Funny Money Rehearsals
Sorry I haven't posted sooner guys! My time has been taken up this week and haven't really had time to give you an update of whats going on. So far the last week has gone like this.
On Thursday morning Rebecca, Charlotte and I had an early start as we had to go to southwold to swap the washing over before we went started our first day of rehearsals for Funny Money. After we did that small task we headed back to St Felix to get ready to start the read through for our next play. All our cast from Body Language is involved with this production and this time we have Andy Powrie as our director. We started the read through at 10:15 and finished it by 12:30 which is when we started blocking the first 19 pages of the first act.
After rehearsals I cycled to Southwold to start ironing the shows costumes. When Rebecca and Charlotte arrived we got on with the pre set. The performance seemed to go well with no obvious problems occurring.
Friday more or less happened like Thursday with the exception of waking up early to cycle to Southwold so I can swap the wash over and get on with ironing. I finished that at 9:30 and cycled straight back to St Felix to attend rehearsals. At this point of rehearsing I'm just observing and taking notes, similar to what I did with Body Language a few weeks ago. Charlotte and I have already started writing up our props lists of who uses what and where in the play. Farces, especially ones written by Ray Cooney are usually frenetic, this play is no exception so there will be a lot going on on stage.
On Saturday we had a 5pm matinee. The Stage Management team and I had to be in Southwold at 2:30 to iron and do the Pre set for the show. During the interval there was a problem with the lights. Rebecca had to test them to identify the problem if there was one at all with Peter helping, we assumed they tripped but that may not have been the case. Mark did arrive after the performance to have a look but could see a problem either, so instead erased and re loaded the shows lighting plot.
During the break between shows we rushed washing upstairs to get done. Meanwhile the actors were watching the England v Belgium game in the dressing room, we lost 2-0 of course coming 4th in the World Cup. Richard also brought in Pizza for everyone to share. The evening show seemed to go well with no technical problems occurring. When the show is going on I just sit in the wings waiting to come on stage for a scene change. While I wait for that I listen to various things going on, for example, Clive and Claire speak an obscure foreign language that Ayckbourn invented and Michael giving a long speech at the top of act two which he regularly recites to keep it fresh in his mind.
On Thursday morning Rebecca, Charlotte and I had an early start as we had to go to southwold to swap the washing over before we went started our first day of rehearsals for Funny Money. After we did that small task we headed back to St Felix to get ready to start the read through for our next play. All our cast from Body Language is involved with this production and this time we have Andy Powrie as our director. We started the read through at 10:15 and finished it by 12:30 which is when we started blocking the first 19 pages of the first act.
After rehearsals I cycled to Southwold to start ironing the shows costumes. When Rebecca and Charlotte arrived we got on with the pre set. The performance seemed to go well with no obvious problems occurring.
The rehearsal room in St Felix
Friday more or less happened like Thursday with the exception of waking up early to cycle to Southwold so I can swap the wash over and get on with ironing. I finished that at 9:30 and cycled straight back to St Felix to attend rehearsals. At this point of rehearsing I'm just observing and taking notes, similar to what I did with Body Language a few weeks ago. Charlotte and I have already started writing up our props lists of who uses what and where in the play. Farces, especially ones written by Ray Cooney are usually frenetic, this play is no exception so there will be a lot going on on stage.
Me in my nurses costume
On Saturday we had a 5pm matinee. The Stage Management team and I had to be in Southwold at 2:30 to iron and do the Pre set for the show. During the interval there was a problem with the lights. Rebecca had to test them to identify the problem if there was one at all with Peter helping, we assumed they tripped but that may not have been the case. Mark did arrive after the performance to have a look but could see a problem either, so instead erased and re loaded the shows lighting plot.
During the break between shows we rushed washing upstairs to get done. Meanwhile the actors were watching the England v Belgium game in the dressing room, we lost 2-0 of course coming 4th in the World Cup. Richard also brought in Pizza for everyone to share. The evening show seemed to go well with no technical problems occurring. When the show is going on I just sit in the wings waiting to come on stage for a scene change. While I wait for that I listen to various things going on, for example, Clive and Claire speak an obscure foreign language that Ayckbourn invented and Michael giving a long speech at the top of act two which he regularly recites to keep it fresh in his mind.
Scribbling a props list to type up later for Funny Money
Latitude
Sunday was another day off so I decided to attend Latitude Festival at Henham Park. Quite a few of us from the company attended including Rebecca, Polly, Tory, Kitty, India, Rebecca’s brother Sam and bf Will. Acts that I saw perform this year included Dylan Moran, Rag n Bone Man, Wolf Alice, Gabriella Aplin and the closing smart of the festival Alt-J. What was also very interesting this year was a range of performances that were put on by Owen Calvert Lyons from Oval House Theatre. There was an area in the Faraway Forest where you put on a virtual headset and you and watched a performance. It genuinely felt as if you were sitting in an auditorium watching a show, technology like this is taking the theatrical experience to the next level. When the festival finished at 11pm we all made our way back home.
Main Stage at Latitude
Wearing the headset
Dylan Moran
The weeks routines have been the same. We arrive at the rehearsal room at 9:30, rehearse until 5pm then do a show in the evening. On Tuesday though we wrapped up rehearsals at 12:30 to get ready for our very first 2:30 matinee, something that the company hasn't done before. When the first show of the day ended we had a break until 19:25. Both Charlottes and Harriet did yoga in the time that was free. In the dressing rooms there is always banter going on. Michael Shaw has developed a habit of quoting lines from Shakespeare's Othello and there was also a time when the actors were doing impressions of characters from Top Cat. Other chit chat included talking about the lives and careers of famous actors such as Richard Harris, Richard Burton, Sean Connery and Jimmy Stewart. During the second act of the evening show a bumble bee flew into the wings (no pun intended). I managed to catch it in a cup and let it outside.
Both Charlottes and Harriet doing Yoga
When I get a chance I'll post more. As I said above I don't have a lot of time at the mo as I'm dedicating a lot of my time to this show and rehearsing, the team and I are running on empty. There will be more to tell you in the near future. Speak soon!
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