Week One: Getting to Know You

So you get enough actors into one place in order  to put on six -count them- six plays in about two and a half months and the thespian equivalent of speed-dating begins! The sooner you all find common ground and get cracking playing with the material given, like Alan Ayckbourn's Bedroom Farce, the sooner the director can see that all will be well and the pressure can be reduced from almost fever-pitch to just plain old brown trousers. Only in dear old Blighty do we ask professional actors, directors, designers & all the skilled set builders, costume makers and stage managers to put amazing shows on in what feels like ten minutes. But we do it and we do it so well that we have a belting reputation in this country for excellent live theatre and Theatre by the Lake - or TBTL as it shall ever more be known here is no exception.
I am one of the lucky ones invited to this  beautiful place to work and play in some wonderful plays directed by Ian Forrest and Stefan Escreet, first in the main house, then in the intimate studio. 14 of us will perform in Bedroom Farce, Dry Rot, Doll's House, Colder Than Here, Great Expectations and  Roma & the Flanellettes. Ian and Stefan are gathering more talented young directors around them too.

Day One was the mighty gathering, including the current bunch performing in The History Boys, meaning 26 actors in one theatre and some sort of regional if not national record! It is a rare thing indeed to find a proper repertory theatre, meaning one that puts on varied plays with the same versatile thesps. It used to be the norm but now is super rare, for all sorts of  reasons, which is a shame because it is a fantastic way to get actors & directors to work together, becoming so familiar with each others' skills and style that, like musicians, they gel onstage & off, turning out better performances ( I believe) than when only given a few short weeks to get a play on.
So- we are now the other side of Easter and the end of week one's rehearsal of Bedroom Farce & The Doll's House. Here in the Bedroom Farce camp, we have rattled through the play once to get an idea of what's what. It has been hard not to fall about laughing watching the other scenes, as my esteemed colleagues have jumped into the chaos of Alan Ayckbourn's writing with gusto. I need to dash off now to join them at the start of week two and more fun & games..