The Lieutenant of Inishmore– Week One

Associate Director Lynette Linton provides a week-by-week summary of rehearsals for The Lieutenant of Inishmore

Our first week begins with a ‘Meet and Greet’ where the full company get together to meet and connect before we dive into the play. There is a lovely nervous excitement bubbling throughout the room as we munch on pastries and drink our tea. We are also joined by author Martin McDonagh on the first day.

After we go around the room and introduce ourselves, a smaller group sit around the table and do a readthrough, so we can hear the script out loud together for the first time. It’s great to hear the words spoken by our incredible actors and I can’t wait to see how the scenes will play out over the coming weeks.

That same afternoon Stage Management mark out the room with our stage dimensions. We then begin our first pass through the nine scenes of the play, mapping it out on the floor and deciding on some loose blocking. We ask questions and begin to dissect each scene. It’s a very collaborative room and so exciting to see these characters come alive from the page.

We also spend time thinking about what furniture and fittings we will need in our space to make the play as effective as possible. There are many technical elements to think about in this show, including cats, blood and guns – and that’s only a few of them.

By the end of the week we have made it all the way through the play and spend our last morning with Fight Director Kate Waters (‘Kombat Kate’) as she takes us through the necessary safety precautions of some of the fight sequences, as well as making them look realistic. It’s a great way to finish an exciting week.

I can’t wait to start from Scene One again on Monday and see what discoveries we make as we delve deeper into Padraic’s world.