There’s no business like it…

If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it’s yours forever. If it doesn’t, then it was never meant to be. Precisely this idea is explored in Tom Stoppard’s play The Real Thing, which was Warwick University’s first student production of this academic year staged at the Arts Centre Studio from the 19th- 22nd October. The Boar had an opportunity to get an insight into the workings and behind-the-scene mechanisms as to how a show of this scale is created and realized from day one to the finale of opening night. The standard of student productions here at the Warwick Arts Centre is extremely high and this is with good reason: the theatrical procedure works like a machine, in which every production element must be delegated and executed with efficiency and perseverance in order for the final product to be slick and running. Only if every team member is working with focus towards the common goal of a successful production will the expected high level be met. Directors Breman Rajkumar and Alistair Faiers add that it is essential to “have a great team; reliable people who you can trust and work with especially through the stressful times. If you have your friends on board, it will seem like it isn’t work at all.”
But how does one start this mammoth task of instigating a project like this? Firstly, co-directors Ali and Brem mention it is important to select the right play; one which you love and which you feel passionate about. Tom Stoppard being one of their favorite playwrights, the two originally pondered staging Arcadia but found it worked better as a piece of literature rather than a text to be staged.
The Real Thing combines Stoppard’s natural way with words and his use of brilliant metaphors, spoken by real characters with real emotions. Brem explains “When reading The Real Thing everything fell into place – it may have been written in 1982, yet we were fascinated at how relevant all the language is to today’s time. In addition to this, the characters are depicted so realistically; they have faults and are deep; even if some do not have massive amounts of text, every single one of them is genuine and believable.” Both agreed that the play fascinatingly works on so many levels, with Stoppard superbly and meticulously building his work in terms of literature, realism and metaphors. It is simply a beautifully written piece. Whereas it is common for directors to abolish parts of a script or reinvent the text, Brem and Ali felt that the play didn’t need to be altered or given a certain concept: “It is amazing in its own right and can be put on without further over-complications.” Having chosen the play, the next step was to convince the Drama Collective board that this concept of a show would be worthy of presentation in the Warwick Arts Centre. The board is made up of students who are other members from various drama societies. The constellation of the board group varies every time. This ensures that decisions are made with a fresh and unbiased standpoint at each selection process for the two studio productions in the upcoming term. Required of the directors is a 25-page proposal in which they present their play, vision and production team members. In the words of Ali: “It is not vital to slap a concept onto a play in order to get it approved; suggesting that you want to explore a certain system of acting is also a valid reason from which to create a show.” Once the board approved of Ali and Brem’s theatrical plans, they were clear to begin the audition process.
The auditions did not require applicants to prepare a monologue to be recited. Participants were told to let go of any exaggerated ‘theatrical’ or unrealistic acting and were asked to respond naturally to situations they were presented with. At first, scenes were emotionally undemanding; for example, being incorrectly called upon in a doctor’s waiting room and having to improvise a reaction to this confrontation. Later, scenes got more emotionally intense: candidates were given a script and a situation wherein that they had to admit to their partner they had been unfaithful and had to eventually break up with their boy- or girlfriend. Audition helpers were present to play the roles of candidate’s partners. In this way, auditionees were put on the spot and forced to immediately engage with various unknown factors – script, situation and an audition helper. In the final part, candidates were asked to repeat this exercise, without a script. Rather, they had their lines fed to them one after the other in order to allow the lines to be a surprise and to get a genuine reaction from participants. During the entire audition, it was vital to remain genuine and to avoid overplaying or ‘faking’ reactions. And in fact, a huge influx of candidates was received: within 3 days the production team saw 80 interested contestants. Ali mentions he “found it very difficult to pick the cast, as everyone’s naturalistic acting ranged from extremely good to very good. It was a hard job selecting people and having to be so brutal by rejecting people who had perhaps only made one mistake.” The cast, having been decided before the summer break, were asked to use the long holidays to learn their lines. After returning from summer vacations and having executed the mundane task of memorizing lines, the rehearsal stage could begin! Rehearsals were an acting-driven process immersing everyone in Sanford Meisner’s acting techniques. Meisner’s renowned naturalistic acting method allows actors to live truthfully under imaginary circumstances via a series of exercises which encourage the actor to exist entirely in the moment and to concentrate wholly on the behavior of their colleague, rather than being selfish and concerned with self-portrayal. Directors Brem and Ali essentially self-taught their know-how of conducting these Meisner exercises: through friends and online sources, Ali and Brem first tested out the famous repetition exercises on each other wherein two actors sit on chairs facing one another and must repeat the same sentence over and over, only changing the words when they detect a change in their partner. Having discovered how quickly and efficiently this exercise worked and realizing it helped naturalistic theatre, Brem and Ali were determined to employ these exercises in the production. Since the content of the play explores sensitive relationships, it was important to conduct a series of intimacy workshops for the actors to create bonds and be comfortable with physical contact towards each other. One exercise named Mirroring requires one actor to copy exactly the same movements the other enacts; the aim of the exercise is for outsiders to be unable to tell who is mirroring the other. Secondly, the Argentine Hypnotizing exercise entails one actor to keep their face as close to the other’s hand as possible, without touching it, and following their partner’s hand wherever it may go. William Francis, playing army recruit Brodie, comments: “Not only was the rehearsal process communal and fantastically original but we became a very tight knit cast.” David Levesley, ensemble cast member, adds: “The absolute devotion to naturalism and their conviction to direction was fantastic. The group exercises made us gel very well as a cast.” Director Ali adds to this: “The show is not aimed at being a big spectacle with a mass ensemble and grand set, but rather to get the acting as real as possible.” And indeed, the acting has had first priority: a large chunk of rehearsal was devoted to discussions, providing each and every line of text with a specific objective and intention for the character. This allows you, in true Meisner style, “to integrate the character you’re playing to your own personal reactions,” said Nicola Williams, playing Annie. Once the objectives and intentions had been fully worked out, it is possible to take risks and surprise one another on stage. Delivering the same lines with a new spin each time keeps rehearsals and run-throughs fresh and fluid, demanding new reactions from the cast constantly. Only by having gone through the entire work-shopping and intimacy process was the cast now familiar enough with each other to create new actions and reactions every time. For example, one instance in the train during the play sees Billy (Henry Hart) with the objective of seducing Annie. However, he may choose to do this differently each time by perhaps ripping off his shirt, ripping it apart or leaving it on and simply falling to his feet and begging for her affection.
This catches Nikki off-guard, forcing her to reinvent her own performance constantly! It is a balance between challenging and playing with one another, a dynamic interchange at all times in which nothing can remain fixed or static.
Of course, this is not to say that the rehearsal process outweighs the final product. A lot of thought was given toward the overall aesthetics of the performance and how it worked as a whole. Directors Ali and Brem were slightly concerned by the fact that the main plot was, though engaging, very text heavy. As mentioned, some characters in the script appear so fleetingly but really deserve a follow-up on how they develop their love stories and lives. These two factors presented an ideal opportunity for the creation of intercalary scenes occurring between the main plot scenes. All interwoven scenes were devised playing 80s-style music, and take place on the balcony spaces above the stage. Not only did this allow a larger number of actors to take part in the production, but it also overbridged the time frame when the main stage needed to undergo a set change, keeping audience members immersed and entertained.
It may often be forgotten how exactly coordinated a play must be in order for it to run slick and smoothly like the machine alluded to in the beginning of the article. Not one person is just a ‘cast member’ or a ‘techy’; everyone assists where they can. For example, the main actors are the ones who will change the set during the devised scenes taking place on the balcony. Making sure everyone involved in the play is treated equally and with respect no matter what position they hold is vital for the meticulous and harmonious accomplishment of the performance. This is also clearly depicted in the actor-director relationship: Stephanie Kitchiner, playing Charlotte, mentions that “the directors were not intimidating at all, but very approachable.” Observed in the rehearsal process, Brem neither spoonfed nor commanded his actors to fulfill certain tasks; he used the dialogical approach in order to make sure his ensemble members understood and felt comfortable enough to voice their own opinions in rehearsal.
The last days before the performance are, contrary to popular belief, not a crazy stressful delirium – Brem and Ali comment that they just feel slightly tired but are not worried about the show not coming together. As it stood, all the production elements (lighting, sound, costume, props, set and make up) were delegated and diligently worked on. With two weeks to go before the show opened, the acting was already down to a tee. This meant that rehearsals focused on fine-tuning every element of the play so that it represented one cohesive final product.
When asked what message Brem and Ali hoped the audience would receive from watching the show, the two comment that they desired to present all debates and characters within the play truthfully and simply, and to give justice to Stoppard’s writing. Ali elaborates: “We are also great believers of theatre for entertainment. We want audience members to enjoy the show; to feel uplifted and to have a really great time! As well as this, we are aiming for the show to move a viewer – you won’t be the same once you come out again and it is very possible that the production may have shifted your views on love and what that entails.”
Whether it is the debate on what authorizes someone to name themselves a ‘writer’ (someone who creates high-art literature or a nobody who produces ‘literary garbage’?) or the meaning of love (is it exclusive to one lover or should love be free?) that captivates you, it will surely be the seven vivacious characters who will stick in the audience’s memory the most. Through them, we are presented with varied interpretations of love, freedom and morals, challenging you to conclude for yourself what these things mean to you.

Contact Warwick Arts Centre for more details!