Our second audition workshop; at the end of this I would have to be in a position to cast the play, for after this our next session would be a rad-through. One advantage of the space was that some of the lower-hanging baskets and lamps had been removed, which had a surprisingly huge impact in opening up the entire space. On this occasion, we were far more focused on the text, and working in pairs, allowing a far more detailed scrutiny of the capabilities of each actor.
As well as Ariel being played by several people, I have also split the role of Caliban, “the monster of the isle”, into two – this was something I had done before, with Cali and Ban demonstrating the male and female aspects of the the creature. By happy chance, we had an equal number of men and women, so it was an easy matter to pair them up, give them time to prepare, and show what they could do with one of Caliban’s speeches, emphasising the physical. The results were mixed, of course, but there were some spectacularly interesting ideas, and this time the men came into their own, really extending both their vocal and physical capabilities. With the result that I completely changed my mind about who should play the role.
The other paired scene was a love scene between Ferdinand and Miranda, and once again there were moments of pure theatrical magic. One of the joys of the work that I do is that I regularly have the privilege of being excited by such moments. The two of them sitting back to back, yet finding each other’s hands to hold, was quite beautiful. And though it would never be used in the play, there was a particularly touching scene between one of the girls and Arun, the elderly man who is destined to play the aging Gonzago. There is a certain taboo in this country about touching, but the age difference between the two of them seemed to render this inapplicable, and it had a gentleness and respect that was quite moving.
By the end of the evening, although I was utterly exhausted, with illness and an earlier CMS workshop taking their toll, I came home hugely excited about the production’s potential, as well as a complete cast. I know I should not be too complacent; people might drop out, and we will be in a difficult position once again. I found it very difficult to get to sleep, which was somewhat distressing, but the reason was excitement more than anything else; my brain was buzzing with ideas.
