The Guinea Pig Club Blog Post 5

Mon 08 Oct 2012

And now for an audience

05.10.12

This has been a week of everything-coming-together, and has been busy enough to have kept me away from a computer to fill you in. Today in particular has been a bit of a push, fitting in two dress runs before we open tonight. We’ve got into the space, put in all the sound, music and wonderfully atmospheric lighting, and finally pieced it all together ready to let you all in to see our hard work.

The set was pretty much complete by Wednesday and, though we had all seen models and pictures, it really was quite breath-taking to see the front sliding partitions open on to the ward we had all got to know in our minds through the rehearsals. The design is beautiful and perfectly fitting to the context and the story, as well as being fully functional as a hospital ward. It moves in exactly the way we had hoped, all the elements working together to take us from one scene to the next. I am amazed by how easily the actors found it to start working with moving parts after weeks of miming curtains.

Another thing that really brought everything to life this week was getting everyone in their costumes. Obviously this would make a difference to the way the piece looked, but it’s hard to explain just how much the costume brought the thing to life. The crisp, clean, bright uniforms clearly display the pilot’s ranks, the nurses are suited up for a hard shift and the civvies and pyjamas match the character’s perfectly to really make you feel you are sneaking a look into a different era.

There are probably many anecdotes from this week, from a wheelchaired actor nearly being pushed over the edge of the stage, to footballs appearing at inappropriate moments (as predicted), it’s not what matters now. We are up and ready to go.

I can’t believe I knew nothing about the Guinea Pig Club before I started working on the show, and I can’t believe how many people I’ve talked to in the same position. It is a truly inspirational tale of a man who is not willing to settle for the basics when it comes to fixing people’s lives, and the brave men who didn’t let themselves become their accidents once they found their way to him. A remarkable story that will appeal to those who remember the time of Archie McIndoe as well as anyone who is currently oblivious to the work of such a remarkable man.

It’s been a joy working on the show, well may it run.

Ruby Clarke

Assistant Director, Guinea Pig Club