BEN HUR IN REHEARSAL

We have now bumped-in to ANZ Stadium & are well into Production week with 2 shows coming up on the 22nd& 23rd of October. But for the first week or so we were rehearsing at the RAS showground

Working in such a huge space brought home the reality of just how big this production was going to be; & there was a scene that has a set piecethat is too big for the Showground so we could only block & rehearse it when we got into the Stadium!.

How does such a huge production affect the way in which we do our job?. Directly: all the physical movements, actions, emotional responses & blocking has to be big & ‘hyper-real’, so that it can be seen & ‘read’ by the audience who are seated in banks some distance from the action. Remember, it’s the ANZ Stadium & it’s a HUGE cavernous space. And we all have to be aware that whilst there may be another part of your scene being played at the other end of the pitch, we all must be fully invested in our work emotionally & psychologically all the time. The director has made that very clear to us on numerous occasions – be your character all the time. As Margie Haber would say “live the life”.

Speaking of the director – Alex – that’s him on first man on right with mic. in hand on the pitch working with all the actors. He is hands-on all the time & is constantly coming down from the production table to give directions, talk with the actors, explain what he wants, what the story is. There is no preciousness about this man & he works incredibly hard, all the time.