A Week at The Watermill – the second week of Doctor Faustus

25 January 2011

By Katrin Padel, 6th Form student at The Kennet School

When I saw that there was a possibility for a work experience placement during the rehearsal process for Dr Faustus at The Watermill, I felt that there was nothing to be lost by applying, and I would have an exciting experience if I succeed. I wasn’t disappointed.

Unsurprisingly, the difference between a professional rehearsal process and the rehearsals I have experienced before was striking. Starting with the games on Monday morning, the actors were committed and confidently threw themselves into experimenting. The exercise, which involved picking up props from the room and finding each one more intensely emotional, served multiple purposes. Not only did it allow the actors to focus on beginning work, it also gave them the opportunity to explore the huge number of props on set and set up the difference between Mephistopheles‘ confidence (Olly had to find each object more exciting) and Faustus’ journey into becoming a nervous wreck (Jack’s aim was to become progressively more anxious about each object).

The rehearsal moved quickly on, and Beth’s directing meant that the piece developed very organically. The actors provided an initial suggestion as to where they felt the characters would be in that situation, and Beth suggested changes in those places where the intentions didn’t quite read to an outside observer. There was a strong sense of acceptance, when suggested changes didn’t work. My drama teacher has often said to me that you need to be willing to ‘kill your babies’, and I saw that here time and time again. It Beth’s initial edit, there is one section where Faustus is taken on a journey by Mephistopheles and the group began to experiment with Olly using the props to create mountains and stepping stones in the space. While the free-standing idea worked well, it didn’t fit into the emotional story of the two adjacent scenes, and the whole scene was rejected without fuss for the good of continuity.

The afternoon was watched by a group of A-Level students and allowed Beth and the cast to experiment with their ideas about audience participation (the students found their teacher whirling around in a blond wig hilarious, and needed a considerable space to get back into the emotion – which Beth duly noted once they had left). The structure of rehearsal changed, by its very nature more focused on audience perception, so Beth left them space to ask questions, which provided a clear indication of what they understood of the overall concept.

Aside from rehearsing the scenes, there were other methods used to improve the performance. On Tuesday, the characters of Mephistopheles and Valdes were hot-seated, and, especially with Mephistopheles, it was interesting to see the difference between what he said and what you thought he was actually thinking. Unfortunately, I missed the hot seating of Faustus and Lucifer as normal life got in the way (Maths exam…).
Despite the many highlights of rehearsals, there were low points as well. On Thursday afternoon, the tiredness was setting in, and the hard work of the week could be seen on everybody’s faces. Olly began to lose a handle on the props, dropping the lid of the pills more regularly than he was happy with and the pope ended up with empty air instead of a plate of cake more than once. Luckily, Beth took this all in her stride and broke for 10 minutes and a much needed cup of tea – and everyone returned feeling much refreshed.
Finally, on Friday I saw the whole piece run for the first time. Although there is still work to do it seems that all the ideas come together and are evident on stage. With the actors off script (lines are still a problem even with professionals) I think the show will become an excellent piece of theatre, especially considering the challenges of only having two actors and a small budget. I eagerly await the reaction of the audience when I travel with the company on a day of tour.

Despite the intensity of rehearsals, these first days I have spent in rehearsals have confirmed two things in my mind – that a career in the arts would be immensely fulfilling and that I still have so much to learn.