~Trilby Jeeves
Last Saturday evening I went to witness the current VanArts (formerly the William Davis Centre) acting students’ presentation of their “rehearsal project” taught by Dave Mott and Daniel Martin. Since I had also taught this group, I wanted to support their first public appearance. The 10 students were guided through the play “The Hologram Theory” by Jessica Goldberg. The goal of this class is to teach the students how to rehearse effectively.
Effectively – just what is that?
After having been trained en Français in Quebec City, I emerged into the world of theatre en Anglais with some assumptions about how to put on a play, and explore characters. I was ill prepared for the uncomfortable methods I was obliged to do. Sound radical and extreme, and even exciting?
Nope.
“Here’s your script. Now let’s get up on our feet and start blocking.”
“What?” I was shocked. Get up on our feet before we had explored the script thoroughly? It didn’t make any sense to me, and I tried to express how I normally worked. My thoughts were quickly shunned and I begrudgingly joined the others to block the piece, script in hand. “Table work” seemed to be a luxury that they didn’t have time or, even the desire to do.
I learned that this was the more common way companies quickly got plays up and running given their time constraints.
Then I started directing. And, despite these time constraints, I knew that investing in a couple of days of table work (French companies will do a week!) would speed up my blocking process, and also deepen the character work for the actors. Each time I offer this opportunity, I am met with some relief, and some resistance. But, each time, the blocking occurs more naturally because objectives have been identified during the table work, and the actors’ bodies know where and when to move.
I believe if actors are blocked with script in hand, prior to collectively probing the story, chances are they will default to clichés and not make riskier or more authentic choices in their performances.
Chatting with Dave about their directing methods for these young students, I felt a wave of relief come over me as he described the physical exploration they do of each character (emblem work) to get the actors out of their heads, and the two days of table work before blocking. Their table work consists of breaking down the story into “beats” (mood changes), “objectives” (what a scene or character wants), and what the story is truly about.
“Table work….”
Magical words. Thank you Dave and Daniel, for embracing a method I seem to know solely en Francais. And, also, hats off to the students for embracing this difficult, dark, but compelling story, and breaking the ice of performing before a live audience.
Check Dave and Daniel’s theatre company Up In The Air Theatre, from which many festivals have grown.