Backstage Blog: The Way Of The World Week 1
The Way of the World Rehearsal Blog
Week One
By Marieke Audsley
Full of optimism and excitement on the third day of 2012, the company of The Way of the World all met together for the very first time on Tuesday morning. Day one of rehearsals is always a thrilling day, and this was no exception.
In order to get warmed up for the rest of the big day and have a bit of fun while everyone got to know each other, Lyndsey (Lyndsey Turner, Director) set up an Articulate tournament. For those of you not familiar with Articulate, it’s one of those games that gets the hearts pounding, brain cells jiggling and tongues twisting. Combined with a bit of competitive spirit, the atmosphere was electric as the teams battled it out to become the Articulate champions.
Having calmed down a bit after the frenzied excitement of Articulate, but feeling nicely energised, it was time to do the read-through. The read-through is the first time everyone gets to hear the play spoken aloud by the actors. It’s really special because it is all about initial reactions and instincts and taking the first step in rehearsing the play. You know it’s a succesful one when there are lots of giggles (at all the right moments) and even though most people already know the plot, there’s still a very strong sense of ‘what’s going to happen next?’
Another traditional feature of day one is the model showing where the director and designer (Lyndsey and Naomi) present the model of the set to the actors so that they know where they will be performing and what the environment will be like. I won’t give away any spoiler details now, but the model showing did provoke gasps of amazement, wonder and delight among the cast. We also looked at the costume designs, which are just as impressive. In fact I’m rather jealous of the girls’ dresses. Maybe it’s not too late to audition to be an understudy in order to try on some stunning frocks…
With the play read and the set seen, it was time to get stuck into working through the text. The first few days are crucial in terms of making sure everyone knows exactly what happens in the play, who their characters are and how they relate to the other characters. This is particularly key in The Way of the World, which houses a rather complex family tree. Every now and again the Articulate cards pop out to give us an energy boost (especially after lunch, when we need to battle ‘gastric shunt’), but mostly we are becoming acquainted with the deliciously colourful characters in Congreve’s play. Next week, we’ll let you know how we’re getting on with bringing them to life and inhabiting the dazzling world of The Way Of The World