Harry rallys his troops before Harfleur as Exeter looks on.
I took some photos of Henry V rehearsals yesterday afternoon; click the image to check them out. As you can see, rehearsals have moved to the actual performance space at the grammar school and I’m beginning to get used to the size difference between Shakespeare House and the comparative larger school field. Watching offstage I get a sense that the show is really starting to galvanise.
Onstage our entrances and exits are quite tricky because, being an outdoor production, the wings can be observed from the audience. I can be seen before I make my entrance, so it’s a balancing act because I need to appear in character should the audience look over and yet not be too busy that I pose a distraction to the audience or indeed miss my cues. Another issue is hearing cue lines, yesterday was particularly windy and at times it was a struggle for me to hear cue lines to make my entrances. Barring these difficulties it can be particularly exhilarating to perform an elaborate entrance and time it in such a way that my lines are delivered perfectly on cue. Brilliant!
For more information about Henry V and booking tickets visit the Derby Shakespeare Theatre Company website.
Update: Henry V has been and gone, I hope you enjoyed the show.
I had a terrific time at Henry V rehearsals last night. Andy our soundman made his first appearance and this meant much topping and tailing of scenes in order that he could work out the cues for sound effects. I spent most of my time standing around chatting or gabbling my lines when required in order to save time. It’s amazing how the rhythm of Shakespeare’s verse can allow you to deliver your lines at pace and how trickier it is to accomplish the same with prose. When speaking prose you have to stick to the cadences in order to maintain speed whereas with verse speaking once you lock into the iambic rhythm you can just whizz along.
Despite being in several of Shakespeare’s plays Henry V is the first I have done in traditional costume and it was the arrival of the costumes from Stratford that really made the rehearsal for me. AMAZING! I’ve been in a few productions, all with terrific outfits, but these are in a different league. Hanging banner-like from the greenroom walls were polythene bags containing the type of military wear that you would have expected to see running around the fields of Agincourt 600 years ago. The room was a melee of brigandines and tabards displaying the Lancastrian coat of arms, barbute helmets, plate armor, gauntlets, hauberks of chainmail and chausses for the legs. Apparently there is more coming from London. It’s all very exciting.
For more information about Henry V and booking tickets visit the Derby Shakespeare Theatre Company website.
Update: Henry V has been and gone, I hope you enjoyed the show.