Jamie Bradley: Provok'd rehearsal diary

Guildhall School presents Provok'd: A Restoration autumn. Restoration Comedy collides with original rap and hip hop in this Company-devised drama, challenging the parallels between a vicious and vibrant moment in theatrical history and a contemporary questioning of sexuality, gender politics and race.

Here, director Jamie Bradley shares a diary extract from Day 2 of workshops of the show.

Jamie Bradley's Workshop Diary, 27 September 2018

We’d already talked about our experience of rap (or lack of it) on the first day so I’d asked the actors to write a rap from the perspective of their character and bring it into rehearsals. We’d chosen some beats and riffs to write to (Missy Elliot and Kendrick Lamar) so they could improvise raps in groups.

I was very keen to test whether it was even possible to generate rap material together. It was make or break because the whole premise of the idea depended on them being able to do that. No pressure.

Rapping is REALLY exposing, and I was aware that sharing your own writing added another level of risk. It had occurred to me there might be some wobbles.

Turns out, I needn’t have worried. The level of support and love the group gave each other was phenomenal. The first group really went for it and, to be honest, everyone just went absolutely crazy. Then the other two groups just picked it up and raised the bar even higher. Lots of those original raps are still in the show; brilliant and witty insights written from the Restoration character’s viewpoints. There were tentative moments and breaks in the rapping as obviously it was a first try, but this only highlighted how difficult it was and how effortless it seemed when it worked.

We also totally lucked out with the musical knowledge and skill within the group – all of the beats and melodies being made from within, and we miraculously had professional-level drums, vocals, keys and guitar in the mix. I remember thinking Brandon was very good at melodies – it was only after the project was finished that he modestly told me he was Grammy nominated for song writing!

I remember thinking we were making so much noise in the Studio Theatre that someone was bound to come in and check everyone was alright. I wish I’d filmed the session, as the physical reaction they had to each other’s work was totally off the scale! Shaka was so excited he actually ran out of the room and ran back in again and some of the screaming went on for minutes.

Anyway, after that session, the pressure was really on: the idea clearly had legs so we just needed to find a way to shape scenes, structure raps and build commentaries – together as a group of 25... in three weeks. Easy?

Provok'd: A Restoration runs in Guildhall School's Silk Street Theatre from 29 Nov – 4 December 2019. Tickets available from the Barbican website.