h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

So, with exactly three weeks to go until the first night of 'Twelfth Night', I thought I'd start a journal on it. Won't be as in-depth as my Half a Sixpence one, as DannyB is directing and lurks round my pages to keep an eye on me, so I can't say anything rude about him .

It's going very well, and I'm loving playing Viola - it's only taken about 17 years for my ambition to play her to be realised! (Yes, at 33 I'm a bit old for the part but I don't look old...honest). It sounds really poncy and actor-like, but I love speaking Shakespeare's words - they're easy to learn as they're almost like singing, and they sound so fantastic. She's a great character too, and I find I'm bringing quite a lot of myself into her.

We're currently scouting around charity shops and the local drama wardrobe for costumes, as believe it or not, only one of the cast actually possesses the one element of costume that everyone needs and we thought would be the easiest one to sort out...a black suit.

Apart from that, we have this weeks' rehearsals in the theatre - the only ones we'll have there until the tech/dress rehearsals. It's very useful as we're finally getting a feel for how it all works in terms of positioning onstage. Although for some reason (and this happens every time) whenever I go into the theatre my sense of left and right disappears and I completely forget all my entrances and exits! I think I managed to get ONE right on Monday night. Sigh.

It's not only the sense of left and right that disappears in the theatre, but left and right themselves!

And go on, say something rude about DannyB. We won't tell.

Bon chance with it all, particularly the costume search (hurrah for charity shops). I'm very that you get to do some Shakespeare.

Something rude about DannyB... I couldn't! He has too much power at the moment . Anyway, there's nothing to say apart from that he worries too much (where's the 'sycophantic' smiley when you need it...?). But then I'm a right one to talk about that!

Thanks for good luck wishes, David. We'd never done any Shakespeare until a few years ago, then as it seemed to go down well we carried on!

Keep us posted. Love Shakespeare!

So Viola is wearing a black suit? Fedoras, sunglasses and bootlace ties too

Hope the offstage relationship doesn't suffer - I imagine it might be hard to stop discussing aspects of the play outside of rehearsals.

Favourite line? Hardest line to remember?

Yes, black suit, but not the rest

We do discuss it a lot, and I'm guilty of being a bit of a back-seat director, but I don't think it's causing problems. You'll have to ask DannyB (he's away from his computer today or I'm sure he'd have made a comment ).

Favourite line - there are so many! Favourite speech is probably the 'Make me a willow cabin at your gate' speech. The lines roll around your mouth like the smoothest Belgian chocolate .

Hardest line to remember - it's the prose bits actually. There aren't too many of them, but they took me as long to learn as all the blank verse bits put together! I'm convinced that learning Shakespearean blank verse plugs into the same bits of my brain that learn songs, as it just happens so much more easily...

Thanks Leo. Yes, I've always loved Shakespeare too, though I find the histories heavy going and I managed to get through my English degree without reading the more obscure stuff.

Well that's very sneaky... waiting until one of the *very* rare days that I'm away from my desk all day to start this thread, and hoping that by the time I get back it'll have slipped so far down my conversation list that I'll miss it

So, hello to Claire's journal friends... I'm watching

Ha ha!!! It was just coincidence...honest guv.

Well, last Thursday's rehearsal wasn't the greatest - the second half is definitely worse than the first. Lots of line problems with a couple of people, which was annoying and led to lots of stops and not much focus. I did manage my entrances and exits OK though!

Last night's rehearsal was good - the first half again, which is really starting to feel like it's gelling now. We just need to get the second half up to speed.

Last night was much better, as were lines (most of the time!). The final scene has been a hard one to crack, as we're playing it kind of embarassed and uncomfortable rather than 'ooh, isn't it a lovely happy ending', but I think we finally started to get there last night.

I'm worrying rather over wigs at the moment - we had one, which was fine, and we ordered another one which we thought would be similar enough but it was APPALLING so we took it back. So then we ordered two the same, and they came yesterday. They're not as good as the original, but with a bit of work (we have a hairdresser contact who can hopefully help) they should be alright. It's my head that's the problem - it's very small so wigs look rather silly on me. The chap who's playing Sebastian doesn't look as bad in his as it fits him. Hopefully we can sort them out so that the audience doesn't dissolve into laughter as soon as I walk on...

We have a big weekend of publicity coming up - I do hope it works out as we haven't exactly sold many tickets at all yet, and we go on in a week and a half. It would be so depressing to have put all this work in, come out with a really good performance, and see just a few faces looking back at us.

Positive thinking! And perhaps the idea that was put forward in the pub last night, of us all wearing bikinis at the festival we're doing on Sunday isn't such a bad one after all (desperate times call for desperate measures!).

So if anyone reading this is about in Oxfordshire from 14-17 June, do come and see a play directed by a long-time hootoo-er, and 'starring' another hootoo-er!

with the wigs. Be careful if you have to use wig pins

At least you have a fairly consistent cast and director

Thanks Pimms. We won't have to use wig pins, though I have to safety pin my wig at the back as it's too big. When I was doing Half a Sixpence we had to wear hat pins, and I did stab myself occasionally - nothing serious though, thank goodness.

I dashed into Oxford yesterday to see what the hairdresser could do with the wigs. He was LOVELY and trimmed the fringe on mine and helped to dress the other one. I tried it on when I got home and although it still looks slightly ridiculous, it's much better than it was. Tried the other one on the chap who's playing my twin brother last night, and that looked fine too, though we're going to have to lighten his eyebrows as they're very dark and the wigs are light brown - looks a bit odd!

Rehearsal last night was pretty good considering everyone was a bit distracted by the arrival of the costumes, some of which looked fine and fitted OK, and others of which just didn't fit at all... But we should be able to put together at least something for everyone. Would have been helpful, of course, if right at the beginning when we asked people for black suits and black dresses, people had thought a little outside the box and said 'well I've got black trousers / jacket / skirt' instead of leaving it until last night, we'd have had to get far fewer costumes!

Ticket promotion over the weekend was fun (and hot!), and though we didn't actually make many sales there and then, I still think getting our display seen and flyers handed out will do us good. Hopefully we're getting something in the paper this week, so that should convert into a few sales. The Saturday matinee is probably selling best at the moment, which is great, if unusual.

I'm still enjoying myself, and can't wait to get into the theatre, with costumes etc at the weekend. Plus I have next week off!

A couple of days to go

hope you can
best wishes for the show

Hi Pimms,

Yes, thanks, I'm not too terrified (yet!).

We had a very good, if long and unbelievably hot tech in costume yesterday. Under a layer of thick elastic strapping, shirt, jacket and wig, the sweat was running off me .

Another dress tonight and tomorrow, then we're on on Wednesday. Costumes look great, wigs aren't too horrendous (and a couple of people - including Dan!! - got myself and the chap playing Sebastian confused), lines are much better, and audiences are slowly improving.

And I'm off work all week!

Any publicity shots of the cast that can be linked to, displaying how much you resemble your 'twin'?
Hope you have good weather for your week off - not too many storms

Excellent news all around - it really does help if the twins look at least vaguely twinny!

I second the request for photos...

As Claire's off work this week, I shall have to oblige

http://www.studiotheatreclub.com/Gallery.html

And Sebastian isn't as tall, compared with Viola, as he looks in the photograph (although he is slightly taller) - it's the camera angle! And his wig still needs a little work, although I think Viola's looks pretty good now...