From Page to Stage - The Diary of a Priory Production (Part 2)

Have you ever watched a play and wondered who chose it, how long the actors rehearsed, and the work that goes in to getting it onto the stage? In the second part, Dixie Atkins continues the behind-the-scenes story of our September 2010 production - Noel Coward's Present Laughter.

One of the Director's most difficult task is plotting. No, not plans and stratagems, but moving actors around the stage. The larger the cast, the more complicated this is. Actors must be in the right place at the right time. Just imagine the chaos if there was no plan!

There must be no masking - when an actor gets between another actor and the audience, blocking the audience's view. Experienced actors will never allow themselves to be masked - after all, all actors like to be seen! As a result, the Director must plot every move and actors will be quick to point out any move which is clumsy or unnatural. My plotting method is to take a large plan of the stage and a set of counters marked with the character names, and move then here and there like some demented, power-mad Bond villain! The process can last for weeks.

18th May - Pre-Production Meeting. The Director, production team, and Production Manager discuss and review all aspects of the show. A budget is set with the Treasurer and the Stage Director is briefed on the set so that he can begin to organise a construction crew. By now, the Box Office are selling tickets, and Front of House rotas are being prepared for House Managers, Coffee and Bar staff.

Now that I know what my Budget is, I go searching for suitable furniture. I see a genuine Art Deco suite advertised in the local Auction House's catalogue. I go to view it and it is perfect but will the price be above my limit? I am an auction virgin so I'm extremely nervous. The auctioneer starts at £400. Oh well, home I go! But there are no bids. "Start at £300 then." No bids. "£200." No bids. "£150 or I withdraw it." I put up a tentative hand. It's mine for £10 below my limit. Wonderful - and we can probably re-sell it after the show!

Next important date - 6th June. A relaxed meeting at my home so that the newcomers can meet their fellow actors. It's scary enough acting for the first time without the added stress of not meeting the others until rehearsals. We have a pleasant afternoon reading through the play and chatting. I collect CVs for the programme, and measurements for the Wardrobe mistress. We talk about wigs and make-up. The only lipstick available in the 20s was dark red, known as ox-blood. I don't think that name would garner many sales nowadays!

We also discuss cigarettes. The law allows us to smoke in a play where smoking is integral - which is the case for Coward comedies. However, as most of the cast are non-smokers, stage cigarettes will be used. I'll reveal a trick of the trade about these imitation cigarettes [jump to the end of the paragraph if you don't want to have the experience spoiled - ed.]. They must be blown, not sucked, and produce a thin, white vapour which resembles smoke. Now, every time you go to a play where people smoke, you can try and work out if the cigarettes are fake or real!

Everything is going smoothly until - disaster - another actress is obliged to drop out for health reasons. Panic, frantic phone calls, appeals for help, and messages on the Web. No response. And then, the day before that all-important first rehearsal, an actress is found. Huge sigh of relief!

The September slot is a difficult one for a Director because the rehearsal period is July and August - holiday time. You prepare a rehearsal schedule which is peppered with references to missing actors. In this case, the leading character is absent for the first two weeks in August. As there are only 12 pages in the whole script where he is not on stage, it is impossible to rehearse without him. So what is usually a 6-week consecutive rehearsal period is split into two, omitting 1-15 August. The cast have been told that they must use that time to learn lines. Failure to do so will result in death or dismemberment!

Of course, they won't take any notice - who wants to learn lines on holiday?!

Dixie's journey from page to stage continues and the third instalment of her diary will appear in a couple of weeks time.

If you're interested in coming to see the show, please contact the Priory Box Office on 01926 863334 2.00pm-8.00pm. If you want to be involved in any of our forthcoming productions - either on or off stage - then contact us!