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In her third blog post, Joanna discusses blocking the play, how improvisation has helped her discover her character and starting rehearsals for the jig.

Blocking

Last week we were looking at the play in a purely academic way, but now we’re putting it on its feet. We’ve moved into a bigger rehearsal room that can accommodate the entire size of the stage. The only down side is that it doesn’t have any windows, so we’re using a lot of artificial light, which changes the atmosphere. This is my favourite part of the rehearsal process because this is when you start to relate to your fellow actors. The academic part is good to have in the back of the mind, but now you are looking into each other’s eyes, taking things from each other, and noticing exactly who is on the stage with you. I love working on instinct, with spontaneity and in contact with others, and this is what this part of the rehearsal process allows me to do. Sometimes I find that all the talk can get rather stultifying, and the energy seeps out.

This part of rehearsal is known as blocking. It is very tentative at the moment so that things can always be changed. It gives you a rough idea of how you are going to make use of the stage. We have now blocked up to the beginning of the play scene, which we will begin to work on this afternoon. This should be very exciting, as there are so many challenges in this scene. There are many questions about the dumb show, for example. Is it a prelude to the play? Is it something that everyone expects? Is it just as upsetting to Gertrude and Claudius as a play with the spoken word? Do they notice? Today will be about answering all these questions.

Improvisation

We have been trying out some improvisation around the scenes this week, which I find extremely helpful, especially because we were in our rehearsal costumes which makes it all a little more real. We improvised a dumb show around the preparations for old Hamlet’s funeral. This is a scene that would have taken place before the play starts, so all the character relationships are very different. Through this improvisation I discovered that I believe that Gertrude sheds real tears, whilst also having passion for Claudius. I believe that she is in love with them both at the same time. At the funeral her thoughts would have been with old Hamlet and she would make sure that she wasn’t conspicuously near Claudius. Sometimes in these improvisations though, things happen that are not right. For example, in the improvisation Hamlet did not comfort his mother. He kept well away. However, I think this is incorrect. Nothing has happened yet to make Hamlet think any less of Gertrude. After the improvisation, we sat back and said ‘wait, that’s not right’, but it was only through this process that we can begin to discover these things.

I’ve also had another costume fitting this week. I was extremely excited to try on the corset that has been hand made for me. It’s a shame that no one will see it as it is underneath the costume.

The jig

All in all, the most rewarding and memorable part of this week has been the improvisation. Other than that we have begun to work on the jig. This isn’t just going to be a silly dance. It’s sexy, with a hint of death. At this point we are no longer in character, but are working as a company. I am extremely excited about the next week or so, when, hopefully, we will be able to finish blocking.

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 progress.

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