Virgin Director - The Final Bow

Well, technically that is not true. While the 2006 One Act Season os over for Garrick Theatre, we are still yet to present our efforts to the ITA One Act Festival late September.

None the less, there was definitely a parting of ways which was quite emotional for us all. It was interesting to watch the cast as they developed strong bonds of friendship with each other during the rehearsal period. They have been a real team for this show, which is fantastic considering the ensemble nature of the production. They all took their individual roles and really lived the parts.

I will be the first to say that while I picked the script, I was also aware that the dialogue was a little on the benial side with unnecessary explainations and left-wing comments here and there. What caught me was the distinct characters and the geographical placements Mr Booth developed for his characters. The idea of 'choreographing' a play has always intrigued and of course you need to have dynamic piece to start with. This script gave me the opportunity to play with blocking and character placements in order to create a visual backdrop to the dialogue. Let's be fair, the script wasn't terrible, but it certainly wasn't great. It was what I would call workable, and that is what I attempted to do, and to all appearances, achieved.

We have all established such a strong bond which is a wonderful bonus on top of a successful season. I was warned about working with a cast of five women, but it was an absolute pleasure. I have enjoyed this whole process from begining to end, even with all the scheduling difficulties and finding SMs that I complained about through the process. It has been a very rewarding experience and I shall not stop there. With plans already under way for a full-length production next year, I have hit the ground running. I can already see how the set can be built and have an idea of the method I shall use to direct the show. I have already read the script, twice. I don't even know when the season will be....

Jeff 'A Virgin Director no more'