The Live Show

Dress Rehearsals and Pre-Show

In the final part of the Shakespeare's Half Hours programme, we travel with the schools to the Greenwich Theatre to witness the last stages of the process, including the live shows before the invited audience.

The use of a bare stage, equipped with nothing but pieces of set created from the letters of Shakespeare's name, is an idea that other schools might borrow as an idea. The schools are shown blocking out their productions in the light of the opportunities and challenges posed by these pieces of set.

The sequence offers an opportunity for teachers to weigh up the kinds of pre-performance pep talks that each director gives his/her performers. During these the directors offer last minute advice and reminders about the special demands posed by being on stage and before a live audience.

These include the need to:

• 'big it up' – in other words to make the performances large or risk losing lines, gestures and other aspects of the production.
• avoid standing with backs to the audience and project lines up so that they can be heard in the galleries.
• open the body up – posture and voice are clearly entwined.
• speak clearly and with energy but also slow the lines down to counterbalance the natural desire to speed up speech under stressful circumstances.
• enjoy the performance, given the lengthy rehearsal period is over and that the time on stage is so fleeting.