The Cherry Orchard Diaries: Rehearsal Rewrites & Working With Cast
Hi folks,
Turns out I uhhh got rid of my cat update section on International Cat Day apparently. An unintentional violence on my part. Have restored it alongside the Chekhov quotation fun.
So! What are we looking at today? Well, at about 1am I handed in the manuscript for the play to my publishers which means I can't make big changes anymore, so now seems a good point to talk about the process of rewriting the text within rehearsal. But - today is also cast announcement day! So I'll also give a little space too to how I find working with a cast and give a sneak peek of our lovely actors.
In a perfect world, you wouldn't be rewriting in rehearsals. The design teams would be less stressed. The director wouldn't be thrown off by a wild thought. The actors wouldn't have to strip learned lines and intentions from their head and transplant in new ones.
And with this play, I tried very hard not to make sure I wouldn't have to rewrite. I spent a lot of extra time before going into rehearsals making sure that the play was doing exactly everything I hoped for it. The problem is...once you're in the room, it becomes quickly very clear that, for now, you are an idiot and the other creatives are geniuses. That's not to say that the rigorous efforts I put in before hand were wasted because I've definitely had to rewrite far, far less than other productions (the cast of An Adventure had to put up with me effectively completely rewriting Act Two - though Chekhov did this with Cherry Orchard so at least that's good company) only that you can't account for everything.
The rewrites I've done essentially fall into three camps:
1. CLARITY
Words that felt clear in your head become a fog when they drift between two people. In some cases, it will be something as simple as forgetting to write an exit or to resolve a prop ("Who drinks the beer??" was scrawled at the top of my playscript for a while). In others, it will be a situation where I've not quite done a good enough job of carrying Chekhov's intentions into my adaptation in a way that works with the tone and world I've made. Handing an actor a clearer piece of writing and seeing how they subsequently nail the performance is like watching a person desperate for air finally being able to take a breath.
2. PRECISION
With this adaptation, I have obviously moved the story into a very different story space. Every now and then, that shift will throw up inconsistencies. For example, there was a section where the characters' reactions work beautifully for the original but, in the world of this adaptation, the situation is - very mild spoiler - slightly more urgent. It's not something I spotted during writing but watching it play out you think "Oh. Yes. I think this would probably move at a very different pace if this situation was an emotional reality. Other times though, you'll discover untapped opportunities. Just having the time immersed in a world that's been in your head for years but now has a tangible reality, throws up chances to make this shared world you're making truer to itself in small, powerful ways. Designers are, unsurprisingly, phenomenal at fostering this. (P.S. Get into the habit of thanking your designers and stage management teams publicly)
3. OFFERS
These are the funnest ones! Your actors dig into with what you've given them and, at some point, they reach a sort of Singularity with the play where they know those characters better than you do. That usually happens during the run but you get glimpses of it during rehearsals. So they'll make gestures or movements or even the odd brilliant line slip that make you go "Oh yeah, of course that's what that character would do!"Just yesterday there was an action that came about because of prop necessity that caught everyone by surprise and had us all in stitches. I, gratefully, whacked it into the playtext so that I can pretend it was my own brilliance.
When it comes to delivering line adjustments to the actors, I try to talk through the reasoning of why I've done what I've done both in terms of the piece over all (so, as above, "you're doing a great job, this bit just needs to move quicker") of specifically with regards to their characters. A real learning for me on this project has been setting aside a proper amount of time to do that, rather than throwing those changes in adhoc and without context. Actors really can deal with anything but, at this point, you are definitely sharing those characters with them so I have found it useful to try and act like it.
Which brings me, at last, to the cast. I've said it a lot in these letters but I absolutely love actors and watching them work. I love watching their relationship with the text shift. In particular, I love watching their relationships with each other grow. This time around, I made sure to mark their interactions with each other on the first day of rehearsal. Seeing them navigate the awkwardness, knowing that in a few weeks time they'd (hopefully) be inseparable. So much of Chekhov's work is about deep histories and relationships, a sense of well-worn dynamics, so the actors simply having time together makes all of that bloom in performance. The two actors playing the sisters, for example, were always brilliant together but you can see now they have a greater familiarity of each other's rhythms and comfort. Every joke is that much tighter now. Every emotional beat is firmer. That's the case across the board and it honestly still feels like a privilege to watch them knot their lives and performances together.
Finally, I've been given permission to "soft launch" the cast with this Exclusive Behind The Scenes TM shot. News later today. Can't wait for you to meet their unblurred faces.
Vin x
CHEKHOV CORNER
On cast announcement day, it felt fitting to go with a little show of support from Anton to his company who were performing his play Ivanov. I laughed a lot while reading his letters, but the second line here made me howl on public transport. I'm not entirely sure if he meant it to be a backhanded compliment but ambiguity is very Chekhovian so...
KITTY KLUB
Another guest entry this week. Last Friday, mid-heatwave, the Overground from Haggerston decided to implode. I lingered longered than I should've on a non-moving train simply to indulge in the AC but I had to eventually accept that thought it would keep me cool, it would not get me home. I emerged from the station to find that the buses were jammed but luckily Nico, the assistant director, was caught up in the chaos too and kindly offered to Zipcar'd me south of the river. On the way to our saviour vehicle, I found this little guy luxuriating on a pillar in De Beauvoir Town. No stress. Enjoying the heat. If only, if only...
If you're new to Patelograms and like what you've read, you can subscribe by clicking here.
If you're an old hand, thanks as ever for taking the time.
(The Cherry Orchard runs at the Yard Theatre between 5th September and 22nd October 2022. It then goes to HOME from the 2nd to the 19th November)
Turns out I uhhh got rid of my cat update section on International Cat Day apparently. An unintentional violence on my part. Have restored it alongside the Chekhov quotation fun.
So! What are we looking at today? Well, at about 1am I handed in the manuscript for the play to my publishers which means I can't make big changes anymore, so now seems a good point to talk about the process of rewriting the text within rehearsal. But - today is also cast announcement day! So I'll also give a little space too to how I find working with a cast and give a sneak peek of our lovely actors.
In a perfect world, you wouldn't be rewriting in rehearsals. The design teams would be less stressed. The director wouldn't be thrown off by a wild thought. The actors wouldn't have to strip learned lines and intentions from their head and transplant in new ones.
And with this play, I tried very hard not to make sure I wouldn't have to rewrite. I spent a lot of extra time before going into rehearsals making sure that the play was doing exactly everything I hoped for it. The problem is...once you're in the room, it becomes quickly very clear that, for now, you are an idiot and the other creatives are geniuses. That's not to say that the rigorous efforts I put in before hand were wasted because I've definitely had to rewrite far, far less than other productions (the cast of An Adventure had to put up with me effectively completely rewriting Act Two - though Chekhov did this with Cherry Orchard so at least that's good company) only that you can't account for everything.
The rewrites I've done essentially fall into three camps:
1. CLARITY
Words that felt clear in your head become a fog when they drift between two people. In some cases, it will be something as simple as forgetting to write an exit or to resolve a prop ("Who drinks the beer??" was scrawled at the top of my playscript for a while). In others, it will be a situation where I've not quite done a good enough job of carrying Chekhov's intentions into my adaptation in a way that works with the tone and world I've made. Handing an actor a clearer piece of writing and seeing how they subsequently nail the performance is like watching a person desperate for air finally being able to take a breath.
2. PRECISION
With this adaptation, I have obviously moved the story into a very different story space. Every now and then, that shift will throw up inconsistencies. For example, there was a section where the characters' reactions work beautifully for the original but, in the world of this adaptation, the situation is - very mild spoiler - slightly more urgent. It's not something I spotted during writing but watching it play out you think "Oh. Yes. I think this would probably move at a very different pace if this situation was an emotional reality. Other times though, you'll discover untapped opportunities. Just having the time immersed in a world that's been in your head for years but now has a tangible reality, throws up chances to make this shared world you're making truer to itself in small, powerful ways. Designers are, unsurprisingly, phenomenal at fostering this. (P.S. Get into the habit of thanking your designers and stage management teams publicly)
3. OFFERS
These are the funnest ones! Your actors dig into with what you've given them and, at some point, they reach a sort of Singularity with the play where they know those characters better than you do. That usually happens during the run but you get glimpses of it during rehearsals. So they'll make gestures or movements or even the odd brilliant line slip that make you go "Oh yeah, of course that's what that character would do!"Just yesterday there was an action that came about because of prop necessity that caught everyone by surprise and had us all in stitches. I, gratefully, whacked it into the playtext so that I can pretend it was my own brilliance.
When it comes to delivering line adjustments to the actors, I try to talk through the reasoning of why I've done what I've done both in terms of the piece over all (so, as above, "you're doing a great job, this bit just needs to move quicker") of specifically with regards to their characters. A real learning for me on this project has been setting aside a proper amount of time to do that, rather than throwing those changes in adhoc and without context. Actors really can deal with anything but, at this point, you are definitely sharing those characters with them so I have found it useful to try and act like it.
Which brings me, at last, to the cast. I've said it a lot in these letters but I absolutely love actors and watching them work. I love watching their relationship with the text shift. In particular, I love watching their relationships with each other grow. This time around, I made sure to mark their interactions with each other on the first day of rehearsal. Seeing them navigate the awkwardness, knowing that in a few weeks time they'd (hopefully) be inseparable. So much of Chekhov's work is about deep histories and relationships, a sense of well-worn dynamics, so the actors simply having time together makes all of that bloom in performance. The two actors playing the sisters, for example, were always brilliant together but you can see now they have a greater familiarity of each other's rhythms and comfort. Every joke is that much tighter now. Every emotional beat is firmer. That's the case across the board and it honestly still feels like a privilege to watch them knot their lives and performances together.
Finally, I've been given permission to "soft launch" the cast with this Exclusive Behind The Scenes TM shot. News later today. Can't wait for you to meet their unblurred faces.
Vin x
CHEKHOV CORNER
On cast announcement day, it felt fitting to go with a little show of support from Anton to his company who were performing his play Ivanov. I laughed a lot while reading his letters, but the second line here made me howl on public transport. I'm not entirely sure if he meant it to be a backhanded compliment but ambiguity is very Chekhovian so...
As the prospect of public judgement looms, I also came back to this - seemingly forever worry - about having your work serving as proxy for your worldview."If you come across anyone in New Times proposing to criticize the actors who took part in my play, please ask them not to. They were splendid in the second performance."
"The people I am afraid of are those who continually sniff between the lines seeking out tendencies, and who try to put me down as a definite liberal or conservative. I am neither a liberal nor a conservative, I'm not a gradualist, nor a monk, nor am I indifferent. My sole desire is to be a free artist, nothing more."
And sod it, another one that remains relevant and made me choke when I first read it.
What upper-class writers have always taken for granted, those from humbler origins must sacrifice their youth to acquire.
A useful reminder to the hidden rich kids of the arts - it's not your fault, but proper empathy for the journey others have had to take is handy.
KITTY KLUB
Another guest entry this week. Last Friday, mid-heatwave, the Overground from Haggerston decided to implode. I lingered longered than I should've on a non-moving train simply to indulge in the AC but I had to eventually accept that thought it would keep me cool, it would not get me home. I emerged from the station to find that the buses were jammed but luckily Nico, the assistant director, was caught up in the chaos too and kindly offered to Zipcar'd me south of the river. On the way to our saviour vehicle, I found this little guy luxuriating on a pillar in De Beauvoir Town. No stress. Enjoying the heat. If only, if only...
If you're new to Patelograms and like what you've read, you can subscribe by clicking here.
If you're an old hand, thanks as ever for taking the time.
(The Cherry Orchard runs at the Yard Theatre between 5th September and 22nd October 2022. It then goes to HOME from the 2nd to the 19th November)
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