Directors Notes Issue 8

One of the many challenges a Director faces in the course of rehearsals is to take the cast out of their comfort zone. Nervous energy is important to any production and nothing is worse than a cast feeling relaxed with four weeks to go to opening night.

As is traditional on Bank Holidays, we decamped from our normal rehearsal setting to Charles and Jacqui’s kitchen. Many great decisions have been made at that table and some of literature’s greatest pieces have been dissected. We have also discussed weightier tones, such as whether dogs should be exterminated and is a house in Rathmines allowed to be a corner of a foreign field that is forever England.

5 of the cast gathered for a read through of the play. From a practical perspective, this tests the cast on their line knowledge, but it also brings them to a different environment. When you rehearse in the same place each week, you start to associate lines with particular movements and your position in the space. When somebody offers you a glass, it’s easy to say “thanks very much” If you’re not offered a glass, it’s more difficult to remember your line. As things don’t always happen as you would expect on stage, you need to get the cast into the mindset that they own the lines independently from the setting and the action. And sitting around a kitchen table with the 1812 overture going on outside on a Halloween Eve, is as good a change from normal as you could ask for.

It was good to see that everyone had brought something for the day that was in it (except me of course) and we feasted on braic and banana cake until the dogs came in and ruined everything. Then we had to go outside and do something with fire that I don’t want to go into. Dogs and fire are two of my main phobias. Having the two of them together wasn’t fun. Ask Noeleen about tin-foil, she knows what I mean.

Directors Notes Issue 7

I’m guessing that last night’s rehearsal was the fist all female one since “Top Girls” in 2002. I can only imagine what the rehearsals for that play must have been like, given some of the conversation that went on in the interval and the pub afterwards. Let’s just say that I now know more about the mechanics of breast pumps than I ever needed to.

Apart from that, the rehearsal was great fun. With the absence of the cynical male characters, we were able to try some warm games which worked quite well. Even if the cast did figure them out in about 30 seconds.

We’re doing a line call on Monday in Charles’s gaff at 7.30pm. Which reminds me. I must drop him a line and tell him. Nothing worse than putting your feet up to watch Coronation Street and 5 unexpected cast members turn up in search of a play.

We also had a tech meeting on Wednesday which went well. Team Rankin will be looking after the set, lighting, sound etc, We’re in very safe hands. We have 3 technical issues to address and our combined talents will be put to test in resolving these. The main one at present is our requirement for a coffin. If anyone has any bright ideas in this regard, they would be welcome. I thought you could knock one up in 30 minutes with some plywood and a lick of varnish. Which just shows you what I know! Lighting will also be a challenge with Roger making the brave suggestion that we blind the audience. We will have to arrange for them to sign waivers on the way in.

The only other news is that we’re off to Karaoke tonight for a bit of “Team Building”. Hopefully we can knock out a few Nat King Cole numbers, so it won’t come as such a shock to the cast when Nat is playing constantly in the background during the performance.

Directors Notes Issue 6

Very giddy rehearsals last night, which may have been caused by me having a beer beforehand. You can’t beat alcohol for bringing some life to proceedings. This reminds me that we have to get the Whiskey bottle into play soon. Inebriation causes most of the dark secrets to emerge in this play and so the Whiskey bottle is such a strong character that it deserves mention in the cast list and to have it’s photograph displayed on the welcome board on opening night. At least we know it won’t go running to Craig to have some photo-shop touching up done!

The bottle goes on a drunken odyssey across the stage, that both Homer the Greek and the resident of Springfield would be proud of. Like some ancient relic, it gets caressed by each of the cast members in turn until it ends up on Vi’s coffin. Not sure how many of the audience will get this, but isn’t that the joy of theatre? So I’m going to spend this bank holiday weekend finishing off a bottle of Jameson so I can provide a prop for next week’s rehearsals.

It all comes back to alcohol. Oh and hash cookies, but more of that anon!

The Art of Prompting

I was musing on the role of a Prompt the other day and feel that it's a very misunderstood role. It's one that We tend to give to a New Member and then not tell them how to do it - so that other New Members, or indeed the uninitiated Members, don't fully appreciate what a Prompt is. They think that a Prompt is only there to feed them lines during a performance should they, heaven forbid, Forget Their Lines. No. No, no, no, no, no. Wrong.
A Prompt is there to facilitate swift rehearsals and to assist in the following of the script during rehearsals. More your Script Supervisor really. During an actual Performance the Rules of Prompting are these:
1. NEVER prompt.
2. ONLY prompt in an Emergency.
3. NEVER prompt.
However, during rehearsals a Prompt should be following the script, giving lines when requested *note* and marking on their script where people mess up. Thus, a good Prompt will note when an actor is consistently messing up a line and can quietly point this out to them. Generally I find that when learning lines there can be Sticking Points and a good Prompt will assist you to overcome them. Often you think you are sailing through a piece and actually you've missed a Vital Plot Point - the good Prompt will tell you this. Or maybe you're paraphrasing a little which sometimes is OK but sometimes the playwright used a particular word for particular effect - some words are funnier than others for example. The good Prompt will tell you this too. Marvelous marvelous people the Good Prompts.
Bad Prompt stories include the time when a really tragic pause During Performance (SHOCK HORROR - see rules above) was interrupted by the Bad Prompt (shall remain nameless) giving the next line, very loudly.
Good Prompt stories include the time when an actor forgot to ask someone to marry them and decided to leave the stage - Good Prompt recognised this was an Emergency (see rules above) and managed to save the day (and the play) without alerting the audience.
We used to have an Excellent Prompt. Really The Best... but she went and moved to Canada. She liked being a Prompt so that she could be involved in the production but not have to learn lines (although to be honest by the end of the play she could probably quote more of it than most of the actors) and not have to Be On Stage. Rehearsals are fun, and the Prompt can be very much involved in that process. Interested in being a Prompt? Contact us through the website.

Directors Notes Issue 5

There are times when you’re directing, when you want to dive into the middle of the set and become one of the actors. Not because you think you can do it better than the people already there, but because there comes a point in the evolution of a play, when it’s more fun to be in than to watch.

We’re in the early stages of books down, but it’s already evident that the cast are metamorphosing from the nervous caterpillars of three weeks ago, to the beautiful butterflies of movement and grace. Hands are coming into play, faces are fixed and interested in the dialogue of others (rather than being buried in a script) and bodies are slouching or leaping as they should be.

Now that hands are free, we can start thinking about props. And it’s no exaggeration to say that this play has more props than Dicken’s Old Curiosity Shop. Everything from breast pumps to medical journals to electronic organisers to coffins. We somewhat press-ganged Jean Hickey into being props manager last night and I’m not sure she knows what she’s let herself in for. I think we also got the other jobs sorted, with Sinead agreeing to do prompt (but only for rehearsals), Props but only on Friday night and Assistant stage manager, but only on Thursday and Friday. And people say you can’t tie lawyers down to dates.

Roll on Thursday, when the Whiskey bottle will make its debut and begin its procession round the stage like St.Teresa of Avila dragging her bones round Ireland. The Whiskey will be the star of this play, so treat her gently.

Directors Notes - Issue 4

Special thanks today to Siobhan, who not only read in Mary’s part last night but did it with aplomb and enthusiasm. So good in fact, that I might get all the cast to read somebody else’s part at future rehearsals.

Books down went quite well, with top marks going to Susannah for not only knowing most of her lines but introducing a number of previously unseen facial expressions as she desperately strove to recall a word from the inner sanctums of the mind. As Theresa would say “You have a vacant one, a screwed up eye-balls one, a thousand yard stare one and a “I’m foreign and don’t understand these words anyway” one.” Whatever helps you remember your lines is good for me.

I should also pay tribute to Alan’s miming techniques as he acted out Theresa’s lines in an effort help Susannah’s memory. It brings a whole new meaning to prompting. It also shows that despite my best efforts, Stanislavski techniques are sneaking into rehearsals. I blame Noeleen!

Onwards to Monday and books down for Act 2. This is when Charles’ playwriting skills will come to the fore as he will completely re-write his part by saying the first words that come into his head. If he could do it to Wilde, then Sheelagh Stephenson’s work is not safe!

Directors Notes Issue 3

Monday’s rehearsal was the first one to be held with a full cast and the last to be held with scripts. There’s nothing like the threat of ‘scripts down’ to keep a cast on their toes. As a Director of course, it’s also an opportunity to bring some physicality into the production. We can start practicing those Greg Loganis like dives across the bed to get to the phone, we can have a proper WWF all girl fight over the famous green tin and it’s hidden secrets and Dee can practice her medium pace deliveries as she tries to take Charles head off.

Now that we’re at the books down stage, it’s time to think about all those other things which will make this production work. Lighting, sound and props are going to be key to this play. I’ll be calling on Andrew (I see dead people) Rankin to bring the lighting experience he gained while filming autopsies to the table. We have a ghost and a coffin in the play after all. We also face some challenges in getting Vi to appear from thin air at the end of Act 1. Perhaps those nice people from Le Tempete will loan us one of their holograms?

In terms of props, I’ll make a list, but if anyone knows where we can get a breast pump and a coffin, let me know!

Until Thursday then. Keep learning those lines.

Directors Notes Issue 2

Confessions of a Director. I have an obsession with windows. I’d like to think that they are portals into the soul, or an opportunity for the audience to see beyond the confines of the stage and step into the wider world.

However, in truth it’s an easy get out when you’re stuck for a move on a static set. “Sure why don’t you go and stare plaintively out the window”. I reckon I have about four such moves in the play now and that satisfies my fetish for now.

Last night’s rehearsal was fantastic, full of energy and laughter. And that’s pretty much how all rehearsals should be. We’d like to think that we do this drama stuff for the purposes of high art. In fact we do it for fun and last night was the best example of this. Tribute has to be paid to the three sisters in particular (Dee, Susannah and Noeleen) who are really starting to gel as a family unit. Next thing they’ll be arguing over who cooks the Christmas dinner and which of them will get the house when the Will is sorted out.

We tried a couple of theatre games during the break, which were good fun. Memo to Charles. The results you get from these games are in direct proportion to the effort you put in!

Looking forward to Monday when we finally have a full cast (after last night’s false alarm). Until then, I’m off to look through the square window and see if I can come up with some more inspiration.

Directors Notes Issue 1

We hope to set a new record for Leeson Park Players tonight when we will have a full cast at rehearsals. Needless to say, as Director, I'm giddy with excitement. We have 18 rehearsals left before we hit the stage on November 30th for the production of "The Memory of Water" and my main concern is how to stop the cast from getting bored.

A number of suggestions have been made. We could start each rehearsal with a game of hug-tag, the rules for which can pretty much be found in the title. Unfortunately, the lack of a full cast would lead to people hugging themselves, which is not a sight you want see in a Methodist Hall. We could hum the vowels as loudly as possible while standing on one foot. I don’t see any practical benefit in this, apart from loosening inhibitions (and with the amount of bed hopping that goes on this play, that’s no bad thing).

As for the play itself, it’s coming on nicely. Books down next week will change all that of course, when the cast will be transformed into a collection of gibbering idiots, gazing at the ceiling with screwed up eye-sockets and thinking “I knew this bloody line when I was in the shower earlier”.

Other than that, my main concern is the cast and crew party on December 2nd. My experience is that you can never start planning these things early enough.

An Invitation!

Hello Hello all Members of LPP... you're invited to the evening celebration of David Bowles' wedding! It's on November the 10th (that's a Friday) in a Castle in Co Kildare. If you'd like to go get in contact with us via this blog (leave a comment so I know who you are) or email via the website. I won't put the Exact Details on here as You Never Know who might take advantage. Anyway, LPPers - you're invited to David and Michelle's wedding.

Meanwhile - This Friday there is a Theatre Outing - going to the Gaeity to the Russian award winning play - part of the Dublin Theatre Festival. I think Charles has still got a ticket so if you want to go get in contact!

Rehearsals... going well I think. The Director is contemplating putting some Notes up here on the blog, which might be a bit scary for the cast members but should be very interesting for anyone else. I await the Notes with interest. Scripts will start to Go Down from next week (that's scary in itself for the cast members!) so it should really begin to take shape... still early days early days. We still haven't had a Full Cast at rehearsals and there are only 6 in it!