A couple of weeks later I was given the script for my tiny part. Now, my acting days had been left far behind since GCSE's. In our final drama exam my group and I did the Musicians of Bremen. It’s a nice little story about a donkey, a dog, a cat and a roster going off to be musicians in Bremen. I, of course, ended up being the donkey! You would think someone who was born and bred in Wiltshire should be fine putting on a strong Wiltshirian accent. Well, it turned out it’s a tad harder than it sounds! So I ended up being a frightfully posh donkey that played the violin! Not your everyday donkey, then :)!
Anyway the school play was Bugsy Malone and it being set in America I was quietly confident the accent thing wouldn't be an issue. So yes, I had got my script and my first line was: 'Nuttin, I see nuttin'. Hmmmm, now that didn't sound like an American accent to me! I looked at the character blurb and read 'the violinist is an immigrant from Eastern Europe, with an accent as thick as his moustache'. Oh no!
Luckily I got the script the week before February half term. So during the half term anyone walking past my room could hear me trying to practice my nonexistent Russian accent or else hear some clips from YouTube of people speaking with a Russian accent. Anyway I can now say: '.....correctly drink Russian tea' in a very strong Russian accent. However, unbelievably, that wasn't in the script!
After half term, it was the first full rehearsal with all the cast members and band. We had to stay after school each night, from Wednesday to Friday, until after 9 pm and also go in on the Saturday. This didn't bother me too much but what did was the fact that I had no idea who was in it. None of my group of friends, at school, are into anything to do with the performing arts. I think the last time they had anything to do with a play was at primary school for the Nativity! So, I was very nervous turning up to the first rehearsal.
The StageWith my violin case on my back I walked into the main hall to view the stage for the first time. Unlike other secondary schools in the town, we don't have a proper stage. Our stage was constructed with stage blocks and actually it had been done very well, as there were quite a few levels needed. I took off my case and started sorting out my violin. Whilst doing this, I scanned the room for a few familiar faces. Well, as it turned out, it wasn't too bad. I knew the majority of the band, due to having done music concerts with them previously. There were also a few familiar faces in the cast who had also been in those music concerts. *Sigh* Emily can now relax a tad!
We started running through the play and I know that you’re generally considered to be a really good actor if you get the main part but WOW the talent was really good. A few six formers had the main parts and they were very good as the majority were taking A level drama. Yet what most stunned me were the people from the younger years that also had major roles. In particular the one who played Dandy Dan. From observation he seemed to prefer to be on the periphery but when on stage he kind of came out of this shell and was just stunningly talented. I think my jaw might have dropped, a bit! It was the same for the others too while Tallulah and Fat Sam were also very talented actors. My nerves had started to come back!
Then it was my mini scene. It literally was just a few lines, however, it doesn’t matter how many or how few people I have to perform in front of, with all their attention on what I'm doing, does make me VERY nervous. I got dragged on stage (this was in the script) and then interrogated by Captain Smolsky, the chief of police. Then I started saying my lines and from nowhere this strange accent came out of my mouth. I came off stage and sat down next to Will and said 'How did I do?' Will - 'Yer not to bad but you did sound a tad Chinese with a hint of Russian'. From then onwards I was to be known, by fellow cast members, as the Chinese Russian!
Will doing what he does best!
Over the next few nights of rehearsals I started talking to other cast members, mainly those in the chorus, as we spent most of our time back stage, in particular two girls, Sophie and Frankie, who had various bits to perform throughout the play. They were just so full of energy and excitement that it helped reduce my nervousness and I started to really enjoy myself. We had a fabulous scene together where we were auditioning in front of a director (played by darling Aaron), but had to perform really badly. I had to pretend to play the violin like a beginner and make that wonderful cat screeching sound beginners are well known to make! This wasn't going to be a toughie. Sophie had to stand up and deliver a joke while Frankie was required to stand on the side looking beautiful! It was just great fun as there wasn't any pressure of making mistakes, as making fools of ourselves was the whole point of this scene.
The following week we were to perform to our audience. Tension rose between cast members and teachers. Everybody was under stress; there were a few mutters about it not being finished in time. It started to get very stressful. However, the great thing was we were taken off our timetable for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday just to practise Bugsy and as I didn't have a large role, most of my time was spent socialising. It was great; it was like having a 5 day weekend! I got to know loads of new people and some who I met, briefly, on previous occasions.
Aaron and I
Briefly, I had met Rhiannon and Dale at a previous music concert we had done for the school. Knowing that both are very talented it didn't surprise me that Rhiannon, who has an amazing voice, was playing one of the club's singers and Dale, who's not only a great musician but a fab actor, was playing the part of Fizzy.
From Bugsy I also met Sarah; who I had never met before until now. Like me, she was in the chorus, so we had a lot of time spare together. In Bugsy she danced in Fizzy's song and tries out for the auditions. Though she was doing a more ballet kind of dance in Bugsy she is actually a tap dancer and a pretty darn good one at that!
Left: Dale, Rhiannon & Aaron
Wednesday came and our first show was to be in front of the local primary schools. Everybody was buzzing, most of us weren't nervous; however, this was to be our last run through of the play before the show that night. So no pressure! Bar a few places, it went rather smoothly. Our confidence was high for the night’s performance.
6 pm and we were all lining up for our hair and makeup. This was really it. The last two weeks we had rehearsed far into the night, OK until 9 pm, and it was all down to us now. No teacher was going to be able to tell us we had exited on the wrong side of the stage or make us restart the scene because we came in two bars early for our song! We were on our own, as one teacher kept telling us. Thanks for trying to calm our nerves!
The band started up, the lights went down and the audience quietened; the play had started. As I wasn't in the opening scene, I waited back stage. For my first scene I was to serenade Bugsy and Blousey at a restaurant. Backstage we had a T.V., which was connected to a camera filming the stage; this was in order for us to know where we were in the play. I hated this part as I used to try and read the script to follow what was going on in each scene. However, Bugsy improvised on occasions and before I knew it I was needed on stage!
My next scenes were the auditions and being interrogated by Smolsky. I loved the interrogation scene because both Smolsky and O'Dreary are fabulous actors; it was just so much fun to act with them! Especially when O'Dreary, in a strong Irish ascent, told me to get out of America and back to my own country! These scenes all happened in the first part of Act I. So the rest of the evening, I put up my feet and relaxed and watched everyone else panicking about their cues and what their lines where.
Left: Sarah, Sophie and Frankie
At the end we all went back on stage for the curtain call and the audience cheered and clapped. It was a great buzz and once back stage I found myself at the centre of a group hug. We had just done our first performance, one down two more to go!
Well I say two more, but I wasn't able to make Thursday night’s performance. The Ting Tings were playing in a nearby town and my mates and I had got tickets before I was asked to be in the play. Bugsy was able to cope for one night! An A level drama student was going to stand in for me. As he was unable to play the violin well one of my teacher tinkered on the piano during the restaurant scene. ‘Cha’ can’t get the stand in these days!
On Friday evening everybody was buzzing, this was to be our last performance. Again we all queued up for our make-up and hair. The only difference about that night’s show, well for me anyway, was that I wasn't going to do my Chinese’s - Russian character. The A level drama student had really enjoyed playing it, so he wanted to play the part again on Friday. Well I didn't mind I was still playing my violin in the restaurant scene and it meant I could view my old scene from the audiences.
Waiting to go on stage I realised that this was going to be the last time I played my violin in Bugsy. A tad sad about this prospect, however, as I’m not the most confident violinist in the world, also very relieved. Once my scene was over I was done for the night and spent most of my time hanging out back stage with the other members of the chorus and lighting crew.
Rhiannon and I
Then the play was drawing to a close. Fat Sam's Grand Slam had just been sung and the first few bars of Give a Little Love started to play. This song must be the best of the whole musical! The cast walk off stage to wait in the wings for the curtain call. At the wings a huge group formed and all of us sang ‘Give a Little Love’ at the top of our voices with the cheesiest smiles on our faces that you could possibly imagine! We then went back on stage for our bows.
Once the cheering from the audience had died down, one of our teachers came on to do the 'well-done’ talk, thanking everybody who had participated in some way to Bugsy. Then while slightly day dreaming I heard the teacher say 'They loved it so much, that I think you should give us one more song!' What!?! Everyone looked around for guidance from each other. What song were we going to sing? We hadn’t rehearsed this!!!! Then the band dived into Fat Sam's Grand Slam; having never been in this scene before I was rather surprised that I actually knew the actions to it. Everybody was going for it and grinning like Cheshire cats.
The second we got off stage, I found myself again at the centre of a group hug. Everybody was beaming; we had just spent the last two weeks almost doing nothing else but Bugsy. The highs the lows (which were very few) were all over and it was back to our normal lives of worrying about upcoming exams.
The experience was amazing; I met loads of new people and got to know others better. It was a fantastic play with many talented actors, who I have no doubt some, will go on to be professionals. It was so much fun and the gruelling hours of effort everyone had put into it for the last two weeks was worth it. They should be proud and it was a pleasure to have been a part of it.
THE END
(Thanks to Dale for taking the pictures)
Total cost of experience: £0
