The Amadeus Project: Day 8

Rehearsals Day 8

10th May, 2019

Casting is front and centre of our thoughts in the background organisation team.

But who will be here this evening? Messages have been sent from some cast members not able to make it tonight. It seems that I / we won’t be in a position to make final decisions after this evening. I will have to meet some actors separately.

In reading later in the rehearsal, we will focus on the minor roles –– Emperor Joseph, von Strack, van Swieten, Orsini Rosenberg, the members of the Court music and administrative departments –– and seeing their characters come to life.

Portrait of Emperor Joseph II (1741-1790)

The Arrival of Isabella of Parma on the Occasion of Her Wedding to Joseph II, 1760. Painting by Martin van Meytens. An insight into the splendour of the time in the Court.

The Group together

But first, I bring the focus back to the group work and the collective feeling.

Clair has hurt her leg and is moving with the help of crutches. She braved the evening and we found her a chair on which to sit, in the midst of the group. In fact, we all sat down to warm-up, using our chair–bound states as inspiration for our movement, following the actions of the actors in the circle, one after the other. Our Amadeus playlist of tunes inspiring our movements.

We also said hello to one another … shaking hands, greeting everyone. Julian who usually observes from a distance (sorting the heating, checking in in case of tasks) received a line of greeting all to himself!

‘Tilted’

I read the song lyrics for this song by Christine and the Queens from my phone and we sang along, with fun and funky moves in the shoulders and hands (we were still sitting in the chairs). I want to hear the voices singing now, have, in my mind, been waiting to hear them. And we heard them. Very cool.

A bit of talking

There was a bit of chat early on, unusually, before getting into the exercises. This evening, I didn’t want to interfere with the feeling that always builds up with the work by giving explanations mid-way into the warm up. So, the practical information was given early on: my plan for the evening, the auditions, the Film Festival next week using the hall so no rehearsal for us.

We spoke briefly about radiation. One cast member had mentioned to me  a few weeks ago that she didn’t really understand what it was. I was explaining tonight that, in the Body Voice Imagination book by David Zinder, the suggestion is that the concept is probably impossible to explain; it is something that is felt or experienced by the actor, and becomes stronger with practice.

The fact that radiation is linked in practice with the instruction to lock eyes with your partner –– something that is unconventional human behaviour when interacting with people that you don’t know well –– is a challenge in the work and complicates this experiential learning. But, it is very powerful to observe and something that deepens with practice, I believe (and the book says!).

It is really interesting to hear the different experiences people have with these tasks, demanding different levels of bravery or determination that is utterly determined by their personality and life experiences. It is also good to remember to check in with the actors, because the sharing reassures and encourages them.

An Aside

And, often, a different or unique perspective of an actor will challenge us to review our thinking or practice.

Exciting News

Plus, as we chatted we divulged the exciting news that Julia and I had met with a DJ who was game to join our project and provide music on decks. He’ll come see the rehearsal in two weeks. Plus, he is keen to become involved in the playful, improvising workshop element with the music.

AND through him, we will talk to musicians and technicians living locally who work with lighting for gigs, see if we can work with them for our show, combining traditional theatre lighting with something very funky –– fab!

An Aside

I have lots of work to do analysing the play: the roles for the two Salieris –– how that will work practically with the text and the physical space; the  layout of the set, what areas will represent different settings (eg Salieri’s sitting room, the Court).

So the week off of group rehearsal will be well spent on solitary tasks. I am hoping that the two Salieri roles will be cast and I will have a chance to work with them together in the meantime.

Walking with suit jacket

We can do the walks now with the suit jackets on from the start. Up to now, the actors have picked them up mid-way through the walking practice but their familiarity with the exercises means that they are now stepping into the walks with a different awareness and knowledge –– walking to find an awareness and focus, feeling the space, moving swiftly, shifting and changing direction, freezing, backwards.

Then testing the movement of the woman and the man in the suit –– playing with the feel of it.

An Aside

When I ask the actors to take part in the exercises, I observe in order to manage the work ––  to ensure that everyone is safe and engaged. Also to see what is created by the different participants; often it inspires me, as I have outlined in previous blogposts (for eg. my response to the Touch Awareness exercise On Day 7).

This exercise is different, for now this exploration is a personal journey (insofar as it can be when you are sharing a room with fourteen other adults) and I find myself averting my eyes so actors can work on their own for now, without comment or critique.

Tonight, as an extension of this exercise (I was back observing now),  I asked the actors to imagine that they were the character Mozart, in various different circumstances: some joyful, some worrisome –– playing with status and the physical feeling in response to the instruction.  We looked at Constanza in this way also, and Salieri.

Actors react differently to the instructions and I like that, they may be full of energy or much quieter than others around them.

An Aside

Often I pull actors back from ‘acting’ too strongly. When they are ‘present’ they can do minimal work to convey an intention / meaning.

 I’m back to radiation again! There is an element of trust required, that you are radiating sufficiently to connect with an audience.

And, of course, a Director to observe and comment and draw you out in whatever way is necessary!

Sharing

We did some mirroring too, to practice the radiation and locking eyes. There were an odd number of actors so we had changing mirrors, one actor taking over from another in a pair.

I asked the actors to step backwards, mirroring from afar and practicing locking eyes from this distance.

We finished this exercise with an expression of love from a distance by one actor, received by the other actor and than returned.

This is a gorgeous exercise. It became slow and momentous, intimate and generous on the part of the actors.

Sculpting

As we are doing quite a lot of images in these workshops, I decided to do the sculpting sequence in GAMES FOR ACTORS AND NON-ACTORS by Augusto  Boal. One actor, without words, sculpts another into a statue. I asked for the theme of ‘Divinity’, one of our words expressing the play for us. (See these words in The Amadeus Project: Day 2.)

One actor working with one other (except for one group of three) –– careful, gentle movement of the limbs and body sculpted into an expression of awe or wonder or supplication.

The extension of this exercise came a few minutes later when the sculptor was invited to continue sculpting but from a distance, finding a means of communicating their wishes to the statue without words. (The desire to speak here can become overwhelming!)

Finally, the sculptures are brought together, creating one large group ‘Divinity’ scuplture. As director, I allowed this to become a bit too frantic. All of the sculptors and statues moved forwards into the designated space together and it became a little busy. A quieter, approach, allowing for reflection on the image as it developed, might have served the exercise better.

It was enlightening though, to see the workmanlike slightly frantic atmosphere everyone brought to this section, in the small space inhabited by the sculpture, despite a quiet, intimate build-up.

The actors flipped around and did the exercise with the same instructions. Though the images were similar, each person brings a different quality to the statue. Very compelling.

I did a little of Boal’s gestural movement here too, asking the statues to move slightly, bringing another quality to the piece.

Characters and text

We were looking at von Strack, van Swieten, Orsini Rosenberg and Emperor Joseph; smaller roles that will enrich the play. These are the important men in the Court and wield power that impacts on the others around them, some are members of the Masons.

We read the text with these characters prioritised, the audience watching them. Mozart, Salieri and the Venticelli featured in the text too but we read these roles from the audience only.

The first aim: to hear these characters in order to get a sense of the different personalities and see them embodied by actors. In reality, these roles will be fun parts but don’t have any development within the play so actors playing them will probably be part of the Venticelli also.

The second aim: to give everyone an opportunity to read and feel that they had the chance to audition.

Casting

It is time to cast. I will contact the people who were missing tonight, to see what their difficulty is in being at the rehearsal. But, we need to get on with apportioning the roles.

An Aside

This photo of a sculpture was created for the blog at the end of the evening. The dark suit jackets bring a uniformity to the image and to the workshops that I like. And the ‘Fáilte go Scoil Mhuire’ adds perfectly to the image!

Clair became the focus of this ‘Divinity’ sculpture. Please also note the crutches. Nothing stops our dedicated actors! See the light streaming from above on the group … ‘twould make you think!

The Amadeus Project: Day 7

Rehearsals: Day 7

3rd May, 2019

Preparing for the evening

It was interesting that the aims of the evening took a bit longer to become clear. In fact, they were the last notes I made in the preparation for this evening. Last week, I  had thought we might get a chance to play with the text of the major characters.

Aims –– Day 7

That didn’t happen then, so they were top of the agenda tonight –– playing with a number of different actors, seeing how they presented with a demanding part of the text.

An Aside

Actors were invited to read the excerpts I had chosen in the email sent last week so they could be a bit more familiar and comfortable with the material. The aim of the evening was to move the script along. And thereby, shift the focus from the group work.

That’s what happened.

It is timely to focus on the main characters in order for the actors to have the best opportunity to know these characters and for me, in consultation, to make the decisions on the combinations of individuals available to us. We will allocate the parts the actors very soon. Casting will be a combined activity, considered and explored.

And the build-up to this was greater focus on individual work rather than the group expression of previous weeks.

Antonio Salieri Jealous of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, print by Stefano Bianchetti.

Check this out for evidence of a joint collaboration between Salieri and Mozart.  There is great doubt that the rivalry as is portrayed in Shafer’s Amadeus existed between them at all.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/A-German-Composer-uncovered-collaboration-between-mozart-and-salieri-180958154/

Warm up

Many of the the actors arrived late this evening.  Those who had arrived early started moving to the music, warming up their bodies, having a bit of a bop to Beyoncé or Sigrid. As the others joined, they moved along.

In the past, my experience is that, after a few workshops / rehearsals performers begin to know what they need to warm themselves and it eventually happens without instruction. There is a freedom to the movement and to the mindsets of the participants and the build-up in the work has brought a level of invitation to play and explore that begins to kick in at the very beginning of the rehearsal.

That is my aim and sometimes I just let the night develop, see what place the actors are in.

An Aside

I love when this happens, when the actor feels confident and steady and included enough to be taken with the feeling in the room.

I have received feedback that an actor missed having an exercise to bring the group together at the beginning and that the instructions in the warm up serve that function … maybe we’re not at the point I seek yet!

The Hunt and the Pounce

In this version of the walking exercises, the participants are asked to walk as if they are alert to a malign presence, checking for it, moving and shifting around the room, very aware of the others in the workshop, but not relating to them –– they work alone. Their attention is constantly moving around, checking where this presence might be, keeping themselves safe and ready.

Steadily, the intensity of the exercise builds up to the point where the presence is very close by, though not visible yet –– the actor isn’t certain where it is. A point of stillness with maximum alertness is reached.

Then the actors are asked to pounce on the presence, but to no avail, it wasn’t where they expected. Then again they pounce and again.

Each time, it is a false alarm until finally they come to realise that they may have been mistaken and that the presence wasn’t really there … probably … and they come back to a quieter, still place … though alert to the outside possibility that the presence is there.

My experience of this when watching the actors was that the state of alertness and awareness was acute. There seemed to be various moments when every single actor was utterly focused on their task and guarding themselves from the malign presence.

In the instructions, the suggestion is that this is the level of concentration and presence an actor should bring before they begin any performance. I don’t care for the malign presence element –– it brings a sense of fear that I wonder might be counter-productive. But I do appreciate that those actors were present in an acute way by the end of the exercise.

Touch awareness

The actors split into pairs and worked on an exercise to bring total awareness to various parts of your body.

One person closes their eyes and stands, focusing on their centre of energy. The other person then touches them on their body, with one part of their body at first (a finger, a hand, an elbow). The unsighted person brings their awareness to that point of touch, imagining that the energy moves from their centre to that point.

Slowly the sighted person chooses different parts of the other’s body, gently and respectfully choosing a variety of places, unexpected, unusual for normal interactions: such as the back of the ear, the temple, the inside of the shin. The momentum builds slowly and eventually two hands are used, quickly moving from one place to another, as the unsighted actor learns to shift the energy.

The sensitivity

These two exercises outlined above bring a whole new level of sensitivity and trust to our work. It is wonderful for me to observe this work with these generous actors. Seeing intimacy and tenderness is beautiful and compelling and the care that the actors took of one another was a privilege to witness.

Always, I aim to be attentive and sensitive to the actors’ needs and the demands on them. Whether I achieve this is another matter –– requiring constant checking of myself and the participants.

Before we began the Touch awareness’ exercise, I  reminded everyone that they could choose to opt out. (Remember: ‘It’s all your fault, Karen!” The Amadeus Project: Day 2 )

In feedback later we discussed these exercises and the hand exercise from last week, one after the other, two actors in pairs, silently look closely at the hands of the other (The Amadeus Project: Day 6).

An Aside

Different people found different exercises challenging, although they may have been working with friends.

When I read back what I have written in Day 6 blog, it’s as if this hand exercise is a small thing … and yet, for some performers, it had a profound impact. 

I have no doubt that these exercises bring a different quality to performances and to the dynamic within this Amadeus Project Group. (See also the comments later in this blog post, when we began to read and workshop the ‘Constanze’ text.)

These are intimate exercises, demanding high levels of respect and trust amongst our group. That the make-up of the groups shifts and changes each night is unhelpful. We even discussed whether it’s too much to ask of actors to do in these circumstances.

That I am present every week, as are a number of the other participants, may influence my comfort levels, but I may have to reconsider what I ask of people, or ensure that I clearly offer the opportunities to opt out. The participants when asked, did hear and take own board the opportunity to opt out tonight.

The process moves along and each week brings new, intense demands.

Immediately after the second exercise, I asked the pairs to create a chair together from imaginary snow that surrounded them. They sculpted and  worked, decorated and tried out this splendid piece of furniture. A sense of fun and hard work permeated the atmosphere.

The Characters defining tonight’s workshop: 

Antoni Salieri

Salieri by Joseph Willibrord Mähler

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by Joseph Lange, his wife’s brother in law (married to Aloysia with whom Mozart was originally in love). An unfinished miniature, the belief is that Mozart was to be depicted at the fortepiano. Constanza has declared this portrait to be the best likeness.

Maria Constanza Mozart

Maria Constanze Cäcilia Josepha Johanna Aloysia Mozart (née Weber) (5 January 1762 – 6 March 1842) as portrayed in 1782 by her brother-in-law Joseph Lange. He was an actor and amateur painter.

The Text

Four chairs on the stage. Four actors read the part of Antoni Salieri in the scene with Constanza and Mozart. At one point, there were four Salieris on the stage, one representing old Salieri and the others the younger version.

There will definitely be two Salieris, to split the extensive text, split the emotion of this character, this enormous role.

First, we read through the script and then, keeping Constanze mostly off the improvised set. I focused on workshopping the Salieri lines, trying to find a way into the text and the character for these different actors.

My keen interest was in getting to the point where the actors were silently acting to the text that was read by another person and they responded internally –– finding the emotional response to his situation. Seeing a group of actors undertake this together, at the same time was fantastic.

Just fleeting moments remain in my mind from these actors as they performed: the turn of the head, the look in the eyes, the crouch of the body.

An Aside

I think concentration on text early on deadens it … actors pay too much attention to the words and getting those right, heads are buried in the books and we are unaware, unobserving of the other people acting with us.

Another Aside 

My theory is, that in concentrating on the actor developing as an individual, in connection with the other actors developing as a group, then by exploring the characters through theme and situation –– a setting of sorts plus the society around them –– the arc of the story, and the words that convey it, will look after themselves when it comes to learning  and saying them.

(‘Look after themselves’ = will flow and work easily)

We then flipped around, two Constanzes performed on the ‘set’ and Salieri read from the body of the group of the ‘audience’. Therefore, our attention was entirely on those playing Constanza and not on Salieri. Again, I wasn’t interested in the words of the text but playing with the emotions and the gestures.

Two moments jumped out at me here. In the text Salieri is directed to wipe Constanze’s mouth with a ‘mouchoir’. She has just had some of Salieri’s confections –– Venus Nipples. Shortly after this, he manipulates her into kissing him lightly on the mouth, once, then a second time.

These moments are small but powerful, because of their intimacy and implication for both characters (Constanza has no interest in Salieri and is desperately trying to get Mozart work; Salieri has never cheated on his wife before this, but jealousy is beginning to overtake him.) Definitely, the earlier Touch Awareness game has awakened the potential in heightening these gestures.

Two actors, one male and one female, also read the part of Mozart, in a scene with the character Von Strack, where Mozart displays his virtuosity on the pianoforte while denigrating the other Italian composers around for their old-fashioned reliance on ‘C Minor means gravity! D Minor means terror!’

Mozart, as usual, cannot control what he says and Von Strack, representing the official Court, is endeavoring to keep him in check.

We played with this text, finding the fun and extravagance in him, chucking away the script to improvise for a moment, thereby scaring the actors who weren’t familiar with the text, but who were tremendous in the moment.

An Aside

In discussion later, I realized that I hadn’t asked for any men to read the role of Constanze, though I had been mindful of women reading the male roles. What does that say?

Next week will be the time for allotting roles; one more full rehearsal for casting purposes and to allow those wanting a chance to audition  to prepare.

We finished with a circle, holding hands, leaning back together in mutual support and steadiness … mostly!

Email to Amadeus Troupe, 10th May, 2019

Hello Amadeus Troupe,
a little delayed … this week has been different in intensity, both in the rehearsal and in the reflections since. The word count in the blog posts are getting longer –– not sure what that says!
Thank you for your work on Monday night, which was special in its intimacy. Because we are getting closer to casting, it was more intense individual work and had a different atmosphere, I believe. 
On Monday next we will return to a greater emphasis on group work, although there will be  opportunities also for people to read for a role. 
Any actor wishing to have a speaking role must be present on Monday night, unless you have made an alternative arrangement with me. 
Just warning you that the Parish Hall isn’t available on Monday 20th May so we’ll have a chat about rehearsals for that week.
Here’s the link to the Blog: Day 7    https://karenminihan.wordpress.com
Kind regards,
Karen

The Amadeus Project: Day 6

Rehearsals: Day 6

29h April, 2019

A different tack tonight –– a gathering, with tea and biscuits promised!

The Easter holidays have given us a chance to rest, reflect and do some research.

For my part, from my reading of Mozart’s early life, I returned with a better understanding of him and foibles and especially of the society into which he was born. 

Extract from ‘Mozart’ by Eric Blom

The key words expressing our intentions for the play (see The Amadeus Project: Day 2) hold firm and true in the context of the research.

And I find I have become even more interested in working with the Troupe –– this particular group of actors, of people, as a reflection of any society and in relation to my plans concerning the focus of the play.

The Plan

As a starting point, we were linking up with the designers, continuing the collective dialogue on the play. We had made this plan before Easter. We wanted to be playful with the designers, including them in some of the workshop games but, more importantly, having them be part of the real life of the play and to see how our suits are faring in carrying out the demands of the work: creating images, being physically free.

One of the aims also was to have a discussion so I could receive feedback from the actors about the process to date –– their reaction to it and any difficulties for them. I believe in tea and biscuits. There is an ease that comes over these conversations that is different to a formal feedback session. And the participants bond over the ritual of the cuppa, again it is different to their connection from the intense and sometimes intimate work in the rehearsals.

The warm-up

It’s a really important part of the night for me, but I always struggle with it.

An Aside

The warm-up disrobes me of the outside world and brings me into this working space.

Often, if there is a chance to hand over this part of the night’s activities to somebody interested in dance, movement, yoga, I will gladly do that … I’m never satisfied with what I do, it’s not quite long / intense / focused enough for me –– I am concerned that people will get bored. And really, I have done enough warm-ups in my time to deal with this.

Perhaps it’s just the normal anxieties at the beginning of every session when faced with sixteen or so able adults that you are about to steer though the evening’s work. Sometimes it’s nice to share that.

Some of the design team joined in the circle of actors, when invited.

Tonight’s warm-up was interesting. We have come to the stage in the rehearsal process where people are aware what the aim is and they play with the warm-up for themselves. There was fun in the room, people moving to the pop music I had chosen –– something different tonight, slightly more upbeat. People stretched and bent forwards.

An Aside

It seemed that their focus was on a freedom in their bodies rather than on worrying about doing it right.

I gave few instructions: one was to move one side the body differently to the other, avoiding symmetry, and to move differently with each new movement, thereby challenging old, familiar patterns; another time I invited everyone to mov a little more, exploring above, below, around the space.

Saying ‘hello’

As well as tea and chat, I like to say hello. Each person shakes the hand of every other person in the room and greets them. This is the best way I have found to bring each person present in contact with all the others.

An Aside

Or perhaps it is I who need to make contact wth every other person in the room, as I am about to ask them to take risks, to be brave, to go out of their ‘comfort zone’ in the work.

The members of the design team who didn’t join in were included in this introductory game, which lingered on, nearly becoming a tangle.

Then, to keep up the connection with the entire room, I invited everyone to pair off and regard closely the hands of the other person. This can happen one after another or simultaneously.

Note to Self

Forgot to get specific feedback on this game tonight in the later session.

Ask about this specifically from everyone and especially the design team, for whom it would be unusual … and who must have amazing hands, being such a crafty bunch!

Back to walking

In order for the design team to see the movement, feel the energy of this group at work, I returned to our usual beginning … the walking. Of course, the Troupe are also returning to being reminded of the elements of the learning so far in this process and embodying them again, but always moving slightly forward, using the methods differently to discover a new or forgotten potential for movement in the body.

Our understanding of concepts like: being in readiness, radiation and locking eyes, mirroring changes over time. The practice deepens and evolves and this happens with repetition and practice.

So, this time, walking became not only a reminder and developing exercise but a use of the techniques with the suit jackets on. And this time, the actors were being observed by the design team.

An Aside

The jackets are mostly black at this stage and this works to neutralise all of the participants (who wear dark coloured clothes;, where we are still shaking off the outside layers of our conventional behaviour and will slowly add the colour and texture to our Amadeus world in the weeks and the rehearsals to come.

Gender fluidity

We play with movement as it relates to gender, each individual feeling and embodying what it is like to move in a subtle way that reflects their view of being masculine or feminine.

Christine and the Queens on gender and sexuality.

I was very taken with this interview, in particular in relation to the idea that existing preconceptions and definitions of femininity (or masculinity for that matter) can limit us.

From the outset, Julia and I were interested in bringing gender fluidity to Amadeus. In making the production of 2019, this could be simply a trick, a clever device that is simply picking up on a fashion. I am wary of this.

It certainly reflects the images we see in contemporary fashion and pop culture –– from the catwalks that have inspired us in mood boards to the many films and TV sets featuring androgynous and robotic characters that have such an influence on our cultural development.

Amadeus is male heavy in the major roles. In fact, Salieri is the role. Mozart’s is ok, there’s some place for development and shifting; Constanza has a few moments, but the remaining actors function to develop Salieri’s story with Mozart (I am resisting saying ‘add fluff’!!).

So, what is for all the women who are part of the drama group? Are they, like many other female actors, to wait for someone to write decent roles for them?

An Aside

Our choices are political … we are shaking it up …  the roles, the gender, the potential for sharing.

This is why ‘the Troupe’ has become so important, because of the work that they have done to date, and consequently the potential –– the possibilities –– we see in presenting Amadeus. PLUS, the work of the designers in playing with ideas and images, adding to the imagination and energy of the performers.

And then, everyone having tea and biscuits together!

Annie Leibovitz again

One last exercise for the actors to show the designers. I asked the actors to recreate the Annie Leibovitz photo as we had done in the previous workshop, this time to investigate their chosen model more closely, setting their body and facial expressions to mirror precisely what was in the photo. (Hints of exasperation and boredom in the models became clear!)

I think it’s the privilege that this image evokes that connects it to the Amadeus themes and parallels the earlier Goya paintings we were working on in rehearsals.

Cover of Vanity Fair –– photo by Annie Leibovitz

Tea, biscuits and feedback

Kimberley and Digestive Creams; Barry’s, Nescafé, Chamomile and Summer Berry were the offerings.

We created four smaller groups, sat underneath the heater and, with sheets in hand, I put three questions to the groups:

1   What about the process do you like / excites you?

2  What would you change?

3  What elements are necessary in the costumes for the demands of the role / the play?

Email to Amadeus Troupe, 1st May, 2019 

Hi Amadeus Troupe and Design Team,

thank you to all who could attend on Monday evening. It was fantastic to have another night of exploration and development, fueled by your openness and bravery in trying approaches and ideas that are new to many of you.

I also loved having the opportunity to have tea and biscuits. In our very busy world, this doesn’t seem to happen too regularly.

(Please note that there are a few of us who tend to have a Ballygowan afterwards (not possible to sleep for a few hours!) … everyone is welcome to come.)

That session of feedback and reflection was important for me in order to check in with people. It was lovely to have the design team to observe what the actors have developed and, for the actors to feel part of the design of the production from here on.

There are some of the imaginative suggestions within the workshop that some actors find challenging (eg ‘radiation’, ‘ball of energy’). I believe that through practice and awareness, these may become easier and stronger. It’s my role to bring this to clarity for you (no pressure!).

The blog will set out the other feedback received on the night. I’ll share that with you when it is completed.

You might like to listen to this during the week. I find it very interesting and a ‘kick-off’ point for my thinking in planning our workshops.

Christine and the Queens on gender and sexuality.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISvtTtoGq-Y

From next Monday onwards, I will focus more on the characters for ‘casting’ purposes. Everybody who has expressed an interest in a role should have ample opportunity to read and prepare beforehand if they wish.

Being at the rehearsals is crucial, especially if you wish to have a role. I have had feedback that even missing one rehearsal has put an experienced performer at odds within the process.

See you soon,

Karen