One Day In..

One day in, and suddenly the need to allocate some of the rehearsal time to the production elements arose. As part of the design, an enormous photograph of Marianne as Mimi will cover the back wall of the stage, complimented by a head-to-toe portrait around a window (the crucial narrative element) stage left. In order to get these pieces ready in time for the show, the photographs had to be taken today, causing a break in the rehearsing and investigating of the text. Adding to the oddness of the day was a caterpillar cake, bought by the stage manager Ellie in honour of Dom’s birthday, who plays Fleet in the play. We couldn’t find a knife anywhere in the building, so after many attempts to behead the caterpillar with the end of a plastic spoon, Dom took charge and marched the cake into the café next door – the home of the cheapest coffees in Kings Cross, and something of a major resource for our rehearsals – and waited as the owner dissected his cake with a ridiculously large, lethal blade.
Giggles began as soon as the first photograph was taken… We were sharing a studio with another company having press shots taken, and their centrepiece was a rather intriguing suitcase with lifelike human legs sticking out of either end. The cast were required to pose in character, before chatting to another casually as the photographer circled them. Very soon, the effort to ignore the bizarre surroundings (combined with too much sugary cake) resulted in a hysterical trio of actors, whose efforts to maintain professionalism only served to heighten their state. This actually proved to be a highly valuable session, not just for obtaining the images needed, but more importantly in giving the actors a chance to bond outside of the work in the rehearsal room. After a bit of fresh air, we returned to the table in the rehearsal room, and dived back in to the complexities and joys of Glyn’s play.