gloucester’s 2 eyes before the blinding scene. Wardrobe - We need somewhere on Cornwall’s costume for him to carry Gloucester’s 2 eyes until the blinding scene. Also somewhere to put a bloody sponge to wipe Gloucester’s eyes. Some discussion needed Since we cannot have 100 knights on stage, there has been an idea to represent Lear’s 100 kinghts by having 100 saddles, or bags, or pairs of boots on stage. Wigs - For the blinding of Gloucester, Richard Ridings will need to have 2 blood bags set in his pocket. He will burst them in his hand, so when he holds up his hand after the deed, we will see the blood dripping down his arm. - Gloucester’s eyes are NOT bandaged so we will need a make-up job on Norman Rodway’s eyes to make them look like eyeless sockets. Wardrobe - The Fool is to be picked up by the scruff of her neck so a harness or something needs to be designed into the costume to accommodate this. Props/Design - New Prop: Lear has a real mouse in Act 4 scene 5 (p.79) - Pg. 77 Act 4 scene 5 Lear is to wear a felt hat wound round with hemlock, burdock, nettles, cuckoo flowers, darnel, rank fumiter and furrow weeds. Notes from rehearsal from Stage Management regarding: Set/Design - Can Simon Russell Beale (Edgar) appear on the moon? Is this practical? - A paint pot Down Stage Left will be kicked over by Lear in the first scene. This would be red paint to match the floor under the paper - is this practical? - The long table should be very slippery for the Fool to slide along. - Can the Fool (Ian Hughes) hide under the table? - There is a possibility of the hospital screens being cut and the bed wheeled on from Stage Right. Wigs - We will need blood for Owen Teale (Edmund) in scene 5a when he cuts himself. - Scene 20d - in the fight between Edgar and Oswald we will need blood bags. These will be used as Edgar looks to be bashing Oswald’s head with a stick, this will be done upstage so we can cheat the blood bags. LX (Lighting) (King Lear is a bleak play but it’s interesting to remember that much of the action takes place in summer) -Scene 5a takes place at 1.00am - Gloucester is in the shadows. -Scene 8a takes place at dawn. -Scene 18 takes place in high summer. -Scene 20 takes place on a hot day in high summer. Wardrobe - The 3 sisters, Gonerill, Regan and Cordelia, all will need crowns - In scene 16, David Bradley (Gloucester) crawls on from stage left. We have knee pads in rehearsal, can these be worn under his costume? - Lear (Robert Stephens) will have a handkerchief with him throughout the play: has he a pocket in his costume/coat? Could he have two pockets in his coat as he has a purse, flowers and the handkerchief to accommodate. - The Fool’s trousers need to be baggy with pockets in both sides. - See note under WIGS regarding scene 20d - Oswald (Mark Lockyer) may need a separate pocket for the blood bags. Also in this scene we need several pockets in Oswald’s coat to accommodate a purse (inside left pocket?) and a letter. These pockets need to be easily accessible as the action is very quick. Music/Sound - Scene 8 - trumpet sound from stage right (p.110) - The Fool will probably play the mandolin for the following: - p. 84 “Fools had ne’er less grace in a year” [1.4.163] - “Then they for sudden joy did weep” - p. 106 “And follows but for form” [2.4.75] The following is a list of props used in Act 1 scene 4 of Adrian Noble’s second production of King Lear for the RSC [in 1993]: Long table - this needs to be slippery, as the Fool is pushed from Upstage Right down the table Table cloth - this needs to be in two pieces, the onstage end being the smaller piece for the Fool to whip off and use to cover Lear’s head. The table measures 5’ 6” x 8’ 2” 12 chairs - 3 of which will be left on stage. These will need to be reinforced as they are roughly treated Paper crown - this is for the Fool and is ripped up in each performance therefore will be a running prop Document folder and papers for Oswald. It needs to be strong as it will get hit hard with a riding crop. Pen for Oswald, to sign letters Deer corpse or bloody boar??? 9 riding crops for the knights 9 hunting bags for the knights Riding crop for Lear Tray with 8 drinking vessels and a pitcher Raw egg Blanket tied with string for Kent. He puts his sword in the middle and wears this round his back. Mandolin Imagine you are staging a production of King Lear. Choose a scene and draw up a list of props you will need for the scene. Some will be props referred to in the text [e.g. the stocks for Kent in Act 2 scene 2 or flowers for Lear in Act 4 scene 6]. Others will be props arising from production choices [e.g. a throne in Act 1 scene 1]. Sometimes the unexpected happens in performance: cues are missed actors get injured in fights and falls understudies have to go on for actors who are sick machinery gets jammed props break etc. The Stage Manager logs all such incidents in the show report, which is typed up after every performance. The following list records incidents from previous productions of King Lear at the RSC: - Candles on dining table would not light. - Heavy rain caused leak through top of fly tower, landing just offstage in Prompt Side wings. - Member of audience complained of creaking floor in Prompt Side wings. To be followed up. - Mr Troughton (Kent) slipped on some orange peel and hurt his knee. He was hobbling badly through the storm and hovel scenes. I will ask the actors to stop throwing orange peel at Oswald in Act 1 scene 4. - Miss Kerr Scott did not take the curtain call as she felt unwell. - Less rain tonight but still two falls: Mr Lynne slipped in scene 18 and Mr Stephens fell as he exited from scene 20. Mr Beale also slipped. Since last week I have taken the following action: 1. reduced the level of rain 2. reduced the amount of clay worn by Edgar [Poor Tom] 3. we now dry the stage with a high power fan for the length of the interval 4. any person who has slipped now has rubber soles on their shoes if they didn’t before. - Massive blood spill from prompt side boar in hunting scene, floor mopped in scene change, unfortunately still slippy when Mr Armstrong went on for the mock fight and he fell and damaged his scabbard and had difficulty getting his sword out. - Mr Fish’s dagger went into the front row of the stalls during the blinding. It didn’t hit anyone and was returned by Front of House staff. - One of the eyes from the blinding was left on stage. Mr Tennant attempted to remove it and left his letter on stage in the process!! - The letter was later removed by Mr Clayton. - Relatively smooth show though VERY long. - Japanese royal family in attendance + director + British Ambassador - Mr McGaughey (Edgar) and Ms Chancellor (Regan) avoided a difficult situation in the blinding scene - a catch on his costume became entangled in her wig - brute force resolved the situation, fortunately upstage so the audience didn’t see the disconnection! Imagine you are the Stage Manager for a production of King Lear. Write a show report listing problems during one performance.