We've got a cast of 5 in And London Burned, playing - so far - 16 characters (and counting). To make the show work, they've got to be able to work in tight ensemble - anticipate each other's actions, breathe together, move together. To help develop this capacity, we've been playing acting ensemble exercises at the start of each rehearsal. This picture shows two exercises in one - 'shoal of fish' and 'leading with different body parts'. In 'shoal of fish', the group tries to move together as one behind the leader, following changes of direction, pace, and so on. In 'leading with different body parts' - well, the clue is in the name. Here, Andy Rupp is leading with his nose, closely followed by (left to right) Raphaela Papadakis, Gwilym Bowen (hidden), Alessandro Fisher and Aoife O'Sullivan.
So far, these are our characters:
Alessandro Fisher: Law Student.
Raphaela Papadakis: London.
Andy Rupp: Duke of York, Dryden, a cloth merchant, a bookmaker, a tradesman, a diseased vagrant.
Gwilym Bowen: a jack-of-all-trades, a numerologist, a Civil War veteran.
Aoife O'Sullivan: a pregnant vagrant, a busy-body neighbour, a young wife, an astrologer, a prostitute.
Rehearsal photograph by Chris Christodoulou
So far, these are our characters:
Alessandro Fisher: Law Student.
Raphaela Papadakis: London.
Andy Rupp: Duke of York, Dryden, a cloth merchant, a bookmaker, a tradesman, a diseased vagrant.
Gwilym Bowen: a jack-of-all-trades, a numerologist, a Civil War veteran.
Aoife O'Sullivan: a pregnant vagrant, a busy-body neighbour, a young wife, an astrologer, a prostitute.
Rehearsal photograph by Chris Christodoulou