Thursday, February 10, 2011

V&V - From Poland to the Byre, Scotland

So tomorrow I will be travelling up to Fife to join Sarah and George to perform ‘Vanessa and Virginia’ at The Byre. And so over the last few weeks as we have unpacked and re-packed the props and costume I began thinking of our last performances in Krakow, Poland in November.

To be involved in a show like this is very special, not only because of the plays creative and immersive process and the company but also the places we are being invited to makes it even more of a privilege; for the people we meet, the experiences we gain, the food we taste and the adventures we have.

Our journey to Krakow began with our director Emma researching all things Bloomsbury and coming into contact with Tony Bradshaw and the Bloomsbury workshop. His collection was to be part of an exhibition at the ICC called British Bohemia. Mr. Bradshaw thought the play would fit perfectly with the exhibitions program and very kindly became our sponsor to get us to Poland.

And so after another adventure in the airport (including the crafty repacking of boxes and tackling the penny grabbing airline and their weighing scales / bag size cages) we touched down in Krakow. We arrived in a taxi late evening to a beautiful square (which we later discovered was the smaller square but still amazing) and were met by Tony’s son and daughter-in-law who took us to their home for a party. What a welcome! Lovely food and fascinating company. And so our time in Krakow began.

The performance at the ICC was in a room that was again of different dimensions to ones already played and again we discovered new ways of trying to handle the space and also thought of how we may overcome some of the audience not speaking English. I was reminded of a note from rehearsal given to us as we began to run the play in its entirety – ‘Let every moment ripple out’.

Before performing the show I had spent some time looking around the exhibition upstairs, which was excellent, they had recreated a feeling of Charleston and as I walked around it, it helped me reconnect with areas of our research. We had also been to a lecture given by Francis Spalding whose biography on Vanessa Bell I had studied and had clutched to at the beginning of our rehearsal journey. It was the first book I had received when beginning my research. I remember reading it in a very hot Cyprus at the beginning of the summer and being enthralled as I learnt about this women’s moving and extraordinary life. Francis’s lecture gave us more food for thought .

Our second venue was a few meters away from the first but entirely different. It was at the Pod Baranami. A place of great history and interest. A cabaret venue under ground, full of character. The stage was so much smaller than we had played before and the audience so much closer, but the intimate playing space worked so well.

Again as I think back to Krakow I think of how without taking the play there I maybe would never had visited and I am so glad I had the opportunity. As well as performing we had some time to delve into the city. We spent the Sunday wondering the streets and markets and had chance to visit the Schindler museum, which was most moving and an all enveloping experience.

During our time in Krakow we were hosted so well, Tony’s daughter-in-law Martha Bradshaw had sorted our accommodation and held evening meals for us and was able to point us in directions of places to go and see and experience.

Again I left Krakow with a feeling of “what did we just do?” my body full of new experiences and a real excitement for the next time we would perform the play.

To St Andrews

Preparing this our next performance is like unpacking the props and costume; re-stitching together the characters, the words, the connections, the past explorative work and the resonances within us. Its remembering how extraordinary these women were and how the stories within the play can be brought to life and shared.

As the tour continues, however long it is inbetween performances the process of re-discovering the play also involves trusting the work is there in our bones. I am sure that since our last performances I have thought about the play and Vanessa every day.

Also with every time we revisit we will always discover new things, new thoughts and from every performance there will be things we take and develop.

This week we did a full run with costume and props. Emma began the rehearsal with an exercise re-establishing our characters own experiences within the play, resonances and connections of the two sisters. I felt it helped placing the props out on to the stage and thinking and feeling the moments they come into play, the stories they are part of.

Our performances for St Andrews at the Byre Theatre will be unusual as it will be the first time out on tour without our director, which feels very strange for all of us. But Emma has sent us on our way with plenty of thoughts and notes to explore.

Such a vital note from Emma is to drop anchor and stay alive moment to moment.

As I write this I am on the first leg of my journey up to Scotland on the train and I am reading Vanessa Bells memoirs and being reminded of how she saw the world, the colors, the patterns, the shapes and forms presented in every day life.

I have a feeling of excitement, nervousness, and anticipation as we begin to approach our next performance of ‘Vanessa and Virginia’.

No comments:

Post a Comment