Two runs today. Getting there, though first half is still a bit sticky. Had a wonderful movement director in today – Lucy Cullingford – which is helping. Need to find the danger early on. It is nice having a movement director around though…must make that the norm from now on!
And had a lovely post-rehearsal drink with cast and some of creative team, which was great – sat on terrace at Riverside Studios – overlooking the river, the lights on Hammersmith bridge reflected in the water. Beautiful.
Had the bike in rehearsals, wow! What a difference it makes. And did our first stagger through. First half patchy but second half felt really dangerous. Exciting times.
I’m want to work on more writing by living writers – Barrie came into rehearsals today and what a lovely, humble, generous and brilliant, not to mention hilarious, man he is. A delight.
A good – if somewhat disjointed day – ran the bulk of the play – sparks are beginning to fly… at least some of the time. Tomorrow we get to rehearse with the motorbike – that’s going to unlock a lot of things I think.
Then off to the Young Vic for a workshop/discussion on directing at Drama Schools – totally want to get into that. Hopefully some of the panel will come and see Gotcha – though discovered one of the downsides of predominantly black flyers is hard to write your email address on them!
A day of emails and admin before heading into the tunnel that is last-week-of-rehearsals-and-tech. And a meeting to introduce a writer and a producer for one of my shows.
Just had a strange moment of synchronicity – reading David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas – amazing, wonderful book – but employs this strangely spiral like structure that is exactly the structure of my devised dance/circus show Points of Light. Is meaning real, or do we just invent it?
It’s Friday. This is a good thing.
Breakfast meeting with Nimer to discuss the film trailer he came to shoot for Gotcha today. Then more rehearsals – stumbled our way through the whole thing, which was illuminating and exhausting in equal measure.
Then off to the Young Vic for some more work on the Tempest/Pericles/Winters Tale project. Really enjoying working with the other two directors.
Now bed, and the weekend.
Got up early to catch up on emails. Then rehearsals. Tired today. Still making lots of progress, but it can be quite a fragile place the rehearsal room – easy for things to get off balance.
Then a quick meeting with the director Deborah Paige, who’s becoming a sort of mentor to me – keep attracting strong independent pioneering women this year – I like it.
Now back to the emails.
Today was strange day, a day of contrasts. Made some more great discoveries though focus and concentration were off. Rehearsal room is not very forgiving when it comes to distractions, we’ve discovered. But had great fun going off-piste and rehearsing in a cupboard for the claustrophobia, and then outside so that we could look at the timing of the smoking moments. But it was so cold we then had to play a hardcore game of tag to sufficiently warm everyone back up again.
This morning, before Gotcha rehearsals, had a great meeting with a composer (Isobel Waller Bridge) who I met ages ago at this brunch at Mark Ravenhill’s house, so hopefully that’s another new and exciting collaboration to kick off this year. Then – rather serendipitously (I think) saw Mark himself at Will’s latest show (Biting Point at Theatre 503) as they’re working together again on an opera in April. Then we all walked (part of the way) home together over Battersea bridge…lovely.
So yesterday was another breakthrough day in rehearsal – got very physical…to the extent of throwing chairs around the room. It was brilliant.
Also had a great meeting before rehearsals with Daisy from Circus Space about Metta being more involved with them. 2011 is the year if amazing, and also the year of circus. I wonder if they’re related?
Then after rehearsals a production meeting, followed by a creatives lighting and sound meeting. Still getting used to not working with Will…
We don’t rehearse Mondays so I have the day off, hooray. But will is in tech down in battersea, no Hooray. So off to meet him for a not-very-romantic lunch of chips. Then meeting Adrian from Jacksons Lane this afternoon. Then off to see The Heretic at the Court, this evening.
Hooray! Got through the stickiness and the hardness finally and had a bit of a breakthrough in Gotcha rehearsals. Massively helped by spending the afternoon playing games.
And before that a breakfast meeting with my movement director for Stc, and after that an aesthetic meeting for Stc with Will and my illustrator and my costume designer. And then dinner with them and our producer too.
A happy day.
poppyburtonmorgan 