BEHIND THE SCENES: Northern Line - Take The U Train

Jonathon Collis

(Do you want to see the reading of Northern Line on January 11? If so, send an email to minmaytheatreco@googlemail.com and introduce yourself. We can't promise seats to everybody, but we'll do what we can.)

Our first reading is fast approaching here in Northern Line land, and with it come all the headaches of being a writer AND a producer. And oh, the headaches are enough to keep Nurofen in business for many a long year.

On the writing side, progress is going slowly but fairly smoothly. Script edits are in limbo until we have actual book rehearsals in January, and this is one of the few moments of relief in an otherwise gruelling work schedule.

Musically, things are a different story. When translating songs, there's a word hanging over the lyricist's head like a dark cloud, threatening to strike the entire score with bolts of musical lighting. That word, dear readers, is emphasis, or knowing where to put the right word in the score so that the music delivers the most punch to your word.

The problem with emphasis in translation is when you have someone (like me) who's bilingual and has a long history with the original version. It's very easy to think that the second syllable of "London" goes on a certain note because, well, "Berlin" is on that note and it sounds great when the singers do it in German. Of course, English and German have entirely different standards of pronunciation which means that while the words roughly fit the music, the melodies and the lyrics often need a bit of massaging to fit properly and sound right in the target language.

The result? A lot of sessions with Maggie Copeland, our stunning music director and arranger, where we go through the lyrics bar by bar, stanza by stanza, and make tweaks. Often it's something as simple as shifting the words by a quaver and using a lead on a prior bar, but sometimes we sit there for 20 minutes while I think of an alternative phrase to improve a rhyme or negotiate a tricky section. So far, we've managed to get about a third of the score into shape, and rehearsals are already underway so my hard copies shall continue bleeding blue ink for extended sessions over the rest of the week as we get things in gear before our Christmas hiatus.

And speaking of rehearsals, no producer should ever schedule a show to open in early or mid-January. Ever. It is officially a part of the Minmay Theatre Company rulebook now, for the sole reason that casting this time of year - both in finding a cast AND retaining them - is nigh on impossible.

For those who don't know much about how theatrical development works, I'm going to let you in on a few secrets here.

First and foremost, presenting a show in its infancy (or even when it can walk and talk but not yet feed itself) is often done at the creator's expense. Unless you have a group like Mercury Musical Development, or Perfect Pitch backing you, or your show is commissioned by a larger force (e.g. a West End producer wants a new musical adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada and hires a creative team to make it happen), readings and development are funded out of the creator's pocket. Or, in the case of Northern Line, out of my pocket. Writers do this because we're passionate about our work, we believe it deserves to be seen, because putting it before an audience is the only way to see what works, and because we're somewhat desperate.

What this also means is that readings have to be done on the cheap. The US branch of Equity has strict rules over the number of rehearsal hours, payment, and total budget on readings, and while things are more relaxed here, there still just isn't that much money to go around, especially when there's no guarantee the show will go anywhere.

What I'm trying to say is that most actors don't get paid to do readings. They do it because they're friends with someone on the creative team, because they've been out of work and they can invite their agent, or because they like the excitement of being attached to a work in progress. And while we are paying our actors on Northern Line, the amount is minimal - it covers tube fare to and from the venue and a drink or two at the bar.

Can we all see where this is going? Despite a painfully slow autumn season, production is picking up for winter, and casting for shows in January and into February is well underway. And, of course, so are rehearsals for those shows all over Britain. The result? We've had to recast no less than six people, and two of our dropouts have occurred within the 72 hours leading up to when this entry was written.

The lesson to be learned here is: loyalty and commitment in this business are often bought rather than earned or given. And while it's hard to begrudge someone giving up beer money for a proper wage, it borders on catastrophe when it happens during rehearsal - especially when everything grinds to a halt for Christmas.

The other lesson to be learned here? Creativity is what gets things created. It's also what keeps you afloat when things go pear shaped: we're now going to get a show written for 11 actors to run with nine.

Next Time: Working over Christmas and another rehearsal update.

 

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