When I visited a Talking Heads rehearsal last weekend their technical team were busy putting up lights and painting doors. This meant the actors had been sent back to the foyer to rehearse their monologues. It can be difficult to revert to adhoc spaces and random furniture when you have just got used to using the stage space. From what I saw they seemed to be coping well with their temporary arrangements.
Our production of Talking Heads is made up of three separate monologues and initially rehearsals were one actor at a time working with the director. It quickly became clear that it was more fun to have joint rehearsals so that they could encourage each other, watch each piece develop and feel like a cast rather than individual performers.
Each piece has it's challenges, apart from remembering all the lines with no-one to help you out. The actors have to open margarine tubs, put on make-up on stage and shuffle along the floor during a blackout but it was decided that eating toast while delivering a monologue was a step too far!
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Talking Heads by Alan Bennett, 7.45 Monday 20th April - Saturday 25th April 2015
