Kathy Reid, playwright and director of Twyford Drama Group’s play Fight Them For The Beeches, which opens on Thursday evening (May 11), has written another fascinating insight into preparations. This time it is about the final days before curtain up.
Back in mid-January, when we had our read through and casting, May felt like an age away, but in the blink of an eye here we are.
Fight Them For the Beeches takes to the stage on Thursday May 11 at Loddon Hall, Twyford until Saturday, May 13. So, what is it like to enter the final week before a show?
As the director, you always hope that by this stage everything will be running like clockwork and you can sit back and enjoy the thought that everything has come together perfectly.
And then there is the reality. There will always be things to work on, right up until the moment the curtain goes up on the first performance – that’s the excitement of putting on a show.
Beeches has been rewarding because so much creative work has been done and we’ve had a great team of people helping.
The set is going to look fabulous and Charlie has worked wonders bringing people together to paint, stencil, saw and screw the various bits of wood to produce the look of a residential lounge, a bit on the shabby side, in Beeches Manor.
Great ingenuity has been shown. And we love the specially painted portrait of Lord John which will take pride of place on the wall.
The cast have worked so hard on building their characters and this final week is about really getting the pace up and lines spot on.
We also have had to move from rehearsing in the Ruscombe Room at Loddon Hall and get used to the dynamics of the stage, having the set and furniture, using the right props, projecting voices and of course preparing ourselves for having an audience who will (we hope.) occasionally laugh.
So yes, there has been lots happening in the final week of preparation and, of course, there will always be those last-minute issues and changes.
But the weeks of planning and hard work will mean that it will all come together and ensure we enjoy the fun of putting on a play and bringing entertainment to our audiences – that’s why we all do it in the end.
Not bought your tickets yet? There’s still time. https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/twyrusdrama
