Welcome to Waa

by Tamar Saphra (Assistant Director)

It’s ten days into our journey into the land of Waa, and expectedly there’s that ‘I can’t quite believe it's the end of the second week of rehearsals’ feeling resounding amongst the Jack and the Beanstalk cast and crew. To be honest, the sheer amount of different accents flying about in the room is enough to cause anyone to get a little disconnected from time and space, no matter what religion you are…(don’t worry – that’ll make more sense when you come and see the show).

First week of rehearsals was a dive headfirst into Waa, and Jez generously and enthusiastically taught cast members the rustic love ballad that is the Cara Mison, the moves to bishy boshy fishcakes and precisely how Bishy McGwendez might throw the Gottang. Harmonies bounced off the walls and the First Act was loosely blocked and ready to be played around with in week two.
 


Week two consolidated and developed week one’s work and moved on to Act Two. We’ve had an eclectic mix of dancing and sword fighting and we’ve been charmed by the dulcet tones of Jack’s mum, Tina (you’ll of course know her as the famous ‘Tupperware’ Tina) as she laments Jack’s move from boyhood to manhood. Stand out moments in rehearsals so far include the frequent and melodious repetitions from Shepherd Dave of his own name, the all round dedication of cast members to the learning of the freestyle Nowenthian Alphabet and the reminder that there is, of course, nothing funnier than a well-placed fart joke.

Perhaps most importantly, we’ve worked on lots of sections of script reconstruction. It all feels a bit like a challenging puzzle sometimes, finding the best way of phrasing things so they fit just right. One of the best things about this process is that its wholly collaborative, effecting a much deeper investment from everyone into the production. Be it a small shift in the order of some dialogue, or the addition of a section where the audience members are encouraged to shout ‘BOTTOM’ at the top of their lungs, everyone's left their mark on the show in one way or another. 

With the pop-popping sound of Tupperware echoing across the gazoobian mountains and the songs playing round and round in our heads, we're excited to see just what kinds of ridiculousness next week holds in store. 


Grab your tickets to Jack and the Beanstalk here!

 

No comments


Add Comment using the form below.

Fields marked are required.