Run Through #2 & Speedbump #3

Yesterday's run through was amazing. Such good commitment and engagement with the actors following a short character warm up that Abi led. I really get the impression that they're connecting more fully with their characters and getting a greater understanding into their onstage worlds. They managed to get through Act 2 to the end in just under 2 hours, which is a vastly improved pace from Monday's rehearsal. Although this still needs tightening, I now feel like they've gathered momentum and, depending on whether or not lines are learnt (which they should) Friday's full run through should go perfectly.

Found myself doing some more hands-on directing too, mainly with the boys' fight-scenes. It felt good to get involved with the actors and demonstrate to them directly how things can be done, as showing something physically often works better than just explaining. Similarly, the very last scene of the play is incredibly emotional and sees the character of Alison collapse during a monologue - our actress was struggling to get this movement looking natural, so between Abi and I we were able to both demonstrate to her how we wanted her to move, but also do some workshopping of movement with Abi pulling her back by her stomach whilst she spoke to create a sensation of falling that can be remembered.

At this stage, I've also asked the actress to revisit that monologue in terms of the words she is saying. Whilst she's memorised them and I know felt the gravity of their meaning at the beginning, we've reached that stage where it has become familiar. In this section, Alison is talking about her miscarriage - this is a devastating event in her life that would definitely  make or break a person, and the sense of failure, guilt, and trauma really needs to come through in order for it to have the impact Osborne intended. Taking a piece like that too lightly could be incredibly offensive, and so it felt right to encourage the actress to go back and look over the words she is saying, and really try and connect with that sense of loss and hopelessness.

With just a week to go until the show comes up, I'm starting to feel nervous again. Some more speedbumps have occurred regarding dress rehearsal clashes with lectures, and with limited time over the bank holiday weekend, it's a bit of a squeeze to rectify the situation. It may be a case of having a dress rehearsal straight after the plot/tech, which will put a bit of pressure on our lighting crew, but is doable. At the end of the day, we have a show, we have actors who have been incredibly committed, we've managed to get a production crew of willing friends, and it'll all be alright on the night!