One last thing from The Doubtful Guest....

Posted by Sara Green (Marketing and Admin Assistant, Hoipolloi)

So the spring tour of The Doubtful Guest has ended. Everyone is slowly getting back to normal and it feels as if the show was just a whirlwind of excitement that passed us by in the blink of an eye.

In an attempt to retain some of the magic, I managed to grab the composer at the last minute and ask his point of view on the show. Alexander Rudd, a hugely talented freelance composer and musician, composed and recorded all of the fabulous music in the show. Alexander was recommended to Hoipolloi after being part of a workshop with another friendly theatre company and so became involved by chance, having never actually seen a Hoipolloi show before.

However, as soon as he walked into the rehearsal room back in November, he fitted right in, with his massive smile and cheerful, jokey nature, and one of my favourite parts of the rehearsal process was learning his catchy warm up tune “I like bumble bee, bumble bee tuna…”

Apparently this is the first time Alexander has worked with a company that devises but it didn’t show at all and I was really impressed with the way he jumped straight in, creating wonderful accompaniments for the actor’s early improvisations.

Next came the awful question, “so, would you work with us again?” Luckily Alexander felt the same about fitting in and his answer was “definitely.” He loved being involved in a project from the beginning of the creative process especially because composers usually come in right at the end when the piece is already formed. He found the experience very liberating as he had the freedom to experiment and have a say in the process as it was happening.

Alexander’s main role in the rehearsal process was a mix between composer and musical director. He would lead the warm-ups and create music to go with the scene that was being devised as well as using his musical knowledge to help the actors with the singing and the timings etc. I was also interested to find out the way in which the music was created and was told that it was a definite collaboration between himself and Shôn, the music being composed as the drama was so they worked together and not separately. I think this collaboration is evident in the final production as I cannot imagine the show without the atmospheric and often mood dictating musical accompaniment.

Alexander told me that he works in many different styles, from Jazz to musical theatre. The music for The Doubtful Guest has a really eclectic feel to it with definite classical influences as well as more abstract sounds and gothic vocalisations. He feels that the music compliments the story and the design of the show, something that I would definitely agree with and he likes to think that the music is very much part of the production.

When I asked him what he thinks of the finished result, the answer that I got was simply “LOVED IT!” He added that it is rare to see something grow and to see the actors really playing with what they were developing and he feels really proud of the finished show.

Apparently the actors were brilliant to work with and open to trying different things, something that I also found when I observed the rehearsal process.

Finally I asked Alexander what his favourite bit of music is, and he actually said the same bit that I am in love with, the sleepwalking music, which is beautifully dark and magically engaging, especially paired with Steffi’s gorgeous physical representation.

So, we end this tour with a lovely chat with a wonderful composer and look forward to the autumn when The Doubtful Guest and its musical gems will return…..

My first day in the rehearsal room...

Posted by: Sara Green (Marketing & Admin Assistant, Hoipolloi)

After working for Hoipolloi for just over two months now I have been exposed to a lot of the admin side of the company. However today was the first time that I have experiences the practical side where the shows are devised and created.

The rehearsals for The Doubtful Guest are being held in the English Touring Theatre’s rehearsal space which is on the Cut, opposite the Young Vic. So the area has a magnetic theatrical feeling to it before the rehearsals have even begun.

I somehow managed to find my way to the venue, despite boarding the wrong train, and was greeted by a group of friendly, warm and witty actors. There was a striking sense of ensemble between them from the first moment and it was obvious that they had been working together for a very long time.

The day started with a simple workshop, which I joined in with, consisting of some physical and vocal exercises. However the intensity of the process soon began to surface as they got increasingly more advanced and before long we were throwing ourselves around and moving in the most grotesquely extreme ways.

The vocal warm up started with a ditty; “I like bumble- bee, bumble –bee tuna….” which was absurdly catchy. This was soon picked up by Shôn Dale-Jones, the director (and Hoipolloi’s Artistic Director) and the first elements of devising began.

The group of actors were singing this ridiculous song accompanied by ballet style movements with intensely serious faces, getting gradually more desperate to ignore “the doubtful guest.” Shon developed the improvisation by adding lines such as “we would all sing to try and ignore it”. They would then have to respond to this, signing it over and over again to block “it” out.

I was really impressed with the way the actors responded to such an absurd stimulus and the end result was a beautifully comic little scene. The way the improvisations worked all day was similar to this format - Shon would either pick a moment from the book, or a theme or character and the actors would literally take off with physical and vocal experiments.

The work was of a really high standard and though it was obvious that none of this would feature in the show, there were some true moments of genius that resulted from the clever and comic ideas.

For example, towards the end of the day a little scene was devised where Steffi sat in a chair as the mother, weeping over her loss of control. The other actors entered and using only their physicality, demonstrated their discomfort at the situation. This developed into a short song;

“She cried all night, she cried all day
We couldn’t find the words to fill
The depth of her despair,
So the best we could do
Was just to leave her there.”

The musical element was something else which surprised me. The actors were working with a composer today who punctuated every improvisation with amazing music on the piano adding depth and attitude. But even more impressive was the high standards of the actors voices allowing them to create moods and tones to accompany the action.

The entire day was a massive learning experience for me. As an aspiring actress it was really beneficial to witness a professional devising process and, even though their were moments of hilarity involving the actors throwing themselves around, giggling and generally enjoying each others company, there was a real sense of teamwork and trust.

I really enjoyed the day and can’t wait to go back on Monday.