Tea is an Evening Meal

So last week I started rehearsals for the tour of Tea in an Evening Meal which begins on the 3^rd May. I originally made this piece last year when I was commissioned by Northern Stage to make a new theatre show as part of their 40^th birthday celebrations. I worked with Third Angel’s Alexander Kelly to create a one woman show. When the work was performed at Northern Stage in Newcastle in June 2010 it was received well by people in theatre as well as the people who came to the theatre. Therefore Erica Whyman at Northern Stage along with Alex and I felt that the work should have a life beyond the original commission, so we met, discussed and wondered whether venues would bite. And they did. So Tea is an Evening Meal is touring to 9 venues and 1 festival to be performed a total 37 times this summer.

Last week Erica Whyman and Mark Calvert from Northern Stage joined Alex Kelly and I in Sheffield to begin rehearsals. The table arrived (delivered via the roof) and the mugs and tea pots were unwrapped. We still await the arrival of 14 wooden chairs and 1 working tea urn.

I was curious to see if text I was word perfect in nine months ago had made it into my long term memory. Some had, some hadn’t, not really. A few stories needed clarifying. None were cut, some were simplified, and others were given more detail. We looked at moments when I was in charge and moments when the audience could lead the way.

The experience and skill of the three directors was evidenced in the way they listened and the questions they asked. Attention was paid to the detail. When to touch a chair. Who to look at, when.

The show doesn’t need to be ripped apart and remade; instead it was a process of revisiting and tidying. The rehearsals provided an opportunity to make some decisions both creative and practical. Now I am charged with not only remembering but also refreshing the work. Just today I went to spend sometime with the table to make sure I can navigate my way around it. The salt cellars are full, the spare sugar bowl purchased, I just need to put the kettle onto boil!

Tea is an Evening Meal

National Tour

3^rd May till 17^th July 2011