SK8 Angel Rehearsals Blog. Day 2: 8th January 2008

It is nearly two years since SK8 Angel was first conceived by myself and playwright Michael Wicherek. We spent 2 days in a studio with 3 actors and a young skate boarder who literally took off and flew across the studio. We are now ready to start 4 weeks of rehearsals before the production tours theatres and schools across London and the South of England.

The vibe on the first day has been really positive. The first day started with the inevitable read-through, when the production team at last had a chance to hear the words and scenes they have spent the last few months planning for. Then we had the prerequisite games and bonding session, when the choreographer (Rachel) and I put the acting team through all there favourite games and torturous physical warm ups that establish ‘who’s the boss’ (what’s the point of having a choreographer if you’re not going to have a little pain…)

Our two younger members of the cast who are required to skateboard (Grant and Danny) already know about bashes and bruises. They have spent time preparing before rehearsals in a skateboard parks with Neil Danns one of the country’s leading skateboarders, and founder of Team Extreme.


So day 2, and we have set the set up; a universal landscape that can do both interior and exterior and that cunningly disguises ramps and slopes to skateboard over …it took 90 minutes to set up; not bad for the first time the team do it. It’s a bit like a large jigsaw puzzle so inevitably it takes to the point you have finished to realise that if had we started with “those three pieces” we might have done it in 30 minutes……we shall see.

And then to real work, opening up the script and trying to unravel the mystery of Michaels writing …. “What does he mean there?” “that could mean this and that” and so on…. the interrogation, exploration and eventual execution has begun. Towards the end of the day the 2 skateboarders in the company get their boards out and start working (or “pumping” as Neil describes it) the set. The sound in the space is thunderous (how are our rehearsal hosts in the office next door going to cope?) but a warm excitement and astonishment moves around the room on the faces of the rest of the production team and cast ─ they’re good, and it’s dead exciting!


Jeremy ─ Sk8 Angel Director