What's in a Walk-Through?

Walking the play

Yesterday we held the important Walk-Through of the Passion Play.
What is the Walk-Through all about?
It is a very useful day whereby we achieve three goals:
1. Make sure we have the appropriate costumes for the actors,
2. Read through the script and have a chance to understand the flow of the scenes and characters and interaction with each set and review actions and motivations of each of the characters in the play,
3. A physical walk through of the play from start to finish so everyone understands where each actor stands, how the crowd interacts and where the sound truck should be. Timing is also reviewed to make sure that each actor knows the cues and where they need to move or speak.

Thank you to all who made the trip. We had a very tasty lunch provided the the Un-Named Cafe at Wingello, fortifying us for the walk on a beautiful summer's day.
The read through was very worthwhile as we were able to gain an understanding of how the play flowed through each of the scenes. A few timing and sequencing issues were uncovered and corrected and we were very happy with the final result.

Testing the thieve's cross

It is really worthwhile reading the WHOLE script and not just your part. The story of the Passion of Jesus is a tale of building up tension, action and stress ending at the conclusion of the crucifixion. Everyone has a role that contributes an important part of the whole story.
Have you considered the role of the Centurion? He ends up announcing, "Truly, this man was the Son of God." How did he get there? You will see the change in the play.
What about Pontius Pilate? Did you realise he tries 3 times to avoid condemning Jesus to death? Passing to Herod, offering Barrabas and Scourging rather than crucifixion. But even with the warning from his wife, Claudia, he still succumbed to the pressure from Caiaphas and the chief priests.
What about Caiaphas? What was in it for him? It's in the script.
Reading through it as a group and discussing the implications was very rewarding for all of us.

Then we went for our walk along each scene. Ariel co-ordinated with the Sound Truck driver to confirm places the truck should be to provide the best sound while avoiding feed-back.
Then it was working with cast and crew where we should place ropes and barriers to ensure maximum audience view and room for the actors to do their thing. At the same time we went through the motions of each scene, from the arrest/fight movements in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus was downstairs or upstairs with Pontius Pilate, where Jesus would fall or just stagger, when the Romans and Jews would scuffle allowing for Mary, Veronica and Simon of Cyrene to meet Jesus. Basically lots of moving parts.
Is that all?

No, there is more, but probably one of the most important parts is the coming together of all the cast and crew, building a rapport and knowing we are all working towards a common goal.

Now more work to do. There's only 3 weeks to go!

Testing the cross