The full 3H6 cast and director Mili gathered on the Blackfriars stage. 

Today’s date: 7th July, 2025

Show title: Henry VI, Part 3

Director: Mili Koncelik

Staff Crew: Production Interns Analise Toone (Stage Manager) and Madeleine Cook (Dramaturg), RDAs Sarah Clayton and Topher Zane (Asst. Directors)

What We Did

After a quick warmup, the scripts were passed out and the rehearsal process officially started for 3 Henry VI!  We did a read-through of the entire show during which the campers got to get out of their seats and traverse the stage wherever the words took them. The campers then participated in two additional exercises: one pertaining to acting on, moving on, and entering/exiting the Blackfriars stage, and one pertaining to the status and hierarchy of the noble and royal characters in the play. 

Quick and Quotable

• From the text
  • “I wonder how the King escap’d our hands?” – Warwick, 1.1.1 (the opening lines of this play!)
  • “The red rose and the white are on his face, Wither one rose, and let the other flourish!” – Henry, 2.5.514-5
• From the director
  • “I have so much faith it’s crazy.” – Mili
  • “SAY IT WITH GUSTO!” – also Mili 
• From the cast
  • “There’s an arrow in my neck. It hurts, guys.” – Dylan, as Lord Clifford (spoiler alert for how Cliff dies)
  • “Bruh.” – Van, as Richard, Duke of Gloucester (who doesn’t want to be Duke of Gloucester)

Production Insights

Hello! My name is Madeleine and I’m so excited to be here and to have a turn at posting on this wonderful blog! I am the dramaturg for 3 Henry VI this session, and stage managed 2 Henry VI last session. The first day of rehearsal is always one of the most exciting to spend in a rehearsal room as an actor, and it’s so cool to be at the table in a different seat on the production team. This is my first time serving as a dramaturg, but I have a long history (pun intended) with this entire tetralogy; I wrote my undergraduate senior research project for my history degree on it! And yet, I am still learning – especially with this play in particular. Reading the script and knowing who’s who and knowing the historical context is one thing, but hearing the words acted and performed and watching the characters begin to manifest onstage is something else entirely. It’s especially cool to watch different campers take on characters that have previously appeared in the last session, returning campers take on new characters that interact with the ones they played in the previous plays, and new characters be introduced to this world we’re creating – all at the same time. The campers brought so much energy and enthusiasm to the read-through today, and I’m so excited to hit the ground running with this play! Huzzah!