Hooves on Fire (RSC Dream16 Blog): A Donkey's Tale by the Nonentities Bottom: 'A bit Kajagoogoo' (Valentines Special)

It's February 2016 and as I write this its just over 2 weeks before I step out on the RST stage as Bottom. It's also the month of romance and in this blog, I thought a Valentines special was in order; after all the Dream is full of love and lovers. 

Love. It's a funny old word isn't it ? it has a real spectrum of meaning too in the way we use it. For instance, I love my family, I love a cuppa, I love Jammie Dodgers and I also love listening to music. Same word, but entirely different use. It's a concept we all have a definition of. Very early on in the process, we as actors were asked the question: "Do you believe in love at first sight ?" My response was "Yes I'm certain that it happens all the time". And while the music of the Beatles probably influenced my answer, it also highlighted that moment when the sleeping Titania awakens and falls in love with the ass headed Bottom. 

Since working on the play, I've noticed that I'm getting regular dramatic epiphanies. They come out of nowhere, usually out of rehearsals and from the strangest places. I have wondered about ringing the NHS helpline to check out my symptoms (well there is a theatre connection even if it is an operating one); but I'm becoming more accustomed to them lately.  That moment when Bottom claps eyes on Titania is for her a real 'firework' event. For me playing Bottom, it is one where he too is transfixed by this vision he encounters. As an actor, you need to find what that moment feels like. And that's where Smooth Radio stepped in.

I love a bit of cheese. I'm not talking Brie or Wensleydale here; I'm talking those great songs that seem to be played relentlessly on these 'nostalgic' stations. Songs from the past designed to remind you of how radical you were back then, or what a better world it was. One of my favourite songs is "Miss Grace" by the Tymes. It's a classic song with a wicked deep 'be-doobee-doobee' line that I always sing along to. 

So there I am, singing along to it in the car, and I get my next epiphany. It's this part of the song that started it:

"Hey you, listen to me
I got a lot of truth I want to tell you
I just met a woman who turned me upside down
The rivers turn in their beds
Flowers bloom where she treads
She turns an awful lot of heads
When she comes to town.

The minute I saw your face
I knew that I loved you."

Bingo. This is what Bottom feels -his 'Miss Grace' is Titania and like the song, nature does bend to her presence. When she sees his face, "I knew that I loved you" And from then on it all gets a little more be-doobee-doobee….

If the truth be known however, My Titania moment happened 34 years ago. 

I was a young 2nd year drama student listening to The Jam, the Human League and Elvis Costello, enjoying the delights of Jacobean drama and Absurd theatre. I had my CND badge proudly positioned on my 50p jacket from the Cat Protection League. I was in a student hall of residence and every day at mealtimes, we all used to troop in to be fed. One morning over the tray stacking tower, I noticed this girl. She was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar. Actually she wasn't, but it's still a good line. She was actually a History student-and stunning. Absolutely gorgeous. So in awe was I of her, that I could not bring myself to speak to her. This unrequited admiration went on for a few months. I'd see her in the dining room, admire, then just console myself I was out of her league. In the words of Kajagoogoo I was 'too shy". It was not meant to be. My 'love' for this vision who made mealtimes just a little bit more exciting, was just that. Or so I thought.

By a twist of fate, one of my actor friends started dating a girl. By a twist of fate, this girl happened to be the best friend of the girl I'd admired from afar for many weeks. It transpired that my mystery girl had a secret. She had confided to her friend that for weeks she had been coming into the dining room and seeing this guy who she thought was gorgeous. She had seen him dancing at a nightclub and was impressed by the shapes he was throwing out. She thought he was a drama student, but she was also 'a bit Kajagoogoo' (the international language word for shyness) and so therefore hadn't initiated any conversation. Surprisingly, it was me she was talking about.

Two days later, I was on a date. Meeting properly face to face was awesome. We'd both spent weeks admiring the other and not doing anything about it. For my part, I could not believe someone so beautiful as this girl had seen in me something she found incredibly attractive. And I guess that's exactly what Bottom feels. 

The feeling I had when I met my mystery girl was my 'firework' moment. Like Bottom I could not believe what was happening; it felt a bit surreal and emotions of nervousness, excitement and fear seemed to forge together at once. A real "shivers down my backbone/got the shakes in my knee bone" moment. Standing there saying those first lines of conversation, there was a real sense of 'is this really happening'; hanging on to every word and trying to come to terms with the fact. Exactly like that first meeting Bottom has with Titania.



And now, that moment can be utilised in my performance as Bottom, because it's still as raw, as passionate and as vivid as it was all those years ago in a student bar somewhere in Loughborough. 

Do I believe in a love at first sight ? Yes I'm certain that it happens all the time.

As for the mystery girl ? Well her name was Amanda and like Titania, she obviously cast some enchanted spell because we've spent the last 34 years together. She was the obvious choice for our stand in Titania, because she still works her magic on me every day. 

"Strangest thing of all you see/Is that this could happen to me". I know how Bottom felt when he met Titania……. because I've felt it too. 


Be-doobee-doobee.


And you can enjoy "Miss Grace" here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6UdO7eHEpQ

Hooves on Fire (RSC Dream16 blog): A Donkey's Tale by the Nonentities Bottom: Raging Donkey

Robert de Niro.

I don't know whether it's just me, but whenever said Robert crops up in conversation, someone always mentions the phrase 'method actor'. The conversation usually develops with a list of how he prepares for the role he is cast in; how he spends endless hours immersing himself in the role.  Piling on the pounds for 'Raging Bull' or driving around as a taxi driver for hours in his research for his role in...well you know the rest.

Obviously, like all good actors, Mr De Niro values the need to research the role he is playing. Understanding what makes a person who they are, the sort of life they live and the job they do, can make for a more 'believable' performance. It's generally called 'method acting'-a term coined by Lee Strasberg who advanced the ideas of the earlier 'System' that Stanislavsky had formulated.

In the weeks leading up to the main rehearsals for Dream 16, there's been a lot of individual research undertaken by the amateur acting groups as well as the RSC. Everything we need to know about the play, the period, the jobs of the rude mechanicals et al has been read, discussed and incorporated into our initial understandings of these characters who come together to perform a play. Having amassed so much background knowledge, I feel I know a lot more about the role of Bottom as a weaver and amateur actor. But I felt there was one piece of vital research missing.

Like many of us, I think I 'know' about donkeys. I rode them on the beaches, my brother had a donkey jacket, I played Buckaroo as a kid and later Donkey Kong. So I think in terms of playing one, I had felt sufficiently able to use that in the section of the play where Bottom is 'transformed'. However, it struck me that for at least a quarter of his time on stage, Bottom is an 'ass' and in terms of iconic Shakespearean moments is one audiences seem to know. The researcher inside me wanted to do more and explore what it might be like to be transformed into an ass, without bedding down in a stable for three weeks.

So with the phrase "What would Robert de Niro do ? " running through my head, I found myself trotting along to the Birmingham Donkey Sanctuary.

The Donkey Sanctuary was founded as a charity in 1969, by Dr Elisabeth Svendsen MBE. She dedicated her life to champion donkeys, and it is only through her amazing devotion that the Sanctuary grew to the international charity it is today. Their mission is to transform the quality of life for donkeys, mules and people worldwide through greater understanding, collaboration and support, and by promoting lasting, mutually life-enhancing relationships.

Based in a lovely corner of Sutton Park in sunny Brum, it was the ideal place to see whether watching Rex Harrison in 'Doctor Doolittle' had indeed paid off and if the donkey posse would recognise a fellow ass.

I was introduced to Andy, who was one of the grooms at the centre. We had a great discussion about donkey traits and the signs that show emotions. For instance, donkeys move quickly away if they are 'afeared', and then will move cautiously back to explore; they also like nothing more than to be stroked around the jaw -which will produce a lovely wobbly lip movement showing enjoyment. There's also the 'nudging' they do when they want to get your attention. 

Andy then invited me to come into the field where a whole bray of donkeys were standing to get up close and personal. Striding into a muddy field in wellies to do a 'meet and greet' with the donkey gang was brilliant. They really are gentle and noble creatures, and there was a real sense of calm amongst them, despite having this pretender to the donkey throne in their presence. 

Donkey's have amazing voices too. When they bray, the noise they make is incredible and together their animal chorus is nothing short of impressive. Just like their movements, their calls indicate all sorts of emotions and a cry of fear is rather like an asthmatic cough-wheezy and repetitive. In terms of transferring this vocal quality to me as Bottom, I think Michael Corbidge would have his work cut out !



Seeing -and being surrounded- by these noble beasts was not only great for some research, but also reinforced why the Donkey Sanctuaries across the UK do a lot of therapy work with children and adults. There's a real magic in the connection between man and beast and the staff work hard to give both donkeys and visitors a fantastic 'hands on' experience. It's hard to put into words, but I'd certainly go and visit a donkey sanctuary to see for yourself.

I think Robert de Niro would approve of my research. In fact, to ensure I keep up to date with the latest in donkey trends and issues, I've adopted a donkey called Oscar at the centre. There was something about the name that seemed to appeal to me…for what reason I don't know. But as rehearsals start to kick in and the donkey moment approaches, I feel my donkey research has been a useful tool in my thinking. Gosh, after all that sharing methinks I have a desire for a bottle of hay….


.
To find out more about the work of the Donkey Sanctuary visit:

http://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk

or on Twitter: @DonkeySanctuary  @BhamDonkeys

or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Donkey-Sanctuary-Birmingham-210707702284465/?fref=ts


Big thank you to Sara, Andy and all the team at the Birmingham Donkey Sanctuary for their help and support.

Hooves on Fire (RSC Dream 16 Blog): A Donkey's Tale by the Nonentities Bottom: "The Year of the Donkey"

It's official. Forget the Year of the Monkey. 2016 without a doubt is going to be the Year of the Donkey. Well of course I would say that wouldn't I ? It's common knowledge to all readers of this blog that I am playing Bottom with the Nonentities in Stratford in Feb/March and June this year. It's going to be an unforgettable experience and an event which will be one of the 'stand out' moments of my life so far. But as I head towards the rehearsals 'kicking off' proper (donkey terminology already infiltrating my psyche), I've actually had a real epiphany about my Bottom and who I am basing him on. I'm the sort of actor who likes to find a starting point to build a character from. Up till now, the inspiration for the interpretation has been based on general ideas about trades people and workers. But just before Christmas 2015 all that was about to change. And surprisingly, it's come from a source that was there all the time……...

The BBC have been following a number of us around filming our reactions to the RSC hangouts and tasks and also in our natural habitats. Part of this process has involved having an in depth one to one interview about my dramatic pathway. Amongst the questions, the most difficult to answer was the one: "What would your parents think about you performing at the RSC ?" Sadly, both of them have 'gone to glory' and I could only answer it by saying I thought they would be 'proud' because they were the type of parents who never stopped me from pursuing my dreams as I grew up. Hard question really.

I come from a 'working class' background. My dad worked at the Longbridge Car Plant for most of his life and my mom stayed at home to look after myself and my brother. Working in the car factory was a dirty job and my Dad had one of the most repetitive jobs of all-working on 'the track'. This involved fixing together endless pieces of components as they moved along on one great converter belt. In that sense, he was a mechanical. On the odd occasion he would swear too, so I guess he was also 'rude' at times. He came home from that job every weekday dirty and tired.

When I was younger I sometimes used to go and meet him at the factory gate, as a swarm of car workers flooded out from Longbridge in their working clothes, caps and grime. This was a job that involved blood, sweat and carburettors. Graft of the highest order. Working men working long hours to manufacture car parts for the automotive industry. I don't think at the time I appreciated how much patience, determination and stamina had to go into this kind of physical work. The smiles of the workers leaving the gate a relief that the shift was over and that they could go home and escape the monotony of the track. Banter and goodbyes exchanged as they set off for the buses or cars to get them home to their council houses.

Leisure for my parents had to wait till the weekend, where they escaped the black and white world of our EKCO box TV set and danced their way down to the British Legion in Hockley, Birmingham. This was the world of club entertainment and bingo and full of working class trades people who like my parents  lived for their Saturday night foxtrot. It was a bit of an alien world to me and as a young boy I passed a lot of the time observing how the adults behaved. This was a real grounding in developing characterisations as my interest in acting developed ! Amongst the mild and bitter, the cheese and pickle sandwiches and standing at the end of the evening to the National Anthem, you really got a sense of workers at play. The banter, the fun, the singing, the drunkeness…..but a real spirit and sense of community and celebration. It was lovely to see my Dad come alive at the weekend considering the slog of the work he had to do to keep paying the rent.

So where is this 'tail' (donkey in the psyche breaking through again) going ? I recently received the costume designs from the RSC. Looking through the ideas for Bottom's costume, I came across a group shot of factory workers. It reminded me of the type of men I saw coming through the gates at Longbridge all those years ago. That's when I had my epiphany. It had been there all along. The inspiration for my Bottom is actually rooted in my past. Suddenly, it all fell into place. There in my Dad was Bottom himself-a worker, a man full of warmth, who enjoyed meeting his friends down the club, who never forgot where he was from and proud to be from the 'working class'.

When I read my lines, I can now hear my Dad's voice echoing in them, can see those looks and gestures when he was telling me something really important or just indulging in repeating the catch phrase of a Dad joke for the third time running. He has inadvertently become my acting inspiration for this part and though he's not around to see whether I do a decent job of my 'Brummagem Bottom', I think he'd be chuffed to see me walking out on that stage.

So, when you see my Bottom, I hope you'll catch glimpses of a man who was a true, rude mechanical in every sense of the phrase: Edwin Clarke the car mechanic-al. Nuff said.