Year 11 student Blake Pavey reflects on his work experience week in the rehearsal room for A View from the Bridge.
I spent the week with the cast and crew of Arthur Miller’s classic tragedy, A View from the Bridge. Going into the week I was very nervous, but as soon as I walked into the rehearsal room that fear was shifted into complete joy, as my idea of the industry changed in a massively positive way.
My week mainly consisted of observing the rehearsal process, which was truly wonderful to watch. The way that director Iain Sinclair crafted not just every scene, but every line, gave me such great insight as to how great directors work. He made every word jump from script to stage in a fabulous fashion and it has influenced me heavily as I would like to pursue directing in the future. I cannot thank him enough for making me feel welcomed seamlessly into the group.
The crew were also great to observe and take tips from. The stage managers, sound designer, set and costume designer, and everyone else who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to bring the script to life, should be commended. They built the atmosphere in a tremendous way. They deserve much more recognition because without them, there is no show.
I spent most of my time interacting with the cast of the play. Their kindness, comradery and energetic attitude towards the production was absolutely amazing. They all welcomed me with open arms and gave me so much more insight into how much actors work to bring every line to life with such emotion. I was quite nervous to meet Steve Bastoni in particular as I have been a fan for a while, but as soon as I met him the nerves went away. He is truly a wonderful, hilarious, kind human being and I enjoyed every second of watching him work. The rest of the cast are some of the best people I’ve ever met and I felt comfortable with them pretty much straight away. The cast were all so lovely to be around and I felt almost euphoric watching them work. I was in awe watching them craft their characters. I have to thank them all so much for making me feel accepted within the group from the minute I first stepped into the room. They all did a brilliant job and I can’t wait to see how much more they progress their characters and their collective story when I see the show on stage!
I can’t express how grateful I am to everyone who was involved in making my week at MTC so enjoyable. I am truly so grateful to everyone at MTC for such an amazing experience. A View from the Bridge is such a wonderful play, and getting to experience its development first-hand was one of the best things that I’ve witnessed in my life. Coming into the week, I had a thought that I might want to go into the theatre/film industry, but coming out of it has made that thought an absolute certainty to me.
I was so sad to leave at the end of the week, but I cannot wait to pursue this career in the future, and this experience has just boosted that excitement so much more! I urge everyone to go see A View from the Bridge when it opens next month.
A View from the Bridge plays at Southbank Theatre from 9 March. Book now.
Published on 11 February 2019
