Walking and talking BULLS***: a movement perspective

Throwback Thursday Monday alert!

As we prepare to go back into the rehearsal room this week, movement director Sophie Colthurst reflects on the first two weeks of our R+D.

What FUN! We had such a great time creating and improvising together for 2 weeks at the TR2 and The Lab at the Theatre Royal. Director Nicole and I had had discussions about what we thought would happen before those weeks started but it really felt like we all held hands and jumped off the cliff of certainty and dived into our world of female role models, wild physicality and not just a few cowboy hats.

It was fantastic to work with the incredible performers who said ‘yes’ to every idea and challenge posed to them so that we could build the world of Rosie Abbot and her journey to professional bullriding.

Nicole brought so many talented collaborators to the space who could write, score and use projection to bring this piece into being. As movement director my line has been to offer another medium of expression for the world that we were creating: the non-verbal. What needed to be said and what needed to be seen. I brought a physical training into the rehearsal room every morning where the actors really pushed their strength and resilience. Expect to see some awesome ensemble lifts and dynamic energy! I also encouraged movement all of the time, asking myself what is the energetic quality of the scene? How could it be read through the actor’s gestures, rhythm and timing? And of course, how on earth to re-create the energy of a life threatening, 8 second bull ride?! (I’m not telling, you’ll have to come and see it!)

The brilliance of having director, writer and movement director in the space for the majority of the 2 weeks gave us maximum opportunity to charter this new world truly collaboratively. I could duck into a scene Nicole (the director) was building and offer a movement solution, or observe a character development task led by the awesome Sian (our writer) and note how the performer’ were taking their physicality forwards. Collaboration is one of the huge strengths of BULLS***, and has resulted in a piece which tells this story in multiple ways.

You need to see the show in December - and trust me, if the rehearsals were anything to go from, you will have fun and LAUGH until your sides ache!!

BULLS*** is showing at the Theatre Royal Plymouth between Thursday 13th and Saturday 15th December 2018, at 8 pm every evening. Get your tickets here.