August 2011 Archives

And by golly my sanity is dragging itself towards it. I feel a little like a small vole like creature, constantly wanting to burrow deeper underground to find shelter and comfort. After 4 weeks underground I’ve been told my body will naturally acclimatise to the lower oxygen levels, dusty air and absence of natural light. Wonderful. And so as of next week it’s riverside runs and lunch al fresco to remind my body that normal people enjoy above average oxygen levels and a hefty dose of sunshine.

It’s been a huge pleasure to work with NYT’s wonderful membership for another summer and they never fail to impress and excite me, reassuring me how important it is to strive for continued opportunities for young people within the theatre industry. You can read countless books and write lengthy essays (and you should) but there is nothing to rival the experiences learnt by simply doing it; working with professional theatre makers who treat you like a professional company with the desire to make top quality work

I don’t dispute that this is often a bumpy process. It invariably sorts those true theatre types from Harry Hobby et al but even then, there is much to learn about teamwork, organisation, self confidence, choices etc… The list is endless.

Berocca in bottle and banana in hand, it was best foot forward once more as I descended into the Old Vic Tunnels. If I thought previous techs were troublesome, they were a walk in an oh so sunny park compared to this week. Not that the work is causing unexpected problems — we may have had to shift this or that and re-stage a few moments, but in general it’s looking very exciting.

I’m referring more to spending four days 20 feet below one of the busiest train stations in Europe. It’s damp. It’s dark. And every 2 minutes or so, we’re alerted to the (not always) consistent running of South Eastern trains. It took a few days to get used to working in the space during rehearsals but I was shocked to realise how much I miss my desk and lamp of the normal tech process. Plus of course the tech staples of endless confectionery, a fully charged phone to complete Angry Birds and a lonely apple to at least tease your body with goodness.

One show is promenade and so we’re on our feet and mobile for 75% of the tech. So, bottle in hand and notebook in back pocket we wander from tunnel to tunnel occasionally perching on an oil drum for respite when layering SFX or tweaking some quite breathtaking lighting.

Where have the last few weeks gone! Seriously, have you seen them? I’m sure I left them right here… Hmmm…

Since we last saw each other I have rehearsed, opened and closed two Shakespeare plays, indulged in a spot of murder over dinner, seen some mind-blowing theatre, witnessed some jaw-dropping stupidity, lost my voice, found it again and packed the man I love off to Edinburgh. So in this blog…. Let’s skip through the edited highlights of Grad life.

First up, I had the absolute pleasure last month of attending the Spotlight Prize Showcase in the very swanky Bloomsbury ballroom where this year’s lucky nominees from each CDT drama school were launched into the profession. Each young actor had the once in a lifetime opportunity of touting their theatrical wares to a room heaving with a bustling audience of casting directors, agents and industry hoi polloi. What a fantastic opportunity to be seen by those career-makers when you are at your very sharpest as a fresh graduate! I was half tempted to get up there and crack out a couple of party pieces myself… Cheese bloat and a rare bout of restraint kept me seated. I don’t think it would have gone down too well.

Week 4 of tunnel rehearsals has arrived and as predicted I hit a very large wall returning to the stables and continuing to shun daylight for the leaky darkness off Leake street. Instead of climbing said wall or going around it, I decided to repeatedly fling myself at the naked bricks until an ACME-esque Grewcock shaped cut out started to appear through the dust- and with five weeks off beer I hope it was a slightly trimmer cut out too.

Moving on. Quickly.

But all is not lost. My sanity, yes, I set that adrift many moons ago but I’m all set to knuckle down and adapt to working under somewhat unorthodox conditions- whoever said flash photography was distracting hadn’t met soldering irons and metal saws!

A definite challenge but one which we’re stepping up to and for every hurdle we face, we find innovation and excitement in the solution; which, If nothing else, is rather marvellous in itself.

As temperatures soared to a tan-tastic 30 degrees last week, it was with great pleasure that I said the following four words: I am on holiday. And what a week to vacate the stables and enjoy some early evening sunshine and some much needed downtime.

Of course, I use the term ‘holiday’ loosely as rehearsals for Our Days of Rage and Orpheus & Eurydice stepped up a gear before we hit the venue proper this week. What’s really exciting about both shows is the chance to create something brand new, designed specifically to be performed in the unique atmosphere of the tunnels. And so we have to be quite ruthless with both new scripts to ensure that the story is clear whilst remaining interesting and immersive for the audience.

I’m writing this just after we assembled both casts of the Tunnel shows along with 600 new NYT members - who have just started their courses - at the Lyttelton at the National Theatre for our 2011 company meeting. And what a remarkable sight. To gather so many talented young people in such an iconic building was the perfect start to what looks set to be another exciting season.