We’re excited to bring you a insight into the rehearsal process of Lucas Hnath’s Red Speedo. Assistant Director Ilona Sell has documented what it’s like to prepare for a swimming pool on stage and work with the formidable Matthew Dunster.
Have a read below…
Matthew Dunster’s unique and dynamic rehearsal process has taken place over four weeks. This is a breakdown of everything that we have been up to as we gear up to go into tech!
Week 1
Monday June 10th: All the Orange Tree staff as well as the show’s full cast and creative team gathered. There were pastries, hot drinks and some absolutely delicious strawberries to start the rehearsal process in a really warm way.
As people said hello, little snippets of the cast’s feelings going into the process were filmed. We then began our table read but without actual tables!
It’s an incredibly dynamic and pacy script so hearing it brought to life by the cast was very exciting.
We then had a look at the model box and were talked through the inspiration behind it. The idea is quite stunning- I won’t say more but you definitely have a treat in store if you come to watch and the foundations of the idea are incredibly clever!
For the rest of the week: We began script work. We read through the text, stopping and starting as Matthew raised points of discussion and probed for the casts’ instincts and questions. I also conducted further research and now know a very strange amount about the possible implications of finger length on athletic performance.
During this week we also had Aundrea Fudge (Voice and Accent Coach) and Claire Llewellyn (Fight Director) come in. Getting into the specificities and details of what makes a New York accent was very interesting, the little details are easy to underestimate and figuring them out is a very exciting process.
This week we also began Matthew’s circuit training warmup. This involves 30 seconds on various exercises around the room with 10 second breaks in between. We also all do yoga afterwards.
Week 2
This week we finished off table work and moved onto getting each scene up on its feet. The play is so dynamic and every movement has real meaning and intention. Matthew crafted these with a real attention to the actor’s instincts and the shape of the play started to come alive.
Towards the end of the week we also added a more difficult variation to the circuit training. The first time I was in for it I was quite shocked, but starting the day with a proper workout really does set up focus and energy very well.
Week 3
We are getting close! This week we finished scene-by-scene work. We also got into the details and practicalities of the fight- it’s not a simple one. To really nail down the fight we went to another location. I won’t give too much away but the trip involved some fun in a pool & I have some rather bizarre pictures!
Week 4
Our last full week in the rehearsal room. Stagger throughs, run throughs and nailing down the specifics of lines have been a big focus. However, despite the countdown being on, we didn’t sacrifice Matthew’s circuit training warmup- which I am really going to miss.
Red Speedo is now playing at the OT until 10 August
A co-production with David Adkin
Rehearsal and production images by Johan Persson
