Wednesday's Rehearsal

Hi everyone, I'd like to start by thanking all those who made tonight's rehearsal, I thought it went really well, the piece is coming together very nicely. For those who couldn't make it, here is a round up of the main decisions and of what you need to think about/get/do before our next rehearsal.

• We did an exercise which helped us generate personal gesture sequences. In this way, each performer should have 5 gestures that they relate to homesickness, etc. For Dana, Elina and Rachael, this is what we would like you to do: Standing with your eyes closed, begin by doing the gesture for homesickness that we have been using throughout the piece. Then try to think of a gesture that to you epitomises being safe and secure at home. Then think of a gesture for travelling (not necessarily the back-pack one), trying to get home/reaching for home/feeling stretched and for your personal physical responses when you feel homesick; e.g. tummy ache, head ache, etc. Learn these and play around with the order in which you do them, making sure each gesture follows fluidly and smoothly into the next. They need to be very clear and pronounced gestures that look very slick when put together. These sequences are going to be used at the very start of the piece before the migration dance and during musical interludes throughout the piece, which have now been incorporated (we'll explain where and when in tomorrow's rehearsal).
• The last Costa coffee scene has been cut.
• We've decided to ditch the slinkies. Although they do connect to themes within the script, they just don't work. We want to keep the train station setting really clear throughout the 12 minute section, and the slinkies are too distracting.
• Costume-wise, everyone is in their own clothes, but ones you would wear if you were about to go on a long plane journey; eg baggy trousers, jeans, t-shirts, etc. Phil will be wearing a jacket.
• The only props that will be used are mobile phones, which all performers should bring with them to rehearsals from now on.
• Things you can do when not performing your scenes: Your migration dance, train station improvisations like watch-checking, talking on mobile, sitting down, etc., Sunday movements, echo gestures of people acting in scenes (a la the 'ripples of gesture' idea).

Alice Hansen