Cat Robey discusses her year with our theatre department as part of the Birkbeck Assistant Director Programme…
I was overjoyed when I discovered my placement was going to be at HOME. I was drawn to the focus on international work, supporting emerging companies and introducing audiences to things they may not have come across before.
On my first day, I was thrown straight into the rehearsal room, working as Assistant Director on Quarantine’s Wallflower, a piece of portraiture about dance and memory. Feeling a little shaky as I’d never worked in this way before, I was warmly welcomed and quickly found my rhythm. Watching the performers attempt to remember every dance they’d ever danced was fascinating; at times hilarious and others beautifully heartbreaking. I worked again with Quarantine in early 2016 on the epic Summer. Autumn. Winter. Spring. This company seek to create work that will begin conversations between strangers, working with performers and those who have never stepped on a stage before. Working with them, I directly witnessed how theatre can truly change people’s lives.
In Autumn 2015, I worked on The Oresteia assisting Director Blanche McIntyre. This production was a huge undertaking, I barely slept during the whole rehearsal and production period. Community Chorus Director Michael Betteridge and I worked incredibly closely, training a 55 strong chorus made up of local residents of Manchester, a few of which had never entered a theatre before let alone performed on a major stage with professional actors. I had the time of my life, filled with massive highs of adrenaline and huge lows of exhaustion… a lot of wine was drunk! The day always opened with big hugs all round from Blanche, whose unrelenting enthusiasm, warmth and determination is an inspiration to me. Nearly a year on and I hear members of the community chorus still meet and have formed strong friendships; a testament to the lasting effect the show had on everyone involved.
Over Christmas I assisted Artistic Director, Walter Meierjohann, on his production of Inkheart: a big, fun adventure for kids and adults alike. It was particularly entertaining watching the actors navigate the enormous set. I observed the incredible company Kneehigh in rehearsals for Dead Dog in a Suitcase. The rehearsal room was a riot of colour, energy, music and madness; a brilliant and invigorating experience. I also ran a two-day workshop on Devising Theatre for HOME’s Young Creatives and for the duration of my placement, I was HOME’s script reader.
My final project was working with the fantastic Cuban playwright, Abel González Melo, on Cuba Now, as part of ¡Viva! Walter directed Chamaco, a gritty exploration of Cuban society. I assisted on that and directed the rehearsed reading of Abel’s new play Weathered, about the political landscape in Cuba and the repercussions of a mother’s choice. This whole project was a joy from start to end: the cast were lovely, the writing beautiful and the creative team was HOME’s own in-house staff. It really was one big happy family and a wonderful end to a fantastic year.
