#hotseating

- Started off the rehearsal on Thursday with the number game (counting to 20 as a group but each person says an individual number and no two people can talk at the same time) We also did a vocal warm up drawn from Patsy Rodenburg (research which specific exercise was used) 

- We then all laid on the floor and did the relaxation Stanislavski technique which we also did at the beginning. This involved lying on the floor while Julie lead us into a guided relaxation and we were asked to think about our character, what our character would be thinking and feeling etc. 

- After this, we did some hotseating to help develop characterisation. The questions that were asked and the answers will be made a note of and sent to us over email (edit this post later)

- Subsequently, we split off into pairs and we did an exercise that involved another person reading a monologue or a portion of text than the person who was playing that character. I went with George Binns who plays Billy in the play, and we began by exploring his monologue from the beginning of the play. After we realised that not much work was needed on this, we looked at his monologue about Billy’s childhood experience of touring the army barracks in his home town. He didn’t know exactly how to say it, and wasn’t quite comfortable with how to perform it. I performed it to him in a happy, almost psychotic way. The monologue describes how much he loves the order of the army barracks and really outlines his OCD. My interpretation of that monologue was that Billy feels like he is in heaven. It gives him comfort to see so much order. Because of this I suggested that George channels his inner OCD. This helped him, and he was more comfortable with performing the monologue afterwards. 

- Throughout the rest of the rehearsal we did run throughs with support from the creative team. A few ideas were spit balled about Mary and the girls constantly tidying and making everything as Billy would like it throughout the play to outline his OCD and the effect that he has had on them.