What A Difference A Difference Makes!

It's not exactly all change yet it isn't exactly the same...nor should it be. Whether this difference comes from the choice of play this year or the way it's being presented or the choice of the director to rehearse in a different way or the more intimate involvement of external practitioners...or, perhaps, a subtle mix of all of the above...things are, well, different!

The decision to present The Shrew in Commedia Dell'arte style was either a stroke of genius or the kiss of a death. Turns out it's genius!
Very few of the company as it stands have had experience of this style, other than the peripheral influence of shows like The Fast Show or The Simpsons...and even they are on the edge of pure Commedia...and it is more than likely that they had no idea that they were watching something influenced, however indirectly, by Commedia.
So there's the first difference: new style.

In previous years we have got our scripts, looked through them, marked our parts and then, generally, blocked each scene; entrance, exit, move here, move there. General guide-lines that shift and evolve as the play progresses and the characters come to life in the actors' minds; as they shift and evolve. Not so this year, at least not straight away; although this will happen but not in such a rigid, formative way.
Jane has chosen key scenes that feature all the characters and worked in very close proximity with those actors, honing each scene, getting a feel for the play as a whole and, pivotally, letting the actors get a feel for their characters; even to the point where many of the players have been asked to imagine their character's back-story, write it down and share it with whom they interact on stage. 
We're moving towards the blocking, but the journey there has been very different from that of previous years...and, dare I say it, hugely more interesting and enjoyable for it.
Second difference: new technique...for us anyway.

Gareth, Jane and Michael. Ballyn, King and Corbidge; not a firm of injury solicitors but a group of people who have come in and given us an insight into the difference a difference makes!

Getting a feel for masked performance: and it really does free up the body when you think you can't be 'seen'!

Gareth has been part of the company in the past, playing a wonderfully predatory Tybalt in the 2006 production of 'Romeo and Juliet', and he came back earlier in the year wearing his teacher's hat. During the day we spent in his company, we learned a little of the stock characters in Commedia (and how much there actually was to learn), how it feels to turn your body into a character that uses only action and movement, how the characters move. Although Commedia embraces spontaneity and ad-lib, the companies that practiced this style of theatre in the past were incredibly disciplined and had hundreds, if not thousands, if set-pieces and scripts to which they had to stick. Even the ad-libs, it would seem, were carefully rehearsed and dropped in at a moments notice. The performers knew each other and the routines so well, it was seamless.

We learnt a huge amount to help us on our way to getting into Commedia and turning our characters in The Shrew into something that felt Commedia but remained inherently Shakespeare.

Jane King is steeped in theatre, mime, Commedia, movement and those traditions. A fascinating few hours were spent in her company, scratching the surface of Le Coq, Stanislavki and how we connect with thing by movement. Those involved used the Commedia masks and improvised movement pieces, the better to understand not only their characters in Shrew but they way they interpreted those characters through the chosen Commedia characters.

Last but by no means least, we started a series of workshops with Michael Corbidge from the RSC. What this man hasn't done in the field of text work and interpretation (and those with whom he has done it) aren't worth mentioning. A seriously talented bloke...and great fun to work with to boot.

This first session wasn't about understanding what Shakespeare was saying but learning to feel happy with the words; how sheer enthusiasm for the text itself will communicate that enthusiasm, and understanding, to the audience. I guess you had to be there...

Actioning, rhetoric, shadowing...and, once again, we've merely scratched the surface. We get more 'Shrew specific' in following couple of months.

Third difference: learning new ways of doing things and letting them help you to improve your performance and the production as a whole.

Things may be different, yet they remain, in some ways, very much the same. We're a happy bunch of people, doing what we love to do but this time around there's the added bonus of all this difference!!

I know people use the phrase 'it's so exciting!' to the point of nerve-jangling annoyance, but...it really is hugely exciting to be involved in this production. Massively so. 

Don't miss it.

The next instalment(s) of character/actor blogs will be happening soon (nudge nudge!) and we also hope to be able to bring some pictures of rehearsals up the castle - they start on 4th June - and some of the workshops with Michael.

Here's a random picture with which to finish.

Oo, Oo, me Sir! I know the answer!!

Captions for this in the comments box on the blog...keep it (fairly) clean!
   

Just Who Is Petruchio?

As we move toward this year's Dartmouth Shakespeare Week - and it is a great deal closer than we like to kid ourselves! - and put the touring production The Dream to bed this weekend (Hole Farm and you can still get invited!!), we...or I...thought it would not only be interesting but helpful, to see what goes into getting a character up on stage. 
So, to that end, I asked Rich Turley if he'd be willing to share his experience of bringing Petruchio to life for this year's show.
And he, foolish chap, said yes!

Here's a shot of the Royals from A Midsummer Night's Dream and Rich is the gentleman playing Lysander, front and centre of this picture - no chiton for Petruchio though.

All these wonderful actors - from left to right: Ben Hamilton, Sally Feetenby, Fred Radcliffe, Rich, Rob Wilcock, Lucy Nichols and Shaunagh Radcliffe - will be involved with or appearing in 'The Taming of the Shrew' and I hope to be able to get all of them to put pen to paper at some point and give you their experience of character building for, and appearing in, this year's show.


But Rich's first blog contribution is below:

So ... what happens when you have a friendly chat over dinner about amateur theatre, take a run to Dartmouth Castle, chat to a bloke with a beard, watch an open air production of King Lear and send an inquisitive e-mail? Well, in my case, you end up with the role of Petruchio in the 2014 Inn Theatre production of Taming of the Shrew!!!

If you’ve ever had the urge to get involved in theatre but were afraid to do so then read on ... or read on regardless just for the fun of it!!

Casting my mind back to August 2013 it was as simple as that – I went to watch two close friends in King Lear and was so overwhelmed I asked ‘how can I get involved’.  Max Brandt (the bloke with the beard) replied ‘send me an e-mail’ and so I did.  I expected to start off with ‘third bench on the left’ or the likes and put it out of my mind. A few weeks later I get a call from Jane to audition for Theseus in the winter production of Midsummer Nights Dream.  Blimey!!

After doing some research I had the ‘pleasure’ of my first reading.  So ... picture the scene, new boy in town, surrounded by seasoned professionals ... my voice quivered as I read the opening lines of the play.  I must have done something right because I got the part.

And do you know what – I had nothing to be nervous about when it comes to the people involved.  The Inn Theatre Company is without doubt one of the most welcoming and friendly group of people you could ever want to meet.  They went out of their way to make me feel comfortable and put any anxieties I had behind me – another reason for anyone out there to get involved!!

For the rest of the Dream story have a look through the blogs – you’ll find out I ended up playing Lysander.  That’s a whole different story and suffice to say it was an amazing experience and helped me learn so much about myself, how to do my best to act  (Hermia will vouch for that!!) and opened my eyes to just what’s involved in translating the Bard’s words to life.

If (like me) you never really got Shakespeare in your school days then I can assure you he is a complete genius and when you delve into the meaning of each line you start on a journey of the human condition ... priceless!!

So ... back to Taming of the Shrew.  I’ve been asked to share my experiences as we throw ourselves into the hard work required to bring the 2014 production to life.  I’ll share the highs (and lows) and a little bit of what makes me tick ... as I said to Jane (our esteemed director) I wear my heart on my sleeve and I intend to do the same with my blog entries.

And every word is true...said the bloke with a beard. I've actually got the distinct pleasure of playing several scenes with Rich this year cos I've been cast as Petruchio's servant, Grumio. 

The sheer pleasure of learning about your character(s) and working these guys is already evident. We've got several workshops up-and-coming to help us (both text and movement - particularly important for this year's Commedia Dell'Arte inspired production) and everybody is buzzing...despite being pretty knackered after a winter of getting to grips with The Dream.

Keep in touch with the blog, because I'm sure there will be plenty for everyone to enjoy, and who knows? You may even pick up some really useful tips!

Here's To The Shrew...

Here we are, just finishing our run with The Dream and already we're rehearsing this year's Dartmouth Shakespeare Week production of 'The Taming of the Shrew'.

Another of Will's romps that involve people dressing up as someone else, deception, love, lust and general tomfoolery...it's almost as if, after writing something as dark and deadly as 'Titus Andronicus' (written in the same year), he needed to amuse himself and his audiences, with something a great deal lighter. And, as ever, he succeeded.

This year's director, also Artistic Director of the company, is Jane Windsor-Smith. She's the one who had the original idea of Dartmouth Shakespeare Week, and the Inn Theatre Company, and been involved in theatre since she was knee-high to Margaret Rutherford!
Jane directed 'The Tempest' and 'Macbeth' (with Gil Garland) and has appeared in 'Romeo and Juliet' as Angelica, the Nurse, in Twelfth Night as Maria and very few people who saw her as Snug in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' (both productions) will ever forget that comedic tour-de-force (rooooooaar!)

Jane has elected to do things a bit differently this year. Not only in respect of the way we rehearse the show, but also in the presentation. This year's production is very heavily influenced by the Commedia Dell'arte form. There have already been workshops to this end and it was this notion of Commedia that bagged the company another three years of affiliation to the Royal Shakespeare Company.

We are also holding three specific workshops with a voice and text coach from the RSC, to help the cast pull as much as they can from the text. There will be another movement workshop in the not too distant future, with a local practitioner, who has been trained in the ways of Commedia Dell'arte.

It is a very physical from of theatre and forms the basis of so much of what we use in entertainment today - from Shakespeare to The Young Ones and beyond.

'The Taming of the Shrew' is almost tailor-made for Dell'arte interpretation, with so many of the characters fitting so perfectly into those of the Commedia stock-character canon. It's going to be a riot of colour, action  and comedy.

 And we've already been practicing with the masks, although the intention is not to use them in the main production...but the real commedia dell'arte masks will be utilised at some - or several - points in the production. The characters of Commedia are not nearly so well-known to modern theatre goers as they were in 16th and 17th centuries; although there's no doubt that you would probably recognise some of the: Scaramouche, Arelquino (Harelquin), Pantalone and, of course, the Lovers. 

And if you've ever seen a Punch and Judy show, then you've already met many of the stock-characters from Commedia Dell'arte. It's part of our oldest theatrical traditions.

 And as we did last year with 'King Lear', we shall try and keep you up to date with everything that's going on in the rehearsal room, the workshops and up at the castle as we start to bring this year's magnificent show to the stage.

We'll place the final cast list here, with some photos, and we'll try and persuade that doyen of the lens, Keith, to take some more fabulous shots of what goes on, so you can see those too.
The web-site will be constantly (well, when I've got the time between learning my lines) updated and I'll see if I can persuade Jane to write a few bits and pieces for the blog too.
It promises to be another terrific year.
Come and join us!