Thursday, 17 September 2009
WORKSHOP WITH ELEANOR RHODE
8th September 2009
While plans are well underway for the production of Tim Stimpson's winning play at The Theatre Royal Margate next year, Net Curtains remain dedicated to providing actors and directors with the creative space in which to nurture talent and forge new artistic links. It is this philosophy that found the company in their favourite haunt - the Coach and Horses in Soho - engaging in a workshop run by Eleanor Rhode, director of the critically acclaimed Generous by Michael Healey.
After a brief synopsis of the play, which concerns four interconnected stories of 'generosity' playing out under the politically charged atmosphere of a minority government in 1970s Canada, the actors began work with extracts from the script. Eleanor and the company started with an electric scene concerning five members of the failing government and set in the disaster zone that emerges after an important parliamentary vote is lost. The motivations for the characters were examined and explored through a series of improvisations and experiments with the script, leading actors towards the urgency the scene needs to portray.
After working on some focus exercises the company moved onto a scene involving two characters who, as the action progresses, develop a sexual bond steeped that is in power-games. The actors had the chance to explore the best way to create this bond and the subtleties of action that denote status and authority on stage. Eleanor used minimal set and props for her production of Generous and she spoke about the challenges faced by performers without these items but also the focus that this lack lends to every tiny nuance of the actor's behaviour.
The evening provided an interesting insight into Eleanor Rhode's directorial style and the chance for the company to work in a 'hands-on' way with a dynamic script. Thank you to Eleanor for her time and we wish her all the best for her upcoming production of The December Man as part of the VIBRANT! Festival at the Finborough during October.
While plans are well underway for the production of Tim Stimpson's winning play at The Theatre Royal Margate next year, Net Curtains remain dedicated to providing actors and directors with the creative space in which to nurture talent and forge new artistic links. It is this philosophy that found the company in their favourite haunt - the Coach and Horses in Soho - engaging in a workshop run by Eleanor Rhode, director of the critically acclaimed Generous by Michael Healey.
After a brief synopsis of the play, which concerns four interconnected stories of 'generosity' playing out under the politically charged atmosphere of a minority government in 1970s Canada, the actors began work with extracts from the script. Eleanor and the company started with an electric scene concerning five members of the failing government and set in the disaster zone that emerges after an important parliamentary vote is lost. The motivations for the characters were examined and explored through a series of improvisations and experiments with the script, leading actors towards the urgency the scene needs to portray.
After working on some focus exercises the company moved onto a scene involving two characters who, as the action progresses, develop a sexual bond steeped that is in power-games. The actors had the chance to explore the best way to create this bond and the subtleties of action that denote status and authority on stage. Eleanor used minimal set and props for her production of Generous and she spoke about the challenges faced by performers without these items but also the focus that this lack lends to every tiny nuance of the actor's behaviour.
The evening provided an interesting insight into Eleanor Rhode's directorial style and the chance for the company to work in a 'hands-on' way with a dynamic script. Thank you to Eleanor for her time and we wish her all the best for her upcoming production of The December Man as part of the VIBRANT! Festival at the Finborough during October.
Labels: Eleanor Rhode, Net Curtains, Workshop
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