Working wiith Richard Eyre, opposite Kim Cattrall and Matthew Macfadyen in 'Private Lives', Lisa Dillon tells us about typical rehearsal days, working alongside the hotshots and grapling with her babydoll character Sybil.
You might well know Lisa Dillon as Mary Smith in BBC's Cranford. Well this February, she's back in the West End getting ready to star in Noel Coward's Private Lives directed by the multi-award winning Richard Eyre.
How does your day begin? Are you a morning person?
The day is intense. We’re fortunate to have a slightly less than usual rehearsal schedule on Private Lives. The working day kicks off at midday and runs through until 6pm. There's no lunch break so we work six hours straight with just a quick ‘grab a sandwich’ interval.
Thankfully we get to avoid the post-lunch slump, which most actors would agree is frustrating as the afternoon work is no less energy-demanding than the morning.
A huge bonus for me is I get to do some private rehearsal prep at home before I leave. I'm much better at learning lines after my first coffee of the day than I am before going to bed.
What part of the day do you most look forward to?
Rehearsal days are completely atypical. No day is like any other, it depends a lot on the scenes being worked on. I keep a pair of shoes in the room which I use solely for the character I’m rehearsing. In this case, a pair of vintage tan leather heels. It’s a good feeling once my feet are firmly in them – I know the working day has properly begun and it’s goodbye Lisa and bonjour Sybil!
What’s the most daunting part of your day?
There are two occasions when rehearsals can ‘daunt’. One is the first time the scripts are abandoned and the actors attempt to rehearse without them. So much concentration is required to remember the lines that you often forget what it is you're supposed to be doing. It’s a bit like riding a bike without stabilisers, you’re not entirely sure you’re going to keep balance.
The other ‘daunting’ occasion is when the director first decides to run the play in its entirety. ‘Car crash’ is an expression that can be used to describe a first run through! However, in the case of Private Lives, the first run was wonderful and we all felt very excited with the possibilities of our production. It’s a sink or swim moment and you just have to trust that all you’ve rehearsed will happen when you want it to, that the lines will come out as you’ve learnt them and that you’ll be in the right place at the right time.
Can you give us a sneak peek inside the rehearsal room?
We’re actually rehearsing in a theatre in East London which means we’re already up on a stage. It can feel like quite a transition to leave the rehearsal room and move the play to its stage, but in this case, we’re half way there!
Stage Management are always in first and the kettle has always just boiled for when the actors arrive. Good job! Once we’re all gathered, work starts immediately. Sometimes Kim and Matthew will run their dance sequence or practice their song. You'll often find the cast frantically running lines with one another, stealing a last few minutes to check they know the lines as well as they did on their own at home!
What’s it been like working with Kim, Matthew and Richard?
Having worked with Richard before on Hedda Gabler (Almeida and West End) it’s a complete joy to be directed by him again. He has a great energy about him – very calm but utterly passionate about the play and his cast.
Matthew is delightful, incredibly warm and good fun. He’s a bit of a giggler and is often found with his head buried into a cushion, trying not to laugh. Kim is divine and wonderfully open to trying out new ideas. She is captivating to watch when rehearsing and every bit as gorgeous as you imagine she might be!
Can you tell us about Sybil? Do you relate to her at all? What’s it been like to play her?
I have enormous sympathy for Sybil – jilted on her honeymoon and thrown into an awful situation as she negotiates her way through the matrimonial mess! Thankfully, I don’t relate to her on that level although I do remember my own innocence and naivety where the perils of love are concerned and an emotional rawness which in Sybil’s case leads her to spill into tears a lot of the time.
She’s great fun to play and Noel Coward’s dialogue is so witty and charming it would be difficult not to enjoy playing her. I am, however, very glad to leave Sybil at rehearsals at the end of the day. As too is my boyfriend – I don’t think he could cope with her whining and baby doll cuteness! She can be very grating on the nerves!
Private Lives runs at Vaudeville Theatre from 24.02.10 until 01.05.10
Call 084 4412 4663 to book tickets
Photo Credit: John Swannell
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