A Streetcar Named Desire rehearsals - Week two
Posted by Rehearsal Room on 1st Feb 2012 at 14:28 | 2 comments
Hi, Stephen Fletcher here again.
Without giving the game away, scene 11 of Streetcar is an amazing one.
We tackled it for the first time in some detail this week. Gemma Bodinetz has described it as four plays in one, and it really is. This presents the company with a number of challenges. Technically it is a tough scene to tackle as so much is happening at once- there is a stylised look into Blanche's head, a blinkered normality of a macho card game, high emotions of a guilt-ridden sister, and the arrival of two strangers. The tension for everyone in the scene is palpable. And it is this prioritising within the scene and building of that tension which has created some of the biggest challenges so far. It is a difficult process but a rewarding and a satisfying one for any actor to undertake and get right. We're chipping away slowly and in doing so realising just how good this writer is. I think we're 'getting' him. In other news, away from the last scene, some of us have spoken of moments of discovery- where something has clicked in our heads. Actors say things like "a breakthrough" has happened, the mists have cleared, and a single idea, often from another actor, reveals a whole new list of opportunities, taking you, the scene, and the play in an unexpected direction. It is a great thing to experience and even better to witness in someone else while watching a rehearsal from the side-lines.
The rehearsal set has steadily become more cluttered. On day one it looked like we had all moved into a new flat, but with each day it's looking more "lived in" (messy). Boxes have the word FRIDGE and OVEN written on them, scaffold poles indicate where pillars will be, doors open the wrong way, our staircase is imagined, there are papers everywhere, references to the 1940's, props, blankets, character shoes, beds, curtains, coffee cups- it's a busy room, and great to work in. It will be exciting to see the real set in tech week.
The lads have learned how to play Poker properly- all work related, of course. And we're aaaaall tawwwkin liiiike thiiiiiis. Even in Sayers, which is a bit embarrassing.
So, onwards. We've got fight and costume calls this week- hopefully not at the same time- that could get messy. And slowly Streetcar is taking shape.
I'm off to watch Come Dine With Me. More next time.
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