Bernard’s Call Sheet for the Lost Season : Week 3
Bernard Davies issues a weekly schedule on Thursday for the following week.
We’re keeping you up to date with what SHOULD have been happening.
Week 3 w/c May 4
ALFORD HOUSE, Vauxhall
Main Hall La Gioconda continues to rehearse Act I – will most likely make a start on Act II. Having set the principal scenes, the chorus will be woven into the scenes. Sarah Fahie, choreographer, will begin her rehearsal sessions with the Rambert Ballet School at their studios for the Dance of the Hours
The Gym Meet Me in St Louis rehearsals continue and hope to get to Act II. Short runs of rehearsed scenes continue to maintain memory. Company dance calls carry on in earnest with a full company warm up before each session.
Lower Hall Head of Music / Chorus Master Philip White starts with the Litvinenko chorus. These calls dove tail with Gioconda. When the chorus is not rehearsing, the room is used for Meet Me in St Louis dance and small principal production rehearsals.
It is about now a myriad of conversations take place with Bernard Davies and costume supervisors about how best to facilitate their fitting requirements. Fittings must be scheduled around all production calls in order no rehearsals are compromised. BD is constantly checking with the directors to see when singers could be free and rescheduling with the supervisors. Some fittings take place at Alford House but a great deal need to take place at the costume hire centres, located on Holloway Road, Oval and one as far as Hendon. It is a giant jigsaw that has to be sorted each week. BD reminds the Company that Tina, who runs the little Alford House café and is very protective of her area and they must seek her permission to go behind the counter to use the fridge. BD is the only exception as in busy times he serves tea and coffees. Each week there is a production meeting for every show currently in rehearsal. Key technical staff attend, BD and stage management for example, as well as the entire Creative team. All aspects of the show are discussed to resolve potential problems of props, how the set will operate, costumes, LX effects, scheduling issues and any other topic that might come to hand and believe us there can be many. These meetings are vital pre arriving on stage as ultimately all solved issues makes for a smooth performance.
THEATRE IN THE WOODS
With the stage organised, Dec and his team begin to construct each set. These are called “fit ups”. Over two days, each set is constructed and all aspects of it are studied in order for Dec to understand the best way of storing them in the stage wings when not in use. It is a bit like a Rubik’s cube. Fitting up the sets also allows the crew to rehearse scene changes, solve teething problems and allows the designer to see their handy work in its full glory. This week Litvinenko, Boheme, and Gioconda are all scheduled for fit ups.
The backstage of the theatre and site continue to be prepared for the imminent onslaught of over 140 Company Members.