ROUGH DRAFT | PREVIEW
‘Rehearsal’ has traditionally been viewed as a staple, rather than a luxury, in theatrical circles, but, on the Sat 22 Feb, Porters Bar in Cardiff will, in collaboration with the Actor’s Workshop, be producing a show to challenge this Maxim.
This new writing event will find you seated alongside four writers, selected from a pool of hopefuls one month previously, as they witness their carefully constructed scripts enthusiastically brought to life by a group of actors and directors after mere hours of preparation. In deference to the proximity of the event to the Six Nations, the theme of the plays is ‘Rivalry’, to be construed as faithfully or imaginatively as the writer desires.
The tone of the evening, however, is far from competitive, as the ‘rough’ nature of the production is understood by all present. While the event generously claims to allow ‘the whole morning’ for rehearsal, the reality is a singular rehearsal space shared between four enthusiastic teams of thesps, and probably isn’t quite as benevolent as it sounds. The evening therefore becomes defined by an easygoing camaraderie between actors and audience, allowing a convivial enjoyment of whatever interpretation (or, by the time it gets onstage, {re}interpretation) ensues.
Whether the results are dramatic or comedic, tragic or just plain random, they promise to be quite unique. After all, it is often said that necessity is the father of invention. Nowhere does one appreciate the truth of this more than when looking into the eyes of an actor who, blanking completely on everything they ever knew about the performance, reaches desperately for the box marked ‘improv.’ It is an experience that is well worth the price of admission.
words JAMES SIDWELL
Porters Bar, Cardiff, Sat 22 Feb. Tickets: £5. Info: 029 2125 0666 / www.porterscardiff.com