BARE: Reprising Our Roles

So, rehearsals are in full swing for the second life of Bare by Damon Intrabartolo and Jon Hartmere in London. And although it's the same production as the European premiere at the Union Theatre, and the majority of the creative team are the same, it couldn't be more different. It's an exciting new and larger cast, new choreographer, musical director and a bigger venue and set. This production of Bare is already blossoming into a theatrical event not to be missed!

Essentially Bare is a coming of age story. The show follows a group of teenagers finding themselves and dealing with sexuality, complex relationships and religion, within the confines of a Catholic boarding school. Having played Peter at the Union earlier this year, I was so excited to start all over again and rediscover this story with a new bunch of people. The whole cast is new apart from me as Peter and Ross Wild playing Jason (Peter's secret boyfriend). It's always quite scary on the first day of rehearsals meeting everyone for the first time; at least I had a familiar face in Ross. We went straight into a music call learning the opening of the show. Spending all day in a room with a small group of people, everyone gets to know each other pretty quickly.

As it's a through-sung piece, there have been a lot of music calls so far. It's bizarre revisiting these songs with a new cast. You hear the music and expect it all to sound the way you last heard it in your head. Then you hear someone else's voice, inflections etc, helping to create their interpretation of the character. I love it! It keeps me on my toes and really changes the dynamics within the show.

We're really working our way through Act 1 at lightning speed at the moment. And it's looking great! Richard our choreographer has set most of the big numbers in the show already; from what I've seen so far they're all high energy, story driving routines. '911 Emergency!' Is already a particular favourite amongst the cast. And with this larger space and more cast members the show is really going to explode off the stage. I can't wait!

Well, that's it for now. I'll be back with more info from the rehearsal room soon. Be sure to follow the students of St Cecilia's on Twitter (@bare_greenwich) and me (@michael_vinsen) for more updates from the rehearsal room. And make sure you come down to Greenwich Theatre to see us from the 9th -27th October!!

www.greenwichtheatre.org.uk