Two long years of strategising, testing, dipping toes, growing, bonding, evolving and redeveloping.

Like battle tested champions, we look forward to an abundant and exciting future. Ready now, more than we would have been if the fabric of time hadn’t taken a long, careful pause. We’ve come back stronger, wiser and with more under our belts. We are coming for you Edinburgh Fringe 2022.

At the very least you’ll have a good laugh, and at the most; a life altering experience. Can’t wait to play with you all in Scotland. See you in the summer.

We're exactly one week into rehearsals and Simon, our Director, has gathered us in a circle to ask how we're feeling at the top of week two. Everyone's tired, a mixture of exhaustion, pressure, worry and a huge sense of no-one wanting to let the other down. All invested, all balancing life outside Earnest. Sometimes it's difficult to see what you've built when you've been the builder for so long. How far you've come doesn't seem that great a distance when you've got eyes on where you want to go. As someone who's come from the outside and is the newest member of the company I wanted to let everyone know what i'd thought. I'll try and articulate it below.

6 weeks ago i'd been invited to audition for Say it Again, Sorry? and their production of The Importance of Being...Earnest? Very nervous, full of coffee and a little bit damp from the morning rain I was greeted by a sea of smiling, warm and happy faces upon entering the audition room. I sat and said hello and had a brief chat about the company, where they'd been, how they'd grown and what Earnest was all about. Then it came time to stand up and dive in. What followed was a total blur (as auditions often are when over caffeinated, nervy and damp) I'd love to recall it all for you but I can't. Maybe that's a blessing, sometimes what happens in audition rooms really needs to stay in audition rooms, possibly this was one of those. I remember a very distinct feeling though. Pure joy. I'd had fun, really good fun. It was the utter generosity radiating around the room, 8 people i'd never met before, who'd never met me, were all more than willing to stand in a space with me and say YES to whatever craziness was pouring out of my mouth. It's that 'yes' that then creates connection, which in turn breeds a good atmosphere and with the atmosphere came the sense of belonging. I felt very connected to everyone in the span of a few minutes. Despite this, imposter syndrome still strikes, somewhere in the shadows hindsight pounces 'you could have done that! or this! or why did you do that?! Oh God did you really do that?!' and you think it may have just slipped. A week later I got a phone call 'we'd love you to join Earnest' I felt quietly humbled.

Flash forward 6 weeks, we're in the circle. My outside view is simple. This company is full of courage, full of heart. They should be proud of themselves, deeply proud and it will be my utter pleasure to sit back one day and watch this slow realisation come to a head when it dawns on each and every one of them just what they've achieved and how they've achieved it. The lengths gone to, the support given, the friendships made. Wilde has a famous quote 'I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being' They're doing this every day with generosity, warmth and, most importantly, laughter. It is my genuine belief that laughter is the world's way of breathing a sigh of relief. And this company's world gets funnier every day.

Isn’t it bloody lovely getting to spend everyday working alongside people you actually genuinely love. People who can crack you up almost every minute that goes by and get you to rise up to challenges you never thought you contend with.

I’m very lucky in this regard and this first week of rehearsals definitely showed me.

This week has been an intense one for me. 9-4 rehearsals followed by work at my other job til around 11:30 plus trying to learn material for a separate show. EVERYDAY. I’m not complaining. It’s great to be busy and I honestly love it but everyone has an off day. Mine came midweek during the rehearsal process. Not only was I absolutely knackered but I also got some rather troubling news - nothing extremely serious but definitely not a good thing to find out when you are burning the candle at both ends as it were.

It was tough. I was doing everything in my power not to break into tears mid scene until I took a look around, had myself a deep breath and realized I am surrounded by the most loving, giving, supportive group of pals I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Together we’ve all been through a lot! We’ve all had bad times but we’ve all managed to pull each other up out of the slump every time without fail. There’s a lot of bloody love in this room! Anyway once again these guys pulled me out of a hole and got the best out of me. The funny thing is, I’m not sure if they even realized but that’s just what happens when you’re a unit as tight as us!

From then on the rest of the week went great. I’m still knackered but like I said I do secretly love it!

Also we got to run the whole show in the space on our last rehearsal of the week and it actually went very well!! How awesome is that?! Seriously these guys are a force to be reckoned with and I’m so glad to be accepted as one of them!

I am so thankful to be working with such a beautiful bunch of buds. We are all each other’s hype-people and that’s pretty friggin' awesome!

I’m going to go out on a limb and be a little earnest here, pardon the pun.

About a year ago we started meeting weekly to develop this crazy idea we had for a show: a play where we would somehow manage to get the audience to perform instead of us. We tested it a couple of times over the summer, got a great reception and said to ourselves, “we should probably keep this going.” Now, without getting into the nitty gritty of spreadsheets, scheduling, and fundraising, there’s actually quite a lot involved in planning for 3 runs of a show in 3 different cities, in a span of 6 months. Not least of all, giving up a whole lot of things you could be doing with that time, and with that money.

Those of you constantly haunted by imposter syndrome will know how terrifying actually betting on yourself can be. But, and this can be our little secret, it’s also quite exhilarating. Once I made the decision that 2020 would be a year to work on projects close to my heart, the rest was easy. Well, not easy. So far I’ve said no to a couple of exciting auditions, a family holiday in Brazil, and a collaboration with some very good friends; and it’s only February.

But it’s liberating. It’s liberating to say, 'I think I got something pretty good here, and I think it’s worth investing in. I think I’m worth investing in. I have a plan for myself, and this is what we’re gonna do.' I’ll not pretend I’m trying to change the world with this play, but I will say it is a project born out of love, that I have enough faith in to see through, come what may.

Stage manager Josh here. Reporting for blog duty.

We continue to rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. As Director Simon Slough says, “a show without rehearsal is like a tree without leaves, an evergreen tree that is, not a deciduous tree because they shed their leaves seasonally”. Simon is very astute, and environmentally conscious too. The paper he uses in his notebook is made of rice and often he can be found eating all of his notes once he’s finished discussing them. Once I pointed out to him that the pen he uses would also need to have edible ink but he turned to me and told me the importance of digesting notes immediately and thoroughly. I didn't press him.

But Simon wasn’t in today, I’m still not entirely sure why - perhaps he’s planting trees, or has a poorly stomach, or maybe he slept through his alarm. Sometimes genius’ need a day off, and sometimes a day off needs a genius. So, I had the honour of stepping in to Simon’s shoes, for a very brief while, just to keep them warm ahead of his inevitable return. You see, I know Simon and I know this show so I was able to channel his very essence - the way he walks and talks and sees and smells and how he always points at the things he’s focussing on….not in an intimidating way but a reassuring way. Being Simon, and being the director, is not easy - not only does he lead and shoulder the responsibility of the entire production but he is constantly in pursuit of a vision, a vision that only he knows. And usually he doesn't tell anyone what that is. So we just have to wait, and see. And be ready.

Simon's absence today can only mean one thing, the vision has changed. Is changing. And he needs time to accommodate, acclimatise, to come back stronger and clearer. For a brief moment today I closed my eyes and I thought I heard Simon's voice inside my head, a faint echo of the sweet Slough tones I know so well… 'Josh, we are all trees. And, contrary to the way I feel about this show, every so often we must shed our leaves, take stock, re-energise, come back with more clarity. Be that deciduous tree you were born to be.' I will, Simon. I will. And I’ll be ready, should you need me to step in again.

Let us all take a leaf out of Simon's book, before he eats too much of it and doesn't come back...

What a fabulous array of rehearsal and theatre spaces Say It Again, Sorry? have had the pleasure to play in! We are very excited to be rehearsing at The Green Rooms Hotel for our two week intensive before The Importance of Being... Earnest? ​opens at Omnibus Theatre in Clapham from 10th March-15th March.

The space at Green Rooms Hotel is HUGE which is fantastic and allows for us to have as many rehearsal observers as we can. It also allows us to stretch our creative (and physical legs). We couldn’t be happier! We are very blessed to have rehearsed and played in some great spaces throughout the company’s history, from The Unicorn Theatre to Blighty Arts, The Pleasance main stage in Islington and even in the middle of a field at Glastonbury festival! All spaces have offered us a different environment in which to discover new elements of ourselves and the shows we create. Focusing on what would benefit the production most is something that can be overlooked when choosing a rehearsal or performance space.

As we taped up the measurements for the stage today on day 2 of rehearsals, it was a reminder that our actual playing space at The Omnibus Theatre is much smaller than the space we are currently in. This means a multitude of factors must be taken into consideration when thinking about space, acoustics, sound, entrances and exits, space behind the flats and in front of it, the measurements of your set and props - which will all be affected by the change of space.

Another little revelation I had today was how, in a way, human beings are their own spaces. They can change an environment by their own structure, or gesture, or energy they give out. Today there was great energy in the room which created a really supportive environment! Our rehearsal observers were alert and enthusiastic and together we came up with solutions and ideas that were big and bold and bloody bizarre and I cannot wait for you all to see the show we have created together!

Couldn’t stuff another morsel of joy into today!

Green Rooms in Wood Green

We were graciously welcomed into the most magnificent of halls. Green Rooms in North London is a space made for artists. Its hotel offers discount rates to makers of art, they do a decent oat flat white and their hall… Their beautiful hall is everything you’d ever need to get you in the mood for a play set within a late Victorian play.

A new Slough from Slough

New cast member, gentleman and (new) friend, Alex Phelps was inducted into the group. A brand new creative genius to add to the mix, bit of fresh blood! Can’t WAIT to spend the next two weeks working with this magical thespian.

Observers observed

Dearest and beloved former Cecily - Andrew Gaitskell - arrived to observe the rehearsal just in time for a game of ninja. (Rhys won - it was epic). We had a few more awesome observers in to see what we were up to, and let me say; we were up to some pretty special stuff.

Petticoats and swords

We had the pleasure of spending most of today with the highly skilled and enormously fun Jonathan Holby. He reworked Guido’s one man sword fight, bringing out all of Guido’s natural talent and sultry swagger. He then carefully and expertly carved the group fight into a dance of comedic violence.

I won't give any more away. You'll have to come and see for yourself!

Stepping out of your comfort zone is never something that's going to feel particularly enjoyable. Not initially anyway. That's always been my experience.

Our brains are designed to protect us from risks, so unless we can automatically numb the fear responses we're going to get, we're more likely to be quite stressed when we do step out of our invisible circle of protection and turn into a walking talking self-doubt cloud that just wants to curl into foetal. But whilst feeling all this, we try to hold it together, soldier on if we can and usually say things like “I'm good” or “Yeah, it's been super interesting”, or if you're really honest “I'm fine” with a Cheshire cat smile.

What the hell am I talking about? Why am I making these statements? Well, these last 2 weeks I've been in the midst of writing, developing and performing a physical theatre piece about female friendship, as a queer woman. It's quite a personal project, but at the same time I feel the responsibility of making sure the piece doesn't just reflect my story or Marta's (co-creator and co-performer of the piece) story, but that it touches on friendships between women more broadly: the highs and lows and everything in between, whilst also keeping a level of specificity to make things land. Ambitious, yes. And we are really only just starting. Some things work, some things don't. We’ve tried them out and our audiences have been quite generous and given us invaluable feedback. The moment before showing it (TERRIFIED) and even the hesitation I had about inviting people to the first showings (because guess what, I was TERRIFIED) made me realise how ridiculously irrational our fears are.

So what does this all have to do with SIAS? Well, I see great similarities with what we are trying to do with Earnest. We are making our own work (with a little help from the ghost of Mr Wilde perhaps... Does he whisper to you in your sleep Josh?). We want to make people laugh and create a different experience for an audience, make them the core of our show. And we are doing it. We are getting on with it. We are making own work: terrifying! But the terrifying elements form the ingredients for the terrific, because there is nothing like the laugh of a stranger who has no reason to just be polite. So make your own work, damnit, and terrify yourself!

How to Make Friends with Sponsorship

For anyone dreading the job of securing sponsorship or support for your theatre company, show or creative project.

PLAN

Write these questions down and then answer them:
• Why do you need sponsorship?
• Why can’t you do without sponsorship?
• What do you want? (Don’t sell yourself short. Ask for what you WANT, not for what you think you might get.)
• What could you currently offer in return?
• What could you offer WITH sponsorship/support?
• What companies are creating the materials or resources you need?
• What companies share a similar ethos or aims?
• What companies have a track record of investing/sponsoring/supporting the arts?
(You can often find sponsors logos on leaflets and posters, or at the bottom of theatre company or organisations' websites.)
• What contacts do you already have?

Make a spreadsheet of all potential sponsors. Include:br> • Company/organisation name
• A short description of their company (where they are based, aim and relevance to your proposal)
• Link to their website
• Main contact
• Date you last contacted them
• Status of contact

Create a sponsorship proposal based on the above information.
(There are some great blogs/info out there about this.)
Feel free to email louise@sayitagainsorry.co.uk and I will send you an example of our proposal for Easel Peasel.

Click here (https://practicalsponsorshipideas.com/create-a-winning-sponsorship-proposal/) for one guide on how to make a great proposal (scroll down to Step 9 for ‘Key Sections of Your Sponsorship Proposal’), although you may want to find one that works for you!

FIND

• Call or head into the store to get the correct contact - someone who specifically deals with sponsorship or support. The person that can essentially say ‘yes’.
• Use email as a last resort or for a follow up after the initial conversation.
• Keep your sponsor status updated on your spreadsheet, this will help with follow ups.
• Research each potential sponsor carefully.

CONNECT

• Send your proposal.
• Wait a respectful amount of time before following up (two weeks is normally good).
• Make an appointment in person to discuss the proposal further (if they agree, they are interested, this is great!)
• Tell your story - be honest and humble.
• If an agreement is made - have all terms and conditions and offers in writing in a follow up email.

KEEP

• Put measures in place to ensure you deliver your promises.
• Surprise them where you can - go above and beyond what they expected.
• Keep them interested with new possibilities for exchange and develop your relationship as much as you can.
• If something isn’t quite delivered how you expected, be careful not to burn bridges too quickly, assess the situation objectively and accept what you have been given graciously. Think about how you can protect yourself from this happening more than once and find alternative support or solutions if things do take a turn for the worse.

The word sponsorship once left me cold and confused. It felt like an elite opportunity floating above my head that was just not available to a working class artist. To the unacquainted, sponsorship can seem like begging or selling parts of one's soul to capitalism. It leaves a bruise on the ego when accepting that actually, you cannot be the sole breadwinner for the creative ideas you have carried and birthed into life.

However, sponsorship can lead to really beneficial relationships. It’s simple producing when you break it down. You just have to keep going until you feel like you can take a step forward - because any kind of support, financial or otherwise is absolutely yours to experience and you are deserving of it.

‘What ship never sinks?”
Friendship Sponsorship.

If you have had success with sponsorship and have additional tips or ideas that I may not have mentioned, or if you are having difficulty and would like to ask a question - please do email me at louise@sayitagainsorry.co.uk with your best joke in the subject header :D

The past month of Mondays have consisted of similar things;

- Re-Writing Earnest
- Producing the Earnest Tour
- Lunch

Today marked the ‘pretty much’ final re-draft of our script. Our goal since July has been re-drafting our 95 minute play into a 55 minute play. Our latest read-through came out at 35 minutes, which is perfect as we have at least 20 minutes of action which we didn’t account for in the read-through.

As part of the final stage of re-drafting (until we start workshopping), we asked a friend who saw our preview in July to take a look at our latest draft and share their thoughts. The feedback was very helpful. Whilst agreeing with some points and vehemently opposing others, receiving the outsider’s feedback made us re-evaluate some critical parts of the show as well as making us double-down on some other elements we hadn’t fully committed to previously.

Following our writing morning, the second half of the day became focused on producing, with a particularly scary task to start it off: Booking the accommodation.

The reason this is so scary is that, due to wanting to book our space before the prices hike up in 2020, we’re booking accommodation for a big part of the tour that isn’t actually confirmed yet. The place is SO CHEAP though, that it means we can reinstate the recently cut ‘food budget’, as well as add substantially to our marketing budget.

We were able to book our accommodation so early because we’ve surpassed a huge financial milestone: 80% of total funding complete!

This got me very excited about this certain part of the tour (not sure if I’m allowed to say what it is yet), but it’s something I’ve wanted to bring a team to for a long time and I’m pumped for what 2020 has in store. If this spectacular project somehow goes to plan and we manage to pull it off, I’m going to consider every member of this team a bloody hero.

As I start working with Say It Again, Sorry, our first meeting reminded me of something that I thoroughly enjoy, and rarely get to experience in my freelance PR capacity - how a group of artists, together, can brainstorm their way into new and exciting work quickly and effectively.

It’ll come as no surprise to the readers of this blog that Say It Again, Sorry are a creative bunch - their shows speak volumes about their ability to take a series of ideas for performance and merge them together into an exciting new concept. One of their greatest strengths is their openness to new ideas, coming from any member of the company or fan, at no place more visible than in their open rehearsal policy. And it was absolutely delightful to experience that in a meeting room as much as in the rehearsal room.

My creative background in theatre and performance is not something that often gets called upon in theatre press and public relations - sure, there are inventive ways to get a message out to as many people as possible, and a big part of what makes me good at what I do is finding a way to share the work, ideas, goals and aims of a company in a single press release or similar. But it was particularly nice to be invited into a group with that specific job in mind, but then also to be able to comment on creative plans moving forward.

I’m not going to comment on what the creative plans are - but suffice it to say that they are very juicy indeed. Having a company that can combine performance in theatres, street performance, and improvise around how both of these might interact is particularly exciting, especially when considered in the wider UK theatre landscape. A lot of UK theatre is locked into buildings, venues or festivals where they have to follow strictures and guidelines as to how pieces come together - much of the industry is trying to find new ways to engage with their audiences, but with the high bar to entry of theatre ticket prices and snazzy, expensive locations, that’s a difficult task. Working with a company who can move through this with such ease is such a joy.

I realise I’ve written all of this without saying too much about me - hello! I’m Chris - I’m a freelance theatre PR, and I’ll be working with Say It Again, Sorry for the next year or so, helping them spread the word about their work. Hopefully, I’ll be able to write more of these for you about how we’re working together as we move along! You can find out more about me and what I do at chrishislop.com.

Well, there are a number of reasons, but the primary is definitely the desire to shape the future of theatre.

The general consensus is that we’re damn tired of seeing safe theatre. We’re in London for Christ’s sake. The forefront of live performance, an industry thriving with talent and opportunity. A huge pull for tourism, stages on every corner of every street in every borough. And yet, somehow, we see the same names, the same producers, the same performers, the same boring shit spewed on stage without a single edit to scripts that have been on the circuit for 30 plus years.

Come on London! Shake it up a little! Who needs another dated “classic” on the West End? (Fiddler on the Roof. Ppfffft, honestly.) Theatre used to push boundaries and make social comment - but now it’s turned into a football-esque, money making saga with big name producers opting for low risk endeavours and in turn snuffing out the flames of young, edgy, fresh talent.

So why produce our own work? Because someone has to try something new - and why the hell not us?

Being pioneers hands to us a certain level of responsibility. That responsibility means not producing shit work. As an entry level theatre reviewer, I must say - the level of fringe work I have seen lately has been ridiculously disappointing. I blame a lack of self criticism for this. You’re in a tiny space, you have no budget, you’re doing everything yourself and it’s not very likely you’ll make a cent in the process. So the ego takes over, this huge feat of putting on a show and having to make it work means that the work becomes precious - and we all know how Smeagle turned out when that happened… it’s not pretty, it gets weird and you end up looking pretty pathetic to anyone who thought they saw a sparkle of hope buried in your self pride.

What’s the solution? Constructive criticism. I’m not saying you have to be an Alfred Hitchcok, but I’m also not saying that a little perfectionism didn’t turn him into one of the best filmmakers of all time. Honesty is an amazing tool for making something better, and I’m so grateful to be working with a team of honest, collaborative and efficient theatre makers who share the dream of doing something that no one else is doing. The only way it works is to look at our work critically and to gently pry away and the stuff that doesn’t add any value to the piece. It’s meant that we are currently working on draft 45 of The Importance of Being...Earnest?, despite the massive amount of commitment it takes to put something like this together, allowing ourselves to be brutal and slashing it apart once a week means that we are building up to the greatest play the world has ever seen.

We are a generation of; mollycoddled, spoilt, “you-can-be-anything”, you are special and unique millennials. And while a lot of great anthems about having fun and living our best life has come out of that upbringing - nothing builds character quite like struggle and we intend to struggle! We have to if we want to produce a play that breaks all the boundaries of safe theatre. A play that offers an audience a once in a lifetime and unforgettable experience.

Theatre makers, I challenge you to review your work with a critical eye. I challenge you to look at your goal and make sure that your ego doesn’t get in the way of you reaching it. Break it all down into sections - “what didn’t work, can we fix it or should we scrap it?” and “what worked and how can we make it even 1% better?”. Once you’ve dismantled the barrier of feeling precious about your work and the creative process you’ll find yourself feeding your energy into something with potential and who knows, the West End might decide to loosen up a little and shine the spotlight on theatre with a voice for a change.

After more than six months of developing The Importance of Being… Earnest? and with two unforgettable

After a month of regrouping from our unforgettable shows, the process of rewriting had come

The art of rewriting is

If writing is the sordid love-affair, then the rewriting is the

Rewriting is the worst part of

Rewriting is the best part of the process. It’s like upgrading to a buying a new suit, after straining your old one at the seams at the seams of your old one for years.

I’m ashamed not ashamed to admit that my usual rewriting process is unconventional conventional disorganised lonely hardly a process at all. That is to say, there is no set way that I go about it. No rhyme to my reason. I do not plan it. It may well be the same for every writer, but I find the tried and tested trick of a kettle constantly on the boil, a spare pack of bourbons in the cupboard and patiently waiting for the beast within inspiration motivation to come is the best way.

Probably the only helpful thing that I begin a rewriting session with is the phrase, ‘kill your darlings’.

The idea of killing your darlings was drilled into me during my masters, and, despite its assumption subtext implication that there will be some reservations in rewriting something that you initially thought (and might still think) was a moment of genius pretty good, I have never had much problem with this myself. I’ve been in the business Killing darlings is like therapy. I tend to think of all my written work like someone who’s realised the perfect comeback they could have used in an argument that happened hours ago. Only, in the second go around, in writing, you can just go back and change insert that beautiful perfect takedown, retconning your own failures and

Wait, no, scrap that whole thing.

Killing darlings is like therapy. I tend to think of all of my written work like someone who’s realised the more diplomatic comeback in an argument where they initially flew off the handle [clunky phrasing]. It might have seemed like the best thing at the time was to shout and scream, because that was the truest emotion you felt at the time. But on going back and taking a second look looking back, with a clearer head, there were better, calmer, more subtle ways to win the argument. to bring your adversary around.

Unlike bananas and opinions on immigration One’s writing talent improves with age, I think. And that timescale doesn’t have to be years. You’re not a better writer in five- or ten-year increments. You can be better after a week. Even going back to something the next day will have given your latent brain the time to mull it over and improve on it. I don’t know what magic this process requires, or what evolutionary gift allows our brains to do this unconsciously (problem-solving? Memory-making?), but I am thankful for it. With that in mind, here’s my only piece of genuine advice that I will give: if you are having trouble finding your way in a play or piece of writing, sleep on it, turn your mind from it, and the answer will bubble to the top, eventually, like frogspawn bubbles what no a dead fish [come up with better metaphor before sending]

Whatever you’re writing, you have to approach the process of rewriting the same way every time

The process of creating a play with Say It Again, Sorry? is unlike any other project I’ve worked on before. My experience of

[Too rambly and personal – needs to refocus]

Let me start again.

Rewriting is the best part of the process. It’s like buying a new suit, after straining at the seams of your old one for years. It was a nice suit, but, hey, it just doesn’t fit you anymore.

Going back to the drawing board with the script of The Importance of Being… Earnest? after more than six months of developing it, two unforgettable shows under our belt and a team that feels more like family, hardly seems like rewriting at all. It feels like our proverbial baby is becoming a toddler.

I could go on for pages about how I struggled to come up with helpful ways to structure a rewrite, and how I failed to find a way to transpose my poor technique of coffee, biscuits and staring at a screen onto a group workshop scenario, but I will not. Because the struggle, as it often is with a writer, was all mine, and rewriting your own play is a lot different to rewriting something you have developed as a team.

Just as all the issues of a play will disappear throughout rehearsals, with actors finding justifications, better phrasing and filling plotholes that are too difficult to see from so close a view as a laptop screen, the problems anticipated in a rewrite vanished when presented to the Say It Again, Sorry? team. We, as a group, are never short of opinions, and never shy about reworking an aspect of our company in order to ensure that we can press on in the way that makes us happiest and most satisfied. In spite of my reservations, six hours of discussing the rewrite flew by, and my notebook was filled.

I have no doubts that this show will continue to get better and better the more we work on it, not because we have uncovered some secret to rewriting, or redeveloping, or even because we improve with age. It will be because we are continuously enjoying the process, putting trust in our friends and realising that the darlings are maybe not there to be killed, but to be recognised, celebrated and improved upon together.

Say It Again, Sorry? manifested because three friends and I wanted to go to festivals and we were offered an opportunity to create and test a new show at Nozstock Festival in 2018. Fast forward a year and a half and an idea we came up with at Blighty Cafe in Tottenham and solidified over a BBQ in our back garden is soon to be a legally incorporated theatre company with two successful shows under our belts and a scheduled 2020 tour - not to mention pretty awesome business cards that we love to whip out at every opportunity with the question, ‘business or pleasure?’ (people ALWAYS choose pleasure and I love them for it).

The reason why I mention this, isn’t just to congratulate the achievements made but to talk about a very serious thing that for me, isn’t very pleasurable to talk about: business and sustainability. I’ve just finished Say It Again, Sorry?’s first of two ‘Company Ethos & Marketing’ meetings and I’m on a bit of a mission. I’m on a mission because of the following questions that are swimming around my head during the aftermath of a very rewarding but exhausting year creating, producing and performing in a new interactive production, ‘The Importance of Being...Earnest?’

- How do artists turn an enterprising creative idea into a sustainable business that supports and develops those that have put a lot of free time and energy into it? (Myself included)

- Is it necessary for every successful creative idea be turned into a sustainable business?

- How do artists maintain enthusiasm and resolve during the ‘after show blues’, especially if finances are low and the future is unclear? (Myself included)

- How can artists help propel each-other through a crucial incubation time for an emerging theatre company, when rehearsals and warm-up games have been replaced with year long marketing plans and meetings called ‘Social Media/Marketing’ and ‘Finance/Budget/Review’.

- How do artists facilitate an environment where all of the above can happen and they don’t want to hibernate under their duvet for the foreseeable future and never adult again. (Again, myself included).

I of course, wish I had all the answers. I don’t, which is why I am writing a blog about it as an exploration- or at least the beginning of more questions. Having said that, my immediate response to the above was to create a MINISTRY OF FUN! Which has very seriously, definitely happened and is led by Trynity Silk, Meg Dixon and I. We are ready to infiltrate the budgets with dancing worms as the number ‘1’ and shouting THE FLOOR IS LAVA during particularly important meetings. (I wish this was an adequate response to all life’s problems).

On a more serious note, I’ve learnt over the last few weeks that those who create a company (which can be as simple as a company of individuals bound together by passion and an idea) are not necessarily required to follow any preconceived system, especially a theatre company who are developing an entirely new concept of theatre-making. Why not bring that ingenuity into the foundations of how the company is run, as well as the theatre we make? Sometimes it is great to have a blueprint or previous experience as guidance but it does not need to be the only manual, especially if you want a different outcome than the person who originally wrote it!

For anyone trying to make this theatre company business work with very little resources and no Arts Council Funding (we aren’t bitter at all), it’s easy to become bogged down when a cub you nurtured from infancy now needs social media posts, investors, funding and storage space for set and costumes fed down it’s many beastly heads in order to survive. However, you lead the company, it should not lead you. Plus, how often do you get to cultivate and develop your creativity with people who inspire you on a daily basis? I began by asking myself; ‘if i could go to any meeting right now, how and where and who would I want it to be with?’

What I am trying to say is - if you want to play a game of Ninja and have your meeting outside in the sunshine with a beer in the park, can I join? If you want to come up with improv games and deliver your whole meeting impersonating different politicians, or wear stick on moustaches and oversized bowler hats for the finance meeting because really your a big kid and numbers confuse the hell out of you, do it! Especially if the results are infinitely more productive working with a language you understand. We’ve chosen the Artist’s way and sometimes it’s easy to forget the benefits and that celebrations must be had along the way or it all feels like a bit of a slog. Creative people have a lot of resolve and are highly skilled in so many areas but I feel they can become overlooked or even fairly shy when dealing with the notion of ‘business’, as if it’s an elite club that they don’t deserve membership for. For me, it probably comes from a lifetime of having to constantly undermine or prove what my work is actually worth based on what people are willing to pay. So if people are willing or unable to pay me anything, am I in fact worth zero? Through the development of Say It Again, Sorry? I am discovering that I reach the bar that I set for myself, because I had to reach it to put it there. Yet there is an opportunity for a new perspective, one in which there is no bar. Creativity is what got me here and creativity is what is going to figure out the questions above - I am determined not to let the business get in the way of the pleasure because who decided we have to choose just one?

'Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.'
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Over the past two Monday’s we, Say It Again, Sorry?, have been reviewing our process so far. Having taken every element of the process/production apart, ranging from ‘the printer’ to ‘contracts’, we then analyse it with the idea of;

What was it?
What was good about it?
What was the mistake?
Why did the mistake happen?
What do we put in place to make the mistake not happen again?

We dissected the whole show & process into around 120 elements. The goal as a whole was to improve every element of our creation process by 1%, hopefully accumulating into a huge improvement in total. This idea came from Matthew Syed’s Black Box Thinking. (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Box-Thinking-Surprising-Success/dp/1473613779).

The difficult thing about this process is facing your failures face on. The natural instinct is when confronted with a mistake of yours, is to justify why it’s a one-off, external factors, technical errors or somebody else’s fault. Being able to take ownership and figure out the logistics of why each mistake happened, means we can put procedures in place to make sure they don’t happen again and we can improve that part of it by 1%.

Covering larger topics including re-writing the play, diversity and our new show. The hardest task was balancing everybody’s passion about each idea with our time limit. To create an outlet for everybody’s passion and idea’s, we’ve scheduled our next few Monday’s specifically about certain topics which can be expanded more thoroughly. This includes:

Company, Ethos & Marketing
How to approach the re-write
Finance & Budgeting
Easel Peasel & Workshops
New Show
Design

We’ll continue to review these specific areas over these Mondays, but the focus is on how we adapt and move forwards in those areas.

Another exciting discussion we had was about expanding our open-ness, to improve accessibility by live-streaming our meetings & rehearsals, so anybody can see the (our) reality of creating theatre. We aim to start doing this on the 26th of August. Being well aware that it will take a lot of trial and error to get it to work well, this will take our ethos to completely uncharted territory.

I’ll end this blog post on the quote I read which opened our 2 week review:

'The evolutionary process cannot function without information about what is working, and what isn't. This information can come from many sources, depending on the context. But, professionals working on the ground have crucial data to share in almost any context. Healthcare, for example, cannot begin to reform procedures if doctors do not report their failures. And scientific theories cannot evolve if scientists cover up data that reveals the weaknesses in existing hypotheses.

That is why openness is not an optional extra, a useful cultural add-on. Rather, it is a prerequisite for any adaption worthy of the name. In a complex world, which we cannot fully understand from above, and must therefore discover from below, this cultural requirement trumps almost every other management issue.'

Boy. So I came in 25 minutes after the rehearsals had started, after figuring out the maze of the Unicorn Theatre. I entered and the cast and crew were discussing the characters and the nuances of their relationships and how that ties in and where we can see those relations within the play. They then began to run scenes, at which point I was asked about my dancing ability and it was only uphill from there! I was able to perform in a few scenes and then join in the discussions just to give an outside perspective.

I felt very eager to get back on stage! The camaraderie between the cast/crew was great which made the whole experience pleasant on stage & off stage.

We are constantly in need of learning and seeing how different directors, producers, stage managers, performers et al organise and execute things is a great way to observe and learn first hand. I would love if someone who wasn't experienced in the arts came down and took part, I'm sure they would consider and see things that cast/crew may not necessarily pick up on.

As a writer and a theatre-maker, interactive theatre is something I have always been interested in creating but I have only mainly experienced it as an audience member - I wanted to know what it was like behind the scenes.

As soon as I stepped into the rehearsal room, I felt comfortable. Everyone was warm and welcoming and it was clear that the team clearly enjoy what they do. It felt nice to turn up as someone who works in the industry but wasn't required to perform, just participate. It's fun to be on the testing, playful side of things. I felt like I was in safe hands - which is crucial because - spoiler alert - I found myself in the middle of a pretty epic sword fight scene!

It was interesting to have the writer in the room and also see the actors’ contributions too. The atmosphere was collaborative and fun, and I think this will clearly show in the resulting performance!

Being involved in the capacity of shadow director to Simon for over a week now, I can honestly say, I already feel like part of the family. I’ve been fortunate enough to have been given the opportunity to be in the room with this talented, enthusiastic and humble set of individuals as they embark on their final weeks of rehearsal before showcasing their new work ‘The Importance of Being... Earnest?’

It’s Day 6 and it’s been an absolute pleasure and an incredible learning experience so far, for me as an emerging director. I am so excited for the week to come! The effort and initiative SIAS take to make their process an accessible one for all, deserves all the praise and admiration, and is something that all members of this industry can and should learn from. From Day 1, their energy as a company has been infectious and I can’t help but comment on how seriously (with all the jolly banter included) they take the work they make and how much they respect one other and all the individuals that walk through their rehearsal door. Simon has literally taken me under his wing and has been so generous with the input of knowledge he has given me so far.

This, I am so grateful for, alongside the welcoming I’ve been given by the cast and members of the company, who are all equally brilliant, open and down to earth. I feel I have been empowered to speak and make my voice heard, even though I’ve come in 2 weeks before their opening. It’s been 6 days of hard work, laughter and ninja, and I couldn’t have possibly imagined any better way to spend my time. This show is the perfect way to spend your Monday 15th July evening (cheeky plug) and for anyone eager to gain some insight on immersive work, what it takes to run a theatre company, or meet some new and wonderful people, supporting SIAS’s original shows or getting involved in any of their open rehearsals is probably one of the best things you can do this year. From the incredible adaptation and transformation of this classic text by Josh King, to the clever design by Jack Lowerson, to the performances of all of the fantastic actors involved in this company and finally the witty and precise direction given by Simon Paris, the love for this show is oozing from every angle.

I look forward to what’s next for these guys and again, I’m so lucky to be a part of this first showing of TIOBE. I hope I can have my hands many a time destroyed in a game of Ninja for the foreseeable future. To all you readers, getting to know these guys and their work has been one of the main highlights of my 2019. Make it yours too. Thank you SIAS, all my love X

Rewriting Oscar Wilde is a strange thing. Sometimes, it feels like covering a Beatles song. Who the hell do I think I am, someone who isn’t the inimitable Oscar Wilde, imitating Oscar Wilde? Abridging him is fine, because for every great line you take out, there are two that you can keep in. Importance, especially, is like a hydra for good lines. Wilde also has the (bad?) habit of chucking in witty lines wherever it suits him, whether it’s relevant or not. It’s not a criticism - in fact, it’s great for anyone wanting to adapt his work – but a lot of his work does read as though he’s thought of witty lines, added them in, and then used the excuse that all of his characters are just as desperate as he is to say something quick and dry to justify them. So the issue of cutting and hacking the original never came up, because you only need a few Wilde-isms to pass it off as something Wildean.

The impostor syndrome comes from the occasional moments where I have to make up a bit of dialogue myself for Wilde’s characters. During these intensive rehearsals, there are moments that come up when we discover a gap, or something doesn’t quite work the way that we thought it might. At these times, I might have to write something Wildean to fix it. It’s not for me to say if these bits are any good or not, but regardless, getting in the Oscar Wilde mindset is about as fun as it gets for a playwright. My cheat-sheet for doing so is to get a character say something mildly controversial (‘I don’t much care for cocktail parties’), then have another character ask them why, in the spirit of mild debate (‘But you always meet a lot of interesting people’), and then have the other bring them down with some unexpectedly cynical logic (‘Exactly, and they are such a terrible distraction from the cocktails’).

Sorry, Oscar. I’m not saying it’s easy to write like you, but it’s achievable to come close.

As it sits now, the Say it Again, Sorry? Importance script is about 5% original Wilde, 5% bits that I’ve made up to sound like Wilde and 85% games to make sure the audience can help us get through the play. I can only take the credit for transcribing these latter parts, because it is the cast and crew that create them with their energy and creativity in the rehearsal room.

This ratio came to mind in today’s rehearsals, halfway through the first week of our intensive rehearsals. Now my job of working on the script is mostly done (for the time being), I’m becoming more aware of how much commitment and energy the actors and production crew are giving towards this play. I watched for literal hours - a literal six hours! - as the cast ran through fight scenes, dance scenes and high-energy interactive games, throwing themselves about in a room that was too hot for me, the physically immobile writer, and so must have been Venus-like for them. (The times I do very happily get up to help with an interactive game (my favourite part of the rehearsals) I create the kind of sweat patches that will remind me, when I find that day’s stained shirt in my wardrobe years in the future, that I do not have the constitution that it takes to be an actor). So, I might be able to run on about my small percentage of Wildean dialogue, but the physical effort, the blood, sweat and tears, comes from everyone else. In a rehearsal room of jokes, games and friends, these actors put everything they have into creating a show for the benefit of an audience, often doing so before a bar shift or teaching job. Even with my bastardisations and abridging, I’d like to think Wilde would be proud of what my company-mates are putting together, for pure theatricality, effort and playfulness alone. And, with that, I take back my apology, Oscar. In fact, you’re welcome.

It’s here! Our final two weeks. The intensive rehearsals have begun. However, “intensive” is not the word I’d like to use if I’m honest. There is nothing intense about spending whole days for weeks at a time with the people you care about most, doing the craft you love most, creating and perfecting a body of work that you’ve lovingly worked on together for 6 months. These two weeks are more like a working holiday, or a creative retreat - at home. There’s absolutely nothing more fulfilling (exhausting at times, yes- but expending energy in the right way).

I wondered how high expectations were going to be as the countdown starts - especially with my added roll of “wardrobe coordinator”, not only that, but the worry of being the point of contact for our rehearsal venue - was I burdening my place of work by asking so much of them? Or disappointing cast and crew by not delivering what I’d hoped to? Not to mention my doubts around how truly “off book” I am with the script.

Well the nerves were, of course, put to sleep right away. Firstly, the staff at our rehearsal venue were so welcoming and accommodating on all levels. Then, the support I’ve received as a novice wardrobe person from the cast and crew has really lowered my stress levels. And lastly, because of the way Simon (Paris that is) structures our days. It's also important to note that we met Meg (our production assistant) as well as Betina (shadow director) for the first time. They fit in so well it’s as though they’ve been with us from the start, what a lovely energy to bring to the team.

Monday was spent running Act 1, tweaking bits of the bridge and re-finding our feet in Act 3. We rehearsed some of the more physical elements of the show and I very much look forward to getting stuck into those sequences more as the week goes on. And then we did some character soul searching: talking through relationships and connections, history and power dynamics. I find this in depth character work so lucrative when diving back into the play. It takes it up a level. It adds depth and emotion and motivation, it creates nuances in body language and the length that a gaze is held, it makes it authentic. We had an observer with us too which always ups the antics, Alphonso was just gorgeous - willing and trusting participant with such an open heart.

I think what excites me the most is that we’re only at the beginning of it now. The months before have been the ingredients, prepped, planned and potted - but now, we’re adding the heat. We’re watching the work turn into art, we’re seeing it all as a whole, and we’re officially less than two weeks away from sharing this all with you.

No go and buy a ticket! Quickly! They’re selling fast!

There are many misconceptions about what a designer is; what they design; who they design for. This is largely because the objects we live amongst fade into the background resonance of everyday life: Interlinked in complex networks, imposed onto us by higher powers, all jostling for position. They are buildings, vehicles, furniture, food packets, phone apps, YouTube videos, plumbing systems, health and safety legislation; they work in mysterious and almost invisible ways to what they’re designers intended and what they’re users expect of them.

…Disobedient objects.

Considering this, never has it been more important than in our current culture to stop designing ‘for’ and to start designing ‘with’. Somewhere along the line to me carving out a space amongst this chaos comes Say it Again, Sorry?

When I first met the company, the prospect of working for an interactive Theatre Company excited me to no end. Much of my work as a designer is animated by performance as a material for doing design better. It’s instant, it excites, it’s inclusive of people’s real experiences and it need not leave any lasting trace (unless required). I am also fascinated by the deeper political and societal influences that all objects generate and how they shape our understandings. This is where wider participation in this process becomes integral.

There is a strong statement I believe you commit to when making audience interactive work. It says you are willing to allow yourself to be surprised and influenced by people. To acknowledge them as active and complex entities who will have agency in moulding the work and to embrace this process. Our Director Simon, (whom I have shared numerous discussions on the subject) has sometimes referred to this as ‘breaking the 4th wall’ – the subversion of traditional theatre conventions. I am willing to argue that the upcoming performance of ‘The Importance of Being…Earnest?’ is also doing more than this by design.

So, what of these ‘disobedient objects’? Well, “Earnest” has many. The rug reveals itself to be a lawn before it whisks the audience off-stage; the grandiose chair becomes the centre for a contentious point between the actors. If design has always distinguished itself from other arts through functionality and user, then it is our audience who will become the true users. The stage will give up its precious status and allow itself to be stripped and reassembled into new and unexpected combinations. ‘Breaking the 4th wall’ is also breaking the design process; giving it back to people. No more iconoclast designer setting all the rules - because, in the end, how can you? It’s like I said, people are complex, and objects are mysterious. When combined, anything can (and should) happen.

Whilst presenting the model box during the last rehearsal, I directed my energies to the group of people who I have become well acquainted with these last few months, and to the new faces of the observers engaging in the process. I wanted this presentation to create a transparent and collaborative approach to the design as much as it was about displaying it visually, because I consider all these people to be, in some form, designers. They are performers, writers, filmmakers...They create things to generate desired goals, they get people thinking differently. Through the combination of our individual roles and unique skills we have all contributed to the design of this performance that stems beyond the look of the stage. You can’t work in isolation, and I value each rehearsal to animate and stimulate my process as we dive into the final intricate stages of the performance…

We’d love to see you become part of this process. Give us a tweet, send us an email, become a key component in the shaping of this project.

Louise: Lucky for you, reader, you get two wonderful perspectives for the price of one! My fearless sassy and scrumptious companion for this blog is Susan Hoffman. Susan plays the role of Lady Bracknell and the Lady behind the Bracknell with a capital L, Eleanor. ‘Eleanor’ has a fabulously wicked time sabotaging her fellow actors (and audience members!) on stage with such aplomb. Susan does a fantastic job and I love watching her! Now, Susan I pass the baton over to you to introduce me - because introducing yourself is just a bit awkward.

Susan: Ha, yes I totally agree, introducing yourself can be a bit like a stone in your shoe, if you don’t like stones in your shoe. So thank you for that glorious introduction, Louise! How awkward would it be if I now started slagging you off?

Louise: …

Susan: Well, it would be, but it would be totally impossible and a giant lie because Louise is amazing. She is playing actress Sarah who is in the early days of her career taking on the role of Cecily. I love how effortlessly truthful she plays both of them. I can’t remember who said it now and google hasn’t been helpful, but someone once said that you should play a comedy like a tragedy and a tragedy like a comedy, which makes sense to me. I guess it points to how in essence it’s about playing a person in their set of circumstances and that the comedy or drama just comes from the interaction between these people (not about trying to make something funny or sad). My reason for saying this is that I think Louise does this brilliantly, she gives such an honest interpretation of Sarah’s vulnerability, loveability and kindness. Now, if these compliments make you a little queasy: good. As it leads me to highlight what we did in today’s rehearsal: the ultimate fake vomit test! How was that for you Louise, queen of the fake vom?

Louise: Yes - I was sick, on purpose, in front of our cast and observers BUT it was for the good of the show (as you will see at The Pleasance on the 15th July!) and actually it tasted LOVELY. Our wonderful Stage Manager, Jacinta, made three concoctions of vomit consistency for us to try and I think I got the best variety: muesli, hazelnut and some sort of chocolatey goodness. There is something deliciously macabre about playing with something humans normally try to avoid at all costs - being sick in public. In fact this whole process has been about identifying what scares us and instead of saying ‘this can’t be done’, asking ‘how can this be done?’ This really sums up how satisfying it is to be in a rehearsal room where we really get to stretch our creative urges in such a supportive and safe space. Not that I have a creative urge to vom in front of an audience...er over to you Susan - what aspect of the rehearsal on Monday really resonated with you?

Susan: For a second there my sleepy eyes thought you said you didn’t have the urge to vom over me, which I would only encourage to be fair. I didn’t have a big Oprah aha moment or anything, but the rehearsal did teach me something about being honest about where you are at, what’s happening with you and that our own perceptions of ourselves are really usually not what other people see. It can be so tricky as an actor to be vulnerable enough to say to a director, ‘I’m struggling with this bit, or that’ or ‘what do you mean with that note?’, or even ‘I’m a bit delicate today’. I’m not always able to do that but have seen that if you have the courage to express it, you can actually move out of that headspace of criticising yourself and go back to having fun playing. Let it out so to speak. What really helps is that our group does feel so supportive and understanding, so no Judgy McJudgersons apart from our own little internal ones…I guess it does give a nice contrast to having to deal with the emotional intelligence levels of the Piers Morgans in this world. Eeek, way too sappy: vom! Anything else you want to hurl onto the page, Louise?

Louise: Sounds like a good rehearsal really, dunnit. Left a good aftertaste, specifically: muesli, hazelnut and some sort of chocolatey goodness.

As the writer, my days at Say It Again, Sorry? rehearsals often begin shamelessly later than most. I’m not beholden to call times like the actors and I’m certainly not the one who has to be there to make sure they have something to do once they’ve arrived at their call time. So, happily, and slightly less tired than everyone else, I turn up at midday.

The fun side-effect of this is that I usually turn up during one of two things. One is the middle of a fresh scene, which is like opening the door straight into the fabled theatre-world and obliterating the awful real-life I just commuted from. The other is the lunch break, which is by far the most common thing I walk in on.

Last Monday I walked in to an almost empty room, having missed the bustle of going over fight choreography and sword-fighting, and arrived just in time to reset the room for our move into a bigger space. One of the greatest pleasures of this whole experience has been using the Unicorn theatre for our rehearsals and setting up my humble workstation in the Foyle studio was all I needed to consider it a satisfying theatrical day.

I’ll fight the self-effacing urge to say that I’m the most dispensable person in the room, but seeing the non-stop effort of the company during rehearsals does compel me to note-take furiously, so as to make it look like I’ve earned my place on the sign-in sheet. This day had us going through a scene where a number of the cast and the non-existent audience members made a train and train station platform out of themselves, due to an allegedly broken projector. Tom, our director character, has an enviable ability to adlib incredibly funny lines, which makes director-led scenes like this a real joy to watch for me. They are chaotic, but a joy nonetheless. Watching my friends act out a train after the direction of ‘mental abstraction’ is a good example of the unexpected hilarity that has come my way via this show. And it’s always incredibly helpful for a writer to see how a scene can change and move organically.

Another scene we rehearsed saw Graham, our character playing the part of Wilde’s character, Lane (actually played by Rhys (yeah, confusing, I know)), argue with Eleanor (Lady Bracknell (Susan)) for driving the show off the rails. This led to a few intense and engaging adlibbed speeches in which Graham took on the force of nature that is our RADA-trained and fictionally fearsome Eleanor, and took her down a peg or two as well. It’s situations like this that make my motor kick in and I desperately scribble down all the great phrases and speech patterns that only improvising can throw out (and then go home and make it look like it had been there in the script all along). Due to the nature of our show, I’m often required to play the part of a stand-in audience member during these rehearsals. This is much more in my comfort zone than the few weeks at the very beginning that saw me playing Lady Bracknell. Audience member is a role I think I can bring a lot of truth too, so long as the truth is that some audience members will be nervous, jittery and compliant not because of enthusiasm, but because of social awkwardness and fear. Check, check, check. Last week, while rehearsing our big finale (which I won’t spoil for you), I played the part of Audience Member Cecily.

I never tire of getting up and getting involved, because it is both helpful and exciting. Helpful, because as a writer I have never had an experience like it, seeing characters develop in front of me, around me, using me as a prop to explore their character with. It allows me to think about crafting them in the script in real time. And it’s exciting, because I get to see these talented actors working, and working through obstacles, and working passionately. I’m a cerebral sort, stuck in my thoughts and my room usually, writing in isolation. The energy and skill these actors have, therefore, is like a foreign language to me. And not even German of French. It’s like Sanskrit. Something you can’t even get a GCSE in.

The further into this process we get the more exciting it becomes. This week we started advertising our show at The Pleasance, and it has all become more fixed and solid, more real, with higher stakes and greater potential. For now, though, it lives in the rehearsal rooms, and is driven forwards by fun and optimism. So bring on next week! It just keeps getting better!

As a music composer, I’ve never had the chance to spend a lot of time with people of the theatre world. I had no idea how a play was rehearsed and built.

After being invited to one of the rehearsals of the company ‘Say it again, Sorry?', I first met the Stage Manager of the project, who then presented me to the rest of the group. I literally arrived while the group was working on a specific part of the play. I was delighted to meet lively and passionate people, willing to give everything they have learned, while being able to listen to feedback and build something over it.

While witnessing this momentum, I was able to understand the role of a director, in relation with his actors. From what I have seen, Simon Paris, the director of this Play, knew where he wanted to go, whith out framing too much. This constructive behaviour brings a solid and yet flexible frame for the actors to express themselves.

As a musician playing with bands, I could see a lot of similarities in the rehearsal process. Indeed, whether the actors or the director were always willing to provide an opinion on their own performance or on their partner's one. In the mean time, spending time looping one part of the play and properly working on it is something musicians can relate to. Finally, the importance of the dynamic flow throughout the overall piece is one of the most important things for any live performance. While watching them working on their play, they made allusion to this specific point. The audience need to be constantly involved, you cannot let them wonder why they came.

The choice of the play ‘The importance of being… Earnest?’ and the way the director is building it comforts me in the idea that the audience will stick to this rousing comedy.

I have also had the opportunity to meet the stage and sound designer as well as the illustrator and other members of the team. The good thing is, these people are working all together. I was able to feel the constant creative flow in this group. Indeed, each and every one of them are driven by something far bigger than their own perspective. Actually, they were nourishing themselves and gradually building up something nobody could have done by themselves.

Finally, the theatre industry is asking for a lot of commitment and therefore concessions. From an audience perspective you could think building something like this is only asking for work and skills. What I have learned is that you obviously need all of that, plus a double amount of courage. The courage to go out of your comfort zone, the courage to confront yourself to deep introspection and finally the courage to become what you are.

When Simon, the director at Say It Again, Sorry? asked me to come on board as stage manager for their new project, 'The Importance of Being... Earnest?', I was flattered, excited, and slightly terrified! I have a lot of experience of entertaining people on stage, I have much less experience of all the work and organisation that goes on behind the scenes to ensure performers can even get on the stage in the first place! However, when Simon explained the premise of the show and the entire ethos of Say It Again, Sorry?, I knew I wanted to be involved.

My background is in Comedy and Cabaret and the reason I'm so in love with these mediums is that they are completely reliant on their audience to make the show work. I've hosted shows that have turned into raucous sing-a-longs and ones that have turned into cosy chats. I went to one comedy show where I ended up squished behind a curtain with the rest of the audience in order to surprise another audience member who had gone to the toilet, and one where the comedian abandoned his material all together and invited the audience to come and dance on stage for an hour. All these experiences were great and, what's more, they were exciting. I've been to amazing theatre shows that were slick and well acted and well directed but when you invite the audience to become part of things and allow yourself to be changed by them, that's when you make space for a special kind of magic to happen and that's exactly what Say It Again, Sorry? are doing.

So, back to stage management! What actually is a stage manager and what do they do? I had an idea it was something to do with making sure props were in the right place at the right time and telling actors to be quiet back stage. That's not wrong, but there's a lot more to it!

I like to think of it as a board game, one board game in particular actually (non-nerds stick with me, this is gonna get quite niche, but I'll try to keep it clear) called Pandemic.

The basic premise is:

The world (the board) has been overrun by four fatal viruses, represented by different coloured cubes (disease cubes as I like to call them). Players work together to save the world and beat the game. You win the game by finding cures to all four of the viruses, and you lose the game by… well there are multiple ways to lose the game. So while you're going around trying to find cures, you also have to keep the viruses contained and do your best to prevent outbreaks, all within a certain number of turns.

Each player is assigned a different role and each role has a unique ability, which helps to win the game (or at least to not lose the game as quickly as you would without it). Two of these roles are the medic, and the dispatcher. A lot of rookie players love the medic, which makes sense. The medic can remove all the disease cubes in a city in one action, which looks pretty impressive. I mean, who doesn't love immediate results? The thing is, you only get four actions per turn, and moving is an action. So what if the medic is in Lima and there's an outbreak in Tehran? Suddenly the medic is useless. There's no way they're getting from Peru to Iran and making everyone better in four actions.

This is where the dispatcher comes in. The dispatcher can move another player's piece as if it were their own. They can also move any player pawn to any other player pawn on the board. So the medic's in Lima, there's an outbreak in Tehran, the dispatcher is in Karachi, and it's the dispatcher's turn. Suddenly things don't look so bad. The dispatcher can move the medic's pawn to their pawn in Karachi (one action), they can then move the medic's pawn one space to Tehran (one action). Now the medic is in exactly the right place to clear up the outbreak on their turn and the dispatcher still has two more actions, so maybe they clear up a couple of disease cubes. BOOM.

Everyone still with me? Good.

I see the game as the process of putting on a production, and the disease cubes as all the many hurdles you come across along the way. So long as you keep on top of things and deal with the hurdles as you go along, you'll cure all the diseases and win the game, or, in theatrical terms, PUT ON THE SHOW!

The actors I see as the medic. They're the face of the whole process. All the hard work culminates in the audience seeing them on stage being brilliant. They're the ones you remember.

The dispatcher is, you guessed it, the stage manager. The person who makes sure everyone in the company has what they need and are where they need to be. Without the stage manager the production might still happen, but not as safely, and definitely not as efficiently!

OK, great analogy Jacinta, but what about specifics? What exactly does a stage manager have to do to keep the show on the road (quite literally)? The answer to that is a lot of paper work!

I've spent a number of evenings crying over my printer, praying it won't run out of ink or paper before all 770 pages of updated scripts are printed, and several evenings a week will find me engrossed in spreadsheets and google docs detailing props, production meetings, lighting and sound cues, and actors exits and entrances.

And then there are the risk assessments, so many risk assessments! Who would have guessed that having actual audience live on stage, as well as at the rehearsals, get-ins and get-outs, could present so many risks! Before joining Say It Again, Sorry? the brain space I allotted to spotting potential risks was tantamount to zero. Now I can't watch a single film, play, variety night, or TV show without spotting every risk, pointing it out to anyone who will listen, and wondering what possible precautions have been put in place to prevent it.

Then of course there's the best bit, our regular Monday rehearsals, which have fast become the highlight of my week. I love being a part of the rehearsal process and Say It Again, Sorry?'s rehearsal process is one of the best. We cover so much and have the absolute best time doing it. There is so much love and passion for the project and every company member feels involved and appreciated throughout the whole journey, and it's amazing being able to share that journey with our wonderful observers. You can be part of that journey too if you like. Just give us an email or a tweet. We would be so delighted to have you join us.

And now, I'd better get back to dispatching, there's a world to be saved and, more importantly, a show to put on!

I arrived to watch Say It Again, Sorry?'s adaptation of 'The Importance of Being Earnest' to sit happily in the audience and away from the action, content in the knowledge that the actors knew exactly what they were doing. Within five minutes I had volunteered to 'step in' for the eponymous, missing Earnest. After 20 minutes I had had a script thrust upon me, had been in the midst of a (well choreographed and entirely safe) fight scene and was dragged around on a magic carpet ride! I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. With a team that is delightfully open and seriously silly I would recommend any audience member to tentatively dip their toes in and see what happens...you'll never be pushed but you might find yourself quite willingly in the deep end of a bit of theatrical mayhem!

The rehearsal room is a sacred place, right?. It’s meant to be a space where one can risk it all and fail without the fear of being terrible. Which is why many directors are quite defensive about who gets allowed in the room, and when. If actors feel they are being judged, legend says, they might not go to the places they need to go. Most rehearsal rooms only get visitors (and those are usually close friends or collaborators) quite late into the process.

Not us. Oh no.

SIAS’ ethos, and the very practical reason of us rehearsing a show where the audience play an integral part, drove Simon (our director and fearless leader) to declare our rehearsals open to everyone, at all times.

I’m afraid, dear reader, I fell into the open rehearsal trap immediately. I’m a clown at heart, so my first instinct is to try to make the people watching laugh. And when you’re still trying to find the truth within a character or a situation, this instinct can most certainly get in the way. Isn’t comic timing about breathing with the audience as one and knowing exactly the response you’re having? Well, to a point. Having a director who knows exactly what he wants and how to take you there helps. As soon as the character on top of character (cause dear reader, of course this is a play within a play) and their motivations were clear, it was easier to stop focusing on the laughs (or lack thereof) and be truthful to what the situation demanded.

The fabulous upside of open rehearsals is that we get to try things with unsuspecting audience members throughout the process. Because, by design, the play can’t be finished unless the public come up on stage and take these characters on, a lot of what we rehearse is based on assuming what a “median” audience member would do. Let me tell you right now, it never goes according to plan. And that’s kind of the point. We know where we’re trying to get to, but we’re playing with people who have no idea. The very real possibility that the train might run off it’s tracks is where the magic happens, and to prepare for this, having people to play with in rehearsals is invaluable.

So I guess what I’m saying is, the opening of our rehearsals (much like our shows themselves) is not an invitation to come watch: a passive, observational exercise. It’s much more than that. While everyone defines their level of comfort and how far they are willing to go, our hope is that our guests will dare to play with us, to help us create something bigger together, and in doing so go places none of us thought imaginable before.

This Monday's rehearsal started off a bit different than previous ones as for the first hour and a half it was just myself and Simon. After a quick coffee and catch up of the week just past we got right stuck back into work!

We began by taking a look at the beginning of act 3 where my character, Ms. Prism, is the only remaining "actor" from the original cast and is confronted with the problem of having two audience members (soon to be four) to look after. It's a great scene which I think really captures the absolute chaos of the show in the space of about seven minutes. We spent a good hour and a half trying to find ways of me getting both audience members to see the one script that is available and how my character would handle it, trying to hide the fact from the audience. It was quite challenging as I had to use a lot of improv to figure out a way around the situation but it felt rewarding once we found the things that work. I struggled slightly with finding ways to get the audience to do what I want without telling them. We tried different ways of hinting that we wanted them to do something, some of which worked but it was difficult when practicing with someone who knew what the trick was and therefore tried to go against it more, luckily during this portion Aimee, our movement director showed up and we were able to try some stuff on her which felt a lot easier and certainly put my mind at ease!

​ The next portion of the day I spent working with Aimee Leigh and Guido as we tried to work out the short dance section between Algernon and an audience member in act two with my character once again trying to find clever ways to get the audience to see a script so they could say their lines during the scene. We already had a base dance that we had come up with in a rehearsal not too long ago which we showed to Aimee who then took what we had done and made it look so much better! Using elements from both ballroom and tango we came up with a hilarious short dance section which I am really looking forward to people seeing as it is absolutely jokes. We tested the dance on Josh which was perfect as he is...well... how do I say this? He's not exactly Anton Du Beke! This resulted in some hilariously genuine moments between himself and Guido. Absolutely genius.

​ Lastly, our final portion of the rehearsal was spent working out the combat scenes in the play and OH MY GOD WAS IT FUN! We worked with David Fell who had previously observed one of our rehearsals about a month ago and is an absolute combat wizard. We worked first of all on the scene with drunk Gwen attempting to attack the audience members mid-scene whilst myself, Guido and Ben try and hold her back. Over the course of about an hour, we came up with a whole routine that was really fun to perform and looked so effective! I have done little stage combat but David taught us everything in a way that was very easy to follow and execute whilst still looking epic! Next up David and Guido spent some time working on the sword fight which I don't really want to spoil as to describe it over a blog would really not do it justice, you have to see it. It was brilliant. Worth the price of admission alone.

​And that was Monday 13th of May 2019. A bloody good Monday if I'm being honest! That rehearsal for me was when everything really clicked about how mental this show is and how funny it's going to end up being. Obviously, I always knew it was mad and I knew it would be funny regardless because of our incredibly funny cast and creatives but seeing some of the stuff taking shape on that day really solidified it in my head. I'm so happy to be working on this project, it has the perfect blend of challenging ideas mixed up with absurdity and fun. This show is gonna be a bloody great thing and ya'll need to come down and check it out. I can't wait.

Monday’s rehearsal was great. Apart from a cold that had me sneezing the whole way through, it was productive and as always - really fun. We kicked off the day with some exciting rehearsal venue prospects and got a look at the artwork that’s being designed for our upcoming preview. I can’t wait till we can share it with the world! It’s beautiful.

The majority of the rehearsal involved the character I’m playing, Gwendoline/Jennifer. The focus was on our character’s objectives and when truly honing in on one particular objective - it was fascinating to see how the story and the authenticity of the scene evolved. I found when choosing one solid objective, the truth in my character became obvious. Not only did it help me connect with Gwendelione (and Jennifer within Gwendoline - this will make more sense when you come and watch us rehearse!) but also impacted everything else, from the blocking in the scene to how the characters rely on the audience’s approval.

We had two observers in our rehearsal this time round. A lovely gentleman named Andrew and our new producer, Hannah. Hannah arrived after we had done some extensive work on one of our scenes and so we decided to throw her into the mix without providing any context. Like a champ, she was up for it and it was such a fun experience. Not to give away any spoilers, but it was so interesting so see how the gender of the audience member impacted certain decisions they had to make. I can’t wait to explore the interactive element more and more. Having a background in improvised comedy, it’s been intriguing to delve into this process - a mix of scripted support systems but with the ever present knowledge that anything could happen. There’s always the question of how to aid and guide the audience member to be complicit in the unfolding of show that is (and is supposed to be) going ballsup but also allow them to have enough freedom to truly do their best to save the cast and keep the show going. Personally, I think we’ve done a great job!

And so, with some more blocking in place, some serious character work and a wonderful time being able to share the process with observers - I look forward to this coming Monday where we get to dive deeper, every closer to our previews where you’ll be invited to witness and potential rescue our remastering of The Importance of Being Earnest.