Cinderella: You SHALL go to the Ball: Masks, carriages and surprises! Director's Blog 12

Hello 6am again! The dog is scratching on the bedroom door insisting on going out to the garden, not something to be ignored. So having dealt with the less than delicate aroma wafting through the open back door I am sitting with a nice cup of decaf tea to reflect on the shenanigans (definitiion - Silly or high-spirited behavior; mischief) of yesterday's rehearsals!

Immediately yesterday morning I could see in the faces of my lovely cast of Principals 
that the going was getting tough. Sally, (FGM) in particular looked exhausted in spite of her endlessly positive outlook. Not that they were complaining of course, well not in front of me anyway! Its one of those moments when as a Director you appreciate that these guys are just working their socks off, not only commuting, learning their lines, practising their solos and ensemble songs but dealing with taking on board a whole new group of fellow travellers and new approaches to working!  Heaven help the washing and ironing! 

MJ had been in again from 8am, leaving his house at 6am and not getting home last night until gone 9pm I imagine.  These are hard core days, requiring levels of endurance not disimilar to the insect eating demands of wayward politicians slugging (!) it out down under in "Celebrity Get me Out of Here".The parallel is not lost on me.

In any event, Owen, unmoved as ever by the desire of the actors to stay snuggled up in the Green Room, put them through his now legendary warm-up. I am hoping to video this for those at home so that it can be used as an alternative to the Victoria Beckham pilates video. 

Then red faced and sweaty the team moved on to  begin work to recap some of the scenes we shaped the day before. I was still aware that the levels of exhaustion were taking their toll on some people. 

Popping down to the kitchen to replenish the bourbons and custard creams, I bumped into one of the actors, who may have been attempting to run away! However he stopped me to catch a private moment and I could see the slightly pained look on his face. I imagined it was also the afterglow of the Owen warm up. He, like the others is hugely talented, but wanted me to know that he was frustrated with himself for not yet perfecting one of his scenes. Actors ( and I say this as one whose membership has lapsed!) are sensitive souls, hence our reputation as "Luvvies", which is hardly surprising. 

Whilst I would not wish to imply that what we do is anywhere nearly as important as those fine men who run the country, Premier league football clubs or even our esteemed banking institutions, when actors are working, they really do have to call on every part of their humanity and emotions and display them relentlessly.  They are their own product, and that can't be easily put in a briefcase of samples! 

Another actor joined the first to say he felt the same, and this was a signal to me that we might have hit the end of first week blues. Sneaking back into the Green room, another actor mentioned that he wasn't connecting with one of his scenes and felt that he was rambling on and that audience would be bound to fall asleep! (To be brutally honest I have to admit that there was a truth in this!)

Looking then at Sally, I asked if she felt this way too, and she nodded, kindly summoning up all the positive energy she could muster. Hurrah I thought to myself we've got to this inevitable point when the actors all wonder why on earth they got themselves into this job, let alone this profession. Why on earth would you want to put yourself through such a tortuous process? Don't get me wrong, and I reiterate that this is still no where near as hard as doing a 12 hour shift on a factory line! So not asking you, dear reader, for any ounce of pity! After all we all choose our own bed....and so on etc etc;

But the truth for me is that when a team of actors hits this low point in a rehearsal period, it means we are beginning to cook and that we are finally peeling away the surface layers to get to the heart of the real stuff of making magic. So with a certain solicitous face I stopped rehearsals for half an hour and we all sat down to have a chat, and to quickly realise that everyone felt in the same boat. Feelings of not being up to it, either in stamina or skill, struggles to "get it right" and actually just a sheer sense of passion to be the best they can be filled our conversation. 

Its at moments like this, of really sharing what we experience as fragile human beings that is at the heart of making any piece of art, whether its a symphony or a panto frankly. Naming the elephant in the room and acknowledging where we were at was quite a relief I think for us all, happy to understand that everyone felt the same way and for my part relishing in it, as it meant we had jumped the first creative hurdle.

Energy recovered we went on after lunch to work on the famous transformation scene, when the pumpkin turns in to Cinderella's carriage. Now don't expect for a moment, dear Reader that I have any intention of disclosing our magic (Oh No I Don't!).  Suffice it to say that we have been working on this since June!.

Its a bit of a challenge in a relatively small rehearsal room to practise the intricacies of such a magical transformation. So I use whatever happens to be available to help the actors, and in this case Amy to have a "real" experience of the kernal of the scene, - the most unbelievable transformation of the pumpkin to the carriage. 

Struggling to find the truth of this - I went into the Green Room with Owen to look for a prop that we could surprise Amy with. I had no clue what I might find in our store of random props and costumes from other shows. But then I saw the colourful masks we used in Misdummer's Night Dream some years ago - and hey presto just what I was looking for!  So gathering the remaining 5 actors who were minding their own business in the Green room,  I asked Owen to explain the task and to bring them silently into the studio to hide behind the pillars. At the moment of transformation they all jumped out with their masks and Amy/Cinderella jumped with such surprise that it was delightful!   Having now located the source of the specific emotion she can recreate it at will. I have to say I think I  may have confirmed my reputation as bonkers Amy (thanks!), but hey any port on a storm!

Chorus 2 arrived on time at 4.30 and we were able to run through a lot of scenes bringing them together with the chorus. It was a lot of fun seeing the kids egging the principals on and  vice versa! All in all this cameraderie is the glue that makes it such a joyful process!!

The evening ended with a little drama of my own, soon resolved. As you may have ascertained if you are a regular follower of my blog, I am not awfully good at remembering where I put my keys or glasses, hence the need for MJ's caring skills! Well MJ needed to get off early, and checked in with me that I had my glasses. He left at around 7.45 pm. Owen, Phil, Chris, Steve B, Laura and I sat down to have a chat with Mike Ainsworth, the Chair of our Board. I asked him to come in as a "critical friend", to help us keep some objectivity and not sink into having such fun that we miss any glaring issues!  He seemed to like it - phew! and had some really useful feedback and ideas. 

So I was looking forward to going home, and just as we were about to leave the building I realised that I could not find my Studio keys!  Having had a horrible burglary at the Malthouse in September (in fact on the day we auditioned for the chorus, I'm sure the kids and the parents will remember!), so really I couldn't take the chance again. 

So I thought I might end up making a den in the Green Room and staying overnight on the sofa, taking advantage of the only tin of lentil soup I have left in the kitchen. I was getting used to this idea, when I had a call with Olly who suggested that if I had exhausted all other possibilities, could they possibly be in my car? I thought this was a silly idea! I usually have them attached to my handbag, but in the spirit of cooperation  I went to look ........ and the rest is history! Suffice it say I started today in my own bed!

Just one special moment I want to share in a highly demanding but wonderful day! Our lovely ASM, Myfanwy came up to me and asked me if I was hungry, and I wasn't really, full up as I was with bourbons! But she said it was just something small! and she produced a bounty and shared it with me! How nice was that! Thanks Myfanwy. It just hit the mark!

So that was Tuesday! ........ 

Back tomorrow