Over the course of the past few weeks there has been an interesting shift from rudimentary classroom rehearsing to comprehensive technical runs. This rather abrupt changeover has required a huge amount of focus as we have as a cast had to quickly get into grips with the technical elements of the show. This in my view tested the cast on their ability to not disengage themselves from their character by allowing the technicalities to generate a more stilted performance. Nevertheless, on the other hand, being able to perform on a fully developed set has allowed certain factors of the play's atmosphere to blossom.
First Dress Rehearsal:
There is a big debate on the reliability of this viewpoint, however if you brush to one side the technical difficulties concerning primarily the box and instead focus on the acting within the rehearsal, in my eyes it was unquestionably the best performance we had pulled off. The small break from rehearsals had allowed our minds to relax thus allowing for more organic reactions during the dress rehearsal. Something that caught my eye was the natural human error that was clearly visible, for instance the stumbling of words, natural pauses and cutting off lines. For me this added a real human element to the show without reducing the intensity of the piece, which was a chief factor that had been missing for the duration of the rehearsals.
Second Dress Rehearsal:
Perhaps the technical crew needed to brush of on certain aspects of the show but I believe rehearsing the show again right after the previous rehearsal was a massive mistake for numerous reasons. Nevertheless, above all, the rawness of the characterization had stooped down a massive level comparing to the first rehearsal due to the fact most of our focus had trailed away. Characters were no longer bouncing off each others reactions but were relying on dramatic tendencies which eradicated the humane aspect within the piece.
