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This is the fourth rehearsal bulletin from Laura Rogers (Celia). In it, she talks about music, costume and her changing impressions of Celia.

Changing impressions

I’ve actually found this the most difficult part I’ve ever played. Celia talks a lot at the beginning and she leads the pair of Rosalind and Celia; she makes quite a lot of decisions whilst Rosalind stands back at the beginning. Then as the story unfolds, Celia becomes quieter and quieter. She witnesses her best friend falling in love, but she is not quite at that point in her life yet. It’s only once she meets Oliver later on in the play that she understands what has been going on. I was a bit flummoxed at first, because I didn’t want to make her the bland friend that can be easily forgotten about. I hope I have achieved something more than that, although obviously that is yet to be seen. Celia is a lot funnier than I first gave her credit for. She is also a lot more child-like, and it has been a lot of fun putting my personality into the part. In Shakespeare, you’ve got to let the words work for you, but it is very easy to wash over it or to do it all on the same note. So I don’t suppose my idea of Celia has changed, but I have found out more about her. There is still a way to go, but I think a lot will be sorted out when the audience comes in. The audience is that extra part of the show.

Music and the jig

The music is work in progress, the same as us. The musicians have been fantastic, the underscoring really sets the mood and the atmosphere. They are still tweaking but we’re all finding things together which is great. We’ve had the music for the jig the whole time. I love the jig, we all love the jig! It’s actually quite “street-dance”, which is out of context with the play, but it’s a chance to let your hair down, let rip and for the audience to get involved. I think we’re all going to really enjoy getting to that point every evening.

Celia’s costume

The costume develops your physicality onstage. It defines how much you can move. Obviously, when we’re in the court the dresses are very large, quite restricting and tight, so you have to walk and hold yourself like a lady, whereas I tend to slouch in real life (as a lot of people do)! Then when we’re in the forest the costumes are a lot more relaxed, the shoes are flat, and the costume has a lot more give in them. At that point, the playful and child-like element can come out more. I am still discovering all this because we’ve only just had the costumes this week, so we haven’t had long to get used to how they feel. My costume for the forest is very feminine, very pretty, and has lots of layers. It is corseted but it’s not as large a skirt. It’s more like a milkmaid outfit … though posh milk-maid – Celia doesn’t want to go the whole hog!

These comments are the actor's thoughts and ideas about the part as s / he goes through the rehearsal process – they are simply his / her own interpretations and frequently change as the rehearsals progresses.

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