A Director Directs

28.8.08

Here are some of the photos I promised you quite a while ago now. I have focussed this post on pics of me since the audience very rarely gets to watch the director at work. All these photos were taken during rehearsal by Chris Hopkins. I was pleasantly surprised how happy everyone looked.

Maternal Instincts.
(Neal Barber, Ellie Swann, and Laniet Swann.)

Our baby fell apart and Ellie - after taking ages to fix it again - was demonstrating how instinctual it is to hold a child after she realised she was doing it when Channel 9 were interviewing me.

Everyone's Crazy Except Me!
(Neal Barber, Paul Ellicott, and Barbara Walsh)

This was the order of the day during rehearsal - trying to give people notes whilst the rest of the cast were running around like headless chickens.

At Last!
(Neal Barber.)

I finally had the stage to myself. Afterall, it is about "me, me, me, and a little bit of me...with a side-serving of me...and a garnish of mmmmmeeeeeee!"

Look at The Passion.
(Neal Barber, Paul Ellicott, Laniet Swann, and Barbara Walsh.)

I must have been rather tense here - look at my fist! Or perhaps I was just trying to get Paul's attention which was, clearly, distracted by Laniet.

Solid in the Midst of Creation.
(Simon Ashby, Neal Barber, Wyeth Chalmers, Paul Ellicott, Ellie Swann, Laniet Swann, and Barbara Walsh.)

I just had to put this photo in. It is fantastic with Paul so solid - and in focus - in the centre with everyone else in a blurr of movement around him.

Craziness
(Simon Ashby, Neal Barber, Wyeth Chalmers, Paul Ellicott, Michaela Hunter, Ellie Swann, Laniet Swann, and Barbara Walsh.)

I just love this one for the pure manicness of it!

Feedback

Feel free to leave comments about this production after this post. Did we please as we aimed?

Promise of Things to Come

25.8.08

Hopefully, tomorrow morning I will get to work early and put up some more photos and/or videos for you.

Completing the Circle

24.8.08

“The Audience Project taught me that the more information we can share with an audience about the process, rules, hopes, dreams, and intentions, the more audiences will feel the space to participate and, indeed, complete the circle” (79).

This quote was taken from And Then, You Act by Anne Bogart. I have always held Bogart's views on theatre as generally insightful and this quote put what I am doing here into perspective. I realised why I felt the need to start this blog. Although the obvious reason was to publicise the productions I direct – itself an important goal – but I also desired to communicate with you what was happening rather than simply creating a production in isolation. Too often when I direct shows I feel I am stumbling in the dark and have only a small group of people to whom I can speak about what I am doing in the rehearsal room. However – with a blog - I can now communicate with my audiences before the production opens. This not only prepares my audience for what they are going to see but allows them to take some ownership over the process.

A blog also makes completing the cycle easier. Particularly with that little comments button then you can give me feedback on how you felt the show went, what you enjoyed, what didn't work so well etc. This is the on vital step that is all too often missing in theatre. Sure, there are the reviews but – and particularly in Dunedin – there are all too few of these to give comprehensive feedback on what we are doing.

We are Going Well!

23.8.08

The good houses are continuing. My parents came to watch the show tonight and they seemed to enjoy it. I was also impressed with the actors who are working to make the show fresh every night. I do not hold with the thought that art in theatre comes from endowing the same actions with new thoughts/emotions every night. Rather, I aim for theatre which is diffferent every performance; the actors need to test their skills and take the time to experiment during the run. Afterall, if they are just going to do the same things then there is little reason to be present during a production. Instead of having me there to watch them and give them guidance, it is now your turn to guide them in their acting. If actors are to continue doing the same things each night then there is less reason for the audience to become involved in the production.

Opening Night

21.8.08

It feels so good to have opened! We had a good house for opening – about 30 people – and the actors have done very well. There were a few flubs but, generally, the actors did very well, kept their poise and just carried on. I am particularly impressed with the second half. This has been dragging recently but went very well tonight and got some good laughs from the audience.

There were also some tech blunders but I am confident that these can be overcome with no major trouble. All in all, I am very impressed and we have made a good show!

Photorama.

I thought it would be fun to give you more of a sneak peek at what lies instore...


"I am robbed, sir, and beaten." Autolycus (Michaela Hunter) pulls the wool over Clown's eyes (Alya Maclean).

"Are you so fond of your young prince as we / Do seem to be of ours?" Leontes (Paul Ellicott) spends some family time with his son, Mamillius (Laniet Swann).

"Is whispering nothing?" Leontes (Paul Ellicott) looks on jealously as Hermione (Barbara Walsh) and Polixenes (Chris Hopkins) have a wee flirt.

And lastly, just for fun. Here is a photo Chris took whilst we were messing around. I thought it was fantastically composed - even if I do have my eyes closed!

Just Like The Olympics: Nailbiting Stuff!

So, the time has come for us to open. We had a reasonably good dress rehearsal last night which, in a way, is a bit worrying because of the old adage that a good dress rehearsal means a bad opening. However, I am so impressed with how far the actors have come - even since the weekend!

We did have some technical problems last night but since the operators are relatively new this was to be expected. Again, they came on-board on Sunday and they have been fantastic - particularly Meegan who is our Technical Director. They have put such long hours into the production that it would be a shame for you not to come out and see it.

Also, here is a copy of the poster if you desire one. This lovely creation was concocted by Lucinda McConnon - Advertising Designer for Critic.

I am now very confident that we have a fantastic show for you all - so come out for some winter fun!

Dame Nellie Rides Again

16.8.08

I don't know what I would have done without Ellie! Her support has been marvellous but she has also been a great help in keeping the actors on-task. Not only this, but she is very handy with the needle and thread and very willing to lend her time. Tonight she spent a good two hours fixing up the black drapes which have become so old - and have been so mistreated - that they are literally falling apart!

I find the tech work the most fun part of a production. We went shopping tonight for paint, fabric, and other necessary set-creating things; shopping is always more fun with someone else! There really is no better way to relax after a rehearsal than to just potter on with tech work in an empty theatre.

Publicity, Lights, Rehearse!

15.8.08

I have just got back from Allen Hall after picking up some lights which we need for the show. It is fantastic that Marty - AHT Tech-guy - is so willing to help out since AHT has fixtures which we are just not able to buy!

We had the press in rehearsal today. A photographer came to take some pics for the ODT - which will, hopefully, run on Thursday. Then it was Channel 9's turn to get some video of the actors rehearsing and some footage of the empty theatre - even filmed there is something special about an empty theatre. Last up it was The Star who wanted to interview myself and the cast and take some more pics. It is always good when the press comes as it makes the production more real. Now, we just hope that we can entice you to bear witness to the fruits of our labour in droves. To this end, we have another rehearsals this evening to iron out a few kinks in some of the scenes that have been plaguing me.

Help Me

14.8.08

Publicity has started with a gusto. We have the media coming for interviews and photos tomorrow afternoon. However, I am quite sure that someone said the name of the Scottish Play and hasn't done the counter-curse. We have tried taking publicity pics twice now. The first time, we could not figure out the camera. So, then we used one of the cast-member's camera but - just after I took the first pic - the battery died. Then, when we replaced the battery the camera still wouldn't work. We are hoping that it is just the batteries which are dead and not the camera itself!

And Here are Some Photos for You.

13.8.08

Ellie is trying to keep the words from swimming around the page. It is a great idea to rehearse when you are all limber and warmed up from about 3 hours of manic dancing.

This one is of Paul (Leontes) and Ellie (Paulina) getting all warmed up for a rehearsal. At least that was the plan but we decided the rehearsal didn't go so well so went back to dancing and drinking.

Here we have Ellie looking for the tools to do something set-like. I can't actually remember when this was taken but it was when we were starting to put the set up.

I Think I Can, I Think I Can...

10.8.08

This weekend, we had an intensive rehearsal weekend. And late on Friday night we had a breaktrhough! Our Leontes and Camillo were rehearsing the scene where Leontes is alternatively coming onto Camillo and then threatening him. During the rehearsal, I noticed one of the actors was moving his hands far too much. However, the rest of the rehearsal was going so well I didn't have the heart to stop the flow. Indeed, after they finished all of those watching broke into spontaneous applause. It really was so fantastic!

"Everything's Going So Well!"

8.8.08

We have had great week rehearsing. However, what was really great was to get the costumes organised. It really makes you see the production through new eyes when you see your actors in the costumes they will be wearing on the night. Also, with the costumes we are having it is important to get the actors used to moving in them. The next challenge is the lighting...

Polixenes's Madness

6.8.08

We all know Leontes is mad but how can we make sense of Polixenes flying off the handle when he realises his son is about to marry a shepherdess? Particularly nowadays where the general public does not understand why it is bad for a royal to marry someone low-born. Also, this is a social custom that we do not need to promulgate. Instead, we needed to come up with a better reason for him to fly off the handle. This scene (IV.iv) also posed problems because we have a Polixenes who is very eager to go with the flow; for him to then turn around and go nuts is difficult to make sense of. However, if, as we discovered last night, he is drinking then his outburst makes sense. And we must not forget that the scene is a party one so it is highly logical that he would be more than a little tipsy.

We are Going Well!

4.8.08

On Sunday, we had the first full-run of the play. It is looking grand! We found out the running time iss approximately 2 3/4 hours but it is impossible to tell as yet since we have to put in some dances and physical sequences for which we do not have a time-frame as yet. We have the seeds of a production now we just have to focus on getting some more movement in so we are not producing a radio play.

Good Times, Good Times

27.7.08

What a great rehearsal today. Although it got off to a bit of a bad start with very few actors turning up on time. The actors, however, are coming along with leaps and bounds. Now that they have some of their lines down – and have an actual set to play on – they are beginning to make a play. However, now we just need to get some physical action in since it is getting a bit too talking-headish.

Set Design Goodness...

26.7.08

W00t! W00t! We now have a set! Last night after rehearsal, Ellie Swann and I – together we are Dame Nellie – sat down and had a wee chat about what the set should be. I was adamant that it should be simple. Thus far, we have just been using some steps on a large box with a smaller box providing another step. Indeed, the set hasn't changed much. However, we felt we needed some tabs each side of the stage to make more defined exits. Instead of just putting up blacks, we decided to use calico to provide some contrast – and it looks fantastic. Since we have a lot of action on the steps – which themselves are going to be painted gold, black, and white – the calico makes the space much more intimate and defined. We also thought we would put large columns at the end of each tab. After all, we have said columns upstairs and it seems a shame not to use them!

We even came up with a new term: Pollocking. A lot of productions seem to take the theme of winter into the set by either painting frost or snowflakes onto the set. I wanted to do something similar, yet simpler, and Pollocking was the answer. What we will do is splatter the set in gold paint mimicking the paintings of Jackson Pollock. This adds visual interest yet keeps with the simplicity of the set.

The set not only mimics the minimalist nature of our production but, I think, also cites the way Shakespeare productions were originally staged. Since the tabs demarcate part of the stage, behind them becomes the tiring house. Which, I believe, used to have doors that opened to reveal another scene – I could be mixing it up with the scene of Greek theatre. We have blacks at the back of the space which effectively split the stage halfway. After intermission, these blacks will be drawn back to reveal a new set for the second-half. But I am not going to tell you what it is – otherwise there would be no surprise!

The next challenge is to design and rig the lights...

Another Day Closer to Dying...

22.7.08

Well, one full week (and a bit) of rehearsals are down. And I am really happy the way that things are turning out. Our Leontes, who has only been in one play before - and it wasn't Shakespeare - is coming along in leaps and bounds. In the first read-through he was having trouble with the language. Now, he is speaking more naturally and is freeing up his body much more. We also have a 10 year old playing Mamillius and they work really well together on-stage. The actors playing Hermione and Mamillius knew each other from before the show and have brought this into rehearsals well.

We have also had the first rehearsal with Camillo and Polixenes. These two actors are fantastic and willing to push the envelope; I really am quite glad that they are willing to be romantic together on-stage. And, as an aside, their stage business really is hot! It is fantastic the way the two work together to bring out Polixenes's flirty nature as well as Camillo's desire to be loved. Tomorrow night we will run the first scene (I.ii) in its entirety. This is going to be fun as we have just been running it piecemeal up until now an so to see it flowing together is going to be great.

For this production, we are going to be using most of the Globe's entrances. We will have people coming and going from all sides; you will never know where to look to next. I am inspired by the traditional practice of having an entry and exit door. In this style, the actors came in one door, came down-stage to deliver their lines, and then left via the other door. Winter's Tale seems very much written for this style since there are very few scenes where more than two actors are the centre of attention. However, this poses some challenges as the Mezzanine is quite hard to access from backstage but this just means getting things sorted so the actors have time to practice with everything in place so they don't hurt themselves.

We are planning to rig lights and get the set in order this weekend - watch this space for developments.

So far, we have avoided the taint of naturalism very well. There are still parts where the actors want to fall back into this style of acting but this is, I hope, mainly due to not knowing their lines yet. Hopefully, learning lines will fix a multitude of things which, at the moment, are not looking as good as they could.

The costumes are going to look fantastic! We have very different styles for the Bohemians and Sicilians. With the latter being very formal - at least of the beginning of the play - and the former being very free in mixing the time-periods of their costume pieces and layering lots of items over one another. We are also going to have lots of makeup for the Bohemians. Lets face it, one of the great things about theatre is the ability to put on makeup!

First Rehearsal

15.7.08

Last night, we had the first rehearsal for Winter's Tale. And I have to say we have a great cast and a fantastic script! The script is just dripping with juicy sexual innuendo - some of which I never realised when I was editing the script! I think we are in for a really fun rehearsal period and even more exciting show.

I have previously - for this production and other assessments based on Winter's Tale - utilised the New Cambridge edition of the script for its prefatory material. Last night in rehearsal, Barbara Walsh (our Hermione) stumbled on a way of playing Hermione that seems to run counter to the New Cambridge scholarly material. You see Snyder and Curren-Aquino, the Cambridge editors, focus greatly on a feminist reading of the play. In this reading, Hermione is always a strong, powerful woman with great agency. I agree that Hermione should be strong and powerful but we have to balance this with upholding the heteronormative values that a feminist reading can invoke. For instance, if Hermione is flirty - which her speech usually is and sometimes verges on the overtly sexual - the feminist reading will disclaim her for upholding the traditional view of women as sexually loose. However, I think a flirty Hermione works in the realms of sexuality - and here I use the term in a queer theoretical framework which focuses on sexual acts rather than identity since identity is not a fixed "essential" but rather a fluid construction that is liable to constant change.

Indeed, focusing on sexual acts also helps reading Leontes's jealousy. There is absolutely no reason why having sex with someone who is not your "love" mitigates that loving relationship; the two need not necessarily have any intersection at all. Further, you need not have a sexual relationship with the person you love at all. Of course, I concede that Leontes and Hermione must have had sex at some stage to create Perdita - since she is the true daughter of the two - but this sex may have had no emotional bond attached.

We also realised that the play's contemporary - to when the play was written - world and our are interestingly counterpointed in our production. There are some things in the text that are just plain foreign to contemporary audiences: breeching, the way royals act, and social conventions generally. There are others that do not seem to fit with our world: the need to have a male heir, the need for a male to deposit his sperm directly into a woman to get said heir, and the fact that a woman's infidelity can cause her husband to react with such a violent panegyric against women in general - "inch-thick, knee-deep..." is a fantastic piece of masculine, women-hating, drivel. Moreover, there were things which would have been out of place to Shakespeare's contemporary audience: that "rustics" seem to have a court-like society, and that the play swings from high tragedy to high comedy. All these points seem to allow me to pick and choose which aspects of time we utilise in our production.

It seems ridiculous that we would stage a Shakespeare production as Shakespeare would have - using the so-called Original Practices. All but few of today's audience would find it a boring endeavour indeed. Not to mention that it is a futile practice since we can never know exactly how Shakespeare productions were staged. Similarly, it would be silly to stage his productions as pieces of naturalism - naturalism is an acting style best done on film, which does it so well, so why present such a powerful, fantastic script in a weak way? Having said this however, these modes of acting can offer us options if we selectively choose which ones to use. For example, most of the play is a series of duologues - even if they are said with many people in the background. It seems helpful to think of the original practice, if it is an original practice, of having the two speakers come downstage from the melee to have their time in the spot-light and then drift back to allow the next speakers to have the stage.

Now, that is some grist for the mill no?