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- Earl Rivers / Sir James Tyrell
Earl Rivers - Sir James Tyrell
About Jules Melvin
This is Jules’ second season at Shakespeare's Globe. In 1999, she played Luciana in The Comedy of Errors and Olwen in Augustine's Oak. Other roles include Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Touchstone in As You Like It. Jules has worked at many theatres including the Salisbury Playhouse, Nottingham Playhouse, Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith and the Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh. Television credits include The Bill, Casualty and All Creatures Great and Small.
Character Notes 1
These comments are the actor's thoughts or ideas about the part as s/he goes through the rehearsal process – they are simply his/her own interpretations and frequently change as the rehearsal process progresses.
My overall feeling on the first day of rehearsals is that it is always wonderful coming back to the Globe and meeting and greeting everyone. I feel so at home returning to this magnificent building as it has such a beautiful feel. However, I hadn't realised what a fantastic opportunity it would be to be part of the Globe's first all female company- I'd been in all female companies before so I didn't see it as such a big deal! That changed on the first day when the 15 members of the company got together for the first time; it's not often that you get that many women together in the acting field, as a company, we got a lot of attention, plus we're all different shapes, sizes, ages and nationalities. I think we're an incredibly interesting bunch of women! When I first entered the rehearsal room I noticed that there was only one man in the room [Barry Kyle, Master of Play], even the Stage Manager is female, and it was at this point when the 'gender-thing' hit me- I thought 'this is completely different; this has a very different energy'. I think that the building of the Globe has it's own personality and this is the first time it's going to get a huge injection of femininity. I now feel incredibly excited about being part of the first all female company and it has occurred to me in rather grand way that we are making history- it is the first time that this has ever happened in the Globe's history.
I found the first few days of rehearsals quite difficult because I was carrying around with me the huge fear of doing a history play and feeling very unprepared. Although I'd read my history books at school I felt rather inadequate and, in all honesty, freaked out by the idea of so many characters in this big, solid history play that's normally done by men. As the week went on I became more and more confident because the first week of rehearsals focused on games, such as character exploration exercises, which would help us get over these insecurities. For instance, I'd be questioning my characters' relationships with other characters in the play but then I realised that it was ok not to know all the characters' histories; you just have to put up your hand and say 'I don't know, or I don't understand' and recognise that there is no shame in not knowing something. I quickly realised that as I was asking questions and admitting to having gaps in my knowledge, there was a whole train of people in the rehearsal room who felt exactly the same. Exploring the play together really helped us bond as a group.
Throughout the first week we played lots of games designed to question the details and uncertainties of our characters and attitudes towards others; does my character like you? Is my character frosty towards you? What are my character's feelings towards King Richard? All these considerations began to give me ideas about my characters so that I could start to take these people off the page, `pad them' out and give them colour and vibrancy.
After we went through the process of playing games and building up relationships with the other members of the company, both as our characters and as ourselves, our Master of Play [Barry Kyle] felt that we needed to move quite quickly because Richard III is such a big play to rehearse with only 6 weeks and 15 actors playing all the roles in the play. Barry felt that we had to move quickly to go through the play scene by scene, talking through it and working out any relationships, details, motivations or attitudes that we may be uncertain about. This process allowed me to consider why my characters were saying what they were saying; the motivation behind their speech. After reading and discussing each scene we would then get up and 'free-fall' each scene; this means that we don't have to worry about where we would move on the stage or about sounding loud and clear, but just have a go at the whole scene and listen to the words of the text. Quite often we'd be wandering all over the stage, exploring different energies, physicalities and speech patterns. After 'free-falling' each scene we would then sit down again, discuss what we have discovered from going through that process and assess what we found useful. I feel that 'free-falling' helps us as actors because I think it encourages us to move freely around the space and be creative, but also I think it helps the Master of Play see the patterns of what he actually wants to happen on stage; what works position-wise, where it's good to have more people, where ensemble work may be effective and so on.
Now we're nearly at the end of going through the play and it's a very interesting place to be at because an awful lot starts to happen- lots of important information pours in and the text starts to gallop like a fast, furious horse! Although this information is vital and we need to be careful not to gabble, the audience still has to get the feeling that the text is galloping on, that the story is moving on quickly. A good scene to illustrate this is act iv scene 4. In this scene, three messengers, of which I play one, enter to tell King Richard various pieces of extremely important information; information on the armies advancing, information on Buckingham's whereabouts and details on what is really happening outside. All this information floods in fast and furious and interestingly enough it is the messenger with the good news, the Third Messenger, which Richard strikes. Richard refers to the messengers as 'songs of death', and also compares them to owls. This has proved a really useful image for us to use for the messengers; it has given us the idea that we are swooping in like screeching owls. We've even been thinking that when the Third Messenger, (played by Linda Bassett), is hit by Richard she should make a noise that sounds like an owl. Essentially we want to get the feeling that the messengers are birds swooping in to attack Richard, all three want a piece of him.
Character Notes 2
These comments are the actor's thoughts or ideas about the part as s/he goes through the rehearsal process – they are simply his/her own interpretations and frequently change as the rehearsal process progresses.
It's now the fourth week of rehearsals and our main focus has been on the final scenes of the play. It's always tricky with the end scenes in Shakespeare's plays because it feels like the whole company is pulling all the threads together- trying to make everything fit into a lovely bow or knot so that all the stories are clear when we eventually come to the end of the play. Also, the final scenes of Shakespeare's plays often have the most cast members in them; they are the biggest scenes so it takes much longer to put them together. Within these bigger scenes, there are also lots of quick, little scene-lets in which I’m coming on and off stage all the time. I have to be very clear about all the information that I’m giving them in each scene-let because the play is rushing to a crescendo and I have to get it just right. Technically, these scenes (such as v.3; the Battle of Bosworth) are very difficult to orchestrate because there are so many people on stage. In that scene, there are two camps on stage and for the story to be clear for the audience (e.g. as to which army each person belongs to) we have to pay particular attention to staging and where we stand on the stage. As we use very little stage furniture at the Globe we have chosen to use thick ropes (very similar to ones that would be used to pull a boat) to indicate the two camps. The ropes can’t have any canvas over them as the audience would not be able to see what's happening inside but the idea is that the ropes will be a symbolic gesture of an army camp. We have also had to figure out how we’re going to bring the ropes on and how we are going to secure them, so this idea is technically quite complicated and needs a lot of thought.
Also this week we’ve been doing ‘fight calls’ because there are very specific parts of the battle that we have to show in a highly choreographed way in order to tell the story clearly; this has been another whole load of information to take on - the actual choreography of the battles. We have also been looking at the ‘ghost scenes’ (again, in act v scene 3). Quite often, these lines are cut from Richard III. I agree with the director that they should be kept in, but, once again, strategically and position-wise, it takes quite a long time to make them secure. If there are scenes featuring many people such as the ghost scenes, or the sword fighting scenes, the rehearsals become much more of a technical process then a creative process. Instead of thinking of the words and what our characters are saying we take a very structured approach of remembering where to be and when, and this requires lots of patience! I think the role of the director is particularly important in scenes like these because each member of the company has their own wants and needs and there is a necessity for somebody to take charge- it would be impossible for 15 or 16 actors to self-direct at the same time and it is at this point when I think: ‘I’m going to be quiet now and let Barry [Kyle, Master of Play] pull me into position.’ This approach can be frustrating and tiring because adrenalin isn’t running like it normally does when acting, but you have to show patience and goodwill, and once we go through this lengthy process and know where we should be and what we should be doing then we can work with Barry to add the creative input.
We’ve also had our sword fittings this week, we’ve been using the swords in rehearsal in order to get used to them. It's really interesting to have the swords in rehearsals, we now have to be much more aware of other people's space because swords are sticking out of the sides of costumes and it helps us to learn to leave enough space to get around people on the Globe stage.
I’m very pleased that I’m playing many characters in the play, although when I first got the call to ask me to play all these fantastic characters I was very disappointed with the parts that I had been offered. I didn’t know the play terribly well and my ego came into play because I wasn’t offered any of the ‘big’ names like Buckingham or Hastings. I remember thinking that playing 4 parts is an awful lot and I’d just been doing a play where there was a lot of doubling-up of characters However, when I went away and looked properly at the parts that I had been offered I realised that actually I was going to be very busy during the show and it would be a positive challenge for me to make these 4 characters completely different from each other. In order to achieve different characterisations I’ve been looking at the various types of language that Shakespeare gives them to speak and the different rhythms that are within their speech. This helps me to discover the ‘physical motor’ of each character, for example, the Scriviner might be very quick and speak in quick, concise way, whereas much of Tyrell's language is similar to ‘reported speech’; therefore I see him to be slow and methodical. As an actor I always remember to focus on the language and rhythm of the text first, and then focus on the physicality. I start from the inside and try to understand the character's psyche, looking at their rhythms which come naturally from speaking the lines. Once I have the character's rhythm it starts to impact on the body and the physical language of the character.
Character Notes 3
These comments are the actor's thoughts or ideas about the part as s/he goes through the rehearsal process – they are simply his/her own interpretations and frequently change as the rehearsal process progresses.
This is the fifth week of rehearsals and we’re adding the final touches to scenes. After getting to grips with the broad shape of the play, now we’re concentrating on the details – like being foot-perfect in the jig and practising our singing. We’ve been working especially hard at the transitions between singing and speaking, because how you slot song into the play is very important… you can’t look at it as a separate episode or the action gets disjointed. It's all part of the same enterprise, as it would have been for Shakespeare's company. Practical things like fitting singing practice into our rehearsal schedule are proving to be a bit of a challenge. I enjoy singing, but if you’re right in the middle of a tense scene or about to make a breakthrough with a difficult scene, it can be frustrating to break off and sing or jig for an hour! You need to completely switch from one mindset to another. However it is absolutely necessary to practice the things that will make the production look polished. I feel that the song and jig have to be especially precise because the Corsican music is so beautiful – it strengthens the whole piece – and I know the rhythm helps my physical movement. At the same time, I’m still working on Tyrrel and Rivers. We have to try and be as flexible as possible with rehearsals, and just to go with the schedule.
Training for the season has been intensive. You have to be very fit to perform in the Globe space; it's so big and in the open air. Your voice has to be able to compete with all the noise outside the theatre as well as whatever might be going on amongst the audience. You also have to move around a lot on a stage that's about 40ft by 25ft! Working at the Globe, you definitely need a more energy and a more physical style of acting than you would use in a normal ‘black box’ theatre. In addition, you’ve got to be able to sustain your performance all the way through the season. This is why we train three times a week with the Masters of Voice, Verse and Movement – to ensure our words and movements are as clear and strong as possible right the way through the season. The great thing about these classes is the way they feed into the production. It's not like you’re working on your character then suddenly you have to stop and head off for a Maths class or something; there isn’t that division at all. For instance, today we were exploring a particularly strong movement with Glynn [MacDonald, Master of Movement]; we stood very straight with one arm very high up in the air, pointing to the heavens but remaining very strongly rooted on the floor as well. I found that very, very helpful for a scene that I have as Lord Rivers. Just before his execution, he makes this amazing stand and speaks in an incredibly strong way about Queen Margaret's curse though he must be frightened.
[…] O, remember, God,
To hear her prayer for them, as now for us!
And for my sister and her princely sons,
Be satisfied, dear God, with our true blood,
Which, as Thou know’st, unjustly must be spilt.
(III.3.18-22)
Emotionally during that scene, Rivers goes through three phases; he starts off basically acknowledging ‘o.k., I’m going to die but I’m going to make sure everyone knows why’. I feel he's incredibly chivalrous and proud at this point. In the next section, I’ve decided he starts accusing everybody who's watching the execution. I think of the audience as the crowd of 1700 people have come to watch Rivers and Grey have their heads chopped off. The walls of the theatre sort of become the ‘bloody walls’ of Pomfret Castle. Then I think it finally starts to sink in that he is actually going to die as he starts to remember Margaret's curse. That train of thought brings him to an image of God whom he implores to ‘remember’ and ‘be satisfied’ – as though he's grabbing hold of this image to stop himself breaking down. I think of him as a religious man anyway, but at that point his faith becomes very important to him. The arm movement I practised with Glynn helps to take these lines right up and out. I won’t stand with one hand in the air, but the feeling of being tall and strong, like a sword reaching up to heaven… that's how strong Rivers has to be at that point and I’m sure the movement work will inform the way I play the scene.
The class work helps keep things fresh. At this stage in rehearsal, I get so hung up about certain scenes that I want to do them over and over and over again until I’m satisfied. It gets slightly obsessive but at least there's no danger of one character blending into another or becoming stale, because it feels like I’m only just beginning to think ‘Right. I’ve got a complete picture of this person and their journey.’ I find that when I’m creating a character, I start off with fledgling ideas that can be quite disorganised, then I spend the first couple of weeks in rehearsal in ‘free-fall’, exploring these ideas. Nothing is blocked at this stage – instead it's a case of going wherever you want. After that initial experimentation, you have to begin to refine your character. The director or Master of Play is crucial because they’ve got an overview of the whole play's structure and physicality: they can guide those refinements and really pull things together with precise directions for your character: ‘You’ve got to be at that point so you can turn your head at that point’. The third stage, which is where I’m at now, is that you know your lines, you know where you’re supposed to be, you’ve refined your movements, and you’re no longer asking questions about relationships and things. Then you start to find the real inner-life of the character. I’ve really pleased that I’ve started listening to other characters as Rivers and Tyrrel. I know my cues and things, but I’m not anticipating them or thinking ‘Oh, it's me next, and these lines are coming up and this is what I’m going to say.’ Now I’m more familiar with the play, I’m less anxious about letting the momentum of a scene lapse or forgetting my lines. That security lets you genuinely listen to other characters and react. I find this helps start a train of thought: you’re doing the thinking behind the lines. I’ve also become more comfortable with silences, because I’ve started to understand what is actually going on in those silences for my character. I’d say after initial ideas and refinement, characterisation ideally becomes something that you don’t have to think about. Rivers is starting to come naturally, which is nice.
Originally I was daunted by the fact that Richard III is so heavily embedded in history, but I’ve fallen deeply in love with the play. I’ve enjoyed doing the research and discovering the background for these characters, as well as the world they lived in. There's so much information you can use and I just looked everywhere for answers – in books, paintings, from all the people around us… the Tudor Group came in and advised us on Elizabethan etiquette which was great. I found asking questions was a good way to tackle the research because even finding a place to start can be daunting with so much material. I tried to answer the questions that came to mind first and things just grew from there. It's been a struggle but it feels more rewarding once you do get those answers, because you have tried so hard for them.
Tyrrel has probably been the biggest challenge of the season so far. He has a long soliloquy at the beginning of Act IV scene 3, when he describes killing the princes in the Tower. He begins ‘The tyrannous and bloody act is done’ and the murder of the princes really is the most awful act in the whole play. I think it's interesting that Shakespeare chooses Tyrrel, the very man who organised the murder, to report what happened rather than actually show it onstage; perhaps because Tyrrel's pity for the Princes has a greater impact – even the man who organised the murder is appalled. I found this difficult to tackle because Tyrrel almost comes out of nowhere. We put him in some additional scenes to give him a kind of history within the court, and that's been useful because it lent the part a greater continuity. I’ve been working on that speech [IV.3] in isolation and trying not to over-rehearse it – I feel there's the danger that it might become a set piece which lacks spontaneity. Of course, it is important to know which emotion you’re trying to present, and which words you need to emphasise in order to communicate that, but you do have to watch the balance. Anyway, I’d thought Tyrrel was invigorated by the murder in quite a sick way, as if he was on an adrenaline high and his heart's thumping and beating and he knows he has actually done this awful thing. But research provided me with a big clue: historically, he was shown the bodies of the princes because he had decided that they should be smothered rather than stabbed to death, and he does choose two other people to carry out the murder. Perhaps he's not a monstrous man after all; he's ambitious and he's given a terrible thing to do. I’m looking forward to finding out where this takes me. We’ll have to see…
Character Notes 4
These comments are the actor's thoughts or ideas about the part as s/he goes through the rehearsal process – they are simply his/her own interpretations and frequently change as the rehearsal process progresses.
The performances are going really well. It's amazing how a play grows on you once you get it up and running. Collaboration is fundamental to the rehearsal process – as an actor you are part of a team that includes a designer, a Master of Play, a choreographer, Masters of Verse, Music, and Movement… everyone is aiming to produce a wonderful end product and lots of people feed into the rehearsals, supporting us with help and advice. Now the show is running, I’m enjoying the actor's freedom of the stage. I feel like this is my time to play with all the things I’ve taken on board and learnt during rehearsals. There is space to bring everything together in your own mind, and really enjoy playing the part. At the moment, I think of every performance as a gift.
Each performance is slightly different. This is especially true at the Globe for two reasons: firstly, you can see everybody in the audience and, secondly, the theatre is open-air. You notice your audience and slightly alter your performance as a result. Or rather you perform with a different energy. For example, if I notice that an audience is full of school children or tourists – people who might not know the play so well – I make a real effort to play as clearly as possible. If the audience is very quick and we feel that perhaps they’re getting too far ahead, we can pick up the pace and drive them faster than the audience who was less familiar with the story. You heat them up or cool them down: keeping them engaged is essential. The weather makes a big difference. Of course, it's a huge generalisation to talk about the audience as having a uniform response as everyone will respond in different ways, but in the pouring rain, or on a very hot day, I think people do need a different energy to help them engage with the play instead of feeling ‘I’m too hot’ or ‘I’m soaking’! I feel that in these circumstances during a run, you really start to play as an actor. We look at individual scenes in rehearsals and then later in the process, maybe two or three scenes together. Even the run-throughs in production week are punctuated by stopping and starting for different things, like when to put in music queues or who should open doors. Now we’re doing performances everyday, my ideas about the play as a whole are becoming clearer and more unified. Most performances throw up new ideas; I think ‘Oh, that character just gave me a different look. How should I respond?’ We’ve been used to doing our scenes in a certain way, then someone might lift an eyebrow at a different point and it works, so we’ll keep it in. The play is constantly evolving.
I’ve been making most alterations to the character of Rivers. He's tricky because he's a politician and a diplomat and he has a very definite agenda of his own at the beginning of the play. His relationships with the Woodville faction are strained. I imagine it's rather like sitting down to negotiations with a terrorist group; you want peace, but at the same time you can’t forget the conflicts that mark your shared history. I had a firm idea of my character at the beginning of the run, but with each performance, I realised there were other dimensions to Rivers that I hadn’t given enough weight. Quite often he acts as a calming influence and defuses volatile situations, but he also has a lot of power behind him and I feel that he is very angry inside. I tried playing him with a lot of suppressed power and frustration. As I’ve become more comfortable with both the part and the space, I’ve found there are different ways to achieve that idea of power without making him overtly cross. I’m much happier playing him now, but I must admit I always relax a bit after he's dead. The other parts have their own challenges, but he's trickiest. Despite this I don’t dislike him; the difficulty is good for me!
When Rivers dies, I’m also quite pleased that I can get rid of his sword! They’re awkward to wear, especially for women. We’re not just being girly… it's my theory that because our thighs are curvier than men’s, the swords don’t lie flat against our legs as easily. Instead they have a tendency to bang into your leg then fling out again, so you have to be especially aware of the space around you. Now I put my hand on my sword belt to keep it steady. You’re not supposed to put your hand on the hilt of the sword unless you mean to be aggressive (the Tudors saw the gesture as a challenge), but it's ok to have your hand on the leather piece. The costume for Rivers has several layers and I’ve been very hot during the recent heat wave; that's another reason I like moving on! I love playing Tyrrel. I get more and more out the character every time I play him – he's really my favourite and the speech about the murder of the princes is just beautiful. There's also a neatness to his part. We see him only twice; in the first scene, Richard asks him if he will undertake the murder, and in the second scene, the princes have been murdered. He's a great character to play.
We’ve had some VIPs in to see the show recently. It's funny because the tiring house doors have small grills in them, so you can see the audience from backstage. Normally we have a look to check whether our friends are there and where they’re sat, but when someone famous comes in we get as excited as anybody else. Alan Rickman, Kevin Spacey and Tony Blair have all been to see us. The Prime Minister was especially good fun to have in the audience because we could direct certain lines at him, and he took it all in good part. Natural lighting means that all the audience members can see each other, so when a celebrity comes in you have to work extra hard to get everyone to focus on the play instead of the celebrity, but I think we did alright!
NCSA Teachers' Diary 1
Jenny B
The nature of the International Shakespeare Globe Centre as an evolving force firmly rooted in activity and exploration was shown to us this morning when we heard from Patrick and toured the areas around the centre. The tour took us to the sites of the original Globe, the Rose, and the Hope theatres as well as Sam Wannamaker's former office spaces and what is hoped to become additional spaces for Globe education. We walked through drizzle on the hand-formed bricks and smelled the Thames. I felt part of a very large and timeless investigation of humanity through the practice of theatre.
Jenn Long
My first impression today is the intense passion that is alive in the Globe. It began with Patrick. No, I should say it began with Sam Wanamaker. Hearing of his passion and struggles to build the Globe gave the first evidence of the dedication to share the spirit of Shakespeare and the performance of his plays. Patrick's passion was evidenced by me through his explanation of the future of the Globe and where he desires it to go. Glynn's passion is evidenced through her quest at finding how movement moves. How do actors allow their bodies to become a vessel for the spirit of Shakespeare? Tom's passion was evidenced in his passion for the words and language of Shakespeare and how they actually convey the spirit of each character. Finally, the passion of the Globe is evident in Fiona and Bob and Gerrie because they desire for us to reflect on how this program impresses us…how it leaves an impression on our lives.
Frank S
I am overwhelmed with the passion of the staff and group at the Globe. This began with Patrick and carried on through the day with Glynn and Tom. They are dedicated to ‘Shakespeare Lives!’ being a unique and quality opportunity for teachers and for their students. My first look at the Globe itself was one of amazement at the control the elements must have on the actors. Rain, Pigeons, heat, noise, all play a part. The day has raised some questions. It is difficult to understand what is important to help in the teaching of Shakespeare and what will translate best with prior knowledge, teaching style, and into my classroom.
Cindy Lundy
First Impressions, first day… The colours on, and around, under, and atop the stage with the grey sky and the thatched room provide contrast. The shapes that Glynn helped us find in our own architecture—circles, triangles, curved lines, boxes, trapezoids and crosses… Silver bullets finding their mark on Shakespeare's lines. The history of Richard II. This pare of North Carolina feeling so welcomed and at home in London. And all because of the vision and passion of Sam Wanamaker!
Sherri Raeford
The day was full of discovery and passion…From the moment that we walked into the Globe we were filled with a sense of wonderment. The space was filled with spirituality and intense energy. We stood quietly in the space and experienced all the sensual qualities of sights, sounds and rich aromas. The afternoon was equally intense, and we were graced with individuals who were extremely open and willing to share their expertise and passion. The day was truly magical and words cannot give justice to the full experience.
Ginny Comer
This program requires us to remove ourselves form our familiar parameters. Knowing ourselves out of the established contexts forces each of us to be more reflective. It is in reflection that our actions are more clearly linked to their meaning, a process which makes future actions more meaningful.
Cheryle Gaines
As I entered the Globe Theatre for the first time I experiences than overwhelming sense of history and life, then and now. As the day progressed I felt even more alive…as if awakened from a long sleep…refreshed and ready to experience all that like offers. The words I read came off the page and seeped into my soul and out of my mouth as I began reading lines. I realize now this experience will no only change me personally, but the future. I am thrilled to have this opportunity to grow and learn. What an amazing journey this will be!