Boiled Boots

Last Thursday I asked the cast "How do you feel?" We had just run Mother Courage and her Children. The run went well. We have the beginnings of a professional performance. A lot still to do, but the cast changes and the work we had done together since the middle of January were beginning to make actors of this group of absolute beginners. "How do you feel?" Their faces glowed; they had applauded for ages at the end, lifting Anoja, then me, high onto their shoulders in celebration. "I feel good". "I feel great".

I asked them to think back a year, to this time last February, how did you feel then? There was a silence. The atmosphere changed. Someone said: "Desperate". Others agreed with this.

I told them that my aspiration was to form a group of actors than can inspire, entertain and move our audience. I do not want people to come with the idea that they are watching a group of victims: tsunami and civil war affected. Yes, that happened, and is a very important part of who you are, but now you are also becoming actors. Good actors. Artists. We have a lot of work to do, the songs have to be woven into the play, the costumes, set, lighting, a lot requires tightening up and everyone can travel deeper into your roles. This you can do, with the skills you are starting to absorb into your bodies and minds.

I am now back at The End of The Garden in the welcome cold of a British winter. Since the last time I visited this space things have changed, grown, matured. The last time I wrote about Mother Courage and Her Children we had hit the bottom of the rehearsal process. Since then, and a few more cast changes later, the play has started to come together. At one point Anoja did say that she had been very ambitious to do this play with absolute beginners. I agreed, yet I also agreed to direct it. We have a cast of people who had never been to a theatre before, who have only seen Bollywood films or local soaps on TV, neither of which demonstrate any depth or truth in the acting or writing. The Russian Cultural Centre in Colombo was showing Doctor Zivago, we took them to see this amazing film, so at least they can understand cold and spring, neither of which most of them have encountered in their life in tropical Sri Lanka. The British Council is offering to show them whatever films we wish, already they have seen Shakespeare in Love - and loved it. Education in art - we educate ourselves by witnessing good art.

During my short visit home the cast are having a few days break, then return to Belangwila to work on their songs and releasing the trauma which is still tied up in a lot of their bodies. It is held there like a tight spring. I taught some deep shiatsu massages to Anoja, Visaka (who has been beside me the whole time translating everything) and Murugan, the yoga teacher. These massages will enable the cast to let go the trauma safely, and eventually to breath easily. Slowly, slowly. Healing is a continuous process.

And boiled boots? The designer, Sweeny, took the cast out the previous Friday to buy them footwear. Most of the boots and shoes, due to budget constraints, were second hand. Good, very good, second hand. Sweeny told everyone to wipe down the outside of his or her boots or shoes, and to spray the inside. They boiled them. So before they had even worn them for one rehearsal the soles were flapping, the boots useless. They had to be taken to the cobbler to be re-glued. Fortunately Sweeny laughed when she heard this. But we learnt that we can never assume anything, especially with a cast of actors who might never have worn shoes before, only sandals. You wash them. Daily.