Week Commencing 3rd November

So, we ran the play last week and now theoretically everybody knows what order the scenes come in and how it ends. Mark who is playing Pope Clement VI has a couple of discrete scenes. He sat fascinated at what his flock are getting up to on the nights he isn’t there to keep an eye on them.

It didn’t run for 9 hours as I feared, but was still quite long. That’s normal at this stage when people are trying to remember their lines and where they should come on from. I just make it worse by handing them real props when they’ve been miming. Having said all that, people went away feeling upbeat that we have a good production in progress.

Since then we’ve been going through Act 1 in great detail. Lines are learnt and scenes are starting to come alive. We’ve tidied up the odd traffic problem in the larger scenes and visually they look much better. The stage manager has to keep adjusting his notes, good thing he uses pencil.

While the actors go away rejoicing, the technical team are getting a bit stressed. Julia and Jill are working really hard on the costumes. They’re currently dealing with the clergy, producing a pope, archbishop and several monks. At this time of year dark material is hard to get hold of – Halloween and all that. They’re the brains in the organisation and the rest of us turn up to help out with the less difficult stuff. My main task is to iron things – art mirroring life again. As long as we have cake, tea and gossip we keep going.

The construction team are building arches and other bits of the set. As the Studio was an old church, we have to accommodate two large pillars holding up the baptistery. As long at there’s room to fly various things without hitting the lights or the set we should be OK.

I’m still sorting out the props. People have responded to my sad little plea for help. Each time I go to rehearsal people sidle up to me and hand over plastic bags. It’s great fun opening them and seeing what treats lie within.

Without doubt my best moment this week was when Jack (one of the Boutros brothers) presented me with a wooden wheelbarrow! There’s a picture in the gallery. As I’ve been stressing about this and I spend a lot of time with it I’m thrilled.

Act 2 next week, so I better get on making the leper gloves and deciding which of my feet has gone mouldy.