Run through of Act 1 and some of Act 2

Today we ran through the whole of Act 1 and part of Act 2. We had a simple version of the box that we were using for our set, which consisted of three wooden beams hinged together. It was quite difficult to get used to this as we are used to being able to use the whole space. It was challenging to have to manoeuvre around the box and to remember that it is there. It was confusing as there are so many changes with the box that I found it difficult to remember what was what. However having the box there was useful as it got as used to having a box in the middle of our space.

We reworked a couple of my scenes. With the Alpha course scene the setting of the chairs has changed so that they are in a V shape, with everyone facing the front. We looked out to the audience as if they were part of the course. This visually looks interesting and also engages the audience within the scene. The scene felt much more natural doing it today, which was weird as the staging of it is so abstract. I felt more natural as I knew my lines better and I felt more confident in my character.

Another scene that was reworked was the scene with the Sir Christopher’s. The scene now takes place within Ruth’s office on the scaffolding. As soon as we took the scene up there it flowed, it was a lot more natural and it felt right. It also opened it up, whereas before, having it in the box made it feel quite closed off and more of a private type of scene. I found myself more comfortable in my character within that scene, as sitting down in a chair felt like a very natural thing for my character to do. The proxemics of me, Rachel and Katie (Leah, Martha and Carol) to Nora, Sacha, Jack and Phoebe (Sir Christopher’s, Dennis and Ruth) created a deeper story. It clearly showed the hierarchy within the meeting, as me, Rachel and Katie were sitting on stage left and the others were sitting or standing on stage right.

Running through the scenes today made the play look a lot more dynamic and I could see more of a narrative occurring. Before it was just a lot of little scenes, now it seems like one narrative with interlinking scenes. I feel a lot more confident about the play after today’s rehearsal as I can see the basis for a great performance.