Royal Conservatoire: Rehearsing Shakespeare

Welcome to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Every year, the Conservatoire trains thousands of students how to be actors, directors, set builders, costumers, lighting and sound technicians, musicians, dancers and film-makers.

The students also put on more than 500 shows every year. Today, led by director Ian Wooldridge, the actors will rehearse Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”.

The actors rehearse their production of the Shakespeare play “Macbeth”. An interesting aspect of this production is that all of the characters are played by women. 

In “Macbeth”, two generals of the King of Scotland – Macbeth and Banquo – meet some witches who foretell that Macbeth will become King of Scotland. Encouraged by his wife, Lady Macbeth, and driven by ambition and jealousy, Macbeth murders Banquo and the King. 

He is consumed by guilt and paranoia, before being murdered himself!

Kirstie is studying Production Technology and Management. She is in charge of making the show run smoothly, cueing the lighting and sound, as well as giving actors lines when needed. A big part of her job is keeping everyone happy – which is often difficult!

Costume design is an important part of a theatre production. Costume designers work with other designers to ensure a production has a coherent, distinct look, and they make sure costumes represent the setting and mood. Costumes begin with two-dimensional sketches.

Actors are involved at every stage – even initial sketches will be based on their measurements. Costumes must work on stage – they must be comfortable for the actors, flexible and durable because they will be used night after night.

When doing a fitting with an actor, the designer checks both visual and practical issues. Does it hang right? Is the hem length correct? Does it restrict the actor from fighting, climbing or dancing, as the script requires?

The set is the first thing an audience sees in a theatre production: it creates atmosphere and gives clues about where and when the action takes place. Set designers often study art or design before beginning their careers, though building a set involves a range of skills.

Studying the script closely, set designers identify the scenery, furnishings and props needed, and then build them using appropriate materials. They think about the space of the theatre, practicalities of changing scenes, and music and lighting.

Modern theatres are a great deal different from how they were in Shakespeare’s day. In the 16th and 17th centuries, plays were presented in open-air theatre, in daylight, with the audience standing up and shouting out their opinions. 

When we go to the theatre now, it’s a much more formal affair. Modern technology makes the experience technically sophisticated. Lighting, sound and other special effects bring performances to life.

In Elizabethan times, fireworks simulated gunfire or a metal sheet would be shaken to produce thunder. Likewise, music was produced live by musicians. Today, digital equipment is used to create any imaginable sound, which can be programmed in advance.

Before the show opens, a technical rehearsal is carried out, focusing on practising sound, lighting and other technical operations. Here, the students run through the staging of “Macbeth”.

Areas of the stage have standard names so actors know where to be. “Downstage” means closer to the audience; “upstage” is further away; “left” and “right” of the stage are from the actors’ point of view.