Friday marked the end of a fortnight of intense rehearsals for the cast, crew and director in this project and I found my body tired and aching in sympathy for these performer's bodies. Now brings a month off whilst the puppets are shipped across the oceans to Australia where they will reconvene in November. 

Today we ran through and refined our scene again after the changes implemented yesterday by the director of Circus 1903 and the producers. I also spent some time with the performers who are playing the handlers and the baby elephant, and we did some important research (essentially watching baby elephants trying to cuddle people on YouTube) and pulled together a bank of ideas and concepts they could try at a later date.  I think there's more room to play more with the baby elephant's trunk and I'm sure that can be explored in the next rehearsal sessions. 

Today, the elephant itself didn't feel larger, but the room and context of this show did. The choreographer brought in 23 students from a dance school to trial out the finale sequences which made the whole scene come to life and really put some perspective on the short and intricate scenes we have been working on. The whole thing is part of a much, much bigger picture part of a show that aims to rival arena shows like Cirque du Soleil and this last week I've had the pleasure to glimpse the project and help out in various roles. 

I'm certain the project is going to be excellent and am pleased to have had a little part in it.  A big thanks to Merv and the team for having me in to play all week. What a treat. 

For more info about Circus 1903 and its tour click here. ​

Today our rehearsal space was quite full with several many creatives and producers who arrived throughout the day, not forgetting that life size elephant in the room too. 

The director of the show as a whole was there as well and re-choreographed each section to his keen commercial eye. Although this was a dirty word through out most of my left wing, collaborative training, in this sense there's a great skill involved in preparing a show to playing for a much wider and international demographic. You can see him stack it up like an equation and refix things as though he's made those mistakes before. 

Each of the performers also spent some time experiencing the role and weight that each of the other parts bare. This isn't just in a mode of appreciation and understanding (although if you heard the fitness banter you might be mistaken to think it was needed) but also logistically necessary as the nature of such an intensive tour demands these parts are at least partially interchangeable. 

 Problems, discoveries, requests and strengths
Today I have thought a lot about the strength required in this rehearsal room and the many forms in which this comes. 

I spent a little time this morning painting some of the material that will act as spare elephant skin whilst the team are away on tour. It is a string-like material which has been impregnated with a type of glue that makes it expand. Each sheet extends to about 1.5 meters and needs to be painted in the standard elephant grey. Although I don't usually allow myself the pleasure of it, I find painting and the monotony of simple tasks quite relaxing in this big world - especially a relief to someone who mostly works in a freelance industry where if I'm not making the opportunities for myself there are none. (It's actually been particularly nice to not be responsible for the production. In an assistant role, I'm partially responsible for the room, but in the grand scheme of things I can go home and not worry about elephants - come back in and do my job, which has been a welcomed difference to what I'm used to.)

The material and mechanics of this creature has strength and I have partially witnessed the determination which has gone into the design and continuous construction of these puppets over several many months.  And finally  in a very literal sense the performers  require a sheer amount of physical strength to hold, maintain and bring to life these elephants.  The photograph to the right is us trialling the amazing water system that the designers and makers have come up with, which allows the Mother to suck up water and squirt it in the general direction of the audience.  I caught this photo as the cast were connecting the tube up at the top of the head (usually it would have been connected up inside the frame). I took the photo because for me, although this image certainly doesn't appear in the show, it truly does opitimise the strength of  this cast, the strength of the design and the true skill involved in this project. 

​Monday 19th  September

This week I'm working with Significant Object in the room for the new show Circus 1903. It's a cirque show that will tour round Australia over November and December with life size Elephants, a mother and a calf (names to be decided). 

I've joined the team at the beginning of their second week in the rehearsal room and although I always enjoy working with Mervyn, I'm particularly looking forward to this show.  We're working out a couple of short but intricate sections and will be spending a lot of time breaking down the movements, mechanics as well as the thoughts of these creatures; which is what I found most intriguing today. 

There's something utterly magical about something that is so ginormous having time to think and literally breathe. Elephants are so receptive and sensitive to their surroundings and yet there's the desire to make the movements and physicality of a large creature as huge and over-whelming as it's size. Today I could see that the gentle, thought-through movements and routines were the ones that's were most impressive and will give mummy elephant the most realism on stage. 

Slight head turn to the right. Weight shifts in the back legs. Something small and circular has been placed on the table ahead. Trunk senses something edible. Forehead gently tilts forward. Front legs step. Back legs follow. Trunk raises and reaches forward. Legs come to a stop. Shudder. Balance is regained. The tip of the trunk lightly curls, reaching out. Fumbles slightly, tapping the  table before a secure grip. In one swift motion the apple swoops downward and then flicks up and into the elephant's mouth. Satisfaction.  Crunch, crunch. 

There are lots of people in this rehearsal room and it is a pattern I'm sensing about work that ends up being smooth-running and excellent. You need people to look after each element of a production so everyone can look after their own. The detail of this kind of creativity comes when artists have the freedom to do their job well, rather than worrying about other elements or bits that they cannot control. Today as well as the director and puppeteers, we had three makers in the room, a stage manager and a fly operator. And me, able to work my eye and trying to preempt what's needed.  

It is my favourite thing about assisting - that something ever so simple can make a ginormous difference if done in the right place at the right time; though not, perhaps, as ginormous as this elephant... ​