Fitting

That was the gist of what happened at rehearsal last night. I had my measurements taken. I never remember those numbers. Hat size, shoulders, neck, inseam and such. They just go right out of my mind as soon as a costume designer takes the measurements. I hear them, and then think nothing more about them. I remember my shoe size, and that is about it. I don't know why. Probably because I have never owned a suit.

I am uncertain what sort of costume I will be wearing. I speculate that I will not have any costume changes for most of the play. At one point Buckingham is under arrest, so I imagine his outfit might be different, or at least soiled somehow, but I don't know. I would certainly assume that when the character comes back as a ghost, the costume will be altered in some fashion.

On the subject of ghosts I did get the blocking for the very last few seconds of the play last night, wherein I and the other ghosts walk back out on stage after the Battle of Bosworth Field. Those two things were the extent of my rehearsal last night.

However at the start of rehearsal the director did have some words for all of us. At least all of us that were able to come.

1) She needs at least a 24 hour notice if we are going to is a rehearsal. That's fair enough, as far as I am concerned.

2) She issued a stern warning that nobody is to play with the swords and daggers. Which of course is crucial. Wisely she will be locking those up in the office after every rehearsal, as not only are they dangerous despite being blunted (real metal), but also because most of them belong to other theatres. To the best of my knowledge I won't be handling any of them in this production.

Tonight should be quite interesting. We will be working on my character's "death speech". In this case, the speech he delivers before being executed. I am already off book for this short but significant scene. I worked on this speech early so I could start rehearsing it right away without the script in my hand. The significance of the moment for this character I feel demanded I do so. It is not a very long speech, and certainly not famous by Shakespeare standards. Nor is it complex. It is however poetic, and I want it to be a pure, human moment for Buckingham.

His execution is one of the few the director has chosen not to show on stage, and I think that has a bearing on how I will present the speech. I've been practicing it at home, and look forward to seeing how it feels on stage. Check back tonight to find out.