King Lear - Week 5 - It really is showtime

Week 5 – We’ve made it!

We’ve made it into the module.   The set looks fantastic.   The costumes Signe designed and which the costume department at the Royal Exchange put together look like a masterpiece and every time I see a fight or a physical beat I cringe at the idea of the costumes getting ruined… That’s how good they are, or maybe that’s just me giving away too much …

Last week it was all about runs and this week it’s all about runs for technicians, the creative team, running around the module, runs for the ushers, runs for press pictures.

The space opens up more questions - practical ones about exits and entrances:

• “How long does it take you to get to door 5?” 
• “Should you leave out of door 3 instead, because of the quick change?”
• “How long to get the table on and off?”

I’m reading these quotes back and they seem trivial but they’re definitely not.   A slip up here could make the difference engaging or boring an audience.   

Having a keen eye and an alert response in the room is so crucial now - focus is everything and time is King.

Time is a funny old thing.   In our first week we felt we had more than enough of it, but somehow we always knew it would catch up with us.    Tech week comes and its 12 hour days, but despite the moments of fatigue we all seem to flourish.

The event is here, everything is as it should be, all the elements are coming together nicely to create a storm of a play …