The British Theatre Guide: Toad of Toad Hall (Production Notes and Diary)

School & Youth Theatre

Toad of Toad Hall

Production Notes and Diary

Early December 1996
It's taken us since October to decide, but we are going to do Toad of Toad Hall as our main production this year. The casting of the main characters is - to me, at any rate - obvious, but I don't even want to think about the minor roles until I've sorted out the concept behind the production. That's got to be done by the end of term.

Some random thoughts!
This is a very political play, albeit probably unconsciously so. Toad, Rat, Mole and Badger are very middle class characters, whereas the weasels, ferrets and stoats are defininitely working class. Tbey get above themselves and have to be out in their place.

The law is an ass! The judge is only interested in giving extreme sentences and Toad's escape from prison, far from being condemned, is tacitly welcomed, because it means he can help deal with the lower orders!

It needs cutting. Modern school audiences are not used to wordy plays, and in any case this is wordy even for its own time.

A political play
The political content is outdated. In 1929, when the play was first performed, the General Strike was still very much alive in people's memories: in post-Thatcherite Britain such attitudes (on both sides) seem very outdated (although do I detect them coming back?). However this political content is still relevant, but on a much deeper level (or levels).

Society now is split between the Haves and the Have-nots. The Have-not society is perceived as becoming much more violent (probably correctly, if our experience in school is any guide: I do not remember violence and aggression being so endemic in my 30 years). This section of society has, basically, formed its own society with a lifestyle and ethos far removed from what the majority still possess. These are the weasels, ferrets and stoats of modern society.

On a deeper level, there is violence and aggression within each of us, and not too far below the surface. So the weasels etc. represent the worst part of all of us.The interesting (frightening?) thing is, to defeat this "bad" side, the "good" characters have to adopt the same kind of violence and aggression. Somehow the production has to suggest what I have outlined in these three paragraphs. How?

Staging
I want the auditorium to represent the wild wood. It will be lit, not by house lights, but by deep green, shadowy spots. Suggest to the designer that she try to covert it into a wood. The wood will be populated by weasels etc. throughout the evening, from the moment the audience start to come in. They will stay in the audience for most of the time. At the interval they should appear at the windows of the refreshment room and be seen scuttling around outside. They should creep up on members of the audience, but when they are noticed they should run for cover.

I want to suggest that the wild wood surrounds us all the time, so the stage should reach out into the audience. Doing the show in the round would be the best way to do this, but it is impractical in our situation, so use a thrust, with audience on three sides.

Very little scenery, basic furniture. Suggest changes of place and of mood by lighting. There will be basically four main lighting states which will mix to achieve the various moods required: warm (use amber gel), for the river bank, the main characters' houses etc.; green for the audience; very dim and shadowed green for the stage (when the wild wooders are on-stage); cold (use a colour temperature gel) for the prison. At the end, at the triumph of the main characters in Toad Hall, the lighting state should be coldish with a green tinge to suggest that the wild wood is within them (and, by extension, within us).

Conversation with the Designer
Ellen (from the Art Dept.) is willing to do set design and building, plus make-up. I will handle costume. Make-up will be animal, but costume human. Weasels etc. will be Hells Angels, skinheads, anti-socials of all kinds. Badger will be an old man (cardigan etc.), Rat almost hippy (very laid back), Mole a working man (overalls, cap), and Toad a bit of a fashion plate! Judge in academic dress (no money for full judicial regalia!).

The auditorium will be transformed into the wild wood by covering the walls with paintings of trees and setting 3-D trees around the aisles etc..

Ellen suggests we should have a real "canary-coloured cart", so I'll have a chat with Steve (CDT). (Steve later agreed to make us a gypsy caravan, painted bright yellow. It was magnificent!)

Movement
Began to work on a movement vocabulary over the Christmas holiday. Decided that the main characters should have primarily human movement with just a suggestion of their animal characteristics: Mole would be almost blind, peering through thick glasses, and very timid; Badger would be slow and ponderous; Toad would leap in moments of excitement. No real ideas come to mind for Rat.

Weasels etc. would have animal-like dance movements. Keywords would be: crouched, flowing, sinuous, darting from still. Decided upon a Dance workshop approach early in the rehearsal period.

January 1997
First rehearsal Wednesday 8th January. Reading of the play: principals given their parts and read them. Others asked to read different parts. Note: 7 weeks and 6 days to opening night, including the half term holiday! Reading not finished in first rehearsal: continuation called on Friday 10th.

Second week: rehearsals Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

Monday: movement rehearsal:

15 minute warm-up session.
Taught movements (as above) - 20 minutes
In pairs to develop own ideas - 30 minutes

Wednesday: movement 2:

Warm-up
10 minutes to recap own ideas
Show own ideas (20 minutes)
Suggestions from their work: animals playing, aggression, shyness (10)
In pairs to develop a movement sequence (30) *
Show (made notes on which to use). At the end of the showing asked 8 pairs to work on their sequence further (in their own time!) for use later.

Rehearsal Schedule
Prepared a rehearsal schedule for 4 nights a week up to half term (4.00 - 5.30 pm).

At first session, arranged a "possible" (!) day for rehearsal during half term holiday.

Called rehearsal for the Sunday afternoon before the show (complaints that it was Mother's Day had to be quashed!!!)

Blocking
As this is a very wordy play, a great deal of movement needs to be incorporated to keep the attention of a modern audience which is not used to this kind of performance. This meant that blocking took a long time - almost three weeks! This is the shortest possible Spring Term (because Easter is as early as it ever gets - why on earth does it have to be a moveable feast?!). At this point panic set in!

Began normal rehearsals in the week before half term. Called all for morning of half term rehearsal (10.00 - 12.30) and principals only for afternoon (1.00 - 4.00). Rehearsals 5 nights a week after holiday!

Music
Freda is rehearsing chorus numbers twice a week at lunchtime (Tuesdays and Fridays) and soloists all others.

Rehearsals after holiday
Principals have asked for two rehearsals in which they can work together on lines only. Agreed.

Rehearsals now very intensive. We have two weeks before the rehearsal week when the Head gives us the week off to rehearse, subject to subject teachers' agreement with years 10 and 11. Working till nearly 6.00 each night now.

The Stage
Friday afternoon immediately before rehearsal week set up stage.

Ellen begins work on the auditorium during rehearsal week. Sets aside two after-schoool sessions to instruct on make-up. She has prepared detailed drawings of each make-up and will show the kids how to do them. Then they are on their own!

Rehearsal Week
Although the stage is not quite as deep as planned (just 4 feet short), it's amazing how much alteration to moves needs to be made. The rehearsal floor space is so much smaller!

We're really struggling! I reckon we need another week after this!. We're all pretty tired, so there's no point in going on more than 30 minutes after school. Just keep slogging away!

Show Time!
Monday afternoon: dress rehearsal in front of 250 primary school kids (year 5). Got through without any major catastrophes. Furnuture shifting took too long. Lighting not all it should be: we need to rig a couple more lanterns to cover two dark spots in the warm state. B**** starting pistol won't fire! Some kids have an adverse reaction to the make-up. The second half was too slow: did it again! Finished at 7.00.

First night: wow! we did it! The adrenalin carried them through. The audience loved it, but it was too slow.

Second night: warned them about 2nd night flops but to no avail. Soggy! "Typical second night," Simon (Badger) said to me. Went out for a curry with some staff and spouses: they'd liked it.

Third night: much, much better. They've hit the pace. If we had another week it would be brilliant!

Last night: had to calm the weasels etc. down. They've started undoing audience members' shoelaces!!! Another good night. Tonight I learned that Kim (Ratty) had refused to go into hospital on Wed. night. Her dad had taken her because of the painful rash she'd developed due to the make-up. She was in a lot of pain but "I wasn't going to let everyone down". She's a real trouper! How many 14 year olds have that kind of guts? Not many!

Now all we have to do is a 30 minute extract as part of the Youth Arts Week at the Customs House next Friday.

Someone has already asked me what the next show is!!!