Reflecting on Rehearsals

Now that the show is up and running, it’s great to see the fruits of rehearsal labour flourishing, and reflect on everything I’ve gained from my experiences as assistant director.Fevered Sleep serve children with the same dignity, respect, and high regard, that you would keep in mind for an adult audience. No detail is left unexplored, every subtle nuance is tweaked to perfection. There is utter clarity in the material that is appropriated to its target audience of 3-4 year olds, and all this without any trite spoon-feeding of information, cheap gags, or the slightest hint of being patronising. This is seen immediately through their high production values, but it runs much deeper than that. There is a delicacy to the performance that doesn’t grab a child’s attention like a loud, brightly colored, jack-in-the-box; but gently draws them in, like a shadow on a wall, or a shape in a cloud, or indeed like a trickle of water.Despite such meticulous attention to detail, there still manages to be a sense of play and impulsive exploration in the piece. The atmosphere in the rehearsal room is very relaxed and open, creating a sense of trust between the company. Each moment is re-visited and modified multiple times. Attention is given to its meaning, its visual beauty, and its place in the overall structure of the piece and arc of the narrative. There is a constant process of intuitive play, followed by analysis, and then amendment and fine tuning, right up until the final days of rehearsal. Aesthetics are a high priority, however it never becomes over-indulgent, as the children and their potential reactions are always kept in mind. Clarity of information, repetition, and sense of fun, are all of up-most importance.The use of water in all its different semblances during the show, makes the production technically complex. Consequently, the crew and set are involved right from the offset of the rehearsal process, to ensure that all elements are refined, and the performers have the maximum rehearsal time with the water.Once the structure is developed and the minutiae polished, the final touch comes when the children enter the performance space. Their curiosity, realisations,  and laughter, create a magical atmosphere, and dictate the pace of the performance. Their joy is testimony to the quality and success of And The Rain Falls Down.