Welcome To The Blog!
Bradford Cover
Artistic Director
Welcome to the blog!
We will be posting on this blog: articles, video, audio, photos, information about our company, writings on theatre in general, thoughts on the plays we are working on, and who knows what else!
When we started this company two years ago we wanted to find new ways to connect with our audiences. What better way is there than a forum where we can have conversations about art and ideas. The RAC is interested not only in producing plays, but also in creating a space where we can have a discussion about what those plays mean. We are very lucky to have Kate Farrington working with us, and she has written a terrific piece on Helen by Euripides, the first play of 2020.
One of the great pleasures of having a resident company of actors is that they, the performers who are actually in the plays, can share their perspective. I have found that very often an actor will see things that others don’t simply because he or she has been spending time in that character’s mind. An actor also has an uncanny ability to get into the mind of the playwright, and see not only the structure of a play, but also the playwright’s intentions.
There is often a process in the writing of a play wherein a playwright can hear his characters expressing themselves. People used to say they could hear Ibsen talking to himself while he was working. Ibsen himself used to say he could hear his characters speaking. He was acting out the parts, and recording what they said. The fact that this imaginative listening eventually arrives in the minds (and the mouths) of actors is so important to understanding theatre. Actors instinctively reverse engineer the text, get back to that initial imaginative listening, add to the mix what they hear, and use their own imagination to fill in the blanks. This collision (or collaboration!) happens quietly, and is not something that we talk about very much because we all know that it is occurring. It is a kind of wonderful alchemy, and it leads actors to a deeper understanding of the characters, the text, and the story.
The other exciting result of having a resident company is that you, our audience, get to know them, and engage with them. Whether this is in a talk-back, a chat at the bar, or just the unspoken exchange that happens between actor and spectator — it is vital to the health and heart of any theatre. We treasure that exchange. It is what we are all about. We gain so much from listening to you because you see what we are doing with fresh eyes. Sometimes what you see and what we think we are doing —turn out to be two different things!
I look forward to many more posts and exchanges on this platform. It will be a place not only where we can share news, announcements, and updates, but also one where we can engage with you, express ideas, and foster a truly stimulating conversation about theatre, life, and our work.
So… stay tuned!