Sam Mendes on his Rehearsal Process | National Theatre

Summary

The transcript details a director's unique rehearsal process, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and experimentation. By arranging the rehearsal room in a circle and keeping the company together, the director fosters a collective exploration of the play. Techniques such as role-switching and physical activities are employed to unlock scenes and encourage actors to lose self-consciousness. The process is described as personal and eccentric, with the director using Shakespeare's own recurring motifs as inspiration. The goal is to find the most effective and organic direction for the production through trial and error.

Takeaways

• 🎭 The director emphasizes the importance of a collaborative and imaginative approach in the rehearsal room, valuing the input and insights of all participants.
• 🔄 The director's methodology evolved over time through trial and error, shaped by the enjoyment found in the rehearsal process and the need for a consistent approach to directing.
• 🤔 The rehearsal room is used as a space for experimentation, with the director encouraging actors to explore scenes through various games and exercises.
• 💡 Role-switching and physical activities are employed as tools to help actors gain new perspectives on their characters and the dynamics of a scene.
• 🤝 The director mentions the use of the entire company as a resource, involving them in the creative process and using their collective imagination.
• 🌟 A memorable example is given where actors played a scene as if rowing a boat, which physically unlocked the scene and improved the actors' connection.
• 🍽️ The director discusses setting scenes in different contexts, like a dinner table, to reveal character dynamics and relationships.
• 🔍 The process involves exploring multiple versions of a scene, with the director mentioning different iterations of the first scene of a play.
• 🚫 The director acknowledges that not all ideas from the rehearsal room can be transferred to the stage, but the process is valuable for discovering what works.
• 🔑 The director's approach is described as personal and eccentric, with a focus on losing self-consciousness and creating an environment where there's no right or wrong.
• 🔄 The phrase 'by indirections find directions out' from Hamlet is used to illustrate the director's belief in the value of exploring various paths to find the right direction for a production.

Q & A

What was the director's initial approach to working with a company and arranging the rehearsal room?

Initially, the director did not have a set methodology and struggled as a young director. The approach evolved over time, and the director found it effective to arrange the rehearsal room in a circle and keep the company together for the duration of the rehearsal process.

How does the director utilize the collective imagination of the company during rehearsals?

The director believes in using the collective imagination of the company, recognizing that there are intelligent insights within the group. The director's role is seen as editorial to some extent, but the process is largely collaborative and exploratory.

What is the significance of experimenting with scenes and roles during rehearsals?

Experimenting with scenes and roles, such as switching roles or involving the entire group, helps to reveal new insights and understandings of the play. It can also unlock scenes in different ways, such as through physical tricks or by changing the dynamics of a scene.

Can you provide an example of a physical trick used during rehearsals to unlock a scene?

One example given is playing a scene from 'Twelfth Night' as if the characters were rowing a boat across a lake, which helped to physically release the scene and allowed the actors to relate to each other more accurately without focusing on the text.

How does the director handle scenes that become too dark or academic during rehearsals?

If the mood becomes too dark or academic, the director might introduce a silly or playful element to lighten the mood and unlock the scene, such as playing a scene with a different physical constraint or setting.

What is the director's approach to using props or settings to enhance a scene?

The director might use specific props or settings, like a dinner table or a wheat field, to enhance the dynamics and reveal different aspects of a scene. The choice of props or settings is often intuitive and aimed at bringing out the physical life of the scene.

How does the director deal with getting stuck with one or two ideas during the rehearsal process?

The director frees themselves from getting stuck by experimenting with various versions of a scene and by using the collective imagination of the company. This process helps to avoid repetition and self-consciousness.

What is the significance of the line from 'Hamlet' quoted by the director, 'We shall by indirections find directions out'?

This line from 'Hamlet' reflects the director's rehearsal process, which involves exploring various paths, even if they seem indirect or wrong, to ultimately discover the right direction for a scene or production.

How does the director ensure that actors lose self-consciousness during rehearsals?

The director encourages actors to play and lose self-consciousness by creating an environment where there is no right or wrong, no audience, and no fixed entrance or exit. This allows actors to try things freely and without fear of judgment.

What is the transition process like from the rehearsal room to the stage for the director?

The transition from the rehearsal room to the stage is often straightforward, with the director moving the entire rehearsal into the stage space. Adjustments are made as necessary, but the core of the work done in the rehearsal room is retained.

Why does the director consider their working method to be personal and not recommend it to others?

The director views their working method as personal because it has emerged from their own experiences and preferences. It is an eccentric approach that may not suit everyone and is tailored to the director's specific way of working and collaborating with actors.

Outlines

00:00

🎭 Exploring the Rehearsal Process

The director discusses their working methodology, emphasizing the importance of a collaborative and exploratory approach during rehearsals. They mention the use of a rehearsal room arranged in a circle to facilitate a collective creative process. The director values the input of the entire company, leveraging the collective imagination to explore scenes and characters. They recount specific instances where role-switching and physical activities unlocked new insights into the material. The process is described as iterative and experimental, with the director seeking to avoid repetition and self-consciousness by encouraging freedom and playfulness in the rehearsal space.

05:00

🌟 Transitioning from Rehearsal to Production

The director shares their experience of transitioning from the rehearsal room to the stage, highlighting the relatively straightforward process when moving from a circular rehearsal setup to a full production. They reflect on the challenges of not repeating oneself and the importance of personalizing the rehearsal process. The director also discusses the significance of losing self-consciousness for both themselves and the actors, allowing for a more authentic and daring exploration of the material. They mention the use of specific props and settings to enhance the dynamics of a scene and the importance of recognizing and building upon successful initial experiments during rehearsals.

Keywords

💡Methodology

Methodology in the context of the video refers to the systematic approach a director uses to create a theatrical production. The director discusses how they initially lacked a consistent approach but developed one through trial and error, valuing the collective imagination of the team. It's about exploring the play with the actors and using their insights to shape the production, as illustrated by the director's experience of experimenting with different arrangements and ideas during rehearsals.

💡Rehearsal Room

The rehearsal room is the physical space where the director and actors work together to develop the performance. In the video, the director describes arranging the room in a circle to foster a sense of community and collaboration among the actors. This setup encourages a more dynamic and interactive rehearsal process, as opposed to a traditional linear setup, and is integral to the director's working method.

💡3D Literary Criticism

This term suggests a multifaceted analysis of a text, considering it from various angles and dimensions. The director implies using such an approach to dissect scenes, encouraging a deeper understanding of the material. It involves pushing and pulling at scenes to uncover hidden meanings and dynamics, which is a key part of the director's process of shaping the production.

💡Imagination

Imagination is highlighted as a crucial resource in the director's methodology. The director emphasizes the importance of utilizing the collective imagination of the actors and the team in the rehearsal room. By tapping into these diverse perspectives, the director can explore new interpretations and bring fresh insights to the production, as exemplified by the director's willingness to try different approaches and ideas.

💡Editorial Role

The director refers to their role as being 'editorial to a degree,' which means they are responsible for shaping and refining the contributions of the actors and the team. This involves making decisions about what ideas to keep, what to discard, and how to structure the performance. The editorial role is about guiding the creative process towards a coherent and effective final production.

💡Experimentation

Experimentation is a key part of the director's working process, as they try out various approaches to scenes and performances. This can involve switching roles, using physical tricks, or setting scenes in different contexts. The director uses experimentation to explore the play's potential and to find the most effective way to convey the story and characters, as seen in the example of the dinner scene with the men standing up and backing off.

💡Self-Consciousness

The director discusses the importance of actors losing self-consciousness during rehearsals. This allows them to take risks, try new things, and fully engage with the material without fear of judgment. The director aims to create an environment where actors feel comfortable making mistakes and exploring their characters freely, which is essential for a dynamic and authentic performance.

💡Physicality

Physicality refers to the way actors use their bodies to express emotions, actions, and relationships on stage. The director mentions using physical tricks to unlock scenes, such as having actors row a boat to physically engage with the scene and each other. This approach helps to bring the text to life and allows the actors to connect with the material in a more visceral way.

💡Dynamics

Dynamics in this context refers to the relationships and interactions between characters within a scene. The director uses various techniques to reveal and explore these dynamics, such as setting a scene around a dinner table or having actors interact with props like knives and forks. Understanding and emphasizing dynamics is crucial for creating believable and engaging performances.

💡Indirections

The director quotes a line from Polonius in Hamlet, 'We shall by indirections find directions out,' which encapsulates their approach to the rehearsal process. It suggests that by exploring various paths, even those that may seem irrelevant or unproductive, the director can discover new and meaningful directions for the production. This idea of indirect exploration is central to the director's methodology.

Highlights

The director emphasizes the importance of arranging the rehearsal room in a circle to foster a collaborative environment.

The director's approach to directing evolved over time through trial and error, influenced by the enjoyment and effectiveness found in rehearsals.

The value of utilizing the collective imagination of the entire company during the rehearsal process is highlighted.

The director's role is described as editorial, facilitating exploration rather than dictating a singular vision.

Experimentation with scenes is key, including switching roles to reveal new insights.

Physical tricks, like pretending to row a boat, can unlock a scene's physicality and relationships between characters.

The director discusses the use of the full company as knights during rehearsals, demonstrating the fluidity of roles.

The importance of not taking the rehearsal process too seriously is underscored, allowing for a playful exploration of scenes.

The director shares an example of setting a scene around a dinner table to reveal dynamics and tensions.

A detailed account of experimenting with different versions of a scene, including a dinner scene with a twist, is provided.

The transition from the rehearsal circle to the stage is described as relatively straightforward for the director.

The director acknowledges the personal and eccentric nature of their rehearsal method, which is not universally applicable.

The process of losing self-consciousness among actors is seen as crucial for freeing up creativity and experimentation.

The director's approach to not having a fixed entrance or exit in the rehearsal space encourages a more open and less performance-oriented environment.

The importance of recognizing and building on special moments that occur spontaneously during rehearsals is discussed.

The director reflects on the recurring themes and motifs in their work, drawing parallels to Shakespeare's own use of echoes within his plays.

A quote from Polonius in Hamlet is used to encapsulate the director's belief in finding direction through indirect exploration.

Transcripts

well let's talk a little bit about your

your working methodology and working

with that company and and the way you

arrange a rehearsal room in a circle the

way that you have the company there for

the duration of the rehearsal process

and how you really begin to sort of push

and pull at scenes and 3D literary

criticism and and and then how you you

sort of compute and arrange your

production based on that what do you get

out of your working process how do you

work with your actors how does it work

work in the rehearsal room it's it's

interesting when I was a student I I

didn't have a methodology and and I as a

young director I I struggled and and I

in that in that regard I I didn't have a

way to approach a play that was

consistent I felt and so I remember

reading a lot of books about directing I

think I'll try that I'll try this and

and like anything it's it's trial and

error and it emerged gradually out of

what I enjoy in a rehearsal room and

what I found the best way was to explore

something with the people that you're

working with you know

you have 20 other imaginations in the

room with you as a director and you're

an idiot if you don't use those

imaginations and there are some

incredibly intelligent people in the

room with you who see it with every with

with every bit as much insight as you do

you know your job is editorial to a

degree but for me it actually emerged

out of aell here that was the first time

I worked with a lot of people in the

room I put out a lot of rugs and I

thought I'm going to try just keeping

the company together and experimenting

with with scenes um playing games

sometimes s sometimes it would be simple

things like I'll switch the roles in a

scene I'll get I mean I remember a

fantastic day of a fellow where CLA

Skinner who was playing desd Demona

played aell and David herwood played

desd deona and it was revelatory to both

of them and it helped that you know so

that that's just a very simple idea um

sometimes it will be um I will involve

the group a lot you know in terms of uh

in in this production the full company

the act the cor of core of 21 became the

knights for six weeks of rehearsals

until the knights arrived but by the

time the knights actually AR the

supernumeraries we had experimented with

any number of different ways of using

them because the company had had become

that group it's just a way of of

exploring the play and sometimes it can

be silly if you feel the the mood

getting too dark or too dry perhaps too

academic then then you can play

something that's a little uh that you

can unlock a scene through a physical

trick so so I remember a rehearsal 12th

night in which um we played a scene as

if they were rowing a boat across a lake

and I know it sounds stupid but it it

released the scene physically they

didn't think about text anymore uh they

related to each other completely

accurately with because there were two

people sitting next to each other and

they had to row at the same time and the

teamwork of the scene and the physical

life of the scene uh It came it it came

to life uh sometimes times you will find

that uh you know you you you'll set a

scene around a dinner table for example

for no reason except that you have a

feeling that the Dynamics will be better

revealed of the family around the dinner

table uh and someone loses their temper

you don't want them to wave their hands

so you give them knife and fork I mean

you'll go down a very specific route now

in the case of this play the first scene

we spent a lot of time and right up to

very late in the day there were

different versions I mean completely

different versions of the first scene

one of them and the one of the most

interesting was a dinner scene between

Leah and the whole family in which on a

predetermined cue the men stood up and

backed off leaving the women sitting

there unaware I mean like a trick they

playing on the women a joke and Leah

said yeah I've got a little thing I

we've we've all arranged this to men um

because we know there's going to be a a

big present giving ceremony I'm going to

give you my nation I'm going to give you

a third each now you know you play along

with my game and tell me how much you

love me and the men were all in on it

drinking and it was late and it was it

was almost as if it was the end of a

dinner party and it was Sinister it was

a male-dominated society it was unfair

on the women it was

exposing and it worked very

interestingly but then there was this

other version of the scene which is this

version that you'll see tonight which

was completely different it was a very

public scene it was very exposing it was

very politically oriented the the the

the the presence of the soldiers was

very made it made it both public and uh

and threatening it was it was clear that

if the wrong things were said there was

not a comfortable environment in which

to be

yourself it was uh it increased the

level of tension so anyway that's a good

example but there were very there were

many versions of that scene and of

course there are Al there are things

that happen in the circle that you can

never bring on to a bigger stage it's

much easier the journey from the circle

to full production at the domar is is

almost straight on stage I mean you know

we did the whole the whole of 12th night

in the circle and we just moved it onto

the stage I mean I kept everyone in the

room until about three days from the end

um and only then did little specific

adjustments uh but for me it's just a

way of uh I've also freeing myself from

sometimes getting stuck uh with one or

two IDE ideas and repeating myself I

mean I think that you know it's very

difficult to you do find yourself uh

repeating certain things and and there

are there are things that I use in this

production that I've used before you

know you you probably would notice the

long table from The Trial scene in the

Winter's Tale even behind it is very

similar or the wheat field from a

production of as you like it or whatever

there are things that you find yourself

returning to but that's also because

Shakespeare returns to them as well and

and there are there are echoes within

his work that are actually quite

enjoyable to explore

um so that's that's the working method

it's come out of trial and error and

it's very eccentric and I wouldn't

recommend it to anyone else really I

don't think I write a book and say this

is the way you need to rehearse it's

very personal and I think it's a lot of

it's about losing self-consciousness you

know and being able to talk in a way the

other thing that happens which I think

is very important is that

actors play and lose self-consciousness

there's a sort of throwing yourself into

the water it's a little scary the first

time but once you've got through it you

made a fool of yourself once it's sort

of you lose self-consciousness as

performers as well um and

people are willing to try things and be

free with things that because they know

that there's no right or wrong there's

no entrance there's no exit there's no

audience because you you know you're not

facing that way you're facing any way

you face you know and I try to move so

that they don't perform towards me yes

so I move you know a DOT around the

circle um make it comfortable people

sitting on Floors some people sitting in

chairs some people have armchairs I try

and keep them moving as well so that

people don't always go back to the same

place um sometimes you'll start the

scene just by sitting on the floor and

talking the scene to each other and then

you know you'll have people come

together and do a closer version

expanded version and then you grow out

of that and then sometimes you get it

right the first time I mean literally

you and you have to recognize when

something special has happened you'll

experiment with other things but you'll

always have that first version of the

scene in your head um and there's a line

from ponus in Hamlet he says and I

quoted this to you before but he says we

shall by indirections find directions

out and that's a great ex uh descriptive

line about my rehearsal process you know

if you go down enough blind alleys you

might find the one that leads somewhere