Here’s to Collaboration: Behind the Scenes of the Kickshaw Lab

PREVIEW THEATER & DANCE

Here's to You cast

Ensemble members Mona Burns, Natalie Sevick, and Aral Gribble rehearse the opening scene in Here’s to You, Here’s to Me. Photo credit: Sean Carter Photography

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to sit in on a rehearsal of Kickshaw Theatre’s new devised work: Here’s to You, Here’s to Me. I work with the organization, but I’ve never been in a rehearsal room where “devising” is happening. It was awesome.

After a group warm-up, the actors took the stage and performed the material they have developed so far. The story is still being shaped (and may change between now and the performance), but it’s loosely framed as a party of friends, celebrating and exploring the ritual of toasting. The show includes original songs and dialogue that the cast has collectively written in rehearsal. One song, a toast to a cast member’s mom, was re-worked during rehearsal. The ensemble re-ordered verses, changed lyrics, and improvised musical riffs and harmonies. In the end, the song came out sounding like a 1980s rock anthem!