Assistant director Eloise Lally gives the lowdown on Week 1 of rehearsals
The Trap, written by Kieran Lynn and directed by Dan Ayling, is a biting new comedy that follows four payday loan company employees over the course of 24 hours, as their (financial) world begins to collapse around them. Urgent, subtle, robust, and concise, this production of The Trap examines how the choices we make in times of crisis reveal who we really are.
The first week of rehearsals got off to a cracking start. On Monday, our Linbury Prize-winning set & costume designer Sarah Beaton presented the model box. She explained her vision for ‘Debt Duck’ – the payday loan shop where the action of the play is set. And without giving away too many spoilers, it’s going to look fantastic! We’re all very excited to see The Omnibus Theatre space take on a new seating configuration and to offer the audience a more intimate theatrical experience.
The play begins in the middle of the night – as Tom and Clem (the junior employees of Debt Duck) embark on their (criminal) plan. We then jump in time to the start of the day and we meet Alan, the branch manager, and his boss, Meryl, Debt Duck’s regional manager. Jumping around in time is an exciting format to explore, as it creates suspense and intrigue for the viewer, and encourages the audience to piece together the events in the play. In order to help us understand this for ourselves, we spent some time with Dan and Kieran interrogating the timeline of the play, ensuring all events (both on stage and off) were super clear.
Dan and the cast then spent the rest of the week “up on their feet”, sketching through the scenes and giving them a physical shape, whilst exploring the character’s motives and engaging in some detailed discussions about how the play connects to current issues that we are all experiencing and can relate to. There has been a lovely feeling of camaraderie in the room, as everyone’s ideas and opinions have been welcome. Suggestions have been met with a “try it” from Dan and the actors have begun to craft their characters and play well together. Meanwhile, outside of the room, Sarah and our fab stage manager, Beth Absalom, have been busy sourcing props and furniture including a wonderfully thrifty bargain on some desks and office chairs.
‘Starbucks Friday’ (an event I hope will become a company tradition) fuelled the last day of rehearsals and we ended with a stagger through of everything we’ve achieved this week. For Week 1, this is a very good position to be in and everyone is feeling positive about how the production is developing. Role on Week 2!
The Trap will run at Omnibus Theatre from 31 Oct – 19 Nov. For more information or to book, please click here.
Pic credit: Alyssa Chamberlain
