directing hamlet
I approached this first rehearsal having written detailed notes on my directorial plans. The notes contained step-by-step stage directions as well as help with characters, and were given to the actors at the start of the rehearsal. My thoughts in doing this were that it would hopefully make it easier for the actors and would enable this first rehearsal to get started quicker. These notes were not as successful in this rehearsal as I had hoped however, as there was less than sufficient reading time for the actors to fully digest the detailed instructions and I ended up having to repeat most of the notes to them verbally. I still stick by the decision to have notes ready for the rehearsal as they did assist me directorially, ensuring that I would not forget all my plans for this scene during a hectic rehearsal session. As this was a first rehearsal and the actors were approaching the play for the first time, I felt it may assist their process of getting to know their characters if they read a modern-day version of the text. However, I underestimated the knowledge of Shakespeare the actors already had, and this modern version just wasted time as the original text in this scene is fairly self-explanatory. . . .
I was particularly glad to direct for a modern day theatre as I felt I would have been technically restricted having to direct in original Globe conditions (hardly any essential aspects of my ideas would work in the Globe conditions). I had to come up with a technically sound but interesting way to create the ghost in my production. However, I feel in the correct theatrical setting of a proscenium arch stage, this staging would have worked successfully. The gauze, when lit from the front, can look like an opaque backdrop, but when lit from the back, becomes transparent. With no technical elements in the rehearsal, such as lighting, stage, gauze, an auditorium (all of which are essential to the effectiveness of this scene) we could only gain an impression of how the finished product would turn out. My plan was to have the actor playing the ghost behind the gauze, then the back-light would gradually intensify meaning the figure would literally appear gradually at the back of the stage. All characters present in this scene are extremely weary about the tense atmosphere and the possibility of a ghost appearing, so I felt it would be appropriate for the characters to seek support from their fellow workers. I therefore had full use of lighting, the auditorium, different special effects and staging techniques which I decided to take full advantage of in my production. As I was directing for a modern day theatre, I know the audience’s expectations would be high and if they knew the play, would want to see an original and ingenious way of the ghost of Hamlet being represented. I also had the freedom to set the play in any time period, however, I decided to stick to the traditional Renaissance setting (hopefully leading to lavish costumes and sets). I therefore decided to use a gauze sheet, to act as a false back to the stage. I think some of my staging techniques would work well on a modern day theatre and audience, but this rehearsal performance was no where near indicative of how successful the final performance would be. In this rehearsal performance, it is difficult to assess my production ideas. Of course in this rehearsal we had no gauze or lighting so we could only use our imaginations when we reached the appearance of the ghost.
Common topics in this essay:
, modern day, day theatre, modern day theatre, staging techniques, rehearsal performance, stage gauze, globe conditions, onto stage, production decided, stage course, proscenium arch, |
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