Rehearsals begin for Antony and Cleopatra

After nearly 2 years of planning between the RSC ,Miami Gable Stage and the Public Theater NY, we are finally all gathered in a basement room in Clapham to start rehearsal. An exciting mix of jet jagged American, and perhaps more rested UK actors who were wound into a human Gordian knot with Tarell’s trust games and then gave a very engaging reading of the radical edit which came in on 2 hours, not bad for a major tragedy. It just depends how much the cast start to lobby for cuts to go back in. I am very pleased to be working with Chuck Iwuji again, who was in the RSC Histories company and also a brilliant Buckingham in the Richard III for the Bridge Project in 2011. In some ways this is a similar deal trying to fuse together the acting styles, accents and different theatrical experiences of a very diverse group of actors to make a coherent view of the world of the play. The problem is compounded as the world is really two or three worlds, the Rome of Caesar, Egypt of Cleopatra and all the spaces and boats in-between !So far they all seem to be gelling well and i can see that there should be some smouldering between A and C especially after their Haitian  dance workshop!

Antony and Cleopatra , dirrected by Tarell McCraney, designed by Tom Piper Public Theatre NY model 2013

Antony and Cleopatra , directed by Tarell McCraney, designed by Tom Piper Public Theatre NY model 2013

Leave a Comment

*