A look at the process of making Hunt from Lucy's perspective
As I’m writing this blog, I’m trying my hardest not to get emotional so if anything I write doesn’t make sense then you know why. I feel that this blog might be slightly different to all the others seeing as this is probably going to be my last Connections blog, so why not make it the best, right?
Connections was a bit more normal this year compared to last year where the majority of the rehearsals were online. This year, everyone was literally back in the room. I think we can all agree that Hunt was definitely one of the best plays out of the ten that were up for grabs and that we all celebrated quite a lot once we got into it. The reason I fell in love with it is because, compared to some of the past plays we have done, I felt that this one had the best story, the best mixture of relatable characters and the best writing. Yes, it didn’t have the craziness of Chaos, the stamina needed for Look Up or the slightly confusing nature of Witches Can’t Be Burned, but it was right for us.
When we got the script, I did what I had done got the past 3 years now; had long conversations with both my mum and Layla about which part would be best for me. As always I was conflicted; I liked the strong will of Jo but then I loved the slight psychotic nature of Danielle. Plus, Danielle was a part I knew would push me as I’m not usually given that type of character to explore and play with.
When the day of the auditions came round, I wasn’t as nervous as I had been in previous years. I feel like this is because at that moment in my life I was going through a bit of a rough patch and feeling certain emotions was hard. Also, I felt that I hadn’t prepared as much as I had for this audition because my head was stuck someplace else and deciding what was my priority was also hard. In all honesty, I was pretty happy when Sarah said we could use scripts because it immediately became my safety net and felt like it gave me a better chance in the audition. I saw all the usual faces that I had become so used to over the past 4 years (Connor, Chloe, Jeevan) plus a few extra eager beavers ready to take on the challenge of Connections.
I’m not going to go through each rehearsal one by one because they were all pretty average for a Connections. Connections Week was back to normal which was great compared to last year because for the first time in two years, I got to have cheesy chips for lunch again!!!!!! Joking! It was so much better to have a week of rehearsals in the room than have rehearsals online for a whole week. It was great to be back in the room for rehearsals every week and discover something new in this amazing play each week too; Connections and Yew Tree has always been my escape from everything in my life and this year I felt like Connections was the escape that I really needed.
After doing 4 performances at St Thomas A Beckets and changing the cast around, we all felt ready to boss the final performance at Sheffield. At this point I think that it was pretty obvious I was starting to struggle. I had got into a place at UCLan to do a 3-year Acting degree, which is amazing seeing as it was my first choice, but the thought of moving away from my Yew Tree family for the next three years was scary and happening way too fast for my liking. So, after already having a bad morning, I expected the day to be quite hard and emotional. I apologise to everyone in the cast and crew for ruining the vibes of the day but we can all agree that the many tears that were spilled after the performance were definitely happy ones.
Now...here comes the list of thanks.
To the cast and crew of Chaos: thank you for making my first Connections one of the most enjoyable ones and giving that not-so-small 14-year-old something to look up to and enjoy. Playing Emily is still one of the hardest roles I’ve had to do, especially seeing as how young and new I was to acting. Thanks for putting up with my immaturity and my lack of skill. Chaos was so beautiful and I enjoyed every second of it.
To the cast and crew of Look Up: thank you for putting up with my absences and stress due to my soon-to-be-cancelled GCSEs. Thank you for encouraging me to stay on and carry on performing, despite it being one of the stranger plays and one which required a lot of stamina. Even though we didn’t get to perform at York I was happy with the performances we ended on so thank you for making it as fun as it was.
To the cast and crew of WCBB: thank you for pushing me through the struggles of playing this hard role and reliving some of my past all over again. Despite Covid trying to ruin everything, we pushed through and I feel like we deserve a good medal for getting through it all. Thanks for staying constant and being one of my escapes through the ongoing pandemic.
And finally....
To the cast and crew of Hunt. Thank you. Just thank you. Words can’t describe how grateful I am for this year’s process and how much I’ve enjoyed playing Danielle next to you all. You’re all amazing actors and I wouldn’t be going to study acting if I didn’t enjoy times like these. We’ve gone through covid, cast changes and the many times we didn’t have a full cast in rehearsal and we still managed to put on my favourite Connections performance. Thank you.
So, this Lucy Gallivan, a 17-year-old wannabe actress, saying a final goodbye to a 4-year long Connections era and finishing her final Connections blog.
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