A rousing elimination round of EastEnders to close out a long day of rehearsal!
Today’s date: 14th July, 2025
Show title: Henry VI, Part 3
Director: Mili Koncelik
Staff Crew: Production Interns Analise Toone (Stage Manager) and Madeleine Cook (Dramaturg); RDA Topher Zane (Asst. Director), RDA Team Captains Jake Raiter (Fight Captain) and Brooke Crittenden (Music Captain)
What we did
We spent two rehearsal sessions with a dinner break in between in the Blackfriars today! Our first round of rehearsal was spent in three spaces – working on more blocking onstage, working more combat in the Tyson rehearsal space downstairs, and working lines in the upstairs and downstairs lobbies to prepare for the first off-book run tomorrow. Our second round of rehearsal was spent doing the fight call, doing a run of what we’ve staged thus far, and then working the show song for the first time!
Quick and Quotable
- from the play
- “Richard, I bear thy name, I’ll venge thy death / Or die renowned by attempting it.” – Richard, 2.1.353-4
- from the production team
- “I think you might be done barking.” – Mili
- from the cast
- “Real eyes realize real lies.” – Ell-chez
- “Topher LIGHTNING Zane” – various campers after Topher did some impromptu clap push-ups
Production Insights
To say this past week has FLOWN by would be an understatement! Exactly a week ago today the campers auditioned for the Session 2 shows and did the first read-throughs, now the off-book deadline for the first half of the play approaches and the show is already partially up on its feet – there are some more things to stage and props and costumes to be added, but so much work has already happened and that’s crazy to think about. This was also the first time the campers got to perform their blocking on the Blackfriars stage for the first time, and as I said before, it’s a really different environment from the Deming rehearsal space! A lot can happen in a week and the work these campers have done is proof of that.
Madeleine Cook
Madeleine is a Production Intern for ASCTC 2025, serving as Dramaturg for 3 Henry VI for Session 2. She is an actor, historian, and early modern theatre scholar originally from southeastern Michigan and now based in Staunton. She is also an incoming 2nd-year MLitt student at Mary Baldwin University's Shakespeare and Performance graduate program, and holds a B.A. in History and Theatre from Siena Heights University. And, she's very happy to be here!