KNOT HEART - Almeida Theatre

moments like these, when standing with a script in-hand trying to keep up with these actresses asthey effortlessly throw lines across the kitchen table that I realise, whilst the process of rehearsals isas crucial to the development of a character as the sea is to an ocean liner- the development andchange is so organic, you hardly see it happen. Suddenly I’m aware that this cast have gone fromdiscussion in the first week to now understanding the subtle nuances and idiosyncrasies that makethese characters real. And it wouldn’t matter if Laurence Olivier was Lisa’s stand-in: thesecharacters now belong to the actors who play them. It’s easy to take that change for granted whenone has seen the work from day one but here as I walk through the scene with them, it is hard tomiss.As the week progresses it’s like that bulb of tulips that only ever bloom when I leave the room, so Ican’t put my finger on when it has happened. All the actors have had a swift gear change. The workwith Doctor Owen Bowden-Jones must have informed both Lisa and Kieran’s work, as the druginduced haze they are now adopting is powerful. Sophie’s trip to City Roads Crisis InterventionCentre must have given her a new energy because now the character Marina has such gravitas andweight. She is a woman who has seen it all and is shocked by nothing but Sophie manages to stayabsolutely on the right side of the line and not slip into a self-worthy or preachy characterisation.So it’s all happening in the rehearsal room and that slow move into being ready for an audience ismanifesting but again I don’t really know when it has all happened. It’s a little annoying really as Iwas wanting to discover that precise moment, that day or week where the break-through happens,hoping it would teach me something new about directing. No such luck!Week 5/6It’s been a very active couple of weeks both in the rehearsal room and out! As for me, I’ve had mylaptop implode on me (wiping away what should have been last’s week’s entry!) and contracted amysterious bug that had me shivering, nauseous and had Michael ordering me home almost assoon as I had walked into the rehearsal room. But now that both my laptop and I are feeling better,I will attempt to regale all with tales from the final two weeks of rehearsing The Knot of the Heart.‘It’s amazing how often we as human beings say the exact opposite of what we want.’ Lisa Dillonsays this at around 11am on our first day back in the rehearsal room after the weekend and myfirst thought is, how ridiculously astute for a Monday morning. But by midday as we are rehearsingScene 6, I come to see how much truth there is in this, especially for Lucy. She is on a hospital bedhaving her hand sewed up expertly by Kieran who plays Brian. It’s so clear that Lucy has becomeaware of hitting rock bottom at this point. She is alone and she needs help and so the first thingshe does, naturally is to push away the one person who has come to give it to her. Lucy shroudsher wants in defensiveness and it is in this that she becomes even more vulnerable because it is soclear that she needs help but even still attempts to say, ‘I’m fine, I don’t need any help.’ I loveDavid’s writing of this scene and even more so when I take hold of Lisa’s earlier note on thehuman condition. It is absolutely someone trying to call out for help but too proud or embarrassedor weak to do so. But then there is a moment when the situation becomes so apparent to Lucy thateven her own pride deteriorates. And in this not caring about the mask anymore, it’s here I thinkwe see the first glimmer of Lucy’s strength.In the Rehearsal RoomDavid spends a big bulk of the week in the rehearsal room, which is great as he provides anobjective voice for us all. Even though it’s his play and one would think he was closer to it thananybody, he sees these scenes with a fresh set of eyes. Michael works so specifically and in detailwith each scene and so David’s focus on the overall arc of the play allows for another layer to beadded to the production. After watching some of the scenes he gives notes to Michael about thingsthat he’d like to see developed further. I am interested to see that David’s notes are few andparticularly focused on certain physical moments that he had written into the stage directions.Moments that he wanted to be more pointed, such as a glass being snatched out of a hand or afloor being cleaned, or a cigarette being lit. It was actually interesting to see the writer and directorof this play working effectively together whilst speaking their own respective languages. Davidwould describe in detail to Michael the importance of why this moment needed Margot forResource Pack: The Knot of the Heart 30