A CHRISTMAS CAROL blog 2: Ben Tyler (Fezziwig)

THE RULE OF 4: DO IT LIKE THAT!

Matthew has adopted a new system this year in rehearsing Christmas Carol. We always have new people in the cast every year, and they are placed in the unenviable position of picking up and learning very quickly the stuff that the rest of the cast are just refreshing their memories about. This new system has been dubbed: The Rule of 4. This means we run a scene four times. The first time through we know it’s going to be all screwed up. The second time through we remember all the stuff we forgot the first time. The third time we get it right, and the fourth time we cement it in place. This has been remarkably consistent throughout the rehearsal process. The highest praise Matthew bestows is his oft repeated expression: “Do it like that!” When he says that, we know we’ve got it. We are very fortunate this year to have new cast members who are quick learners. We’ve been hearing “Do it like that!” a lot. This is a good thing.
~ Ben