A Midsummer Night's Dream– Week Five

Our final week before we get to the theatre.

This week has been about runs, runs and more runs. We had our first stagger-through on bank holiday Monday – no rest for the artist – and the company’s nerves were palpable but needn’t have been. The rest of the week saw us adding in costumes and wigs, working out quick changes for Mechanicals/Fairies, Titania/Hippolyta and Oberon/Theseus, and allowed everyone to gain a sense of how this beast moves as an overall show. What I’ve realised is how wonderfully varied the play is, with its different plot lines, and Michael has emphasised the need for a tightness between scenes to keep it constantly fresh and unpredictable.

We were in a good place by Friday evening but the company were tired. One member of the ensemble is rehearsing with us all day then performing in the evening, so Michael cancelled our Saturday run and the understudies met for a run-through instead. We’re hugely lucky to have had so much time together on the understudy roles. It’s usually an element that gets pushed to the side and can cause panic, but we’re in a good place and should anyone have to go on, they’ll be ready.

We go into the theatre for ‘Tech Week’ on Tuesday.