Flying through GROUNDED rehearsals
The Bridge Theatre takes up residence in Ixelles this week for the final week of rehearsals for GROUNDED. A big thanks to the commune of Ixelles for granting us the use of their multipurpose space on rue Mercelis.
Letty Thomas (The Crown, Bridgerton), who plays the pilot in GROUNDED, and the play’s director, Emma Howlett, took some time out of rehearsals to tell us why they love the play and why they are so excited to bring you this engaging and poetic production.
Letty Thomas began: “This play is so rich; it’s got so much in it. It’s incredibly relevant at the moment and it’s an absolute beast to wrestle. People should come to see the show because it’s a play very unlike any other. The protagonist is a fighter pilot and she is then recommissioned to work with drones at the same time as being a new mother. It’s a fantastic blurring of private and public, work life and home life, the domestic and the global.”
Emma Howlett added: “GROUNDED is this microcosm of a play that feels really small and intimate, because it is just you and the pilot, but actually, once you start listening to what she is telling you, you feel how global the story is and how applicable this really unique experience of one individual could be for all of us in the way that we see the world and understand conflict in times like today, when technology is changing how we empathise with other people across the world and think of our own accountability and responsibility in navigating conflict.”
GROUNDED opens on Wednesday 8 November. Join us for the first performance to experience this very special production before anyone else!
And if you’ve already booked your tickets, help us reach more theatre lovers in Brussels – as well as people who don’t yet know they love theatre(!) – by forwarding this email to your colleagues and friends!
This month’s Podcast: Author of GROUNDED, George Brant
Our November episode of our monthly podcast, How to Build a Theatre, features an interview between Edward and George Brant, the playwright behind GROUNDED.
In this special episode, the pair discuss the genesis of the play, which was written over ten years ago, and how reactions to it have changed in the decade since it was first produced. We also get a glimpse at the new opera of GROUNDED, based on the play, which has just opened at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
You can listen to How to Build a Theatre on your favourite platform now. Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review to help other theatre enthusiasts find the podcast.
A look at our upcoming ACT Workshops
Want to get active yourself? We have four different ACT Workshops in November that you can still sign up for. Our ACT Workshops take place on Sundays 18.30 - 21.30.
5 November - Spatial Awareness with Flora
Actors need to be hyperaware of their surroundings not only to provide authentic reactions, but also to preempt stage mishaps. In this session, you will explore what it means to inhabit 'space': space in your body, space on stage, and space between you and your fellow actors, all while keeping your focus on your character.
12 November - Character Creation with Miryam
"Acting is behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances” Sanford Meisner. In this session Miryam will go deeper into the essential tools we need to create a true character and how to apply our own uniqueness to build a solid performance.
19 November - Monologues with Ingo
This workshop will help the actor delve deep into a piece of text, analyse, play and finally help them showcase their ability to the fullest in front of a group of people.
26 November - Contact Improvisation with Desi
This Masterclass is open to all levels of experience. We will explore the aesthetic of the Contact Improvisation, inspired by the established techniques of Steve Paxton and Martha Graham. Through various somatic approaches, we will work on creating and telling coherent stories, focusing on the chain Earth - Gravity - Partner - Story.
…plus don’t forget to sign up to our special one-off Workshop with the director of GROUNDED, Emma Howlett, taking place on Saturday 18 November.
During an engaging three-hours, Emma will guide you through her physical and ensemble-led approach to discovering theatre, using GROUNDED as an entry point for work. This is your chance to work with one of the most exciting British young directors of the present.
The Workshop will take place on Saturday 18 November, 10am - 1pm at Boulevard Bischoffsheim 11, Brussels 1000. We are pleased to be able to bring you this exclusive workshop for just €45 per person.
The workshop is open to everyone but participants will need to be comfortable with using their physicality. We are limiting the the number of participants to just 15, so sign up quickly to secure your place!