Edward Albee's

Three Tall Women
Cast Blog by Sam Curtis

Week one

We had a very productive week and really began to unravel the play. As I don't actually speak in this production I spent a lot of time watching listening and absorbing. It was a fascinating week as my knowledge of the play and it's characters has grown considerably from when I first read it. The cast are remarkable and are very playful, we seem to have found a lot of humour within the piece already and they have brought a great humanity to the characters.

Week Two

We met all of the team on Monday morning at the playhouse, we had a tour of the theatre and stage which was much larger than I imagined but it was good to get a sense of the size of it early on.

Rehearsing at Anthony St. Rye School is very refreshing as there are some lovely grounds to have a wonder around during breaks and re-charge. This is my first visit to Oxford and it is a beautiful place, I took the opportunity to have a walk around the centre before rehearsals began and soak up the atmosphere. We've had dinner at The QI club twice and shared some stories and laughs. I'm looking forward to exploring Oxford in the weeks to come...

I'm really beginning to get a sense of my characters' journey through the play and the moments in his life which have affected and influenced him. My journey through the piece is different from the other characters as they exist within a realm where the spoken text drives them. I often think it would be easier if my character did have some dialogue to root him as it is hard to bring a sense of truth to what I am doing without feeling like I am emoting and miming in a Charlie Chaplin inspired manner. I've had to make sure my process has been one of gentle discovery by constantly asking myself questions and by negotiating my physical journey in the space.

Week Three

"Getting to know you, getting to know all about you" the song which rings through my brain as I write this, because that's what I been doing, I've been immersed in books about the life and works of Albee - getting to know him. I'm so impressed with the vast amount I know about him that he could probably be my specialist subject on Mastermind. He really is a fascinating man and I appreciate his views on theatre and the arts, it's also nice to discover he's as complex and "human" as the rest of us. Knowing more about Albee has helped me to understand and take on board the life of The Boy (Albee is The Boy after all).

As well as exercising my intellectual muscles I've been working away in the gym so I may continue to enjoy the vast amount of custard creams, bourbons and chocolate covered hob nobs which I throw down my throat on a daily basis. My thanks to the company manager and DSM for helping me with this difficult addiction, for supplying a mountain of biscuit themed snacks and an air tight container for their well-being, and for the humorous hand-written instructions which help to avoid the disappointment of discovering a less than firm digestive.

Week Four 23/04/06

So here we are at the end of the final week of rehearsals before the technical and previews. To see the play run from start to finish several times over this week has shown me how we've progressed since the first week. I think the main hurdle of the actors learning the immense amount of text has been jumped successfully and we are now on the last stretch, the sprint to the finish, will the crowd cheer as we cross the line? Will we stand on the podium and receive gold? and shall I continue with this amazing sport related imagery? All of these things we are yet to discover but I've a feeling it's going to be good.

I've also discovered the wondrous heaven on earth which is "The Covered Market" in Oxford, I was particularly impressed with the cake shop and seemed to spend longer than was necessary watching them expertly decorate the cakes.

Here's to the show opening on Thursday... biscuit anyone?

Week Five

One thing I've learnt from the experience of the show opening and being reviewed is never to read the reviews until you have finished the run of the show. I made the mistake of reading a review today and now I feel scarred for life, somewhere in the depths of the oxford sewerage system lies my confidence, soiled beyond repair. Ok, so I don't feel THAT devastated but when my performance was referred to as "mooning mutely" it's hard for a man to stay upright never mind to forgive the writers' use of alliteration. (My dig at the critic just felt good, maybe I'm on the Road to Recovery?). The review of the play as a whole was fantastic and very pleasing, this particular comment just stood out to me, in fact most of the critics tend to omit me altogether so I suppose I should take myself being mentioned as a compliment.

The play is going really well and it's great to sense how different audiences react to it from performance to performance, I'm still learning new things which is testament to Albee's incredible writing and the talent of the actors who continue to unearth new truths.

As I wait to go onstage I prepare; will I Act Acrimoniously? Bewilder Beautifully? Conduct Competently? Deliver Deliciously? Effect Effortlessly? Who knows, there are plenty of alliterations just itching to be acted out.

Sam Curtis
Updated: 05/05/06