Theatre Triathlon

Blake here!



I have much to report about my first week at my internship when I get time tomorrow, but I must relay the happenings of today...




We planned yesterday to spend the day relaxing, only maybe going out to a market to do some shopping for our upcoming Rocky Horror Picture Show costumes, but then we got a crazy idea...Let's go see the sold-out show Red at the Donmar Warehouse in Covent Garden. We know nothing about the show except the Alfred Molina (Spiderman 2, Frida, DaVinci Code, etc.) is in it, and it is the same theatre company that did the production of Hamlet with Jude Law that I saw on Broadway! So...how do you get tickets to a sold out show? You wait in line for day tickets. Some theatres hold a few seats that only go on sale the day of the show. These tickets are so popular though that oftentimes queues (lines) wrap around the block. This morning we got up at 7 AM and waiting in line for these tickets almost three hours...in the cold...the freezing, toe numbing cold. But it was worth it when we got 5 tickets! Me, Sara, two friends Mollee and Jeremy, and our theatre professor/Marlowe's author Don.



From here we thawed our toes in the tube on the way to theatrical event 1: Marlowe Auditions...We saw some very talented actors today, and it really gave us a lot of hope for the show's future. One is working on a feature film, one just getting back in the business, one from several countries away...but with power and confidence and talent. It was refreshing! I have scheduled almost 50 more auditionees this week so we will see a couple a day every day!



Then on a last minute opportunity. Event number 2: Night Songs...Our theatre friend and my roommate, Jeremy, is doing his internship at The Cock Tavern Theatre and this afternoon was the first performance of the new short play Night Songs! He got us in for free and the show left us chatting all the way home. It was great and we got to see a genuine pub theatre venue!



After a short rest back at my flat, it was on to theatrical event number 3: Red!!! The theatre is in an old warehouse. The stage surrounded on three sides by rows of benches. The set is the studio of painter Mark Rothko. There are two actors in the show...Alfred Molina (brilliant!) and Eddie Redmayne (The Other Boleyn Girl, The Good Shepherd). The show was beautiful...truly an emotional romp through preconceptions of art and artists. I don't know if I've ever seen theatre with as much honesty. The design team backed up the actors with a perfect set, a lighting design that did more with 30 lights than Broadway does with 300, and a cinematic and perfectly done sound design. We stayed after the show and met Eddie Redmayne. He was so pleasant and charming, signing autographs and taking photos, but also interested in how long we were studying in London, and where we were from! Alfred Molina snuck out the back, but that's understandable. Check out http://www.donmarwarehouse.com/pl103.html.



So it was a fantastic day of theatre! Look for an update on my internship tomorrow. Sara is going to Brighton on a day trip tomorrow, so I'm sure she will have an update soon.



Cheers!