Well, we moved out of our rehearsal space for the summer today! Our last regular rehearsal took place today, with Princess Whatsername songs being belted out for six hours straight with barely a lunch break (thank you, everyone, for letting us cut that more than a bit short today!). Singing, dancing, acting, sweating.
I don’t think we laughed harder at any point in the day today than we did in a scene with one of our “special appearance” characters, played by Rachel Tennant, and Prince Reveille, played by Aidan Robertson. There’s some seriously sassy fun going on in that wee bit!
No one seemed particularly tired, despite our late night last night watching Hamlet together. Sixteen kids came out, and the family room at “RTC Headquarters” was jam-packed, but we had a great time. It was genuinely exciting to see how involved the kids were in the action, and how attuned they were to the small techniques and acting choices made to subtly influence our perception of the characters. The kids were definitely looking for those elements, wanting to understand how each actor had chosen to portray their character based on the possibilities for diverse presentations we’d discussed in class. They were wildly amused by Polonius, and I think they were all amazed by the range that David Tennant brought to the lead role. We really can’t wait to see what happens in the live performance at Stratford – and I’m sure it will be fascinating to talk about the differences we see!
We have one quiet day for everyone (theoretically – though there are still a few construction projects going on) and then we load up and move into the theatre on Monday, with the actors coming in on Tuesday. Just a few more days till we open! Are YOU ready to meet Princess Whatsername? There are 40 Riverfront students ready to bring it alive for you on the stage of The Olde Walkerville Theatre! May 22-24 – call the box office at 519-253-2929 for your tickets!
