The Mother Ship - Arc's Motley Crew: Director's Blog 18

So, there we have it, the final day of rehearsals in the Studio done and dusted. The biscuit tin emptied of custard creams and bourbons, the Green room filled with the ghostly echoes of hard practised songs and dialogue. It won't be like that anymore from now on. The director's most creative time is usually in the rehearsal room where we have the time to experiment and play, be surprised by what the actors bring and bring the script to life. 

Even though we all know that Cinderella is a well known story, a new panto script always has to work like any new script, which means that sometimes you don't realise that something doesn't work until you put it on its feet. So working Cinderella has been no different, and we ended up needing to cut about 20 minutes over the past week. Its always hard for the writer but at the end of the day we all know that above all we have to serve the production. There can be no compromise.

So as we leave the rehearsal room and head off for the next step of bringing the whole show together technically. I have to say a word to those we are leaving behind at the Arc HQ at the Malthouse, who are the unsung heroes of our company. 

Nita Bocking is our General Manager, she's the engine of Arc, is the person responsible for holding it all together, handles all the contracts, money and anything else that the real world throws at us when I am in rehearsal.  She will be left on the Mother Ship as we all move out to the Theatre today!








And then there is Theresa Snooks,
who leads on our communications. She's been busy working  on the panto programme with Barry Burke, The Marketing    Manager at the Broadway. She is a stickler for spelling and grammar!




Natalie Smith leads on our Education Programme, and is currently running a highly successful film and theatre programme "FInding the Words" for young women in Barking and Dagenham at risk of involvement in gangs and youth violence. Nat works extensively with the Youth Offending Team, the Domestic Violence Advocacy Service and Catch 22 now based on the same floor as Arc at the Malthouse.





And Josh Cass, our Community Portfolio Director (this photo is his head shot for acting!) Or it could just be him having a think about what to do today. Josh develops and leads our work in the community, manages our Youth Theatre and Community Players groups. He also has a very dry sense of humour!






See you all soon guys! well probably today, several times, when we come back to tidy up the studios!

More tomorrow.