Today was officially the first day of term, and so (officially) the day we began rehearsals. I know there were just a couple of rather scrappy read-throughs before Dashain, but really we had barely begun. I have to remind myself that the reason I have come to Nepal is to work on theatre, to put on a play, but actually nothing has really yet got started at all. There have been other things to get in the way, of course: the Odyssey festival in Lucknow, exams and other academic requirements, the long break (during which Val and I did a great deal – Api, Chitwan, Pokhara, Bihun Dahapani Chok (Yogi’s home village) – and all of it was great)… But, to repeat myself, I have not come out here on holiday, but to do theatre.
The one pretty major achievement has been to recruit a cast, and to assign them roles. But once again, this is not yet certain: until every one of them has actually begun to be rehearsed in those roles, I have no real idea of their commitment. And already I have had to modify those plans; Apekshya has departed for the USA, and so needs to be replaced.
But we arranged – or at least, the message was sent out, via WhatsApp – for a first rehearsal to be held this afternoon, after college, for the whole cast. Though I had doubts as to how many would show up; for one (very important) thing, not all students have yet returned from wherever it is they have been. And so it proved.
There were eleven (out of approximately thirty in the entire cast) who were there – so far as I know, the others are not yet back. And though just about all of them were there at more or less the appointed time, things did not start well. Two or three of them were actually very early, and we passed a pleasant enough sociable time, chatting, playing a game, taking some photos (something to which they are all apparently addicted.) And then the others drifted in, but then, for a while, in and out again. They are most undisciplined, running in and out of the Seminar Room, for about a quarter of an hour. So, when they did finally all gather in the same place, I had to have some firm words, reminding them how little time we had, how we could not afford to waste it, that their time was not more important than my time.
After which, I could be nice Chris again. We warmed up, played zip zap boing, and I got them all to try the very beginning of the play, in which a pair of young cricketers arrive on stage, chatting, full of energy, and start to play. I did not expect much from this, and there are only two people in this initial scene, but it was a way actually to introduce them to the play, and to give them all an acting exercise. Predictably, for the most part they were pretty poor – for one thing, we had no bat or ball, so that aspect had to be mimed (on reflection, a very good thing) but there were some lessons to be learnt. For one thing, one of the people there – Roshan – showed himself to be a pretty classy bowler, so he will actually play one of the two characters in the scene. Unfortunately, he is one of the people who is least confident about speaking, but that is something we can work on; teaching someone to be a classy cricketer is a harder task.
But from that point, we did try to block out the development of the story: the first two are Capulets, but then some Montagues arrive, steal their ball from them, play a taunting version of “piggy in the middle”… Until Tybalt and some more Capulets turn up, and the tables are turned. Then the rest of the Montague gang are there, and the play actually begins, with the opening confrontation, and fight scene.
And considering we had so few people there, I was pleased with the result. Aashish was playing the role he will actually inhabit, the leader of the Montagues. And everyone was pretty enthused. But from now on, (or as near to now as I can reasonably expect) we need to be having some real rehearsals, with the actual actors playing the roles they will inhabit. And, crucially, starting to say the words they will need to learn.
Fingers crossed. Everything crossed.
