We wanted to find theatrical substance to this extraordinary writing and make it just as powerful and effective off the page as it is on it.We explored different ways of framing the text from a short story in the book called 'But Not Really' to lift the drama and we filmed alot of our process to show the NTW, Rachel herself ,of course, and also to have a record of it ...when we develop it further down the line.

I think the main memory i have of these days is laughter (and…

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Hello everyone......Just when you thought the Pinter play has ended and you'd get a bit of peace...I thought i would share some different sections of text with you from 'But Not Really 'by the very gifted Rachel Trezise.

The moon shone against his house, showing up its new paint, a soft lime colour, like a woman in a new layer of confidence, stepping out into the summer for the first time in a mini skirt and a new pair of sandals. The hanging baskets either side of the front…

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Well that was a lovely trip.IThink i might buy a season ticket and go on that trip again...

The response to 'A Kind of Alaska' has been very positive , and i want to thank everyone who came up to us to thank us for the show and who have left messages to say how much the enjoyed it. It has provoked some very interesting discussions about the play, the style, the acting and the concept we went for. For the record, i followed Peter Hall's method.I thought, Well i might as well be…

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You know that thing you do with good luck cards?...when you open them to vast acres of blankness..and the card invites you write something brilliant... and you cant ..and you think..blimey i spent £3.50 on this card and i cant think of a thing to say...well that happened to me.....Its not that i havent got things to say....i did have but its just the ability to say it in a few words that escapes me..you know the witty erudite phrase that sums up six weeks of work...that sums up the bond you…

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This is the last friday blog from me. So ill cut the gush and get to the point. This week has been about fine tuning. If you liken the process to creating a menu ..then

Week 1 - we looked at the recipe and did the shopping for ingredients.Week two we looked at the bill and said blimey we cant afford that!..no we didnt really..sorry i digress....

Week 2 - we prepared the courses and picked out our favourite parts of the meal.

And the following…

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....Thing is.... im working with actors who say the following things

Caroline Bunce - eating cake - Chapter Arts Centre ' Steve?....ive got just one word to day to you' ( Steve is our designer) ' Pants!' she says nearly at the top of her voice..'Oh its alright love. says Steve....'I

dont expect you to go on stage - commando' ..and thats the end of that bit of the costume meeting.....

Nathan Sussex....you lot go around calling your selves…

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...im really looking forward to have a lighting design meeting and developing aspects of the set ( to be revealed)...and watching how the techinical aspects of the play come together to enhance what the actors are developing.

One day to mention from this week was the day i asked the actors to bring in objects that they thought had relevance to the play or their character....I attended a course run by Bella Merlin…

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Another week...refreshingly chaotic and rewarding...The week has culminated in the publicity and marketing coming together and new photos of the process being published, with more to come and press releases going out. We have all now seen a model of the set and it has inspired us all. Its just what we discussed and hoped for and Steve, our overworked and underpaid designer, is now creating an e..video.(.if thats what you call it..forgive my lack of techno jargon) to attach to publicity and…

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The end of another week on 'A Kind of Alaska' and its been an experimental week..with the emphasis on 'mental'..in an entirely positive way. Im the kind of director who comes to rehearsal with good intentions to follow a plan and then ends up pretty much changing it as the day goes along depending on the way the day develops...maybe one day ill go in with no plan at all and feel totally liberated... The rehearsals are still exploratory..im trying to find an emotional reservoire that the…

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On March 10-13th there is a production of 'A Kind of Alaska' by Pinter being performed at Chapter Arts Centre in the Theatre by a new company - Be:spoken Theatre. Caroline Bunce , a sublime actress in the play, suggested in her wisdom that I, Julie, merely the director, you understand, create a blog..and that i was responsible for creating such a blog because i was the director... and therefore i havent got much else to do..so here I am.



Weve been rehearsing for about 4 days now and… Continue