Somewhere in England: Rehearsals Week 1

I have been looking forward to this production for a long time. In a way, it is such an odd feeling calling it ‘week 1': the playwright has been working on the play for nearly a year, the director and designer have had numerous conversations about the aesthetics of the play and the actors have read and re-read the play so many times that their characters are nearly second nature. But this is pressing the big red button and saying ‘we're off', this amazing play needs to become alive.

The play is set in WWII on an American airbase. It follows the character of Joe, a black GI, who cannot go off and fight because only the white battalions could at the time. Instead he has to work on the base. The locals are very welcoming to him and most of his challenges are with his fellow white American soldiers. It is a story of love, misunderstanding, segregation, growing up and standing up for what you believe in. It is incredibly relevant and still resonates on how we treat anyone who is different to us today. I can't wait for you to see it!

Being Assistant Director is a weird and wonderful position. You get to watch great directors and actors at work every day, but your role all depends on the relationship you have with your director. Gari is very generous, he has also given me the job of sourcing the sounds and music for the play; because it is set during World War II, there are some impressive music to sift through and select. Also, I get to assist him in the rehearsal room and make notes and suggestions. 

Day 1 started off with a read through of the play with everyone attending (excluding Gari, who was ill). All staff members of Eastern Angles, 8th in the East - a project to boost the awareness of the 8th United States Army Air Force in the East of England during WWII, and the actors. After the reading and a discussion over a buffet we went straight into action. We looked at the Jitterbug and waltz, looked through archive footage and talked about character and their backgrounds. Day 1, success.

Day 2, Gari felt better, yay, so he came in and started the ‘tablework'. Tablework is when you sit round and read the play bit by bit analysing the lines, character, intentions, historical context, set design and maybe a few staging ideas thrown in there as well. With a play like this, this was especially important to get the historical facts right but also so the actors could really imagine the cultures their characters were in. Polly Wiseman, the writer, was on hand to help with any script editing and, because she was a fount of knowledge, any information or facts that needed explained.

Next week we will start getting the play on its feet. Also, we have an exciting trip. Stay tuned for more!