Title: The Books / The Dice
Author: Thea Smiley / Forbes Bramble
Directed by Jan Martin
Performed at Bramfield Village Hall on 12 April and The Cut Halesworth on 13 & 14 April 2012.
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The Books - Directing 'The Books' was certainly a challenge. This was an exciting venture, being a First Play by Thea Smiley, set in a university library; all four parts needed a great deal of learning!
The actors (or actresses as I still prefer) - Gilly, Phoebe, Ro and Mia - put in all the hours and total commitment. In spite of the difficulties of rehearsal space (my sitting room was a bit of a tight squeeze) and the size of a window an anguished student could feasibly jump out of, our efforts resulted in a piece of theatre much appreciated by the audiences.
Sophia, Sue and I had fun painting the library shelves (anybody want a flat bookcase? reasonable terms).
I believe that Thea was pleased with the production, and I really valued the hard work put in by the cast, with the chance to launch a new work.
The Dice - First there was the play. I was not sure that three men in a prison cell were going to hold the attention of an audience for an hour. But the first reading dispelled all fears: it was clearly going to be gripping stuff. Thank you, Forbes, for the script and your measured advice.
Then there was the cast. Out of the first reading, came four strong actors, well-suited to the parts. You might say the dream team.
Then there were the rehearsals. More discussion groups, on occasion. We chewed over the meaning of the whole play, major chunks of it and individual phrases. Gradually our interpretation turned into a consistent whole, with each actor developing his character to fit naturally with his words. Our thanks to Jean for her help during rehearsals and her advice in the car afterwards.
Meanwhile, Helen was procuring suitable costumes and bedding, Pam was collecting a strange list of props, Nev was constructing bunk beds and George was developing a lighting plot and sound effect.
The last rehearsal with all the cast was about a month before the dress rehearsal, so it was with some trepidation that we waited to see what would happen. They do say a bad dress rehearsal precedes good performances. What happens if you have a good dress rehearsal?
The dress rehearsal and then the three performances started at a high standard and improved. All three audiences were treated to really powerful performances. Steve was suitably authoritarian as the warder, verging on the sadistic with his grinning leer. Mike, the youngest prisoner, managed to portray that cocky veneer which hides an inner insecurity. His mood swings and defensiveness were very convincing. Mick, the middle-aged prisoner, mixed his role as the peace-maker with occasional outbursts of anger to perfection. His departure from the cell to an uncertain destination was poignant. Bernard, as the older prisoner, was superb. He controlled the action with masterly changes of pace and mood. He was the quintessential old lag, going steadily stir-crazy. His every utterance, expression and body posture were exact and beautifully timed.
It was a play full of pauses, so right for prison-life. The actors got these spot-on, but gave Jean a nightmare as prompter. She had little work to do (none on the final two nights) but she was on the edge of her seat, wondering whether to jump in. The audience were on the edge of their seats, in anticipation of what was to come. Only expert actors could hold these silences without the audience becoming restless or giggling nervously as they wondered what had gone wrong.
When everything was put together, it made a very convincing whole. Thank you to all departments for your contributions. There must be something to criticise — oh, yes, the cockroaches were rather small.
