Kaitlin Howard’s Blog

I feel like the pressure is slowly easing off on Les Mis even though there is still a million and one things to do. We open a week tomorrow…

The frame has arrived for the projector screen, but the screen itself still needs attaching. We still need the rest of the fixed set building and painting. Most of the props and furnature are finished now, we just need to get comfortable with the scene changes in terms of getting on and off with desks and beds etc. The music is almost done, but there are lots of things still to record and fix to the filmed images, some of which we still need to film. The costumes will be with us on Monday all being well, I will be setting the fights tomorrow, we need to run scenes more and actually set the “business” properly, do some more runs, figure out the lighting, run it some more, paint more scenery, run it again… This may well sound like “seat of the pants theatre company presents” but I’m not at all worried as this seems normal for Oddsocks. I hear you thinking that these kind of last minute things are run of the mill in the industry and the tech all comes out alright as the tech crew don’t rest til it’s all set… BUT Oddsocks’ actors are the tech crew as well as the actors… oo-er…

Things are ok other than that. I’m getting a little frustrated at times as most of my 13 different characters are the nuns, maids and granny types who are mostly background padding and comic crowd people. This means that pretty much as long as I stand in the right place and say my lines at the right time it’ll be ok. The plus is of course that I need not get too stressed as to my motivations (wig in place, accent on the go – all is fine). However, the frustration is, to me, that I feel at times that all I’m getting is told where to stand and how to say things and not to get in other people’s light. Not just by the director. It’s getting me down because I’m not really feeling like I need to be there most of the time as others seem to be trying to make my character choices for me, and mostly just so I’m not stood in the spot they’d like to be stood in. There are five actors in the show, not four and the gurning extra… I know that it’s not intended at all, and no one is doing it on purpose, but I had to take myself off today and give myself a talking to inorder to not explode… typical 3… I think I managed to pull myself back though and felt happier – though still braced for impact – by the end of the day.

Yesterday was excellent though. Kate and I got most of the music recorded for the scene changes (Dear Oddsocks fans, do not fret… there IS still live music in the show – it’s just that Les Misérables le Panto is in equal epic proportion to the novel and sometimes five people just are not enough!). It was fun to sit with Kee recording all the parts of a string quartet I’d written separately as I’m the only one who can play all the instruments and understand my own musical score… Kate has written somereally good stuff and I’ve pulled choirs and string groups and drum parts out of my brain and into reality. I’m looking forward to hearing it all in place.

King Lear is getting exciting too. We have blocked the whole show now and I think it will be excellent. Had a pleasant couple of rehearsals this week, though I think everyone was on the funny water as the mood was extremely jovial. Yesterday was rather good as a couple of weeks ago Guy (Edmund) and I had been discussing how “into each other” Regan and Edmund are when she is trying to make him her husband after Cornwall’s death. We’d had a few ideas, but not really decided anything. We were going over that particular scene last night in front of pretty much everyone in the show, being very touchy when he just grabbed me and gave me a snog! It worked really well and is now in.

I have to say that on other projects I’d got a little bit used to ”the kiss” (actually written in the text) becoming an issue for the guy involved for whatever reason (embarrasment, not wanting to betray whatever it was they really felt, or simply that they were actually married in reality). I’m not bothered by stage kisses at all as it’s the character doing it and as my first one was when I was 17 I’ve had a fair bit of practice… It was just very refreshing to meet a like minded bloke who just went for it cos it seemed the right choice for his character at the time. Well done Guy! We did get to do it about four times too, which could be argued as a bonus!

The thing about it is that Edmund is not Regan’s beloved husband Cornwall and we are trying to establish just how lost she becomes with out him once he dies – that and the fact that Regan and Cornwall’s relationship is mostly based on sex… hohum, I suppose I’ll have to snog Gary too… it’s hard being an actress sometimes!!!

Anyway, tomorrow I’m setting the fights for Les Mis and on sunday I have a full day combat workshop with the Lear cast in preparation for me setting those fights in January. It’s all go – but it’s going to be blooming marvellous!