As you can probably tell Ive done away with the day and number theme in regard to this blog, which strikes me as quite in keeping with the general style (or lack etc…) the show is taking. Although, in truth, its more about my lack of willingness to count back days to see which day we are actually on.
I’m very smitten with our theme as you know, and have been listening to it a great deal. I’ve been struck by how the style/genre of the theme influences the the style of the show as a whole. Clearly a clean realistic opening would seem incongruous so I’m thinking about encouraging a very, very large playing style.
I like big acting anyway, its always best for actors to be bold in their decision making even when approaching Chekhovian realism. A big acting approach during rehearsals can be scaled back whereas timid ultra realism provides less room for exploration. The nitty gritty, fine detail, inner monologue etc.. stuff can still be explored by starting big and whittling down to the essential/essence anyhow. Concentrating too much on inner monologue and individual character motivation can produce performances where actors are seen to be working in isolation with little sense of inter-connectedness.
A large acting style works well for us, as each of the scripts written thus far, while maintaining the integrity and growth of the two lead characters, feature vastly different comedic styles. From old fashioned straight man / funny man routines through to pythonesque wackiness, physical comedy and farce. As I read each script the style variances concerned me. Was it a simple lack of writing discipline? Had I failed to impose necessary stylistic boundaries to provide continuity? I liked each of the scripts in their own right and didn’t want to place a stamp on the work as something identifiably “Bloke Show”. Perhaps that will occur through my directing style, perhaps the actors will have a chemistry that will produce a style, perhaps a style will develop as we write more scripts… but perhaps it won’t, its all conjecture and I like what we are doing now, free to write what we will without self imposed restrictions, including budgetary concerns. We’ll jump that hurdle if and when it appears. Where there’s a will there’s a way. A large acting style can embrace all comedic styles and provide us with a constant for our audience, you won’t quite know what you’ll be getting , but you know it will be big. As an acting teacher once said to me if you’re going to fail, fail gloriously. We have no intentions of failing but we will be gloriously large.
Hopefully what our audience will experience is a mixed bag of lollies (sweets or candy) each dip into the bag producing something in equal parts surprising and delightful.
Hopefully more substantive news next posting.
Simon
PS Happy Birthday to my brother Gavin!