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 7 w/c June 1

ALFORD HOUSE, Vauxhall

Main Hall La Bohème continues with this week’s rehearsals concentrating on acts II and III as the chorus are now free from La Gioconda stage rehearsals.  The chorus are joined by the children’s chorus made up of students from Cranmore (boys) and Tordmead (girls) Schools, as well as 4 from our Primary Robbins project.  The final studio run will take place on Saturday before heading to stage.

Lower Hall Music ensemble rehearsals for The Life and Death of Alexander Litvinenko begin on Tuesday.  Up first are solo calls with Mr Barlow and his team, followed by more ensemble work and, fingers crossed, culminating in a musical run on Saturday.

THEATRE IN THE WOODS

La Gioconda Having spent most of last week rehearsing on stage it now only leaves the build up to the final stage run on Tuesday AND the first night of the Season on Thursday.  The usual air around the first night is one of excitement and nerves.  The cast and chorus are all required to sign in at stage door a minimum of one hour before curtain up.  This gives them enough time to settle down and prepare for the evening ahead. The chorus do a vocal warm up in the green room, taken by Chorus Master, Philip White.  If there are any late comers BD is straight on the phone calling to find out their ETA, as lateness can have a knock on effect for the beginning of the show for e.g the person has a pivotal moment early on in the performance that will need covering.  BD will have words with them later but not before the show. With the audience building up outside waiting for the auditorium doors to open there is usually a great deal of running around backstage.  30 minutes before curtain up the cast and chorus are alerted the theatre doors are open and the audience are taking their seats.  The orchestra by now have all arrived and prepare for their performance.  15 minute call. 2 minute call (beginners) and final call for the orchestra to take their seats.  Mr Marciano is called to the pit and takes up his baton ready for his green light to be turned on.  Stage Management ensure the company is on stage and then after 4 weeks in the studio, 6 days on stage (approx 151 hours) the conductor’s green light glows and the curtain raises on the first night of the 2020 Season. But it does not stop there – the Rambert Ballet School dancers do a full warm up in the interval. With no large rehearsal room on-site it has to be scheduled in the Atrium on the newly laid oak floor once the audience has vacated for the dinner interval. After curtain down everyone backstage clears up and goes home ready for performance number 2 next week.

Meet Me in St Louis continues with their stage rehearsals on Monday, the final stage run on Friday and first night Saturday. A full cast physical warm up is taken by Emily Goodenough, Associate Choreographer, on stage one hour before curtain up.  An air of excitement is present however it is a different kind of excitement as this is the Company’s first experience of a summer opera festival.

BACKSTAGE DURING THE WEEK

• Wig department provides for BD all wig call times for Meet Me and La Gioconda
• Sound department inform of their set up needs for body mics for Meet Me
• Crew usually works until late due to the change in performance each day
• LX crew do change overs and have to refocus lights from one production to another
• On show days the stage management team prepare, check and set all personal and show props on stage
• On a daily basis wardrobe department washes, irons and resets costumes for up to 76 artistes this week
• All quick change areas backstage are prepared for each show
• Dec is constantly making sure the sets are maintained and fulfil our H&S requirements

SITE PREPARATION

• Delivery of water, elderflower, wine & champagne
• Delivery of ice for the freezers
• All 900 glasses (wine & champagne) go through the pot wash for deep clean after being stored away for the past 10 months
• Place settings for 600 including cutlery to be deep cleaned
• Restaurant tables & chairs put into place in both restaurants in preparation of opening night.
• 1000 napkins arrive from laundry and are folded
• Picnic/tea tent set up with display tins from Fortnum & Mason
• Reports printed for first nights orders
• Waiting staff dry run service & clearing
• Wipeable table cloths in pavilions are cleaned & chairs set
• 50 Candle lanterns cleaned & candles replaced where necessary
• Restaurant Table decoration prepared
• First night wine orders are tagged up with bin number and table names
• Salt, pepper & sugar pots filled
• Uniforms issued
• All ready for opening night

Week 6

Week 8