O Rey
Thursday, September 19th, 2013
This week has been all systems go for getting “O Rey” on the road. Great meeting with our mentor Sarah to chat through the project and how best to use our time together. We have been in contact with Marcos Santana, who is a phenomenal Brazilian percussionist from Salvador de Bahia. Ed Hughes and I went to a practice session with Marcos’ group last Saturday and played with the Brazilian group for 2 hours, which ended up being pretty therapeutic (I recommend it to everyone), as hammering a drum for 2 hours lets go of all the tension. I made a mental point to take ear plugs next time, as they took a pounding and I couldn’t hear properly for a few hours. After the session we sat down with Marcos and put a plan of action together for rehearsals, piecing the final members of the company together. There are always moments in bringing together a project when you think it will never happen, but somehow (often by divine intervention), you manage to find the perfect people you need. I am constantly reminded of the wisdom of Hannibal from the A-Team: “I love it when a plan comes together”.
Rehearsals begin in earnest on Saturday. It is always a great moment when people from all different backgrounds meet each other for the first time and you stand back and see a group begin to bond. This is almost the most satisfying moment for us; you start with an abstract image in your heart which forms slowly into a concrete idea and opens up into a group of performers who bring all their talent and love to the piece that you imagined on your own. It feels like alchemy sometimes.
Putting the romantic in me to one side, it’s time to use up my mobile allowance, get making phone calls and send texts to get everyone together for Saturday…
Salida Productions
www.salidaproductions.com
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