[3 minute read]
In her first Assistant Director blog, Sharon walks us through a day in the rehearsal room and why she finds working on new writing so interesting.
Chewbacca, Heels and Safety Procedures
It's the end of week two of rehearsals and my first week as the assistant director of Enough.
Before rehearsals started I spent my time watching inflight safety demonstrations and finding out about the cabin crew’s duties. Over the past week, all of our knowledge has been applied to create precise movements and shape the way we tell the story.
What excites you the most about this project?
As Enough is a piece of new writing we have the writer, Stef Smith in the room with us. It has been exciting to be a part of a project which is continuously changing and developing. The addition of a new line or even just one word can completely change the feeling of a section. It is brilliant to have the opportunity to discuss these changes with Stef and to constantly be questioning our understanding of the play.
A day in the rehearsal room
We begin our day with a group warm-up. This normally involves stretches and doing exercises to help wake our brains up before we start (I’ve promised myself I will be good at these one day!).
Then I do a line run with the cast. We focus on the section we will be looking at that morning. This allows us to speak about any possible changes to the section and it gives the actors time to concentrate solely on the lines before we start working on it.
We work our way through the section, discussing options and trying things out. We move on when everyone is happy with what we have done. It means that the next time we go over this, the basic shape is there and we can pay close attention to refining it.
I have really enjoyed my first week in rehearsals as an assistant director and feel completely inspired by the amount of creativity in the room. I’m looking forward to seeing what next week brings and watching this show develop even further.
Finally, I’d like to introduce you to our Chewbacca bobble-head. He is our rehearsal room mascot. He reminds us that no challenge is too big, you just need to be prepared!
Sharon Mackay is the Assistant Director on Enough. Her placement is supported by The Robertson Trust.