Theatre Now and Theatre People have been granted access to Jacqui Dark’s Diary as Sound Of Music rehearsals get underway.
Earlier this year Jacqui was playing the role of Marcellina in The Marriage of Figaro for Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House. Next year she will return as Fricka in the revival of The Ring Cycle. In between Jacquie will play Mother Abbess in the national tour of The Sound of Music which opens in Sydney on the 17th December.
Jacqui Dark steps into the rehearsal room and she is going to share the experience with us.
Lead artwork by Gavin Christensen
WEEK 1
Day 2 – Tuesday November 10, 2015
“More nuns on the loose!”
More nuns on the loose! What a fabulous cast – it’s like they were all born for these roles! Dominica Matthews as the loveable but bossy Sister Berthe, who is a stickler for the rules. Johanna Allan as the warm-hearted Sister Sophia, who is run ragged trying to please everyone. Eleanor Blythman as the bubbly, positive Sister Margaretta. I love these women already and feel such a connection with them, and we had a hoot weaving humour around truth of the scene. They bustled off to a very nunny music call, while Amy Lehpamer and I continued working on the scene we started yesterday. Amy is an extraordinary actress – she has intelligence, sensitivity, warmth, and is making this role her own. It is such a privilege to play opposite her – performing with great actors makes it so easy to find the emotional core of your role. She made me cry at the end of the scene where I send her away from the abbey. I hid it well and scurried off to join the other nuns in the music rehearsal. I was feeling weary but exhilarated – this 
show requires everyone to invest so much of themselves and it is draining but so, so rewarding! There are several rehearsal rooms running at once and cast members ferry about between them. The kids just finished rehearsing music in this room and then swap with the nuns as they go into the main room to learn their blocking for the next scene. The kids are gorgeous and hilarious and amazing. There are three sets of six of the younger kids and one Liesl (the fantastic Stefanie Jones), so we have 18 little sets of feet pounding around enthusiastically, wide-eyed with wonder. It is absolute heaven to watch their excited, talented little faces. They are going to win (and break) the hearts of the nation!
Stay tuned….. Day 3 “There was laughter. There were tears – I tried to hide mine until I realized that Marina, sitting next to me, was dabbing at her eyes as well, and then glanced around the room to see the whole cast and crew dabbing away, and the stage management team wandering around handing out tissues.”
A very special thanks to Jacqui Dark, The Sound Of Music Team and Theatre People for allowing us access to this material.
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