*By anonymous
Epigram Arts gets an insight into the rehearsal process for Bird, the debut production of Bedlam Chorus, a new Bristol-based theatre company created by Sam Jones.
A mattress sits in the centre of the Bird rehearsal room. Around it, an array of chairs, a tricycle and various pairs of shoes are scattered, whilst against the far wall, actors quietly annotate their scripts. Amidst this, director Sam Jones and AD Ciara Regan work on one of the more technical transitions in the play; a mattress needs to be dropped at the right moment, to coincide with the movements of Ava (Madi Mahoney). “Let’s see what happens”, says Jones.
"we wanted the experience of watching it to feel pretty visceral and exciting"
“Let’s see what happens”. These are the words which Jones comes back to throughout the afternoon. Later, he explains. “We wanted the experience of watching it to feel pretty visceral and exciting. The play just moves - there’s always something happening, it asks you to catch up constantly”. “In rehearsals we’ve really had to try out so many different things to find out what sits right within the frame of the play”, Regan adds.
In its relatively short running time of around 70 minutes, Bird crams in lots of difficult topics - themes of abuse, loneliness and disenfranchisement are entangled with the story of Ava, a teenage girl faced with her impending departure from the care system - and this is something the team are aware of. “Obviously we wanted to be really careful when approaching [the subject matter]”, says Regan. To stay true to the reality of life in the care system, the Bird creative team have paired up with Young Bristol, a charity which aims to “offer a choice of opportunities and experiences for all young people”. “We’re collecting for them and doing the play in association with them”, Regan elaborates. “Part of that is a continuing dialogue with them about the issues in the play,” says Jones, “so we’ve approached [Bird] through research”.
Despite dealing with such sensitive issues, the take-home message from Bird isn’t necessarily a negative one. “Although it is a really hard-hitting story, I want the audience to leave feeling quite full,” says Mahoney, “to have warmed their hearts a little bit”. “We’re not doing it to depress people”, adds Saul Federman (Dan). In Jones’ own words, “there will be tenderness and fun... music, and that special kind of dancing-like-nobody's watching dance.”
"the closer we can bring the audience into the edginess of her world... then the more honest it will feel"
Why the PRSC, a converted (and infamously unheated) warehouse? “Bird is about letting go of comforts,” says Jones, “there’s an element of it being Ava’s space, I think… and it not feeling like we’re putting her into a cosy theatre space. The closer we can bring the audience into the edginess of her world, into the spikiness, the discomforts, the coldness, then the more honest it will feel”. And the cast agree. “Especially the cold, it brings the audience into the room with us”, remarks Federman.
Overall, Jones and Regan’s vision for Bird is one which does more than simply present the issues to the audience. “It’s about how we can tell this story in a way which feels bold and fresh, how we can explore the insides of Ava’s mind and put that on stage”, Jones summarises. “We’re hoping audiences will be hit with an emotional punch”, adds Regan.
Bird opens at the PRSC this Saturday, running from 8th - 10th December. Tickets can be purchased at -
SAT 8TH: http://hdfst.uk/E50037
SUN 9TH: http://hdfst.uk/E50042
MON 10TH: http://hdfst.uk/E50043
Photo credits: Harry Plowden
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