On Monday morning we had a play in essence in the rehearsal room, the aim was to have a full two hour production incorporating sound,  set, costume and lighting by Wednesday evening.

A charge of nervous tension was tangible on Monday morning.  Alison the Stage Manager left the rehearsal room to oversee the get in of the floor into the auditorium and we had a final rehearsal room run.  Kevin the Designer arrived and I went downstairs to look at the floor being laid.  This was an exciting moment,  several months previously the floor had only been a concept and meticulous attention to detail had finally resulted in a an extraordinary piece of craft-  containing a theatrical conceit- which was being carried into the theatre in six weighty chunks.  Kevin looked on nervously but was ultimately pleased by its look and perfect fit into the playing area on the stage.

Upstairs in the rehearsal room the actors began packing away the play’s environment (furniture, costume and props) and started to get in to the theatre.  Coming into a theatre for the first time in production week is always a mixture of thrill and terror and the auditorium and backstage area was abuzz with actors getting a feel for the space.  After this moving in period the actors were released as the rest of the day was about preparation for technical rehearsals.

The Lawrence Batley technical team rigged the lights in extraordinary time and we were ready to focus and plot by 3 pm.   There are moments during production week, as a Director, where the creeping feeling of being spare and surplus to requirements (if all is going well) begins to appear.  I sat in the front row of the seating watching the technical crew climbing up and down four metre high ladders to point lights in the right direction feeling a little like someone who had walked in off the street; more and more during this period I would be able to watch rather than participate.

Working with Keith the Lighting Designer on the plot was a delight.  Seeing light on the set for the first time and its potential to compliment and emphasise activity and drama is hugely exciting.  We worked through the entire play and managed to finish half an hour early at 9.30 pm- terrific.

Tuesday was always earmarked as the challenging day when we went into full technical rehearsal.  The speakers had been hung for the sound system, on four sides due the round playing area, and both Kevin the Designer and Laurence the Musical Director were on site ready to work through the piece.  The actors appeared on stage to walk the set for the first time in full costume.  Ben wore his character glasses (thanks again Vision Express) and bar some breaking down of shoes and trousers looked right in his costume.  Bradley looked spot on in his suit and doctors white coat, Faye suitably chaste and with the first version of the 1940’s hairstyle- (having so much hair to play with has meant a long experimentation with plaits and straightening over the week), Johnny sleek and dangerous in his uniform and Margaret the picture of the period in her Mothers League costume.  We were ready to start at 11 am and given the amount of technical activity in the first few scenes of the play decided to run them straight through while making adjustments to light and sound cues.

Our first- and only- sticking point came in Johnny’s scene with Ben where he has to dress on stage.  The boots were slowing down the activity as it took a long time to get them on (getting them off was another story).  After much to-ing and fro-ing we found a point earlier in the activity where Johnny could pull the boots on and the problem was solved.  Ben was only mildly disappointed that this meant his newly improvised chunk of dialogue had to go but he took the cut well and we pressed on.   The technical rehearsal finished at a realistic time and we were able to run a full dress rehearsal in the evening.

Wednesday was first performance day but we had some technical pick ups and a second dress rehearsal to get through before we could finally open.  Thankfully few notes and revisions needed to be made before the second dress and Angus Duechar, the photographer, took some stunning shots of the show. 

Opening night loomed and we all stopped for supper.  Ben was considering Burger King until the other actors enticed him with the culinary delights of Yates Wine Lodge.  I bought some cards and went for a coffee, spotting Laurence the Musical Director at least twice walking through the town.  A nervy adrenalin fuelled hiatus followed for everyone before the 7.30 show and- finally- an audience.

Snow had begun falling mid afternoon, a strange echo of the conditions which met us on the first day of rehearsal, and again a fear of travel disruption scuppering plans loomed large.  At the Lawrence Batley three stewards had called in unable to work due to the weather conditions and so it was on opening night that Lynda, Business Director, became a steward and I sold programmes.

The first show itself went well.  The glitches that there were, were probably only known to the production team and the audience were very engaged in the play and its message.  With Kevin and Laurence I watched from the first tier away from the space and was as interested in the people watching as the on stage activity.  A large party of young people were in the auditorium and we were all surprised to notice that mobile phones didn’t come out of pockets and conversations didn’t take place,  that most audience members sat very still…And listened.

Hypothermia deals with a weighty subject and contains dark material. Finding the right tone and medium to convey the plays message was always a delicate process and it seems that we struck the right balance between compelling drama, occasionally incorporating thriller elements, and appropriate reference for acts which resulted in the murder of thousands of people.

The following shows played out well and to almost capacity audiences.  The Thursday matinee was attended by Gareth Tudor Price and Nick Lane from Hull Truck, FB&TV collaborators, and we will be delighted to add Hull Truck to our touring schedule for HYPOTHERMIA in the Autumn.  Val Javin from the Huddersfield Examiner attended and wrote a positive review of the production in the local paper and verbal feedback from audience members was positive.  Many people spoke about the excitement of the space, that the audience actually sitting on the stage of the Lawrence Batley looking beyond the action into the auditorium, added to the sense of excitement.  The round setting works well for the piece, providing intimacy and a sense of complicity in the action.

FB&TV core company actor Ben developed his role significantly through the performance period, as did the other actors.  By the final show on Saturday afternoon the actors were very secure in their activity and ability to play off each other.  I asked the actors to find three new pieces of activity or moments during the course of the show.  This resulted in a extraordinary carnival of invention- far more than three new moments per actor were delivered!- and a stage full of cake and flying props.  Faye hurt her ankle climbing over a desk and Ben nearly refused to yield to Johnny during the climactic moments (which could have been catastrophic).   An interesting experiment but perhaps not one to repeat;  on a production which is physical and charged new additions need to be worked fully before being incorporated;  a learning note for the Director.

The get out on Saturday afternoon ran efficiently under Alison the Stage Manager at 50 minutes, a full forty minutes less than the time allocated-  wonderful.  Lynda Hornsby and me sat with the actors and Alison in the bar at the Lawrence Batley Theatre satisfied after a good weeks work.  A weary Indian meal followed before the actors headed off for a well deserved rest before their Tuesday call for development week.

The week ahead is all about fine tuning; we have a good sound show to develop from,  hone and play with,  it’s a great position to be in.  The following Tuesday we travel to the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough for two days further rehearsal before playing on the 19th and 20th February.