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Kirstie Davis’ Director's Blog - A peek into the Forest Forge inner workings
Welcome to the Forest Forge blog, which will open up the rehearsal room and give you an insight into the pains and pleasure of the rehearsal process!
Contact Kirstie at artisticdirector@forestforge.co.uk
So here we are going into the second week. We had our first stagger through on Saturday and finalised the changes to the script with Joyce. So now it is all about detail and trying to make sure that all of the subplots are clear as well as the main storyline of Reeny’s life. This week we will also be joined by Junior Jones who will choreograph the opening sequence for me- the three women are in a 1950’s Dance Hall and dancing to Why Do Fools Fall in Love…
So it is all go- we have one more film sequence to do as well as the final one with Reeny……
And so we have looked at 18 pages and made some amendments and looked at the characters. We have to find out what conventions work throughout the piece as reality and fantasy constantly merge- I need to discover the simple ways of telling the story and not over complicating the picture.
I have asked each actor to come up with their Desert Island Discs list
And so presenting Jacqueline Redgewell’s choices ( who is playing Reeny):
Songs:
Softly awakens my heart- aria from Samson and Delilah, Saint Saens
Unforgettable- Nat King Cole
I Remember You- Frank Ifield
Help- The Beatles
Harmony Constant- Mike Nesmith
Waterman’s Hornpipe- Brass Monkey
Concerto in C Major- OP9 No 5
These Sea Dreams- Steve Tilston, Maggie Boyle
And so here we are again- the start of a new season and the start of a new show. Joyce arrived last night and the actors arrived this morning. The set is already looking gorgeous in the studio and we have just completed the read through. For the next 48 hours we will be playing and challenging the script- making sure that the characters are well defined and the story and structure is clear- so that Joyce can make any changes before she wends her way to Oldham….
We have also played all of the music ( 21 tracks in all are mentioned).
So: playing is called for and the team is set…
Off we go
Keep a look out for the actors’ own Desert Island choices over the next few weeks….
What a fantastic day we had with 5 actors in the room developing the script for The Wolves of Willoughby Chase alongside myself and Russ Tunney as well as the technical staff from both the Nuffield and FF. The actors were great at just playing with the text and finding both the humour and pathos- so many thanks to Mike, Michael, Julie, Harry and Clare!
So… we know the script works, a good measure of beautiful storytelling and madcap humour… all we have to do now is make sure the design works- Helen Stewart was also there frantically scribbling and putting in some inspiring drawings into the mix- and the music. There was a lot of Kate Bush played that day!
Can’t wait to see what happens…..
This week Russ Tunney ( Associate Director at the Nuffield) and I are bringing together 5 lovely actors to play with the script of The Wolves of Willoughby Chase and see how and what works. We are being joined by some old faces for Forest Forge: Mike Cole, Michael Magnet,
(remember Around the World in 80 Days?) and some new ones: Harry Palmer, Julie Rose Smith and Claire Franklin. So things to discover:
How to go back and forth from a train carriage to a house in quick succession, how goose puppets may fit into the piece, how the music and songs fit into the piece, how the narration moves the piece along. We have some wonderful set pieces to look at- I am particularly looking forward to attempting to stage the flight across the ice with the Wolves close behind!!!
SO- deep breath… here we go…..
So Elevate is over for another year and it was a fantastic success. The company of young people from Ringwood and Burgate schools worked brilliantly together and the production really flew by the end of the run. A big thanks to Richard Conlon for writing such an extraordinary script- which he is going to make available to other schools in the autumn. If you took part in this project go to our Forum and tell us your thoughts…
This really is a special project playing to 1000 young people this year and we hope to do it all again in 2011. When asked what the issue should be next year an audience member at Coxlease School said ‘Drugs’.
Food for thought………
well, the first and only week of rehearsals is over and it certainly wasn’t wasted! What a week. The cast started on Monday morning with a script, not knowing everyone, and 5 days to get the shape of the show up together; and they have just left today having done a pretty solid run through, a set which is practically finished and off to learn their lines for Monday. They have worked so hard, and done so much in such a short space of time. I am very proud of them all. Next week brings final touches, technical and dress rehearsals, a preview on Tuesday night and 10 shows in total. Phew, lets hope they have a good rest over the weekend. We’ll let you know how we get on.
Lucy
It’s Lucy, and we have just finished our first day of rehearsals for Wasted, our work experience show. And what a day. Designing, sound, ice breaker workshop for the cast, and start on page one of the script. So far so good, our 14 cast and 4 crew have plunged themselves in with gusto, and I am looking forward to tomorrows revelations, laughs and inspirational moments. I’ll keep you all posted.
Lucy
Creative Learning Director
This year we are working with 18 young people from Ringwood and Burgate Schools on a fantastic new script specially written by Richard Conlon for the project called Wasted. The cast will arrive on Monday and the tech team will also gear up as we have 9 days to put the show on before the preview at our Theatre Base on 15th June and then it all goes in the blue van to 4 secondary schools and a lot of year 7-9 students!
This year the theme is young people and alcohol and it is so exciting to have a new piece of work to premiere.
As my Creative Learning Director Lucy Bailey is directing this piece- the blog will become hers for the next 2 weeks!
And so Mitunes was a great success- well done to Winton and Harrow Way schools- we would love you to email us with your thoughts about the process…. Next is Elevate with Ringwood and Burgate Schools- three weeks with 25 young people creating a touring production from scratch and then taking it out in the blue van to other schools- all very exciting! This year the theme is young people and their relationship with alcohol- should be interesting…..
Come to the Lights in Andover on 27th April and see all of the work that our Associate Director David Haworth and Harrow Way School and Winton School have been doing in the build up to the autumn tour of For the Record, and how best to present people’s love of music. The schools have been choreographing their chosen tracks with Junior Jones and creating films with City Eye and our Writer’s Group have created monologues and scenes for the event as well. There will also be two professional actors performing with the young people: Chris Talman and Kate Adams.
Really hope that you can join us there.
So, we had our preview and it went extraordinarily well- people really seemed moved by it and wanting to talk about the writing and the production afterwards. A fantastic night – with a really mixed age group all getting something from it. I do think this is a special show.
We would love to get your feedback- you can fill out a questionaire at your local venue- just ask Dom or go to the show page on this site and scroll down after the tour schedule and add your review- which will come straight to us. I really hope you enjoy this show as much as we have enjoyed making it…..
And so here we are making the final things work- adding the film and checking the lights and any final costume alterations. The film works really well with the set pieces- adding an edge I think. So now we are going to do 2 dress rehearsals which are just for us before we open the doors tomorrow night for the first preview audience….
Very exciting!!!
Its now about story, story, story- are we telling it? is it clear? Are the characters truthful? Are the moments clear? Do the gear changes work? Is the balance between humour and serious stuff right?
So many questions, so little time….. there is nothing better than working on a new play…
So we did two runs of the play yesterday and most of the show feels very solid. I am still questioning the beginnning in terms of how we show that it is essentially a conversation being had off stage not on- but we will find it. There were some really emotional moments yesterday- lump in the throat time when Stacey delivered her Dead Dad speech and Mike’s pony in the forest and Mel’s stabbing- so many moments that really hit you.
But the humour is there as well and I think the writing is a real tour de force when the characters of Shaun and Karen meet for the first time.
Last night Dom and I plotted the lights and the music with Becky Applin being her usual genius self. Now we are just waiting for the film- which is becoming a frustration….
But everything else is on track and I think it is going to be a really good piece…..
So here we are- working through the play moment to moment- challenging all of the blocking and who we think these people are. Gary was with us on Friday and was really pleased with that he saw- it was also great to have him in to clarify bits of the text and test what we were doing. He grinned for the whole day…
The next part of the week will be about running and running: scenes, acts ( still not sure where the interval should go) and then placing the technical stuff on top of all of that: film. lighting and sound.
Becky will be with us on Thursday and the film will hopefully be with us by Monday- everything is now pushing forward and it is a week to go before there is an audience!
I can honestly say I am having the best time in the rehearsal room- I love this play…..
So last week was all about testing the conventions of the play and how to go back and forth with direct speech and natural dialogue. This week is all about character work and fleshing them out. For the past two days I have had the actors tied to eachother with rope, in terms of the 2 couples, to see what that gives us in terms of feeling trapped and needing to be aware of the other person at all times as well as negotiate the space with someone else attached to you. This has been a great exercise for physicalising what is really going on and visually displaying the tensions- lots of fun. Today I have added a ball and a beanbag into the equation so that the actors can throw one to each other and one to us when the dialogue changes focus.
This is about exploring and playing…. and trying to keep warm as our boiler has just broken down!
What an extraordinary week it has been. The actors arrived on Monday and we did a read through and talked through the model of the set and concept of the visuals. With lots of tea and biscuits we talked about the play and how brilliant the writing is. Then for three days we tussled with the script- seeing what worked and what didn’t. The constant refrain was: the simpler the better. Anytime we tried to incorporate big physical moments it just didn’t work. The key is in the storytelling and allowing the text to breathe.
On Thursday Becky Applin joined us and we did a stagger through of the whole play looking at moments of film and music- this has to be done this far in advance because the film makers need timings and there is a tight turnaround.
Props keep appearing and bits if set- as Dom and David also add their expertise.
At the end of this first week I am really pleased with the shape of the piece and very excited by the prospect of challenging it all again next week!
Now all we have to do is get the opening right…….
What an extraordinary week it has been. The actors arrived on Monday and we did a read through and talked through the model of the set and concept of the visuals. With lots of tea and biscuits we talked about the play and how brilliant the writing is. Then for three days we tusseled with the script- seeing what worked and what didn’t. The constant refrain was: the simpler the better. Anytime we tried to incorporate big physical moments it just didn’t work. The key is in the storytelling and allowing the text to breathe.
On Thursday Becky Applin joined us and we did a stagger through of the whole play looking at moments of film and music- this has to be done this far in advance because the film makers need timings and there is a tight turnaround.
Props keep appearing and bits if set- as Dom and David also add their expertise.
At the end of this first week I am really pleased with the shape of the piece and very excited by the prospect of challenging it all again next week!
Now all we have to do is get the opening right…….
So here we are with 5 new actors ( Mike, Stacey, Melody, Maggie and Tim) and a fantastic new script by Gary Owen- which is mad, witty and gorgeous. The day was full of laughter as the read through brought to light even more humour in the script.
And so the challenge begins: episodic structure, characters talking to us and eachother and their thoughts aloud, non-linear timeline- lots of things to discover and work through.
Becky Applin is back with a fantastic soundscape which is very filmic, epic and beautiful.
City Eye are out in the Forest filming ponies and foxes.
And so it begins…….
Ashputtel- the Cinderella story is now out on the road. It has been a fantastic rehearsal period working with 5 very talented actor musicians and all the artists involved: Junior Jones choreographing, Claire Harvey creating the puppets, Arts University College Bournemouth students working hard on the 3 ball gowns and Becky Applin creating a beautiful score for the whole piece. Not to mention Dom, Emma and David working tirelessly making the set, costume, props, lights and projections work
The show previewed at our base and got a warm reception and now all of the set, lights, costumes, actors and Dom are in a van off around the County.
Well, here we are at our third dress rehearsal with the Youth Theatre coming to see it- our first audience. I am now really wanting to know if we are telling the story clearly and whether the visuals are linking up. The actors are working very hard at getting on top of all of the things they have to do: quick changes ( Sophie has about 7!) playing and putting down instruments, moving the set around, placing puppets, knives, toes and heels…. the list is endless. We have also had Lucy Sewill in today right in the action taking photos. I am hoping they are as wonderful as the Around the World in 80 Days photos- they will be up on the website shortly. If you see us at a venue- do have a look at the display because the photos are amazing.
So it is getting to that point when the umbilical cord will be cut and I will no longer be required. One more dress and then we are previewing to an invited audience- scarily close…
And the plastic glass slipper has been replaced by a beautiful sparkly ballet pump so that Ashputtel can dance at the Winter Feast despite having sweaty feet by that point!
Like I say it is all about the shoe…..
Well, here we are at the end of the third week and it has been a long one! The week began with choreography and ended with lights, sound and projections- all looking and sounding fab. We have gone projection mad, ( all cleverly sourced by Dom), so that we have stars and snow and fireworks and leaves and birds- you name it, its there! So Thursday night we plotted the entire show and Friday we teched with the actors in full costume.
Having slight problems with glass slippers being slippy to dance in and only having half a page to put on the winter ball gown- but other than that all is well! The Arts University College Bournemouth Students have done an amazing job on the dresses- really beautiful and unique.
So all we have to do is run and run and run ( both literally and metaphorically) She Will go to the ball………….
So it is the final week of rehearsal and we preview in a week’s time. This rehearsal period has flown! We are starting our third week with a run through and just seeing what we have got and what still needs detailing. This week will be about running and running the sequences and then adding all of the technical aspects around it.
We are also joined this week by our Interact ASM Emma- which is great- another pair of hands to get this show on the road ( literally!)
Junior will be back in today polishing off the dances- he has been adding more and more modern moves into the courtly dances- for example one opens with them walking like cat walk models- lots of fun.
We are now at the end of our second week of rehearsals. It has been a week of music and choreography and birds! Becky Applin was with us for 2 days working through the whole play in terms of the soundscape and the combination of live and recorded sound. Junior Jones has been with us for 2 sessions making the Winter Dance very King and I and the other 2 Feasts much more courtly- lots of fun, although I did ache like mad after the first session as he kept using me to demonstrate!
So now we are continuing our detailed look through the rest of Act 2 ready for our second full run of the show.
Next week goes technical: projections, lighting, set, costumes………..
So, now we are on our second week of rehearsals and this week is all about detail and making sure the instruments are a part of the characters i.e the Prince is the violin, Ashputtel is the flute etc.
We will also have our first session with the choreographer Junior Jones – who popped in on Friday and saw our stagger through – and Becky Applin will be back going through all of the music and making sure that the recorded pieces are ready.
So, we are at the end of our first week and we will finish the blocking,( but not the choreography), by the end of the day and attempt our first stagger through of the whole play.
I have some very talented actor musicians in the cast who are playing 3 flutes, 2 clarinets, a mandolin, a violin and a cello- all sounding amazing.
The next step is about detail and making sure the story is clear whilst still playing around with ideas. It is becoming more and more about appearance and the outside world looking in……
We are also still working out the journey of the puppets and making sure there is a logic to their story as well.
Here’s to the second week!
Well, here we are on the 3rd day of rehearsal. All of the music has been looked at- although I also seem to be asking for strange and wonderful things to happen as soundscape as we work through as well!
We have blocked 10 pages of the script- very sketchy and will continue with the rest of Act one by the end of today- hopefully!
The actors are being wonderfully inventive as I ask them to improvise with 2 lots of steps, a large frame and a small one on a 4 metre square rostra…
At the moment it is all about where do the instruments go and how do the changes occur…. at some point we will actually start characterisation!
The puppets arrived yesterday as well and so we need to focus on them aswell- the small Ashputtel, in particular, is lovely…..
So it is now the first week of Ashputtel rehearsals and the lovely actors have arrived. The first day has been about introducing the actors to the world of the play and the music- Becky Applin has once again composed a beautiful score which will be performed live as well as recorded. The students from the costume department of the Arts University College, Bournemouth have also been with us doing fittings for the 3 Ashputtel dresses which they are making- gorgeous.
So now we will put the mock up stage in place ready to block the entire play by the end of Friday
Let the fun begin!
We had the most extraordinary nights at Hurst Castle on Tuesday and Wednesday. The weather was so beautiful that we had a stunning sunset which created the most perfect backdrop for Phileas Fogg to be on his sail boat- absolutely magical!
The light stayed with us as well- all the way through the scenes in the Castle grounds and then completely fading as we reached the theatre.
They were such lovely evenings- it really felt as though the audience was out to have a good time and even the lady with the broken foot gallantly hobbled her way around on the first night.
I just want to thank all of the people who made it possible: Jonathan, Sean, Hugh, Bob, Dave- the list goes on- thank you for providing us with this amazing opportunity.
Lets do it again at some point!!!!!
We would be really interested in hearing from people who were there those two nights- and if you have any photos please e-mail them to us- we would love to see them.
Well, so far the audiences seem to be enjoying the show. We have had incredibly good feedback. One member of the audience wrote to me to say that the show is ’ a feast of wit, slapstick, enormous ingenuity in setting, consummate characterisation and brilliant rapidity in changing character’. What more can we ask for?
If you have seen the show please send us your thoughts- we are always interested in hearing from you.
Well the next challenge is the Hurst Castle performances. Dom and I are already looking at the logistics and wondering whether the actors can sing their songs on the ferry and where Bombay might end up being!
Lots of fun- we hope you can join us on the next leg of the adventure…….
Well, here we are in the final week with the preview tomorrow night and the Youth Theatre of Forest Forge coming to see an open dress tonight.
The last run went very well – just some teething problems with the set moving on the floor cloth – I am wanting the blocks to move easily and swiftly and so we are now experimenting with laminate on the bottom of the blocks!
We are now getting to crunch time with a week to go before we open.
We did a run of the entire show on Saturday which went very well, but was a tad faltering as we all tried to remember which boat/train/elephant we were about to get onto next!
Costumes are also beginning to appear as well as THE BAG – which is very exciting! And the furniture is slowly turning a deep mahogany!
This is also the week that lighting will be going in and my film noir moments will be being realised- I am SO excited about the fact that the clock provides my Orson Welles moment!
Well, we are now coming to the end of our second week and we have consolidated the work we did last week. These last few days have been all about detailing and the journey of the hat and cane! i.e where on earth Fogg puts his personal props at any time!
We have been playing more with the Stomp idea- the Reform club begins with our tribute to Stomp using a pipe, pack of cards and glass of whisky!
Well, we have finished the first week of rehearsal and all is going well. The week was taken up with blocking the entire show – which is very technical as each piece of set becomes a different form of transport etc and becomes an interesting memory test of which boat are we on now!
The week began with a meet and greet with the company and then a read through and design presentation. I think the set is going to work brilliantly and is highly inventive.
Well, we are off and running and having fun with elephants! The big challenge this week is how I do a train chase with a sideboard and on a 4 metre square stage – oh the joys of epic theatre!
Well, the first female Artistic Director of Forest Forge Theatre Company may not have the world-shaking impact of the first black American President, but I feel empathy for Barack Obama as he finds his feet with his new job!
The last few months have been a heady mix of meeting lots of people from all walks of life and absorbing as much information as I can from all the many supporters of this theatre company which has touched people’s lives for nearly 30 years.
3 Men & a Suit © Forest Forge 2010
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