So the end of week three and hilariously, we have rattled through the whole of play number two, Dry Rot. Feeling like a farce-within- a farce, we have dashed about, trying to learn lines while marking stunts and sight gags and all the 'business' required to tell the ever so slightly silly story written by John Chapman to cheer the post-war London audiences of the 1950s.
So to recap: confusingly, we are firstly doing Alan Ayckbourn's Bedroom Farce which follows the convention of a farce but which involves none of the 'Oops Vicar, Where's My Trousers' of a Whitehall farce ( so named because of the venue in London that became synonymous with these shows), and Dry Rot which is a farce & does involve quite a bit of dropping trouserage as well as secret doors, true romance, a stolen race horse and a dangerous staircase.. All clear so far? Good. Perhaps you can tell me what's going on!
Monday was our play two readthrough and we convened in the same room most of us had been rehearsing Bedroom Farce in two days earlier. Our group had changed to add two more cast members and lost one and all the familiar looking furniture had been changed and the taped mark-up switched to represent our new world. This is an odd feeling for an actor like me unused to 'traditional' rep. The rehearsal room usually is a pretty sacred place & all the props & furniture placed technically for us to get the hang of things and explore and thus it remains throughout the rehearsal period. To find it all gone and changed after two weeks is kind of scary. Stage management have a system where the coloured tape marking walls & stairs on the floor is stuck on a massive floor cloth so they can chop & change the whole thing swiftly between shows. Anyone would think they've done this kind of thing before...
Needless to say, as I write, weekend plans are being revised as folk realise the task in hand for week four, which is a split week. This means three days back on play number one ( play number one? er..?) and then two days on play number two. Lines must be learned to minimise confusion. My husband in play one, played by the totally comedic Chris Hannon becomes a likely criminal to my policewoman in play two; the buxom maid in play two- played by the delightfully daft Jessica Ellis becomes the kind-hearted newly wed Kate in play one and so on. I am a neurotic mess in play one and a terrifying butch policewoman in play two. Not confusing at all. You're looking at the same face but the words and deeds are different. At least our directors are two separate people. If Stefan Escreet is in the house, we are in Bedroom farce territory; if our leader is Artisitic Director Ian Forrest, then Dry Rot is happening! Stage manager on the book is Daisy ( Bed Farce) or Tara (Dry Rot) so that helps remind you where or what you are in. It'll all be so much clearer once our costumes are in place and wigs etc are on.. I know a man who only knew which show he was doing each night by the colour of tights hung up in his dressing room. If they were yellow, it was The Magic Flute! Trying to commit your complete 6 month show schedule to memory is not a good idea so some kind of costume-related system makes sense. As long as you don't upset the wardrobe department..!
As Sergeant Fire in Dry Rot I have a modest amount to do, so have luxuriated in a light week of rehearsals, obviously learning my lines. Not enjoying the beautiful Cumbrian landscape or going for dreamy walks by the river or strolling up to the standing stone circle to gaze on the timeless view, no. Learning. My. Lines. Yes..
When I finally get my chance to rehearse my little bit, I walk into a rehearsal room pulsating with the lunatic energy of a creative group of very funny people all working together to tell the story of a bunch of dodgy geezers coming to a country hotel attempting to switch a horse to fix a race. All perfectly straightforward. All looking amazing after just three days' work. Brows very furrowed, the ideas kept coming and by the close of day four, even the young and energetic were flagging. It's so reassuring to have Ian & Stefan remind us that this apparently impossible schedule works and works amazingly well. The record shows us.
Last night a crowd of us said farewell to the History Boys who finish tonight, having broken box office records with their splendid show. The cast featured a lovely mix of familiar faces like Peter Rylands & Kieran Buckridge and debutantes fresh from drama school. They treated us to a post-show cabaret and they too were treated to a filmed tribute from the TBTL production crew. Sad to think that'll be us in six months' time. Time I think to focus on the task in hand...bit previous to think about the end. Typical actor!
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