2 Days to go!

With 2 days to go we have managed to wrangle a day to rehearse in the venue! This gave myself and our lighting designer and technician, Michael Ellis, the chance to try out some of the lighting we wanted to use and gave me the opportunity to test the set to see if it was the right size. We arrived at 10, with the actors called at 1pm to give us the chance to experiment with the space.

 

With the lighting up, being in the venue, the performance itself began to change. Everyone's performances became more distilled, more intense. Today's dress run was a half-dress and tech run through, using the hire costumes from AUB and the costumes made by Tanya Pye and myself that were ready enough to be worn in order for the actors to get used to wearing them.


Here is a peek at our production!
 

 

Costume -

With the remainder of the costumes needing to be hired and finish being made, and very little time remaining it is all go now! I am working on Mercutio's, Lord Mountague's and Romeo's doublets in order to give wardrobe mistress and chief maker Tanya the chance to finish the dresses. Lady Capulet is almost completely finished appart from the trim needing to be added at the neckline and the sleeves needing finishing.

Juliet has been fully cut out now and the pieces just need sewing together. The two servants costume, Gregoria and the Nurse, have finished being made they now need dying and for the fastenings to be sewn in and Rosaline has not yet been started.

I have been assured though that the costumes will be finished in time, so now it is just the final push to get everything in place!

 

Set -

The set, thanks to the help of Graham Cooke in building the bench for our production to my specifications and his assistance with the netting, is now almost complete. All that remains to do is to get the set put up in the venue on the morning of the production.

The set I have planned is minimal but should serve to create the impression of being outdoors, the main idea of being in a courtyard. The Tudor element will come from the costumes. For this impression I am using camoflage netting attached to the backcloth of the theatre and draping down to the floor, with an opening in the centre and at the sides. This, with the stairs through the audience, also mimic our entrances and exits at our Swanage venue.

 

Props -

Props have become an issue, the swords in particular. In rehearsal, the actors have been using wooden swords, made by Graham Cooke again to my specifications, however they have an unfortunate tendency to break. I have looked into hiring swords from a props department however the ones that I have found are metal I have had to deem it too much of a health and safety risk.

In response to this however, Graham has come up with a way to make the blades of the swords strong enough that they should be able to handle the battering they are getting in the stage combat scenes. He is also making, in addition to this, the dagger for Juliet.