The End of Week Two...

If an adventure is defined as ‘an unusual and exciting, perhaps hazardous experience, which requires daring and enterprise’, then the first run-through of a play is undoubtedly an adventure!

This afternoon, having spent the past two weeks working on sections of the play, we attempted to perform it for the first time, from beginning to end, without stopping.

The atmosphere in the rehearsal room was one of excitement and anxiety. The artistic director, Andrew Smaje, had come to watch. Naturally, the presence of an audience added to the excitement.

Performing a first run-through is rather like navigating oneself across a unfamiliar city, having studied the map, but having arrived there for the very first time: One might recognise the landmarks and know the directions, but there are plenty of ways to get lost.

It's not just the issue of remembering a long list of lines and actions, of which one has only a tentative grasp: The sudden arrival of a scene that you hadn’t thought would come so soon is enough to make you forget even well-rehearsed sequences.

But, despite its challenges, there is of course much that one discovers. For the first time, one begins to understand one's character’s experience of each scene in sequence: one begins to sense one's character’s emotional journey through the play. And it can be quite surprising.

The entry point to a particular scene, previously worked in isolation, is often infused by the emotional legacy of an earlier scene. I was surprised to discover how angry Wise Frankincense is when, having stormed out of the classroom (after being teased), he is discovered on the climbing frame by Frazer’s character, Donkey.

The first run-through is a milestone during any rehearsal period. Afterwards, the actors feel as though they have tamed a beast. Now, it's possible for them to focus on the detail of each moment, trusting that somehow they can deal with what comes next.

This evening each of us travels home for the weekend having tamed a beast, and having had an adventure. What a wonderful job to be an actor.