No rehearsal required for Hamilton actors
It’s every actor’s nightmare to be asked to take to the stage in a play they don’t know, in a role they haven’t rehearsed for.
Hamilton’s Carving in Ice theatre company will soon make this daunting scenario a reality in an upcoming production titled An Oak Tree.
Staged at the Meteor Theatre from June 14 to 18, the show was created by experimentalist English playwright Tim Crouch.
It follows a second rate, guilt-ridden stage hypnotist – played by Richard Homan – who, since a car accident, has lost the power of suggestion.
Homan will be joined by a different actor at each performance who has neither seen nor read a word of the play. For those ‘‘second actors’’ there will be no preparation, no costume, and no lines to learn.
This second actor will discover the play at exactly the same time as the audience.
The play asks each second actor to feel their way through the performance, and respond in the moment.
‘‘When you hear this, you may be tempted to think that there will be improvisation – however, this is not the case,’’ director Gaye Poole said.
‘‘The second actor in the performance is never asked to generate words of their own.
‘‘Everything they say in the play – and everything Richard says – has been carefully scripted.’’
Missy Mooney, Nick Clothier, Mary Rinaldi, Mandy Faulkner, John Davies and Liam Hinton will be the ‘‘second actor’’ at each of the Hamilton shows. They will be in good company.
Since 2005, in hundreds of performances in over 20 countries, no second actor has ever performed in An Oak Tree twice.
They include the likes of Christopher Eccleston, Peter Dinklage, Kwame KweiArmah, Simon McBurney, Sophie Okonedo, Toby Jones, Patrick Marber, Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Monaghan, Joan Allen, Maura Tierney, Mike Myers, Alex Kingston, and Alanis Morisette.
With each show a unique theatrical experience, An Oak Tree will be staged each night at 7.30pm, with a 4.30pm matine´ e on Saturday, June 18.
Tickets are available at themeteor.co.nz at $25 for general admission and $20 for people with Gold Cards or Student ID.
There are also multi-buy ticket deals available for anyone wanting to see multiple second actors take the stage.