Week Two - Pat Cumper In Rehearsals (3)

It's the second week of rehearsals for Waiting for Godot at the West Yorkshire Playhouse and Pat Cumper, Talawa's Artistic Director, writes:

'It's the middle of the second week of rehearsals and finally Pozzo and Lucky together enter the rehearsal room. While the rest of the cast are in wardrobe, we block their entrance, whip, rope, basket, coat, stool and all. The whole thing is a welter of props, with pipes and chicken legs, picnic baskets and wine bottles all making their appearances. Interesting to see how a page of stage directions becomes a series of sharp orders and swift responses. I say swift: as swift as Lucky can muster.

A lunch hour catch up meeting with everybody who is working on the production, a quick photo in the lovely parquet floored studio downstairs and then its back into Rehearsal Room 3 for a strenuous hour and more of movement with the lovely Aline. By beating out complex rhythms with hands and feet, the actors are so thoroughly warmed up that they roar straight into the first twenty minutes or so. Best bit: the end of the day with four actors in bowler hats driving together to the end of the first act: the director is in conversation with an actor at one end of the playing area, Aline is creating movement with another actor at the other, two other running lines and revising blocking sitting at what will be the roots of the famous tree at the centre of the room. Every now and then, one or other of the actors looks at the play text and gives a disbelieving little shake of the head and then goes straight back to the task at hand. Everyone is sensing the potential power of this Waiting For Godot and everyone wants to get it right.'

: