The search for twelve members of Russian society in 1895 (with a hint of 1966, a sprinkling of Wales and a dash of London - more about that in a later update) is over!
At the end of last week at the National Theatre Wales offices, we all met as a group for the first time. I must admit I was a little nervous. My brief had been to find twelve individuals with a Russian feel who could represent people who would live in the town, people who would live in the country, workmen, Bourgeois members of an amateur dramatic society and some official sorts who would be running the local Government office.
A diverse brief – taking in to account that there needed to be a spectrum of ages and an almost timeless look.
I met such wonderful people along the way – so much so that I wondered if anyone would mind if the ensemble had quadrupled by the time we got to rehearsals…
In the midst of this I went on a trip to Latvia, and knowing that there was a large Russian speaking population I had hoped that there would be some hints as to what I was looking for. In vain, I visited the Russian Theatre – Watching Dostoyevsky in Russian for 3 hours and scouring the theatre for ‘the look’, I also went to the Russian Orthodox Church and tried discretely and with respect to see what ‘Russian’ was. I was at a loss.
I asked a local guide Anna, about this. Her reply was quite direct ‘No, you won’t find a look – you might find something in the cheeks but that is all’. Great.
So on my return to Cardiff, I looked for ‘something in the cheeks’. What I found was far more interesting and one by one the ensemble was pieced together.
When I met them all together in one room, my nerves had come from the worry that they would walk in one by one and not seem like they belonged to the same society but were worlds apart. As I looked around, this worry soon turned to excitement. The ensemble is made up of people who have a real enthusiasm and passion for what they are about to undertake. The energy in the room was wonderful. They met the team at National Theatre Wales and we planned our time together. I can’t wait to get started.
On Saturday, the ensemble will have their first rehearsal with Peter Gill. The search is over and work on ‘A Provincial life’ begins.