07.10.15
Two of my favourite things.
1. The run up to previews of a new Australian play. Rehearsals have finished. The set is being put into the theatre and we start tech tonight for Kit Brookman’s gorgeous new play A Rabbit For Kim Jong-il. It is an exciting and scary time because until you see the production and tell us what you think we don’t really know whether the play is good or not. That is the terror lying beneath the surface of producing new plays. We hope it will be amazing for you. We have brought together the best team in the country to make it. Steve Rodgers…awesome. But until we hear the response of our first audience on Saturday night we won’t know how good the play is. World premiere. Petrifying. It is an extreme sport. And I love it. I can’t wait to see you in the foyer after the show.
2. Reading old typewritten copies of unpublished plays. I have been searching for a copy of Hamlet On Ice for years now. It was performed in the Stables theatre in 1971. Kate Fitzpatrick played Hamlet. When she was performing at Griffin last year she described moments in the production with such visceral memory and wicked humour that I redoubled my efforts to find a copy of the play. A theatre angel brought it to me this week. I haven’t had time to read beyond the first few pages yet but wanted to share this script note that prefaces the play with you. It’s like time travel.
3. Summer
4. Cheating on lists.
Love Lee