Bottom's Blog

The lovely Eric Potts has written a guest blog for us! Eric will be playing Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream and here's how the first week of rehearsals went for him:

Week One.

And so, as the cast, creative team, stage management and technical crew converged on sunny Stafford, the excitement grew as this year’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the castle continued to approach apace!

I seem to have spent a significant number of days staring longingly out at the sun from within the confines of the Gatehouse Theatre – and this week proved to be much the same. 

Phyl Harries in rehearsal with musical
director Greg Palmer

Week One of rehearsals and the set was marked out on the Gatehouse stage whilst the Copeland Room, bathed in warm sunlight through the glass panels on the roof became the production’s music studio. A Monday morning read-through of the play followed by a look at the wonderful costume drawings and impressive set – (much more open this year, cleverly using the natural landscape of the castle site – still with some very clever surprises though!!) – and after the obligatory first day lunch of a jacket spud from the potato man on Market Square the rehearsal process began.  Whilst the “mechanicals” tried to master some of the music featuring in this year’s show, the “lovers” started to plot their amorous journeys through the wonderful text.

It’s been a great first week, and so lovely to be back in Stafford. I can safely say already that “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is going to be one of the best, and funniest productions at the Castle and should you wish to glimpse my Bottom in the midst of many other wonderfully talented performers get booking those seats for a night of fun and music in the shadow of the stunning Stafford Castle.

Will keep you all updated next week!!

Eric x