DAY ONE
In april this year RADA's MA Theatre Lab students travelled to Greece to perform their devised ensemble production of Women Of Troy at the International Youth Festival of Ancient Drama in Ancient Messene, and at the Municipal Theatre of Kalamata. Hadleigh Harrison documented the experience throughout.
It doesn't feel like only yesterday we were rehearsing the final touches of Women of Troy in a basement in London. Grey London. Cold and rainy London. Having put in a tremendous amount of effort all last week re-jigging, re-working, scrapping and starting again – all part of the artistic process – our travel-worn spirits were lifted by the sight of the Taygetus mountain range, azure skies and beating sun of southern Greece! We had taken on some generous feedback as we worked on our Women of Troy within the time constraints; having laid down the foundations of the previous weeks’ work, we had by now 'killed our babies' (a very Greek tragedy concept, surely) by sacrificing our favourite moments over and over again. The general consensus is that we now have a show on our hands – one that is indisputably ours, and one we feel proud to show the people of Messini and Kalamata.