We’re halfway through our rehearsals for Looking Through Glass, though I’m sure no will thank me for reminding them! It feels oddly luxurious after my first experience of working with difficult|stage last summer – re-mounting Alix in Wundergarten with two new actors and some radical script changes in only a week.
This time I’ve been involved from the start of the rehearsals and it’s been really interesting seeing how difficult|stage create work. It’s given me a real insight into where some of the Alix madness came from! We spent lots of time in the first week doing character focused improvisations before the cast had read the script, with only their character biogs to go from. Matt (Blake), the director, and I were very amused by how often their improvisations matched up to what François (Pandolfo) had already written. Allowing the characters to form without the actors knowing where the narrative went has meant that the cast feel confident in making choices now we are putting it on its feet. It has also made them very willing to play and improvise which I think is ideal for Matt and François but gives me some anxious moments wondering where it will all end up and how we’re going to make it all happen!
Working the improvisations into the script and producing a final draft has been a bit of a headache for François (writer and performer) but I feel more in control now I can start blocking in the moves and the set design is finalised. Without giving too much away, I’m really excited about Carl (Davies)’s design. It’s intricate and provides lots of juicy technical challenges. Maybe ask me how I feel about it again after our tech rehearsal! Working in The Other Room is really satisfying because the intimate nature of the space means you can totally transform it. I love bringing audiences into spaces that they think they know and feel secure in and then turning that on its head. I think that’s when you can make theatre that’s bold and exciting.
This is an interesting job for me as a stage manager because of the set up of the world of radio drama. Looking Through Glass finds us in the newly renovated Radio Drama Department studio with me as the Studio Sound Manager, running the recording in the world of the play as well as operating the “real” cues. I was pretty apprehensive about getting involved with the improvisations but I feel safe with François and Matt – I know I’ll be able to tell them when I need to be concentrating on operating the show!
I love being in a collaborative rehearsal room. As a stage manager I often have a different perspective on things – it’s lovely to feel that my contributions are valued and we’re all working towards the same goal. Especially after taking Alix to Edinburgh, I feel like I know the world of the play really well which is invaluable to me as a DSM. It’s my job to support Matt in rehearsals, to think through the practical implications of things as well as to feed information through to the creative team. The more decisions I can facilitate during rehearsals, the more time we have to play with in the tech. I do this mainly by making lots and lots of lists and cornering Matt during tea breaks – wish me luck!
Looking Through Glass runs at The Other Room 6-23 December. For more information and to book tickets, visit www.otherroomtheatre.com