Rehearsal Notes, Dec 10th/11th

The piece really came together in these rehearsals. The pressure of the looming performance meant that as actors and collaborators everybody stepped up and worked especially hard.

We realised that the most difficult thing about the staging of this play was not projecting our voices or making our movements clear; the hardest thing was remembering the cues for all of these things, as some of them were as tiny as a “point” hand sign. If one member of the group didn’t commit to a movement or line, the whole energy drops and it is no longer a full Brechtian ensemble. Writing down moments on a script is vital, and I found that any movement I didn’t note down, I then forgot in the next rehearsal.

Learning how to manipulate the props in the space was challenging also, particularly when certain members of the group had not learnt their lines. This demonstrated how important it is to be off script when working as an ensemble as everybody is dependent on each other. Including the tents, banners and rostra meant a whole new lot of logistics needed to be thought out such as the journey the “STOP BEING EMOTIONAL” sign travels and how we can weigh the tents down outside. Learning how to incorporate all of these elements of performance was an interesting task, as it demonstrated to me that as an actor it is my responsibility to organise these things before the issues arise. An example of this was when we secured a car to use as lighting in the dark performance space.

These last minute and pressured changes really helped the group engage fully with the performance and make the most out of rehearsal time. Having a full day to focus on the play was worthwhile, because then we could focus entirely on the task in hand and not only achieving the best grades possible but also creating and performing the best piece of political theatre we could.

SCRIPT ANNOTATIONS:

A mark of my track onstage

Rehearsal Notes, Dec 3rd/4th

In rehearsals we have learned about and developed many ensemble disciplines as well as collectively creating and devising the piece. The skill of being part of an ensemble is vital, especially in Brechtian theatre – a form that a lot of theatre takes nowadays – because working together towards a common goal swiftly and collectively is essential for creating the highest quality performance possible.

Equal views on characterisation

Specifically in this play, the whole cast are playing only one of two characters and so large movements and gestus that add to characterisation and the meaning of the text are vital. It is important that all cast members have an equal understanding of what the two characters are like, for example the child leans his weight on one leg, crosses his arms and bites his nails. Without this mutual understanding between the actors in the play, the audience will find it more difficult to read the concept of the two sides, parent and child as every actor will look completely different, not variations on a theme.

This is easy to achieve and also encourages less vocal members of the group to speak up their views on the characterisation. It helps the actor gain more ownership over the piece as they shape their characters, not the writer or director.

Upholding of transitions

In all types of theatre acting, transitions are often the biggest responsibility of the actor as they hold a production together. There is little point in having stunning scenes and then stodgy movement from one to the next because the atmosphere and energy is lost and the actors must work even harder to keep the piece engaging. With regards to In the Beginning the transitions between actors, images and movements are incredibly important, especially since everything must be so much bigger as the space is so open. We have used physical movements such as supported forward rolls to move characters from one level to another to keep the energy levels up and the narrative flowing.

Commitment to preparation

This piece is almost entirely reliant on a group effort. The amount of props and small moments in the piece mean that work outside of the rehearsal room is just as important as work inside.

To make the piece visually stimulating and to add meaning, we have rehearsed the recreation an Occupy camp on one side of the stage, representing the children, and a cosy living room on the other, representing the child, but this requires a lot of extra searching for props and set by individuals. Keeping the piece ticking over in the actor’s mind will overall enhance the piece as the little things will make it more effective: so far I have made an Occupy sign and I have located a tent for the camp.

Learning lines and stage directions in your own time is also vital, particularly with a production with so many cues. Taking notes on your script in rehearsal is absolutely essential so they can be translated and memorised outside and make the piece more fluid for the whole.

Preparation is extremely important whatever pieces an actor is in and ideally they should have all lines learned before the day of the first rehearsal. With props, such as banners, being so prominent in Brechtian theatre the more available props the better, reiterating the importance of being “on it” outside of rehearsal.

Maintaining and creating atmosphere

As the piece requires a lot of choral, ensemble work it is the responsibility of the whole cast to keep up the atmosphere and this is done through total focus throughout rehearsal. Everybody is onstage almost all of the time and so a communal mood will translate better to the audience. This is the most effective way of working but actors to often tire very quickly –some may think sweat and fatigue are a demonstration of good work and the most productive state of the actor is when they are pushing every emotion.

Equal contribution towards the course of the piece

A huge part of Brechtian theatre is that it is the job of everybody – including the actors and the director - to offer up worthwhile ideas. The thought behind this is true ownership over a piece and contribution to the entire course of a play, not just the revelation. Brecht believed strongly in two things: firstly, that a script is not a finished play and that the production presented on the opening night is in fact only just complete; secondly, the course of the story is of equal importance to the final climax and revelation.

This means that continual focus in the moment of the piece will help with individual contribution as well as committing to the present event, not on what is to come.

Over the past two days we have completed blocking the play. The next step is to include all of our props, be off script by next week and rehearse so it is at performance standard. We have solved many problems over the past two days and no doubt props will add extra ones that will need to be dealt with.

For example, lighting the piece, which takes place at 6.30pm in mid December, is an issue. This has been solved by the use of two cars, their headlights being used to light the stage as well as the car itself being used as a prop in the final section of the play.

Next week we will have seven hours worth of rehearsal and I am feeling confident that if everybody commits to the ensemble techniques we have learned to employ in rehearsals this week, the play will have the desired effect on the audience.

Rehearsal Notes, November 27th

Having received our lines the previous day, the class was ready to get going on blocking the play. Half of the morning was taken up preparing for and performing our political protests so we had only a short amount of time to get the piece up on its feet.

As the class already had a vision of how the piece was going to be embodied, it was relatively easy to get to grips with the blocking. I play CHILD and the first two pages of script are heavy on my part. I instigate a human microphone ‘mic check’ as well as play a part in establishing the relationship between the PARENT and the CHILD.

In rehearsal it is very important that we all keep a script and a pen at hand so we can mark down the blocking and extra changes to line distribution.

The piece begins with the growing of each protest on either side of the raised platform outside the canteen. On the left, the children gradually put up their tents, erect signs, decorate their lairs, whilst the parents set up a clean living room space, a complete contrast to the crazy nature of the child’s temporary abode. Once all the props are in place (i.e. pop-up tents, fairy lights, protest banners and signs) this will look extremely realistic, and provides an effective pre-show atmosphere for the audience to witness and ease them in to the action.

There is a lot of choral speaking in the opening stages of the play and this is challenging, especially with the given performance space. We discovered the importance of expression, pronunciation and strong breath, even when rehearsing inside the building. Outside, especially at this time of year, sound is instantly lost in the open air space and so all of these attributes are of upmost importance. The opening of the piece also includes a lot of repetition and human microphone, a common Occupy protest technique to spread messages, to make sure messages are put across to the audience as best as is possible. Large sections of text are said as a group, broken down in the form of a ‘mic check’ and then repeated a third time by one individual to make the message clear and reiterate its importance.

I am feeling really excited about next week’s rehearsal and I have already begun to put together my sign. One side reads “WILL WORK FOR MONEY” and the other “WE ARE THE 99%”, two slogans I found when researching common ones in use during the Occupy protests. I deliberately made the sign look rather make-shift and shabby, the words being in black pen over cardboard, as this reflected the message of austerity the children are trying to convey. After questioning my parents about the matter, I have also discovered that we own a very modest little pink spotty pop-up tent, which will be of much use when creating the protest in the pre-show.