Rehearsals Week Three

This week we finally got to the last scene of the play (on Friday)...and began learning to jig for the traditional globe end to the show.

I went to see Martin (McKellan), the voice wizard at the Globe to discuss all things voice - but mainly to panic about Joe (the director)'s decision that the Pendant (the second 'surprise' character I discovered I was playing during the read through) should have a different accent...it does make sense for clarification...but I would've liked a bit more notice!  I do a lot of accents for shows, but I always try and work on them with a coach.  I really love accents and dialects, and I think when you come from parents with diverse accents, and have a sister who is an expert on pronunciation (you can buy her book here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pronunciation-Essential-Superseding-Pronouncing-Dictionary/dp/0192807102), you do try not to approximate...  Martin was amazingly positive and had some great suggestions to help me maintain my vowel sounds.

I also spent an hour with Giles (Block), and his assistant Jamie, who work on text with us.  I read through some of my lines with him and Giles questioned some of my intonations.  He doesn't tell you how to say things, but makes you think about assumptions you've made - and, what I find really useful - suggests ways to make the decisions you've made about the text even clearer.

On Saturday we spent the day recapping the blocking of the play (most of which we've only really done once, so it was very valuable) with Josh the asst. director - so theoretically we are ready to stagger through the whole play on Tuesday...

And we also celebrated Joe's birthday with an Elizabethan version of 'Happy Birthday' and a curly wurly cake. 

On a personal note - I'm amazed how many hundreds of people have read my blog so far, from all over the world -  

thank you.  

If there's anything you'd like to know do tweet me https://twitter.com/picul and I'll do my best to answer questions in future blogs.

Also...do book to come and see the show - we'd love to see you all 

http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/theatre/whats-on/globe-theatre-on-tour/the-taming-of-the-shrew

Rehearsals week two

Firstly I have to thank my husband, James, for baking shrew bread for us...which kept us going during the week.

It's scary to think we're halfway through the rehearsals...and there still seems so much to do.  After a week of beginning to block we're just over halfway through the play and it's hard to imagine it all being done...I just have to keep reminding myself that I've been here before and it always comes together in the end...

We did a lot of music on Saturday with our musical director, Corin.  He is so enthusiastic, and is encouraging us all to play anything we can get a tune out of...so it seems that at one point in the play I will be playing the violin...has anyone ever learnt the violin in just over two weeks before?  Watch this space.

We had Sunday off and I suspect that most of the Shrews spent it pretty much like me - desperately trying to learn lines.  Here I have the advantage of the fabulous Rachel Dale http://www.savemegirlfriday.com/welcome/ A fabulous actor and friend I've been lucky enough to go to TWO drama schools with. When resting Rachel often helps other actors prepare for auditions and roles.  A good couple of hours together running lines will hopefully make a big difference in the week ahead.

When I do post show discussions people often ask about line learning...so perhaps I should write something here.  There do seem to be people who can just read lines a couple of times and they are 'in'.  My husband is one of these people. I am not. I learn them through repeating them out loud hundreds of time, putting my lines and cues on my ipod and listening to them hundreds of times, and then making another recording with gaps for my lines which I practice with...hundreds of times.  I am very dull to live with in rehearsals.  I can often be found talking to myself on the tube.

Quick midweek blog...

Things are moving along at Shrew towers...excitingly we have Macbeth now rehearsing above us at the Chocolate Factory, which if nothing else allows me to show off my new found prowess with the door code.

We had a big meet and greet at the Globe on wednesday with Macbeth and the Henry plays...
Today we had a lecture in the Globe lecture theatre (there are many things hidden in the bowels of the theatre it seems) from the fabulous Farah who is head of research at the Globe.  I hadn't really thought about how unique it is to work at a theatre that is an active centre of research...there is so much going on under that lack of roof.

Rehearsals Week One

Sooooooooo....Taming of the Shrew rehearsals have started for the Globe.
We shrews have spent most of the week sitting round the table trying to get the nitty gritty of the play sorted.  We've also started some of the music.

Most bestest moments of the week have probably been:

our new lanyards - ridiculous excitement
walking out onto the globe stage for the first time
finally meeting each other


More Challenging moments:

The sheer brain freeze of eight hours a day round a table talking about language - not since university have I spent so much time discussing the multiple possible meanings of a single word.  It's obviously vital stuff, we all need to decide what we all understand as characters and as actors...and it's all money in the bank.  But I'm not really a sitter downer...and it is a bit like pulling teeth at times....and I think rather than go home and relax / learn lines we've all just collapsed at the end of every day.

Cakegate.  There is too much cake in the rehearsal room.  I have no will power.  End of.

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