Final Rehearsals, Aug 5-12
After months of quiet the rush of summer came as a surprise. With gatherings being permitted once again, theatre awakened across the province. We found ourselves swept away with projects that took us away from home and undertook ambitious summer seasons that were amplified by the exhilaration of doing live performance again. Ian departed for Prince Edward Island for two months to produce and design The River Clyde Pageant, and Laura worked extensively on the set, props and puppets for Robin Hood the Great Escape, a production by Festival Antigonish. As the long days of July turned to August, we returned to our creation with renewed enthusiasm and curiosity. The day was fast approaching when we would be on the road with nothing but our bicycles and our show.
Our first step was to get an outside eye. We needed to show the puppetry to someone who could see how all of the moving pieces came together. Luckily for us, our friends at Mermaid Theatre offered us use of their loft studio space in Windsor and their artistic director, Jim Morrow, offered to share feedback on our work. To our delight, Jim invested two full days to our process, digging deep into the potential of our materials. With many decades of international touring and puppet direction under his cap, Jim was a generous mentor and collaborator who was able to ask hard questions and fine tune the dramaturgy. With jiggly legs, we reacquainted ourselves with this highly technical show.
Stepping back into a show is similar to stepping back onto a bicycle - shaky and sore, but certain of its memory. By the time we left Windsor, we felt exhausted and uncertain that we could mount the show in time. Fortunately, we had two dear friends waiting for us back in the Ohio Valley who had offered to help us with the final assembly.
Lily Falkj and Franziska Glen are the founders of Gale Force Theatre. The two of them had created their own show performed on bicycle earlier this summer titled A Tale On Two Wheels. They were also on the farm a year ago for the first edition of Late Night Radio, North Barn Theatre’s previous summer show performed for drive-in audience. The similarity of our endeavours and the familiarity we have with each others work made them essential collaborators for this project. They are also just down-right talented and lovely people.
On the gravel driveway at our home in Antigonish County, we spent four productive days hashing through the piece scene by scene. With renewed energy and constructive feedback we problem solved and embodied the show’s intricate rhythms, choreography and songs. Before we could register the passing of time, the day had arrived. We packed up the show, a select few changes of clothes, a good book, and set off on our way.
Stay tuned for more adventures from the road.
