Good morning.
Yesterday I didn't write my blog thanks to leaving my laptop charger at work and travelling down to Kent to spend time with my dear friends Ali and Keith, and then a lovely pop in with my Mum and Dad in Tonbridge.
I've talked a lot recently about the intricate balance of being out there in the cut and thrust of literal survival, in coming up with new ideas, sniffing out possible opportunities to make new work, find new projects and money. Being alert and noticing what's there. Its always an adventure, albeit it a disheartening and exhausting one sometimes. Things are not always easily visible. And the other essentially vital part of the balancing of the scales: the nurturing of creative thinking and imagination, as both a solitary and a shared activity with co-creators.
Having had some brief but lovely Facebook exchanges with the director Sarah Argent and Chris Elwell, Artistic Director - Half Moon and with performer Marleen Vermeulen I am prompted to reflect on the director's process and mine specifically.
I will be in the rehearsal room again soon, and I will love being there. I always do, not that its always a comfortable space to live in. So my mind turns today to what are the key ingredients of the rehearsal space that I prepare carefully for the actors and myself to inhabit?
Whilst one can be somewhat flexible about where the space might be, there are some non-negotiables, which are essential for me. Firstly it must be a clear warm space, with plenty of light. It must have any sound or instruments already set up. It must be big enough to move, jump and play. It must be soundproofed enough so that there are no restrictions on voice or music. We must be able to close the door, and put a "Do not enter" sign on it. I always bring in a few random bits and pieces to play with, costumes, props and a few blocks maybe. I am deliberately non-literal about this. And always without fail, one or more of those things that we play with make it into the show. There must be free flowing coffee, tea and water available at all times, and the occasional pack of digestives and some fruit!
We have to be clean about time too, no fuzziness around the edges. So a start at 10am must be just that. And we need to know that at the end of the day we can leave everything as we want to - or give ourselves a clear half an hour to tidy up.
Why are these things about space so critically important to the rehearsal process? It might sound a bit precious, well actually it is. The title of my blog gives it away. As director of a play it is my responsibility to set the temperature of the room, at the very least on the first day. Its as much about personal and collective safety as it is about imagination and creating a piece.
What I am asking from actors and other creative collaborators is a willingness to bring the whole of themselves to the process. Its actually a given in the agreement to work together, but especially when people are new to each other and to my rehearsal process it can be a bit uncomfortable. Unlike some other professions where it may be possible to divide your self from your tasks at least superficially, in this process you fail if you cannot bring yourself fully to it.
Much of this is unspoken of course. There is also a safety in ritual, and even for actors who work with many directors there is a generic expectation about space and process. This knowing allows them to be pretty good at moving from one theatre making culture to another. However different and idiosyncratic the processes may be which they most certainly are, there is a common language.
Most actors understand pretty much what kinds of things will be asked of them. There can be a wide variance of receptivity though, like in any group of people. And I need to take that on board every time.
And then there is trust. I have to create an environment of trust to invite people into. I need to give them confidence that they can be safe, truthful, playful and disciplined and that once I have established the micro-climate we then transform it together. My job is to get the ball moving and then it passes with ease back and forth between us as co-creators.
The critically important part of my preparation too is of course a forensic familiarity with the text I am working with, and in my case this is often a new piece. I expect to know it back to front by the time I enter the rehearsal space.
So if all these ingredients are well prepared, there is a very good chance we are ready to enter into the imaginal space of the rehearsal room.
I usually start in the safest of places especially if there are new actors or creatives in the team. We start with a few get to know you exercises, easily familiar to anyone, and which create a relaxed feeling and are fun. The laughter at the beginning is so important in creating a release of anxiety which every project necessarily brings with it. Once we know that we can tease (kindly!) and laugh together, we know we are on our way.
This opening session is then usually followed by a read through of the script. Again I assume that the actors have done their homework, not that they have made any concrete decisions, but that at the very least they are familiar with the territory. Whilst thanks to much preparation I don't actually need to hear the script read to inform me, what it absolutely does do is enable me to hear the voices and emotions of the people who are to create together. This is always fabulous, as I hear lines out loud that have up until then resided in my head. I get new understanding as I listen which in turn sparks my imagination. The actors too get a feel for each other in the safe structure of text.
The text brings us together and will almost always include the writer. We start on a shared purpose and the reflections on plot, character and language are invaluable in setting the tone and atmosphere. Its a genuine learning opportunity for all of us, and often there will be insights that emerge in this first shared conversation that will have material impact on the artistic decision making.
After these important starting rituals we are ready to move gently into the imaginal space together. My personal experience of this sacred space is that it takes open energy. I often refer to and experience it personally as the invisible clay that sits in the room between us and must be warm and pliable enough for us to explore its shapes together. I invite the creative soul of each actor to come in and sculpt with me and each other. And when the room is cleared of unnecessary personal daily stuff that gets in the way, the room will shift in temperature and become warm. And then we can begin to work creatively together.
That's it for now. Have a good Sunday.
No comments:
Post a Comment