'Master Harold'...And the Boys Rehearsal Diary
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by Athol Fugard Rehearsal Diaries Contents The National’s production 3 Rehearsal diary: week one 4 Rehearsal diary: week two 5 Rehearsal diary: week three 6 Rehearsal diary: week four 7 Rehearsal diary: week five 8 Rehearsal diary: week six 9 Theatre glossary 10 This background pack is published by and copyright The Royal National Welcome to the National Theatre’s rehearsal diaries Theatre Board for ‘Master Harold’... and the boys Reg. No. 1247285 Registered Charity No. 224223 Views expressed in this background These rehearsal diaries, written by Anthony Simpson-Pike, staff director pack are not necessarily those of the of ‘Master Harold’... and the boys, introduce the unique process of rehearsing National Theatre and staging this play. At the end of these rehearsal diaries, you’ll find a Author glossary of some of the common theatre terms which come up as part of Anthony Simpson-Pike a rehearsal process. Editor Sarah Corke Through imaginative and innovative in-school, on-site and online activities, Design NT Learning opens up the National’s repertoire, artistry, skills, and the building NT Graphic Design Studio itself, enabling participants of all ages to discover new skills and experience the excitement of theatre-making. If you’ve enjoyed this background pack NT Learning National Theatre or would like to talk to us about getting involved in NT Learning activities, South Bank please contact us on London SE1 9PX T 020 7452 3388 [email protected] or 020 7452 3388. F 020 7452 3380 E [email protected] Sarah Eastaff and Jane Ball Programme Managers, NT Learning The rehearsal and production November 2019 photographs in this pack were taken by Helen Murray Cover image (Hammed Animashaun and Lucian Msamati) by Sebastian Nevols Further production details: nationaltheatre.org.uk National Theatre: Rehearsal Diaries 2 The National’s production The Company Cast, in order of appearance Director Roy Alexander Weise Willie Hammed Animashaun Set and Costume Designer Rajha Shakiry Sam Lusican Msamatic Lighting Designer Paule Constable Hally Anson Boon Movement Director and Choreographer Shelley Maxwell Understudies Sound Designer Giles Thomas Willie Obi Opara Company Voice Work Simon Money Sam Mensah Bediako Dialect Coach Joel Trill Hally Jame Lampert Staff Director Anthony Simpson-Pike This production had its press night on 1 October 2019, in the National’s Lyttelton Theatre. Production Photographer Helen Murray National Theatre: Rehearsal Diaries 3 Rehearsal diary: week one Staff Director Anthony Simpson-Pike’s diary tracks the six-week rehearsal period for ‘Master Harold’... and the boys, beginning 4 August 2019 We’re a small company, the play’s a three-hander, and so we’ve all quickly gained a sense of familiarity with each other. On the first day we read the play and start digging through the script for facts and questions, which leads to some useful character and research questions. The rest of the week is mainly focused on movement with Shelley Maxwell. Since Sam and Willie will be ballroom dancing in the production, Shelley is teaching us all the fundamentals of ballroom, specifically the waltz and the quickstep ahead of our sessions with our ballroom experts (from Strictly Come Dancing!) next week. It goes without saying that Shelley is a master of her craft and teaches with such clarity that I’ve been successfully learning the steps despite barely passing my dance exam at drama school. The cast have been Short synopsis of the play: doing an impressive job and are progressing quickly. ‘Master Harold’… and the boys is a semi-autobiographical Shelley has broken down the components of these play about a white teenage boy, Hally (based on the dances into very simple terms so that we are doing the writer Athol Fugard himself), in Apartheid South Africa in dance before we even realise it. Each dance session 1950 and two black South African men, Sam and Willie, is preceded by a physical bootcamp to increase our who work for his family. It is set in St George’s Park Tea stamina and strength. Everyone has been joining in with Room in Port Elizabeth. these and supporting each other, including our incredible stage management team. Hally comes home from school to find Sam showing Willie a dance in preparation for a ballroom competition Another highlight of this week has been splitting up into they have entered. Sam is Willie’s teacher and a close groups and making kites in order to fly them like Sam friend. Willie has lost his dance partner, Hilda, because and Hally do in the play. Under Shelley’s instruction he beats her. He is worried because the competition is we make the kites by firmly sticking to the description approaching and he needs to practice with her. Sam tells given in the script of Sam making the kite for Hally: we him to apologise to Hilda and to stop beating her, which use brown paper, wood from a tomato box, flour, water Willie refuses to do. Sam tells Hally his mother has gone and string. Meanwhile, Fi [Fiona Bardsely, DSM] and to the hospital to bring home his alcoholic father, who Speedy [Andrew Speed, SM] make a kite using modern has been recovering there. We find out that Hally’s father materials like glue, tape and bamboo sticks. Then we go is an amputee and requires complex personal care. Hally out to the terrace to try to fly them – unfortunately, there is not happy about the prospect of his dad coming home isn’t enough wind but we’re going to try again another and decides Sam must be wrong. His mother calls and day! By the end of the week we are all feeling a lot more confirms that his dad wants to come home, which Hally secure in the ballroom steps and we are looking insists his mother cannot allow to happen. He is clearly forward to diving further into the text next week. shaken by the news. Sam and Willie distract Hally, giving a profound explanation of the importance and beauty of ballroom. As they reminisce about their shared history, Hally gets a phone call from his mother in which she confirms his father is at home. Hally reacts badly and he is made to speak to his father on the phone. After the phone call, Hally starts to denigrate his father to Sam and Willie. When Sam tries to calm him, Hally lashes out at him with racist language, demanding Sam calls him ‘Master Harold’, and he spits in Sam’s face. Sam tells Hally they can never go back to how they were before and he almost hits him but chooses not to after Willie intervenes. Sam extends an olive branch to Hally and tells him that has a choice: continue down this path or turn back. Hally leaves. Willie, realising how devastated Sam is, gets him to dance in the tea room asking Sam to dream as they dance together. Left: rehearsal call for ‘Master Harold’... and the boys Right: Shelley Maxwell, Lucian Msamati, Anson Boon and Hammed Animashaun National Theatre: Rehearsal Diaries 4 Rehearsal photograph: Helen Murray Rehearsal diary: week two Having been introduced to the basics of ballroom last imagination. Whereas a lot of people focus on the week by our incredible movement director Shelley stomach and diaphragm area, Jeannette’s advice is to Maxwell, this week we go over what we have already imagine your voice in your lower back. It is wonderful to learned before moving on to exploring different dance see how effective and immediately useful this note is. sequences. On Monday we do some more work on learning the waltz before continuing our table work with Touching on the historical references in the text, Roy [Alexander Weise, director]. We’ve been talking a lot I spend some of this week making profiles of the ‘men about the relationship between Hally, Willie and Sam and of magnitude’ that are mentioned in the play, including their shared history as well as individual backstories. Tolstoy, Nietzsche, Shakespeare and Darwin. I also start to do some research on alcoholism to help Anson On Tuesday, we are lucky enough to have Bill Deamer understand what it would have been like for Hally to [ballroom consultant] from Strictly Come Dancing come have an alcoholic father. As well as this, I find some in to work with us. He is impressed with the work we’ve documentary material and testimonials for Hammed already done and so we immediately dive in to learning [Animashaun, playing Willie] to understand more about possible choreographic sequences. We have the added Willie’s behaviour and about men who perpetrate benefit of hearing about some of the secrets of Strictly… domestic violence. but I can’t tell you them here! Bill’s partner, Kylie [Anne Cruikshanks, associate ballroom consultant], is also a Hally doesn’t dance in the play and so, towards the fantastic dancer and gives us a lot of useful tips. We end of the week, when the others are in dance calls, learn a new dance, the foxtrot, which is apparently the we spend time going through the script with Anson. hardest dance in ballroom. We start to ‘action’ the text, which isn’t something Anson has done before and it is exciting to be able Thursday proves to be really exciting because we get to explore it together with Roy. to use the Lyttelton stage. It is Anson’s [Boon, playing Hally] and my first time stepping onto it. Not only that Friday afternoon is given over to more digging through but we have the pleasure of being led in a voice session the text.