Theatre magic, ensemble values and Northern accents!

To continue our blog series on Standby's creative process, one of our newest recruits, the fabulous Claire Martin, shares her thoughts on joining the company and getting involved with the showcase...

What happens when young, artistic people move to Stratford upon Avon, drawn by the pull of the Royal Shakespeare Company? I can tell you – Standby Theatre happens! There is such a wealth of talent from various creative backgrounds: producers, directors, stage managers, musicians, photographers, actors, writers, the list is endless! And it's inevitable when a group of young creatives collect in one location that theatre magic will happen. I have witnessed this happening as one of the newest members of Standby Theatre, currently re-working ‘Lovers and Madmen’ for the RSC Open Stages showcase in March.

I became involved with Standby soon after my arrival in Stratford, initially hoping that I would be able to help out in any way possible on the day of the showcase. I was thrilled when Lotty and Alex gave me the part of ‘Floor Manager,’ I can now run around with the rest of the group and really feel like a part of the ensemble (The good old RSC values are clearly influencing me here!)

Rehearsals are well under way now and in recent weeks Alex and Lotty have asked me to help run some voice work exercises to help with projection and diction. Aha! That East 15 voice training has come in very handy! I really went to town with this task and designed a whole four page document for the group, including various vocal techniques based on Patsy Rodenburg’s work, focusing on projection, tension, resonance and diction. We've already put some of these into practice and hopefully some of the techniques will be useful for the performance in March.

It’s so nice to contribute to the rehearsal process, offering tips that I picked up from my drama school training. No scene in ‘Lovers and Madmen’ is precious and must be copied exactly as it had been done before, and that’s what makes Standby so exciting for me. The group is constantly striving for creative brilliance and how lucky are we that we have such a range of skills in our midst? There are no tensions within the group (a rarity in a rehearsal situation!) and everyone feels comfortable and willing to try new things. For example, my suggestion that one of the performers should use a northern accent brought a whole new dimension to the character, making the whole company laugh out loud.

Standby proves that exciting theatre can come from anywhere. We are all confident that ‘Lovers and Madmen’ will be fantastic fun on the day and well worth all of the hard work. The project was born through people coming together and hoping to create something brilliant. Everyone offers something to the creative process and I feel sure that there will be many more exciting projects to come.

Rehearsal #1: 'Try not to walk into each other...'

This evening, we were kindly allowed to gatecrash the RSC’s Clore Learning Space, where we embarked on our first official read-through.

But, of course, we indulged in a few silly games first! Alex had us all hugging, shaking hands and trying not to laugh, while Lotty introduced us to ‘Whop!’ which ended in a chorus of ‘Killer Shark’ (lyrics can be provided on request). The cast have been left wondering if this crazy pair are going to make them sing any more songs...

The read -through was fun and interesting for all of us; especially for writers Lynsey and Laura. Hearing their words (and the words of Shakespeare) read aloud for the first time was daunting, but all of the actors brilliantly brought the script to life and our two lady writers were really pleased with the result (they may have even cracked a smile). The play has now taken its first Bambi steps out into the world, and we can’t wait to reach more steady ground with each rehearsal that will follow.

Our performance date (the 3^rd of July, in case you were wondering) is going to coincide with the Stratford River Festival . We’re looking forward to being a part of a big crowd of happy people enjoying the sunshine, as long as we don’t get drowned out by Morris dancers!

Next weekend we’re working a busy Sunday (The RSC Open Day), and how will we reward our tired selves? With more rehearsals, of course! The clock has started to tick gently in the background and we’re all buzzing with ideas and enthusiasm.

We shall leave you for now, but please drop us a comment here, and remember to check out our Facebook page for more pictures and updates.