Design for Living is now open, and runs in the Main House until Saturday 25 February 2012.
Watch audience reactions on our youtube channel here.
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Photography by Johan Persson
Rehearsal Blog #4: Design for Living: A Polished Veneer
Assistant Director on Design for Living and Noel Coward Bursary Trainee at the Playhouse, Kate McGregor gives us a glimpse into the rehearsal room:
Rehearsals are over. It’s been a vigorous rush to the finish line but we’ve made it! Fine tuning this week has been a complicated process, striking a balance between the excitement of getting it right and the frustration of knowing a moment needs to be unpicked and rebuilt. Hopefully all the pieces are now in place, all that’s really left to do is get it in front of an audience.
We spent Monday through to Wednesday fixing sections from week 3, polishing entrances and exits, refining wordplay, pouring brandy and perfecting social poise. On Thursday we had our second run through, attended by the technical team. In comparison to the week before, it was rewarding to see the play move forward dramatically. Afterwards the actors received notes from Director Caroline Leslie highlighting which parts still needed attention. In the morning of Friday we went to work on solving those remaining issues and tightening it up in readiness for our third run.
In the afternoon on Friday Artistic Director Gareth Machin, Company Stage Manager Hannah Benoy and members of the Wardrobe department came to see our final showing. We’re now gaining a practical understanding of the agility required to deliver this play. Coward only begins to sparkle when its actors know the language inside out; a lightness of touch artfully under pinned by the emotional truth of the moment. The satisfaction of hitting the text in the right way has allowed our company to relish the playing of it, bringing the joy and inventiveness required to fuel a four week run of a three act play.
Now, we enter ‘Tech Week’ as we prepare to enter the world of the 1930s, all our cast will be receiving a Coward makeover – haircuts, trims, colours and styling advice. I look forward to our company finally making the transition into their new home on stage. We’ve got some serious set changes to negotiate during our technical rehearsals – fingers crossed it all runs smoothly. Only 4 days and counting.
The model box of Otto's 'rather shabby' Paris apartment
Noel Coward Word of the Week: Clacking (Gilda to Otto, Act 2) definition: to chatter thoughtlessly and at length. Origin from Middle English ‘clakken’.
Rehearsal Blog #3: Design for Living: ‘Unconditionally right’
Assistant Director on Design for Living and Noel Coward Bursary Trainee at the Playhouse, Kate McGregor gives us a glimpse into the rehearsal room:
Week three started with a play unfinished and ended with something complete. On Thursday we did our first ‘stagger’ through of the show and it’s there – still lots of refinements needed but encouraging none the less. With all the major building blocks in place the next stage is to fine tune the pace of delivery and consolidate our style.
Lots of exciting developments occurred. Rehearsal photos taken for press and publicity and will soon be around the building, costume fittings have been completed with the majority of our cast and props have been brought, made and are ready for use. Outside of the rehearsal room final preparations are taking place in readiness of our technical week, which begins on 23rd January.
Now we’ve reached the end of the play our thoughts have shifted to what audiences might think about Gilda, Leo and Otto in the final act. Even now, the decision they make to be together ‘all three’ is controversial. Perhaps we like to think that we live in an open society where anything goes, but this is often far from the truth. Luckily, most people know the plot of Design For Living, some word for word. But with a fresh and honest revival, as ours is, I wonder how many will cast judgement upon Gilda, Leo and Otto in their unconditional love triangle. The results will surely be as fascinating as they were in 1939!
47 cups of coffee, 5 hot chocolates and countless teas behind us, week four will be reserved for sculpting the finer details and making a final push to the end. Once this week is over, the next chance we’ll get to make creative changes will be at the dress rehearsal.
Noël Coward’s Word of the Week: Carping (said by Leo in Act Two). Definition: persistent petty and unjustified criticism. Origin 1275 – 1325.
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Photographer: Dominic Parkes
Rehearsal Blog #2: Design For Living: Love Among The Artists
Design For Living: Love Among The Artists
Torrential rains and howling winds accompanied our arrival in Salisbury this week. A drenched but enthusiastic start, the full company were reunited in a new home. Production Designer Alex Eales began the day by revealing the model box – every piece of our set and the locations of the action portrayed in miniature. In less than three weeks tiny sofas, a sweeping staircase, the New York skyline and stylish 1930s surroundings will be brought to life on the main stage.
With the sun miraculously streaming in by mid morning we began the major task of this second week – blocking the play scene by scene. The first time tackling the text on its feet was entirely welcome yet not always easy; pages of complex text must be assimilated, staging remembered and props negotiated, Time is limited, the pressure is on and nerves are in the air.
Mid-afternoon we broke rehearsals for a meet and greet where we were warmly welcomed by Salisbury Playhouse staff and taken on a tour of the building. An essential orientation and the perfect way to get a sense of the extensive networks already in place to make Design For Living a big success.
Without a doubt it’s been a challenging week. It’s full throttle on Design For Living, not only to rehearse the words of the play but to make sure that every department is where it needs to be and will deliver on time. Production meetings are in full attendance, props are being sourced and costumes feverishly made upstairs by the in house wardrobe department. Problems fly in from every angle, hastily followed by solutions from the experts. It’s a thrilling time and it’s only going to get bigger.
Luckily, in the face of adverse weather conditions neither fallen trees nor persistent head colds can keep us from the will to get it right. Witty, infectiously funny and always surprising we are tirelessly driven by our love of this play. Bring on week three.
Noël Coward’s Word of the Week: Effulgent (spoken by Ernest in Act 1) meaning: shining brightly or radiant. Origin 1730 – 40 from the Latin effulgere: to shine forth.
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Rehearsal Blog: Design for Living
Design For Living: Act 1 Scene 1
This week rehearsals began for Salisbury’s latest Noel Coward production – the very brilliant – Design For Living. My name is Kate McGregor and in the run up to opening night (26th January 2012) I’ll be giving you a sneaky peak inside our rehearsal room to reveal what it’s like to prepare one of Coward’s most complex plays for the stage. I am currently the Noël Coward Trainee Director at the Playhouse and Assistant Director to Caroline Leslie on Design for Living. I hope you find the next months’ worth of entries illuminating and above all, entertaining.
On Monday 19th December we arrived in our rehearsal room for the first time, eager to squeeze all the preparation we could into the week before Christmas. If there were any nerves in the room at the start they were soon blasted out of us with the introduction of Caroline’s ferocious: ‘Nine Square’. Playing this slightly terrifying yet addictive ball game was soon to become a staple during our first week with Coward.
After an unglamorously sweaty start to day one, we began to consider the task ahead of us. With no set, props or costume, all we had to work with were Coward’s words. According to Caroline, our task this week was simple; to find out who these people were and why they do what they do. But like any great play, the truth can take a bit of digging up.
To summarise, this week has been about lining up the facts and finding out about the experiences of our characters, the places they lived and visited, the relationships they’ve had and their knowledge of the wider world. Most importantly, we needed to gain an understanding of the timing of our play and the impact of history on Coward and his characters.
In the last five days we’ve done just about everything to cut to the heart of it. Parisian apartments have been designed and made out of paper, a field trip to Gilda and Leo’s London home has been navigated, we’ve visualised the café where the three met in Montmartre and mused upon the value of art and success. With the perfect backbone in place, we’re just about ready to start putting the play on its feet. But alas, Christmas Eve is upon us.
The next time we meet will be in Salisbury, in a new rehearsal room and a step closer to our big reveal. In the meantime, we shall rest our weary brains, tuck into a mince pie and gulp down a Highball or two. (Noel would certainly approve).
Noel Coward’s Word of the Week: “Bunk” (spoken by Leo in Act 1) short for ‘bunkum’ meaning “nonsense”, “rubbish” or “tosh”. First known use; North Carolina, USA 1845.
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Opening Week: Jack and the Beanstalk
- As we prepare to open this year’s panto, Jack and the Beanstalk (7 December – 7 January), Tim Treslove writes about why it’s so magical to be back on the Playhouse stage as Ivor G. Bogey.
“I have always found Panto very special, but not for the same reasons most people do. For the vast majority of the panto going population it is their early memories of attending the pantomime with their families at Christmas time that instilled their affection for it, but not for me.
I have a vague recollection of being taken as a birthday treat, (27th Dec, small presents only please) to the old Playhouse in Fisherton Street. I couldn’t have been any more than 4 years old and I think it must have been Dick Whittington, as it had a large ship in it and that’s my only memory. My real relationship with it came some years later when as a Stage ’65 member I began initially doing some walk-on parts in main house productions, then began to help out backstage and then, on to get a job crewing on the panto!
I loved every aspect of the theatre and lied about my age to do the work, I was 15 at the time and had no national insurance number so told the wages department that I had forgotten it every week until I reached my 16th birthday. I even skipped school to work there and at one point was called into the headmaster’s office, whereupon he told me that he would keep my absence a secret if I donated a percentage of my wages to the school fund. My response is unprintable. Things were very different in the 70′s!
Standing backstage this week listening to the overture, to the audience clapping along watching my fellow actors preparing to go on I have found myself on more than one occasion being transported back 33 years, loving every moment as much I am right now!”
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Sam Stone blogs about being on Work Experience at the Playhouse…
Hello, I’m Sam Stone and I’m on a work placement here at the Salisbury Playhouse as the Technical Assistant on this years ‘Barebones Project’, Romeo and Juliet: Unzipped.
I’m currently studying BA Theatre Production at Bath Spa University, and for one module I’ve had to find a month long work placement, and this was an opportunity too good to miss! Today is only my second day of placement and we are well and truly into preparation week with everyone getting ready for the rehearsal process which starts next week.
I’m working with a great, talented team consisting of individuals such as Mark Powell, the Director of Participation here at the Playhouse – and Director of Romeo and Juliet: Unzipped and Dave Marsh the Deputy Head of Stage at Salisbury Playhouse who is heavily involved with the BareBones Project. They have made it incredibly easy for me to feel at home at the theatre along with the other students on placement.
So far I have done a pre rig for a touring company including patching and focusing aiding me to get to know the Salberg Studio a little better. Today was all about preparation for next week’s work on Romeo and Juliet: Unzipped, getting AV visuals designed and going through scripts looking for Sound and Lighting cues, which I can create ready for rehearsals.
This week is all about communication so with key production meetings and constant communication throughout we should have everything ready to go for the start of rehearsals on Monday!
Great experience so far. Really enjoying it.
Sam Stone. BA Theatre Production student at Bath Spa.
2009 production of Romeo and Juliet: Unzipped - the production Sam's assisting on. Photograph by Dominic Parkes
Stage ’65 Blog: Good Night, Sleep Tight
Hi all! Sorry this is a late entry, we’ve just been so focused on the show it’s hard to squeeze anything else in!
In the last few rehearsals we’ve been developing some new scenes, because Good Night, Sleep Tight is a devised performance scenes are created and pieced together. One new scene is called ‘Cry’ and looks at the times we’ve cried in bed, and the comfort our duvets have brought us. We also developed the ‘Camping’ scene, featuring a hilarious moment of Ryan trying to move in his sleeping bag.
The Wardrobe team have measured the cast, which means they will be busy working out the costumes, sourcing from the Wardrobe Store, which is a big store of all sorts of costumes here at the Playhouse and using some pieces of costumes the cast have brought in. This week also marks the arrival of some of the blankets, sheets, beanbags and futons that make up our set, which is very exciting, as we can get a feel of how the set will impact our scenes.
Our task for this week was to bring in music that reminded us of dreams, for the Sound Team to sort through and piece together to include in one of our scenes.
Our dream diaries worked really well, giving us a lot of ideas to work with whilst devising our ‘Dream’ Scene, which we have started in the last couple of days.
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Well I think that’s about it for this week, catch you next time!
Stage ’65 blog: Good Night, Sleep Tight
Stage ’65 take over the Salisbury Playhouse Blog offering insights to rehearsals for the Youth Theatre’s upcoming show:
Good Night, Sleep Tight, 31 October – 5 November
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Good Night, Sleep Tight is a devised piece by the senior members of the Playhouse’s legendary Youth Theatre. For the first time the Playhouse’s Rehearsal Room will be transformed into a performance space. Snuggle up and join us for a bedtime story you’ll never forget.
Every week company member and ‘marketeer’, Megs Slark will be keeping you updated on rehearsal room antics, what the backstage teams are working on and other Stage ’65 shenanigans.
So, let’s get down to business. This week, the cast have had four rehearsals. We’ve been working on the ‘Clubbing’ scene, which has developed from Roger McGough’s poem, Comeclose and Sleepnow. We’ve also revised ‘The Ballet of Sleep’ scene, which shows a night’s sleep in a short three minute scene, and is, if I may say so myself, quite beautiful!
We started working on a ‘Dream Scene’. We’ve been asked to start a Dream Diary as research for the scene. So every morning we’re waking, armed with our notebooks to record what dreams we had that night. Unfortunately I couldn’t remember any of mine this morning…
As well as rehearsals, the cast of 11 (including me) have roles in backstage departments such as: design, wardrobe, marketing, lighting and sound, so we’ve been busy meeting with Playhouse pros armed with ‘to do’ lists – but more on that next week!
Joe testing out the 'bed seats' for Good Night Sleep Tight.
Way Upstream
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On Friday we opened Way Upstream to a packed house. Audiences seem to be loving it, and tickets are selling fast with the first week almost sold out.
Have a nose through the production photos above and do click through to see what our first night audience had to say about the production here.
Production Photos by Robert Workman.
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