Actress Ruth Everett plays Lady Capulet in our sold-out production of Romeo & Juliet. She takes us behind the scenes during the all important tech week…
From the first Romeo & Juliet rehearsal, our director, Walter, has rhapsodised about a major cast member not credited on the cast list – the Victoria Baths. Since moving from our rehearsal space on First Street into the baths on Monday to begin our technical rehearsal, “she” (yes, she’s female, for some reason), despite having no lines, is already threatening to be a show-stealer!
Every surface, nook and cranny, every stairway, doorway and window speaks of her history and shows off her remarkable restoration. She’s a real beauty and offers our creative team an incredible space in which to exercise their talents. She’s particularly responsive to lighting and we’ve noticed she changes in character throughout the day and into evening, as the vaulted glass ceilings of each of her 3 pools flood them with natural light. This will undoubtedly effect our performances: for example, on matinees the “black-out” effect won’t be an option.
We were given the opportunity to rehearse in the pools for a couple of days a week from the start of our rehearsal period, so were aware of the challenges of the space before turning up on Monday to begin ‘teching’ properly. However, when we arrived this week, we found that our busy technical team had since inserted a huge mechanical bridge, a trapeze, a cross-shaped raised walk-way, full lighting rig, 86,000 gallons of water, provision for a live band and other countless gizmos. We’d seen Ti Green’s amazing design in miniature when she showed us the model-box (a scaled down version of the set) on our first day, but to scale and within the baths, the set is quite breathtaking.
It seems quite a luxury to have as much technical rehearsal time as we’ve had scheduled (over a week, I think, in total), but what with the specific demands of our Edwardian star-building, along with those of our ever-inventive director, we’ve definitely needed all the time we can get!
The cast have needed this time to get to grips with the geography of the building. So which stairways lead where, how to access the toilet during performances (a very important detail) and how our large choreographed pieces, which involve not only the full cast but also a large ensemble of additional performers, fit in and around the pools.
We’re also having to adapt to the buildings acoustics. The sheer size of the pools as well as the tiles which clad them, whilst beautiful, aren’t necessarily friendly to actors trying to convey complex text with clarity! According to our composer Nikola, the naked voice in this cavernous space carries a 7 second echo, which even the most precise diction struggles to overcome. So, our first day of the tech was spent experimenting with an ingenious sound system which has been set up to cope with this and involves personal radio mics which need to be tuned to the individual voices of each actor, as well as a very clever directional speaker system, plus some wizardry on the mixing deck. I’m amazed at the clarity we’ve achieved – and the vocal range which is now possible. I find I can bellow or whisper and (I’m informed!) still be clear, which is a relief.
This week has also been a chance to try out costumes, work out where we can change between scenes, and whether we can in fact move properly in our shoes/skirts/trousers/wigs, etc. Our patient and industrious wardrobe team have had to find, adapt, or create multiple costumes for approximately 30 people. As someone with massive clodhopper feet, I bow down to them for finding me gorgeous shoes which I can actually run around in (on a slippery tiled floor).
Once the tech is over and previews begin, perhaps the most important and also least predictable element will be added to the show – you, the audience. The promenade nature of this production means that we’ll all be mingling in the space – and we genuinely won’t know what this will be like until the first preview. We’ve experimented by placing any spare bodies amongst the action whenever possible, but simply cannot predict what difference 220 audience members will make!
So, the most exciting (and scary?!) aspect of the show cannot be rehearsed. We, the Victoria Baths and our audience will be creating a new version of Romeo & Juliet with every performance. What I can say with confidence is that we will all be housed in the most extraordinary setting for this beautiful play, for what I predict will be, a unique experience for everyone involved.
Romeo & Juliet runs from Wed 10 Sep – Sat 4 Oct 2014 at Victoria Baths. The production is now sold out. To join the waiting list please call Box Office on 0161 200 1500.