05/01/2008

REHEARSED READING

LIKE PERFORMANCE ART, THE REHEARSED READING HAS FIRM ROOTS IN THEATRE CONVENTIONS OF THE PAST. REHEARSED READINGS CAN BE SEEN AS SIMILAR IN FORM, IF NOT IN INTENT, TO THE LATE EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY CONVENTION OF THE AUTHOR’S FIRST READING TO THE COMPANY, WHEN ONLY CUE SCRIPTS WERE AVAILABLE. THE READING MAY HAVE BEEN THE ONLY OPPORTUNITY FOR THE ACTORS TO HEAR THE PLAY AS A WHOLE, AND TO ESTABLISH THEIR PARTS IN THAT WHOLE.

REHEARSED READING HAS BEEN DEVELOPING RAPIDLY AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE STAGED PLAY. THE REHEARSED READING IS USEFUL, NOT ONLY AS A FORM OF PREPARATION FOR STAGED PRODUCTION, BUT AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO IT. IN THE REHEARSED READING, NEW SCRIPTS (OFTEN BUT NOT ALWAYS, BY UNKNOWN PLAYWRIGHTS) ARE GIVEN READINGS BY A GROUP OF ACTORS. THE READINGS ARE GENERALLY ‘PERFORMED’ ON BARE STAGES WITHOUT SETS OR COSTUMES. STAGE LIGHTS ARE REPLACED BY READING LIGHTS. SCRIPTS IN HAND, THE ACTORS SIT FACING THE AUDIENCE. THEY OFTEN SIT IN A SEMICIRCLE – THE POSITION WHICH ALLOWS FOR THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF EYE CONTACT, AND WHICH THUS ENCOURAGES THE ACTORS TO ENGAGE WITH THE AUDIENCE AS WELL AS WITH EACHOTHER. THE VISUAL ELEMENT OF THE REHEARSED READING IS MINIMAL. THERE IS NO NEED TO CHANGE COSTUME, TO ENTER OR EXIT, ONE ACTOR CAN PLAY MULTIPLE PARTS, DESIGNATING CHANGES IN CHARACTER BY SHIFTS IN THE TONE OF VOICE, POSTURE, OR SIMPLY BY MEANS OF VERBAL EXPOSITION BETWEEN CHARACTERS i.e. BY NAMING, GREETING AND SIGNALLING.

TEXT TAKEN FROM:

CONTEMPORARY FEMINIST THEATRES: TO EACH HER OWN BY LIZBETH GOODMAN.