Making Out of the Fog

 

JUNE - NOVEMBER 2006

Michael Attenborough, the Artistic Director of the Almeida Theatre, decides to direct Big White Fog, by Theodore Ward, a play about a black family living in Chicago in the 1920s and 30s.  The Director of Almeida Projects, Rebecca Manson Jones, decides to create a new play for young people inspired by Big White Fog.

 

We run workshops with students from schools across Islington to find out what parts of Big White Fog are interesting for them - and how we might make them into a modern play.

 

NOVEMBER 2006 - JANUARY 2007

Roy Williams, the Almeida’s Writer in Residence, agrees to write the new play.    Five A-level students  – Lindsay Dukes, Sophie Grindley, Rochelle Rose, Gabriel Sainhas and Esther Uwejayah – come to the Almeida rehearsal room for a day-long workshop exploring possible storylines for Out of the Fog.

 

Rebecca, Roy and our Assistant Director, Melissa Vitalis Smith, spend a week at the Almeida with six young actors improvising new scenes for the play. 

 

JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2007

Roy takes all the workshop ideas and writes a first draft of Out of the Fog.   We invite Matt Wilde to direct the play.  He reads the first draft and, with casting director Julia Horan, starts looking for actors to play the parts.

 

Matt, Mel and Julia hold auditions for the actors.  Meanwhile, we engage a costume designer, Charlotte Damigos and two stage managers: Pia Jensen and Lucy Taylor.

 

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2007

The first day of rehearsal.  It’s an exciting day as the cast, creative team and workshop leaders come together to hear the play read out loud for the first time.   

 

 

Over the next three weeks, Matt and the cast discuss the play, its plot and different characters.  They then ‘put the play on his feet’ to discover how the actors’ intentions influence their actions. Throughout the rehearsal period there are regular production meetings when everyone involved in the show comes together to talk about what needs to be done to get it on stage.

 

Meanwhile, Charlotte measures the actors, finalises her ideas for costume designs and shops for the clothes.

 

MARCH 2007

The rehearsal period is nearing its end and the cast get a first chance to work on the set that they’ll be performing on in a few days time. 

 

Technical rehearsals.  Matt, Melissa and the cast spend a day and a half in the theatre, working out every lighting and sound cue.  The actors get a chance to try out their entrances and exits and to work properly on the set and in costume. 

 

Dress rehearsal.  A final chance to practise the show and for Matt to give ‘notes’ to the actors and technicians to fine-tune the performance.