SUSANNA HOOK, Director, writes about the training of her young actors

I chose Eugène Ionesco's Rhinoceros as I wanted something that would be enjoyable but meaningful. This is definitely the case with Rhinoceros which takes the spectator on an absurd journey which is so often hilarious but then too frequently close to home.

The first act is the most farcical as it displays a town of stereotypes who say ridiculous things and often repeat each other. This is all part of what is called "collective consciousness" which completely corrupts individual thought; you stop thinking for yourself. One should notice this a lot in Act 1 with the whole group reacting at the same time to events and repeating each other but this is even further emphasised by my subconsciouses in Act 2 and 3 who almost steal away the individuality of their conscious part.

Our challenge with the first act in particular, then has been to move away from naturalistic acting entirely and encourage the performers to overemphasise gestures they have initially done subtly. In previous exercises at the beginning of the process we had explored their own development of the characters mentally through improvisations which (much to the performers' delight) would involve lying on the floor with their eyes shut picturing the town and their purpose in it as they listen to music. The performers would then be encouraged to "take a walk" through their town, building in the characteristics they had decided on for their character. I would assist this by asking them to be sure of their character's speed, strength, age etc. At points one would look around the room and merely see the kids I'd seen prior to the exercise but after encouragement to heighten their movements one would see clear characters emerging which was really exciting. It also seemed to help the performers when they were directed to slow down their movements as they really honed in on how their character performed the tiniest of gestures. The real revelation for me however was when we did one my favourite exercises called "Walking Stereotypes" which involves the performers simply walking around the room and walking as each "stereotype" that I called out. This was terrifically funny as I reeled off "policeman, teacher, dancer, mime artist, GWT member etc." but it showed their ability to present a clear character within seconds. From then on I knew Jean could behave even more proudly, the Old Gentleman could be even more frail and the Housewife could cry harder!

One will still find the characters in Act 2 farcical but there is a definite change of atmosphere and I was so proud of who I cast for scene one as the group worked seemingly effortlessly together to quickly make this a witty, clever scene that still possesses an element of drama. 

Of particular note needs to be the subconsciouses and their conscious selves which we first meet in the second scene of Act 2. I decided to introduce them partly because I had not predicted just how talented the Youth Group would be but also as it would bring in an interesting physical and mental element to the piece, that would further highlight this idea of "collective consciousness". My idea was that the subconscious would enter at the part of the play where their character starts losing their grip on humanity and become their alter ego; only appearing when the rhinoceros apocalypse is having a dramatic impact on this character. We explored mirroring and shadowing exercises and the performers were encouraged to force their conscious character to change their direction, just as we might suddenly change our mind about something in our everyday life. This has meant the subconsciouses have had to push and pull their partners quite ferociously which has perhaps been the biggest thing they have had to overcome, hearing me shout "Really push him Jessica! Put your full weight on him Rachel!" Apologies. Berenger's subconscious gave us a new challenge of having Ciara mirror Jonathan so specifically that it would actually seem as if he is looking into a mirror. They are progressing well on this but you will have to wait until the performance to see the results as the process of marking out each movement is a lengthy one!

One thing I hope the performers have thoroughly enjoyed has been the process of creating the rhinoceros herd. In this production, we cannot physically become rhinoceroses but we can become a force that is savage, frightening and on the attack. We need to understand that Ionesco was making a point  about how quick the human race is to follow a savage general opinion; he was not writing the script for the Lion King. The performers therefore, were encouraged to have fights. Yes, fights. The fights had clear rules however: no words (of any kind), no spitting, no physical contact and no laughing, or their team would be disqualified. The competitive mobs we created are the result!

I am so proud of the performers for coping with the sheer length of the play; they've really had to work hard. When you come to Rhinoceros, enjoy the absurdity, and hopefully from the experience you will discover something about the society in which we live!