Today was show day
Today was show day!
This was an exciting shift from the much freer content development of yesterday. anything we had decided on was locked in. For me this meant two things; fixing, adjusting and amending the various bits of set and props, and double chcking all that we had spent the evening working on the night before (though i also managed to squeeze in a cheeky Ghost Walk and a couple of pints). Everything settled, we set to running, which brought up an unexpected problem… we had no tech operator! So as the only person not performing, I stepped in! Hattie and George showed me round Q-lab for the first time, and with a bit of experimenting, got the hang of the sound and lighting. The runs were very fluid, with the pacey nature of the show meaning that the action and transitions constantly move it forward. I've always found this very impressive about smoking apples shows, but this sense was renewed tenfold, by having to keep up with them across two tech desks!!! Having worked with the Apples on several smaller pieces its been so satisfying to begin a show with them at the outset. and develop the ideas for the set alongside each chapter of rehearsals and development. Most special has been our trips to cornwall throughout the process. As a Designer I'm very used to trawling the internet and libraries for textures and reference, but our trips have given me first hand access to all we need, from the battered boat sides, to the way in which the patina of the colours of ropes change in the harsh Cornish weather. It has made the process of designing the show a complete joy, and the ability to proceed with complete confidence. The other key element to this chapter of the project is seeing how the new puppet as the character of the son, now named Ben, fits into the show. Alf was great to make, using the textures of the dyed chamois rags to create the deep rough furrows of a fisherman's face, but over the last few weeks i have had the same task but applying it to a younger more metropolitan character. we tried smoother textures, different Chamois, and fabrics, but they all set the characters to far apart. the conclusion was to used the same material for both the Son and Alf, but to use cleaner lines, cut edges and no wrinkles. the effect has been satisfying but seeing him perform properly has led me to think that he still needs work. Overall this juncture in the process has been really exciting; to be on a show that is so developed, and yet still in its infancy. A strong 35 mins under our belts, again, in front of a really wonderful audience in St Ives, followed by an evening of poetry and music by the remarkable Cafe Frug. A brilliant week! Samuel Wyer