Tama Barry's tour blog - week 3, Aberdeen
Tama blogs as the Romeo and Juliet tour reaches Aberdeen.
Our third week of shows brings us to Aberdeen. His Majesty's Theatre has one of the smallest stages we perform on so once again as with Edinburgh there are some spacing challenges. The stage is also raked - a rake is when the stage is sloped towards the audience at a slight angle with the back of the stage being higher than the front, normally an angle of less than ten degrees. And while this doesn’t sound like much, it makes a massive difference to your centre of gravity depending on which direction you're facing. This affects turns, balances and all aspects of partnering, and also means that we are using our bodies differently.
His Majesty's is a beautiful old theatre and very intimate to perform in. Because the stage is smaller, your emotions feel more real in some ways: perhaps it makes you feel more comfortable and protected, allowing you a greater sense of freedom. You also feel very connected to the audience, and there is a real energy between you and them, which is lovely. The orchestra pit is further forward so we can see the musicians and they can see us, which is nice because you really feel like one company working together.
I had the pleasure of performing Romeo on opening night in Aberdeen which is always a thrill, and the audiences on this night and throughout the week have been lovely.