“Winding up days with toil and nights with sleep.” Henry 5 Act 4, Scene 1

by Anne Flinders, dramaturg [caption id="attachment_1154" align="alignleft" width="300"]

Henry 5 Rehearsal. L to R: Kristen Leinbach as Montjoy and Mackenzie Larsen as King Henry V.

Rehearsal, Henry 5 . L to R: Kristen Leinbach as Montjoy and Mackenzie Larsen as King Henry V.[/caption] Last week the Henry 5 cast held three more rehearsals. Rehearsal days are exhausting; a typical rehearsal for this play begins at 8:00 a.m. with a physical warm-up and an overview of the day’s work. This is followed by dance and fight choreography, blocking more of the stage action, and some scene polishing. The cast is generally allowed a half-hour break for lunch, after which they return to the rehearsal space to run and polish scenes until 2:00 p.m. [caption id="attachment_1155" align="alignright" width="300"]

Rehearsal, Henry 5. Matthew Fife as Fluellen.[/caption] Six hours is a long rehearsal for a student, particularly when many in the cast go to classes immediately after, but this week’s Thursday rehearsal was especially challenging. The cast arrived at 7:00 a.m. and learned new choreography for some segments of the opening and closing dance numbers. They blocked and choreographed another fight sequence for one of the historic battle scenes, after which they ran the entire play. Following the run-through, the cast was trained by the hair and make-up designers. As Henry 5 will be a touring show, the cast members need to be able to do their own hair and make-up on the road. After an hour break, the cast returned in costume and make-up to meet with a photographer for a publicity photo shoot. (Great action-packed shots were taken which will be released soon.) Following the photo shoot, a camera crew arrived and a video shoot was taped that will be released as advertisement for the play. The shoot wrapped at 6:00 p.m, ending a successful day of rehearsal for this hard-working cast. [caption id="attachment_1156" align="alignleft" width="300"]

Rehearsal, Henry 5. L to R: Sarah Flinders as the Boy and Mackenzie Larsen as King Henry V.[/caption] This marathon Thursday was followed by an extra rehearsal that was called on Saturday at 8:00 a.m. The cast was joined by two BYU Young Company alumni, Sarah Kron (The Hundred Dresses, 2011) and Jenna Hawkins (The Merchant of Venice, 2012), who trained them in how to run workshops for the elementary students who the play will be performed for. The cast chose games and activities to enrich the experience the children will have with this Shakespeare play. After a brief break, the cast worked for an hour on polishing transitions between scenes, dances, and battles. Then the play was given another full run with props incorporated. The last week of January will also mark the last week of rehearsals for the cast of Henry 5. The show opens its elementary school tour on the 5^th of February, and the play opens in the Nelke Theatre at BYU’s Harris Fine Arts Center on February 6^th at 7:00 p.m. The show runs through February 16th. Tickets are on sale now.

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by Jessa Cunningham, dramaturg After the show wrapped up and people went their separate ways, Garret Rushforth, who played Wilbur, and I chatted and I asked him some questions about his experience with the play. What better way to gain insight about the show than from the actor who was in the thick of things from the very beginning? Here is what Garret had to say about this unique opportunity: Me: How was this experience of playing Wilbur? What was your Favorite aspect of it all? Garret: I loved playing Wilbur. My favorite aspect was discovering the character more and more each performance. I never really felt that I had learned all that the character had to offer. Me: What were some challenges that you faced while preparing for the show? Garret: A few of the challenges that I faced had to do primarily with transportation. My car tried to die a couple of times during the run. As far as developing the show goes, I found that the difficulties were mostly in finding the lines. Not simply reciting them, but discovering what was beneath them, motivating them and making them come to life. Me: What lessons have you learned from playing this part, or just from the play in general? Garret: I've learned that there is an amazing opportunity to find out about yourself from the character discovery process. I also learned how much a family the cast can become if given the opportunity. Me: What is your favorite part of this story? Garret: I love when Wilbur and Charlotte talk about Charlotte's death and Wilbur is so devastated. It showed how deep Wilbur's reliance on Charlotte was as well as his desire to help her too. Me: As you leave this production, what will stay with you? Garret: The friendships I've made and the things that I've learned about myself because of the show. Me: What aspects of your character did you love/latch onto from the beginning? Garret: I latched onto the loneliness aspect of Wilbur's life. For all his life, he'd not been given much of a chance, Fern and Charlotte being the exceptions. He was written off by nearly everyone until Charlotte pointed out how special he is. Me: Any final thoughts you would like to share with those who came to the show? Garret: Charlotte's a web was a show that offered a unique view of friendship and family. It doesn't matter what someone looks like or where they're from, friendship and family can transcend all differences.

“Winding up days with toil and nights with sleep.” Henry 5 Act 4, Scene 1

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