The Rehearsal Process - Part 1

The rehearsal process in full swing 

My apologies for not posting sooner - you can blame the snow for that one!!  Here is a few thoughts on the rehearsals for this great play.  

The rehearsal process can be a very difficult one for all concerned.  Actors trying to learn their lines, remembering their moves, and getting to grips with their characters.  The phrase 'Walking, talking and chewing gum' is one often used in acting circles.  The ability to do three things at once - multi tasking, is a skill that has to be practiced and developed over years as an actor.  Actors in community theatre have it tough - well they do at BLT!  Most have other jobs and all have lives, families, friends and commitments that they have to weave around a tough rehearsal schedule.  We are currently rehearsing twice a week for a couple of hours at time (this will become much more as we approach the performances).  At the time of writing, (29th Jan), we have just about covered all of the play, apart from one element of the story.  All the blocking has been done (working out where to move actors), hopefully in such a way that the audience won't even notice it.  There is nothing worse than either a too static  a play or one where the actors are continually moving about - often for no reason at all.

Peter Musto as Arthur Birling

Line learning is a massive task for a play like this (Can you learn 70 pages of dialogue?).  How do actors do it?  An interesting question, and one which our actors will tell you about in future posts.  Suffice it to say that each will do it differently.  As well as being a director, I have acted in plays for over 25 years, and I tend to learn my lines via rehearsals (repetition)  and one long line learning session (usually whilst in a bath!).  Each will have their own methods - some learn their lines very early on, some leave it until the last week or so.  I am glad to say that our actors are a talented and experienced bunch, who learn their lines quickly.   There is a school of thought (which I subscribe to) that you can't really act until you have your book down and you feel comfortable with the character, your lines, moves and what the play is all about.  The earlier that you achieve all these things, the more rewarding the rehearsal process can be.  Three of the cast have played their roles previously.  Two of them have been  in the two previous productions of this play - in 1999 and 2006.  For them its all about revisiting characters that they know very well - for me as the director, its about making sure that we can bring something new to the stage. I too am very familiar with this play, having been in those two previous productions - as Gerald Croft.  Being the director this time, there is a different sort of pressure on me - to marshall the troops, to get them into the right places but also to help them understand the complexities of the story and that of their characters.  

As a director, I approach the rehearsal process with a lot of enthusiasm, drive and absolutely no plan!  The only thoughts that I have are about artistic vision -  how to get my view and vision of the play onto the stage.  To get the actors, that I have assembled, to play out the script in the manner which I would like them to. That is some trick!  I have been reasonably successful over the years in doing this, but it is a constant challenge.  Some directors are very well planned - have every minor detail written on a little pad, and stick very rigidly to thst plan.  This I find can inhibit the development process of the play and not allow the actors any real input.  Direction is all about persuasion - not dictation! Allowing the actors freedom to express how they think the character should be portrayed and then moulding those thoughts to become a collective vision.  Do you have to be an actor to be a good director? In my opinion it helps, but the important element is that the better communicator you are, the easier the directorial experience is.   You have to know and understand the play, the actors and their motives in order to shape the production.  

Vic Mills as Inspector Goole

In my next blog, I will talk more about directing this play and the characters and main themes.  Any school pupils reading this, please feel free to post questions on here, and we will attempt to answer them as best we can.  (Not just school pupils though!). 

Neil Maidman