The poster has involved quite a lot of work, what with two photoshoots and then a fair bit of having to explain again and again the effect I wanted, but ultimately I am pleased with it, as is the cast, I think. The college is associated with quite a nifty media studio – not exactly part of the college, I don’t think, though I am not sure of the exact relationship – and they do a lot of work on SPA’s social media presence. (Personally, I think they could afford to focus on their core business a bit more, that of education, but that seems to be the way of the world nowadays. And the poster is impressive, with a real movie feel to it.
Tonight’s rehearsal too was pretty encouraging, with some of the actors starting to show what they can do. We cast Richa as Juliet because of an outstanding display she gave in audition, but up till now she has been a bit lacklustre. But this evening, she started to turn it on, and maybe the poster, which shows her as a sultry presence, has galvanised her. Bikram as her father too was well on the way to giving a really electric performance. When I played the role a couple of years ago, I really enjoyed turning into the bullying father, and that was one of the scenes we were rehearsing today.
Actually, things as a whole are starting to come together. I have always thought we would get a couple of dancers giving a display of traditional dance as part of the Capulet party, and today they appeared. So maybe the performance is starting to look promising. I have so often enjoyed the moment when you have got most of the tedious blocking procedure over, and can start to see the actors having fun, and that is what we are seeing now. Mind you, there are still scenes we have not even begun to rehearse yet, and there are just over two seeks to go, so absolutely no grounds for complacency.
