Week by week
Week 5
It's Week 5, and the cast have moved out of the rehearsal room and onto the Globe stage for the final few days of rehearsals. This period is called the 'Technical Rehearsal', but the actors and creatives often call this 'Tech Week'. The technical rehearsal is lengthy as it will stop and start repeatedly. Over the next few days all the different parts of the production are brought together. During the weekend the production crew put up the set, and actors will get to rehearse in their costumes for the first time as well as using their performance props. All the sound cues are tested, and the stage management team will work to ensure the actors know their entrances and exits - especially important at the Globe when using the yard.
Performances also began this week! Jack, who is playing Sebastian, takes a photo every day during the show. If you're in the yard during the show, keep an eye on the gallery below and see if you can spot yourself!
Also below check out some photos from last week as the actors got to rehearse a few scenes on the stage on the stage. And why not listen to interviews with Katie and Tom as they talk about the last few days of rehearsals.
Molly Logan [Viola]
The cast rehearsing on stage.
Jack Wilkinson [Sebastian] and Peter Bray [Antonio]
Peter Bray [Antonio]
Director Bill Buckhurst
The cast rehearsing on stage.
Molly Logan [Viola]
Montgomery Sutton [Orsino], Molly Logan [Viola] and Akiya Henry [Olivia]
Akyia Henry [Olivia]
The cast rehearsing on stage.
Week 5 BLOG
Exciting times! Later this week we are opening Twelfth Night at The Globe! Regular rehearsals are over and we have said goodbye to our lovely East London rehearsal space. We ran the play twice at the end of last week, once in front of many of the other members of the team, the designer, choreographer, costume et al. This run is always a bit nerve wracking but I'm pleased to say it went pretty well. It's now time for the next part of the adventure.
Tuesday morning last week was spent on The Globe stage and that work continues this week as part of our technical rehearsal (or tech). This is where all the work from the rehearsal room is moved into the theatre and the technical aspects -sound, music, costume and lights- are integrated into the show. To cover the whole play in this way takes days. At the Globe, there's no lighting to work on in a tech (because of the natural light coming through the hole in the roof) but for our show we have live music and much of the choreography will have to be tweaked to fit the space. As a result we have been called from 10am-10pm Monday-Wednesday. Despite the long hours, I always enjoy Techs... Seeing the set and hearing the music in the space for the first time is always a thrill and it is so useful to spend a long time in costume, on the stage, working tiny moments in the play so that they feel comfortable. In doing so it's amazing how much it is possible to develop a character even at this late stage of the process.
Throughout rehearsals, Director Bill Buckhurst has stressed the importance of boldness: making strong decisions about the intentions of these characters and playing that fully. Towards the end of last week we were encouraged to think even more about the audiences we will soon meet and how critical it is to engage them from the start. One exciting thing about this space is the potential for audiences to feel intimately involved in the story. The audience will be wrapped closely around us and as such every audience member will be visible to us during the play (thanks in part to the natural light coming through that hole in the roof). If an audience is bored we will know; if they are on the hook and with us we will feel that and it will feed into the energy on stage. It is possible to make eye contact with pretty much every audience member if we so wish. Rather than shying away from this we are being encouraged to rise to it and make bold choices about playing to specific parts of the audience at specific moments. It's exciting stuff because the prize is an audience who feel complicit in the play. If they laugh at Malvolio with Toby's gang they are then are then equally culpable in Malvolio's eyes. "I'll be revenged on the whole pack of you" he says to all of us, onstage and off.
Next week I'll be able to report on our first shows at The Globe. Nerves are always a factor in what we do but I can't wait to perform this great play in this great place. Bring it on!
NEW BRIEF AVAILABLE – Design a Costume
A creative brief is given to each member of the creative team working on the project. It is intended to help them structure their ideas and keep a focus on the director's intended vision for the production. Why not be creative yourself and design your own costume for the production using our costume brief.
The designer for Twelfth Night, Simon Kenny, has been asked to design costumes for the production. To do this, he used a creative brief and talked with director Bill Buckhurst about what themes are important to him in this production.
Why not have a go at the creative brief and design your own costumes for Twelfth Night? To help inspire you, click on Week 4 in the week by week section and see some of the inspiration on the walls of the rehearsal studio. Or visit the Interviews page to hear some of Bill's ideas about the play, and you can also read designer Simon Kenny's top tips for designing a costume below.
1. Be open initially to lots of different options, but remember you will need to focus in on specific ideas related to the character you are designing for. This could be to do with their age, gender, background, shape, height etc.
2. Don’t be afraid to reuse bits of old costume you’ve created in the past or have seen - but remember you’ll also need to think about how characters relate to each other and so view them not only as individuals but as a company.
3. The shape of a costume can be as important as the materials you use - something with good lines and fit can also signify an expensive outfit.
4. You need to make sure your drawing is really clear so that someone could actually make it. To help with this you should include notes describing what materials you will use and any other details.
5. Sometimes you might not be able to say everything about a character through their clothes - think about what accessories you could add to help with your character’s identity.
Now download the Costume Brief' and the male and female templates on the right. Once you are done email your creations to us at youngcreatives@shakespearesglobe.com and we may feature it on the site.