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The marvellous Sam Winder...

Having had a break from Mugged for a while, we have flown back into rehearsals in full swing. With Bake Off happening again, I wanted to reuse my metaphor of our script being left to proof but with a couple of changes to the cast and such a long break, have been working hard to knead the play into shape. It’s paying off too; progress this weekend was rapid and we brought it up to a level that we are pleased with – ready for baking. This is something we owe to the discipline and thoughtfulness of the cast.

A play like Mugged is one where it seems quite easy to fill out the broader brush strokes and stand it on its feet.  However, the finer details take a lot of work and the thought behind each of our lines is vital. I feel like a lot of people outside the world of art underestimate how much work goes into building character relationships and understanding the reasons for character’s actions. We have to build aspects of our characters up in order to feel as they feel and react, rather than to produce false representations of emotions like “Shock :o,” or “Joy :D” because, though the audience understands how we are supposed to feel, they have no hope of feeling it along with us. Mugged is a play where all of these thoughts can have such depth and the emotions our characters feel aren’t as simple as happy/sad or angry/calm; there is a lot to find in seemingly insignificant lines.

Contrasting the grittier, more naturalistic sections, Mugged talks a lot about the false representations of the media and the influence that has on public opinion in a slightly more stylistic way. Without giving too much away, it is interesting to observe the influence that people with no real link to real social issues can have on real people through the media. The balance of maintaining emotional disconnection without sacrificing individual character development is one our Newscasters, Gawpers and Reporters are working towards in our full cast rehearsals.

So, all in all, I’m really excited to perform Mugged. There are some great moments, and I’d love to tell you all about them but I am afraid that doing so would give away some pretty major plot twists. Instead, I just want to give kudos to Team Marky towards the end of scene one, kudos to team media for their synchronisation and efficiency, and kudos to John for dropping in to quite a sizeable part with very little warning and doing a spiffing job.


Look forward to seeing you all after the show, yeah?

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