Rope Resourse Pack

ROPE
by Patrick Hamilton
RESOURCE PACK
Introduction
Patrick Hamiltons Rope.
WTheatres production of
ELCOME to the Almeida
Rope is the story of two students who take the theories they learn in class to the extreme. Brandon and Granillo have grown up wealthy and welleducated, always having what they want, doing what they want. But there comes a point when what these gifted students want is to kill a fellow student. Inspired by Nietzsches Superman theory, the boys perform the act of murder, before hiding the body in a chest in the centre of their drawing room. They then invite relatives and friends of the deceased round for a party. As their table is conveniently out of use, the guests must eat from the chest itself
Alex Waldmann and Blake Ritson Photo: John Haynes
Despite the horrific nature of the play, and the striking similarity to the Leopold and Loeb murder case a few years before it was written, Rope is thoroughly compelling. Though audiences back in 1929 at the premiere may not have agreed, by the time it had transferred to the West End a few months later, the entertainment factor had been recognised. The dramatic irony throughout and the subtle humour in the script lets the audience enjoy the play whilst still tackling the difficult moral questions it poses. Leopold and Loeb were excused from the death penalty, should Brandon and Granillo? Not too long ago in 2007, an educated student became the perpetrator of the Virginia Tech massacre; Cho Seung-Hui murdered professors and his fellow students. Is the view that the study of books can civilise and humanise us, truly dead? Fellow classmates claimed that the nature of his work led them to consider him dangerous. Was it literature that inspired him to commit such a crime, like the characters in Rope? These questions show, although the audience will enjoy the play, the issues it tackles are still relevant today and are perhaps not something to be laughed off completely. We look forward to welcoming you and your students to the Almeida Theatre and hope that the play will challenge and stimulate, whilst still remaining an enjoyable piece of theatre created with much skill and expertise which this pack will illustrate. Sarah Helen Ball Charlie Payne, Natalie Mitchell, Anne Langford Almeida Projects
For more information about Almeida Projects and our recent work please visit
www.almeida.co.uk/education
Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton
Contents
HOW TO USE THIS RESOURCE PACK This Almeida Projects Resource Pack aims to provide an insight into our process of taking the production from research stage to performance. We hope you will use it to help you in your own investigations into the play both before and after your visit to the Almeida Theatre. The pack is divided into four sections: the first contains detailed information on the plot, characters and design to refresh your memory of the play in the classroom. The second contains production-specific articles on the creative process, with exclusive input from the artistic team. The third section provides context by covering background material and themes from the play. The final section contains suggestions of practical exercises for drama teachers to use, to enable students to explore the play in further depth, in the classroom and beyond.
LEARNING AREAS Rope and its Resource pack are useful for Drama Students at GCSE, BTEC and A Level, as well as Theatre Studies and Performing Arts to look at and explore: Character Costume Design Dramatic Irony Explorative Devising Strategies Naturalism Plot Stage management The Choice of Staging Form The Theatrical Genre Theatrical/Historical/Cultural/Social Context There are also key links to other curriculum areas, these include: Citizenship English Philosophy Religious Education
1. The Play
Production Credits Introduction to the Play Characters Plot Summary Design Interview with the Designer A Costumes Journey Interview with the Director In the Rehearsal Room In a Production Meeting Call Sheet The DSMs Book
4 5 6 8 15 17 18 20 21 29 31 32 34 36 37 39 41 43
2. Production & Creatives
3. Context
Patrick Hamilton Rope: the Film Previous Productions Nietzsche Leopold and Loeb Theatre in-the-round
4. Practical Exercises
Practical Exercises Script Extract Further Reading 44 46 47
Production Credits
Rope
By Patrick Hamilton
CAST Wyndham Brandon Charles Granillo Sabot Kenneth Raglan Leila Arden Mrs Debenham Sir Johnstone Kentley Rupert Cadell CREATIVE TEAM Director Design Lighting Sound Casting Voice & Dialect Coach Fight Director Assistant Director Production Manager Company Managers Stage Manager Deputy Stage Manager Assistant Stage Manager Costume Supervisor Wardrobe Supervisor Wardrobe Deputy Hair & Make-Up Supervisor Chief Technician Lighting Technician Sound Technician Theatre Technician Production Carpenters Set built by Scenic Artists Stage Management Placement Wardrobe Placement Production Photography Blake Ritson Alex Waldmann Philip Arditti Henry Lloyd-Hughes Phoebe Waller-Bridge Emma Dewhurst Michael Elwyn Bertie Carvel
Roger Michell Mark Thompson Rick Fisher John Leonard Lisa Makin Penny Dyer Terry King Lotte Wakeham Igor Lorna Seymour Emma Basilico Laura Flowers Harry Niland Natasha Jenkins Stephanie Arditti Catrina Richardson Eleanor Dolan Anna Morena Jason Wescombe Robin Fisher Howard Wood Adriano Agostino Craig Emerson Miraculous Engineering Object Construction Chris & Liz Clark Charlie Storey Charlotte Willingdale John Haynes
ALMEIDA PROJECTS Director of Projects (Maternity Cover) Anne Langford Director of Projects Samantha Lane Projects Co-ordinator Natalie Mitchell Projects Administrator Charlie Payne
Introduction to the Play
Rope Cast Photo: John Haynes
Rope was written in 1929 by Patrick Hamilton and was his first theatrical success. Transferring onto the West End in its first year and then onto Broadway, recorded for television ten years later and into a film twenty years later, it would be an understatement to say that it was a hit with audiences.
Set in an upper-class Mayfair house shared by Wyndham Brandon and Charles Granillo, it very soon transpires that these two students have murdered one of their contemporaries and deposited him in a chest in their drawing room. But this wasnt an accident, in fact it was very meticulously planned, and the next part of their plan is to welcome guests to a party they are holding in that very drawing room. The guests include the deceaseds father, Sir Johnstone Kentley, and aunt, some other students and the boys lecturer, Rupert Cadell. The dining table is out of use and so the guests must eat from the chest containing the body. Talk turns to crime, justice, punishment, the value of life. Rupert announces he approves of murder and would even perform the act himself given the chance. He also notices the odd behaviour of Brandon and Granillo and plays detective. Act Two sees a phone call coming through to the house for Sir Johnstone Kentley from his wife to say that his son has not returned home and she is worried. The party comes to an end with everyone leaving until only Rupert remains. By this time Granillo is drunk and through various pieces of evidence gathered throughout the evening, Rupert has deduced that Kentleys son is in the chest. After much persuasion Brandon hands Rupert the key and the sight that greets him is horrific. He calls for the support of the police. Rope explores morality and particularly the idea of people with superior intelligence being allowed to discard the lives of those who are less so. Although the play is set in 1929 this idea is not so alien to todays society. A detailed plot synopsis follows.
Characters
WYNDHAM BRANDON
Blake Ritson
Young. Brandon has recently slain his fellow undergraduate Ronald Kentley along with Charles Granillo. He is a wealthy and well-dressed man built like a boxer; he has been involved in the committing of a murder merely for the thrill of it. He is confident they will get away with it, hence inviting the guests to their house whilst the body is still in the room. He has a natural calm about him which most interpret as arrogance and priggishness.
CHARLES GRANILLO
Alex Waldmann
A Spaniard, young. Granillo is not as tall as Brandon nor has he got such an air of confidence about him. He is expensively dressed and clearly well off but he is more courteous then Brandon. He is also more panicked about the recent murder he has committed and has to be calmed down more than once. Most who know him fairly well think he is first-rate.
SABOT
Philip Arditti
Sabot is Brandon and Granillos French servant. He is only working for a couple of hours on this particular evening, setting up and serving the party because Brandon and Granillo are driving to Oxford later that night. He is dutiful and attentive; he always does his best to please his masters and their guests.
KENNETH RAGLAN
Henry Lloyd-Hughes
Raglan is very young. He is younger than both Brandon and Granillo with whom he used to go to school and now attends university with. He admits he used to look up to Brandon at school and it is clear he still does. He is simple and quite hopeless but inherently good and very likeable. He has a sense of humour and is fun-loving.
LEILA ARDEN
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Leila is also young and like Raglan quite simple, although she hides it much better than he does with a show of refined intelligence. This is a complete farce with nothing behind it, she has no ideas and waits for other people to make up their mind about something before agreeing or disagreeing with them depending on their stature in her eyes.
Characters
SIR JOHNSTONE KENTLEY

Michael Elwyn
Sir Johnstone Kentley is the father of the murdered boy, he is naturally much older than the others, having a son their age. He is a very nice, placid man who has always been in a position of power but never abused it unlike the two central characters. He is a book collector and is very interested in Brandons collection which he has been left by his uncle. His wife is described as being an invalid by Brandon so Mrs Debenham is invited to the party instead of her.
RUPERT CADELL
Bertie Carvel
Rupert Cadell is the teacher of Brandon and Granillo, he is 29. His right leg is lame from when he served in the First World War and he uses a stick to move around which adds to the air of pretension that already lingers around him. He is easily aggravated, especially by young people such as Leila and Raglan who he aims to irritate and is very sarcastic in doing so. He is observant and detects oddities about the party and its hosts that the rest of the guests neglect to notice.
MRS DEBENHAM
Emma Dewhurst
Mrs Debenham is Sir Johnstone Kentleys sister, she is about 50. She barely talks and when she does her input is vague and invaluable. She is distant and dull.
Plot Summary
Act One
It is 8.40pm; Granillo and Brandon are stood in the drawing room of the house they share in Mayfair. They are bent over a chest silently working at something; suddenly the lid closes with a loud bang. The room is dark and only lit by the fire. Brandon turns on the lamp but Granillo tells him to turn it off. Brandon lights a cigarette with matches then throws them to Granillo and he lights up as well. They discuss what they have just done, committed murder. Brandon seems exhilarated by it, Granillo much less so, he seems worried they are not going to get away with it and can barely sit still. Brandon tries to reassure him and he talks through their plan, how they murdered their fellow student Ronald Kentley by strangulation with rope before depositing him into a chest, how they propose to have a party in the very same room as the body, with the guests including none other than the victims father. The phone rings and Granillo answers the call, he very panicky, it appears there is no answer on the other end of the phone. Brandon turns on the light and again Granillo tells him to turn it off so he does. Brandon tells Granillo to get off the phone because he is acting out of control. He does so and leaves the room. When he returns he sits back down and asks Brandon to continue talking through the plan, it seems to calm him. Brandon tells him some of the other guests invited to the party; Kenneth Raglan, Leila Arden and Rupert Cadell. Sooner or later it is time for the party, so they put on the light and have another cigarette. Brandon leaves the room and Granillo fixes himself a drink. When Brandon returns he is infuriated: Granillo had left Ronalds ticket from the Coliseum Music Hall on the floor. The Coliseum is where they met him that evening before inviting him back to theirs, if it had been discovered then it would have been very incriminating. Just as they are arguing about whose fault it is the doorbell rings. Granillo puts the ticket in his top waistcoat pocket
Granillo You fully
understand, Brandon, what weve done.

Brandon Do I know what
Ive done? ...Yes. I know quite well what Ive done. I have done murder.
Act One
and Brandon answers the door to Sabot who is their French servant, he hands Brandon the evening paper. When they are alone again the men make amends for their recent spat and await their guests. Sabot goes about setting up the room, when laying the table Brandon instructs him to use the chest as the table, Sabot offers to bring the table down from upstairs but Brandon insists they use the chest. Brandon begins to read and make comments on the stories in the newspaper when the doorbell rings again. Sabot goes to answer it and Granillo starts to play the piano. Sabot re-enters with Kenneth Raglan who is in evening dress. The three of them exchange pleasantries and Brandon offers their guest a drink before they begin to talk of trivial things and reminisce about their school days, they tell him they will be travelling to Oxford later that night. The doorbell rings and Leila enters. Introductions are made and the conversation continues, Leila recognises Raglan but she doesnt know where from. Brandon lets her know they are travelling to Oxford that night. She comments that she thinks the party is mysterious and weird before the doorbell rings again. Brandon goes to the door because he thinks it is Sir Johnstone Kentley. He is correct and Kentley is with his sister Mrs Debenham. After all of the introductions have been made and a brief, light-hearted discussion about the chest (that Sir Johnstone Kentley is unaware contains the body of his dead son) the doorbell goes for the final time. The last guest is Rupert Cadell. He is mystified when he sees the chest but the others explain that the tables are covered in books so it will serve as the buffet table, he isnt very impressed and when dinner commences he goes on to spill food and wine over himself. The conversations turn to Ronald and then onto the Coliseum, Brandon and Granillo deny that they have ever been there before, even though Ronalds ticket is visible in Granillos pocket. Rupert questions him about it and it seems as if he is going to point the ticket out, but he refrains and the conversation moves back to the chest. Leila jokes that there may be some rotting bones inside it, Brandon says that she is right and she is not allowed to see the inside. Sir Johnstone Kentley maintains they wouldnt have invited all their friends round if there was a body inside, if they had they must be stupid and conceited.
Plot Summary
Henry Lloyd-Hughes Photo: John Haynes
I have committed murder. I have committed passionless motiveless - faultless - and clueless murder. Bloodless and noiseless murder
Brandon
Act One
After some more conversation around murder and justice Brandon suggests looking at the books he has been left by his uncle, Gerry Wickham, and for the young
Plot Summary
to play some music on the gramophone and have a dance. Brandon leads them out of the room leaving Rupert and Granillo alone. Rupert comments that Granillo seems touchy this evening but he explains that he had a sleep in the afternoon and it has taken it out of him. Ronalds ticket is still sticking out of Granillos pocket; Rupert snatches it and hides his hand behind his back. Granillo doesnt notice. Brandon calls for Granillo to come through to the other room with the others. Rupert is left alone, he reads for a while before looking at the ticket. Sabot comes in to clear the plates and Rupert asks him to confirm the date and then questions him for a while. It transpires that it was him that had made the call earlier on; Sabot tells him he was not at the house when that call came through. He is just asking him is it he or one of his masters that have been to the Coliseum that evening when Brandon walks in and interrupts. Rupert lies about the subject of their conversation and Sabot goes along with it. Brandon takes a bottle of whisky through to the others before returning back to the drawing room, Rupert moves their conversation back to the rotting bones in the chest.
Bertie Carvel Photo: John Haynes
Act Two
Rupert brings up his and Brandons childhood together, specifically Brandons fascination with chests containing corpses. Brandon is surprised at the connection he has made and pours him another whisky before they move into the other room. Brandon makes his apologies and returns to the room because he has left his cigarettes behind. He looks out of the window; the room is dark so all that can be seen is his silhouette and the rain beating down. He then moves to the chest and sits down on it looking at the lock, Granillo enters unaware that anyone else is in the dark room. He touches Brandon and lets out an awful, quivering scream. Absolutely raging Brandon rushes to turn on the lamp, demanding to know what Granillo meant by his actions. Granillo explains that he thought he was looking at the ghost of the dead Ronald. Brandon turns the main light on and the lamp off, fixes Granillo a whisky and tells him to drink it and quickly. It appears Granillo is losing his nerve, when he has finished Brandon fixes him another drink and leaves the room. Granillo drinks up before pouring himself yet another drink; he stumbles drunkenly towards the fireplace. He takes a long look at the fire and then the chest before taking a gulp of whisky which makes him cough. He coughs again and again, he stops and struggles for breath but it doesnt help and he carries on coughing. Brandon rushes back into the room, irritated and exasperated as to what the meaning of Granillos behaviour is. He thuds him on the back and implores
Sir Johnstone But surely your
murderer, having concealed his victim in a chest - wouldnt ask all his friends round to come and eat off it.
Rupert Not unless he was a very
stupid and conceited murderer... which of course he might be.

Act One
10
Plot Summary
Blake Ritson and Bertie Carvel Photo: John Haynes
him to stop coughing which he manages to do. Brandon tells him that the others have requested to listen to Beethoven, but these records are packed upstairs Now Granillo seems quite calm, he goes to tell the others that the Beethoven records that they have requested will be too hard to get at when Brandon stops him. He asks about the Ronalds coliseum ticket, he suggests destroying it there and then. Granillo had forgotten all about it, he is at a complete loss as to what Brandon is talking about at first. Then he remembers it, but he denies actually having it, as it all starts coming back to him he recalls putting it in his waistcoat pocket, he searches his waistcoat pocket and in fact all his pockets repeatedly but it is undeniable; the ticket is not there. He goes back to denying he ever had it. But Brandon insists that he did and fuming, he bangs his fist on the chest and shouts at Granillo, during which Rupert appears at the door. In sharp contrast to Brandons tone Rupert quietly asks what on earth the pair have lost. Brandon and Granillo remain silent for a moment and then nervously answer him, they say that they are arguing because Granillo cannot produce the Beethoven records that the others wish to listen to. Rupert comments that this is a strange thing to quarrel so animatedly over but the men insist it is something they do all the time before fetching him another whisky. As Granillo hands it over his hand is trembling, Rupert notices and reminds him that he has forgotten to add soda. He then asks the men for some rope; Brandon and Granillo are startled before Rupert explains it is to put together a parcel to carry the books, a very different use than what they were utilizing it for a few hours earlier. Just then there is a colossal clap of thunder followed by two more which causes Granillo to drop a full glass on the floor, his nerves are completely shot. The rain is coming down very heavily now, Rupert insists that the pair will not travel to Oxford that night
Rupert You were a morbid
child.
Brandon How queer -
exactly?
Rupert Oh just queer. Us
all talking about rotting bones in chests. It just came back to me, thats all.
Act Two
11
Plot Summary
Henry Lloyd-Hughes and Phoebe Waller-Bridge Photo: John Haynes
even offering for them to stay at his house but they decline his offer. Leila and Raglan enter and they say the same, adamant that they will be flooded if they travel that night. They then proceed to make the parcel, Raglan fetches the string/rope from the other room and they begin to put it together. Granillo downs another drink and walks precariously to the other room to talk to Sir Johnstone Kentley at the request of Brandon, he appears to fall against the chest on his way out which doesnt go unnoticed by the others. After a brief discussion about the storm the attention turns back to the chest, first Leila asks if there is a lock on it but Brandon pretends he cannot hear her, Rupert asks again more loudly. Brandon says it does. Leila jokes again about there being a dead body inside and Brandon goes easily along with it until she starts to insist he prove his innocence by opening up the chest right there and then. Of course he refuses, joking that his hands are red. She then eggs Raglan on to force the key from Brandon which leads to a playful struggle between them. When it seems Raglan may get the key Brandon gets malicious and manages to overpower him. After that talk turns to crime and justice, Rupert admits that he approves of murder and that there are many people he would happily murder given the chance. He also draws a comparison between murder and war and the differences between them, or lack of. Leila argues that they are completely different and insists Rupert has morals and a conscience. As the talk turns to motiveless murder and murder for fun Rupert declares he can certainly see the thrill in it, but states that one is bound to be found out. A little too quickly Brandon questions this statement and Rupert retorts that when you have murdered for vanity then you cannot help but boast about it, which coincidentally is what Brandon has jokingly been doing all night.
Are you suggesting that some psychic force, emanating from that chest there, is going to advise Sir Johnstone Kentley of the fact that...the lifeless entity - of his... son and heir is contained therein?
Brandon
Act One
12
As the storm gets worse both Leila and Raglan announce that they need to leave. Just then the phone rings, Brandon answers and it is for Sir Johnstone Kentley who he goes to fetch. When he answers the phone it transpires that Ronald hasnt arrived home from his evening out and so Sir Johnstone Kentley decides to leave as well, it is clear that he is worried. He is followed by Leila and Raglan who leave in a taxi together and then Rupert.
When they have all left the men are relieved. Granillo says he thought Rupert had realised what was going on and Brandon agrees but says it gave piquancy to their party and is sure he didnt catch on. As they relax Granillo hears a sound, they both pause and hear the bell ringing. Brandon goes to answer it and then returns out of breath. He says it is Rupert, he has returned for his cigarette case. They are both hurriedly looking for it when Rupert appears at the door, he removes his hat and coat and places them on the divan before sitting down and asking for some more drink.
Alex Waldmann Photo: John Haynes
Plot Summary
Act Three
Brandon is making Rupert a drink when he produces his cigarette case from his pocket, he hadnt left it there it was just an excuse to return. Rupert requests for the main light to be turned off and the shaded lamp to be turned on, Brandon does so but reminds Rupert that they will be leaving soon so that he does not make himself too comfortable. Rupert goes on to explain to the men that he is feeling down and he sees no reason for the daily monotony of life, Brandon suggests he takes up a hobby and gives several examples before Rupert gives an idea of his own; murder. On this note Brandon turns on the main light, a sign that it is time that Rupert left. However he does not leave, instead he says he will stay and watch them pack and see them off. Granillo does not take kindly to this and after pouring another huge drink starts questioning why Rupert wants to stay and see them off. Granillo is not being polite and there is tension between the men getting rid of Rupert whilst still remaining polite and unsuspicious. They say he can stay a while longer and he has another drink. Granillo goes to stand by the window and Rupert goes with him and asks for a pin, Granillo gives him one. As Brandon starts to tidy the party up Rupert takes Ronalds Coliseum ticket from his pocket and pins it to his jacket where it is in plain sight for all to see. Rupert opens the window and looks out before saying that it is time for him to go. Both the men notice the ticket in horror and Brandon asks what it is. Before Rupert can answer Granillo says: Hes got it over and
You have taken and killed by strangulation - a very harmless and helpless fellow creature of twenty years... you have rotted the lives of all those to whom he was dear... You are going to hang, you swine! Hang!
Rupert
Act Three
13
Plot Summary
14
Blake Ritson and Alex Waldmann Photo: John Haynes
over to which Brandon shouts for him to be quiet, Granillo continues and accompanies his rant with a high scream, he is hysterical. Brandon immediately asks Rupert to leave which he refuses to do. He says although the matter that is distressing Granillo so much may be nothing to do with him, it is to do with the public in general. At this point Brandon gets menacing and a scuffle ensues with him grabbing Ruperts stick. Rupert pulls on the handle and Brandon is left holding nothing more than a wooden sheath, as it comes away from the stick a blade appears on the end of it. Rupert maintains this is not his only weapon; he also has a policeman whistle. Rupert explains that when he left he spoke to a policeman who gave it to him in order to call him if needs be. He then asks two questions 1, what is the truth about the ticket and 2, what is the truth about the chest. Brandon avoids both questions and says to Rupert that he must be drunk. Rupert then accuses Brandon and Granillo of the murder of Ronald Kentley. Brandon of course acts as though this is a ridiculous accusation to which Rupert suggests he opens the chest, Brandon welcomes him to go ahead and after a bit of persuasion furiously hands over the key to Rupert. Rupert puts the key in the lock and removes the padlock; he pauses before lifting the lid of the chest and looks at Brandon. He gradually opens it and takes in the contents. He closes the lid a lot quicker than he opened it and runs as fast as he can toward the door, pausing only to turn to Brandon and call him a swine. Brandon tries to calm a shocked and disgusted Rupert down and explain to him. Eventually he agrees to listen to their justification for this horrific murder. Brandon reminds Rupert that he is not a man of morals and explains they did it purely for danger; they have lived dangerously and done the thing that others only talked of doing. He pleads with Rupert not to give them up to the police, that there is no point in them hanging. Rupert sees Brandons point of view and agrees with what he is saying, logic has lead them to that point, but he says he will never trust logic again. He finally lets himself go and his voice is forceful when he says that he believes what they have done is wrong, they have taken a life and thought nothing of it and yet placed a lot of value on their own lives. They have ruined the family and friends of the victims lives and then mocked them by bringing them to the party that night. If they think it is funny then hopefully they will find it funny when it is done to them. Brandon asks him what he is going to do and he replies that it is not him that will do anything but in fact society, but at his guess they will hang. At this point he hobbles at speed to the window and hurls it opens with all the force he has, leans out and whistles sharply calling the policeman to him.
Design
The Almeida Theatre empty stage Photo: Bridget Jones
Design is one of the most thrilling aspects of theatre craft. The look of a show helps to set mood, atmosphere, time and place. Design elements for any production include set, lighting, sound and music.
At the Almeida Theatre the set design is the first and last thing the audience sees. As soon as the audience enters they can see the set and this, together with any sound effects, or music, will begin to determine how they will experience the production. This initial impression helps to set the tone for the story to come. The designer, therefore, has to consider what impression he wants to make on the audience before the play begins. The designer will look for clues in the play text and will liaise with the director and the playwright about these. There are also practical considerations for the designer, such as how big the stage is; what kind of flexibility is required in terms of entrances and exits; and whether the play is set in a specific time period. The designer often has to be very creative designing a set which calls for several different locations. Designing for the Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre was not purpose-built as a theatre so does not have the specialised architectural features which typify most purpose-built performance venues: a flytower, orchestra pit, wings, offstage area (indeed our back stage is actually sub-stage in the excavated basement directly below the stage floor). This means that our designers and production teams have to come up with ingenious solutions to create innovative sets in our found space. The building is famous for its large curved brick wall at the back of the stage. This feature of the building is used as part of the set design for many of the Almeidas productions. Even when the actual wall is not visible in the set, the brickwork is often echoed as a feature in the design. Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton
A BRIEF HISTORY: The Almeida Theatre seats 325 people, and reopened in 2003 after extensive refurbishment. The building dates back to 1837, and was originally the Islington Scientific and Literary Institution. During the war it was used as a Salvation Army Citadel, and was later a toy factory, before it was converted into a theatre in the 1970s.
15
Design
Rope Model Box: basic overhead view (L) and detail from above (R) Design: Mark Thompson
The Designer for Rope is Mark Thompson.

For Rope the Almeida Theatre is being transformed into in-the-round (See Theatre in-the-Round). The whole play is set in one room over one evening in Brandon and Granillos house and by changing the space in this way the audience will feel like they are right there in that room with them, and indeed with Ronald Kentleys lifeless body. The set design is first shown to the cast and crew at a model box showing. The designer makes a small to-scale version of the set in a box and presents and explains the logistics of how he envisions the stage picture. Brandon and Granillo live in Mayfair, upper-class London, in 1929. The way the room is furnished and decorated is typical of the time with a twist. Brandon and Granillo are very rich and according to this design, enthusiastic collectors. There are chairs, tables, a drinks trolley and a large, grand fireplace all beautiful items though not necessarily matching. In this design the room is highceilinged and an octagon shape, with a carpet covering the majority of the room. The chest, an integral part of the story, is in the centre of the room and also octagon shaped. The room is designed as if it is the top floor of the building and there is a huge, striking lighting feature hanging down from the ceiling. There is one door which is the only exit and entrance for the actors onto the stage. The play is naturalistic in style and the design reflects this. The characters behave like those of the same stature and era would have and are in similar surroundings, it is authentic. Thats what makes this chest, right at the centre of the design and vital to the story, all the more shocking. This not only applies to the audience but to those onstage. For the characters in the play, much of the evening dialogue has revolved around the chest and the fact that it and its contents have always been there at the very centre of the room is appalling. The intimacy of this particular set design invites the audience to the party as a guest and will leave those who accept the invitation with a similar feeling as the characters.
Five-and-twenty to eleven. A horrible hour - a macabre hour, for it is not only the hour of pleasure ended, it is the hour when pleasure itself has been found wanting. There, that is what this hour means to me, and it has, moreover, been more thundery.
Rupert
Act Three
16
Mark Thompson answers some questions about his design for Rope and designing as a profession.
Almeida Projects: How did you come to be involved in this project? Mark Thompson: Roger, the director, asked me actually last year after we had just worked together. He said oh Im thinking of doing Rope at the Almeida, would you like to do it? And I said yes and he said theres one tiny hiccup, Im thinking about the possibility of doing it in the round. AP: Having the layout in-the-round is a huge change to the space, what made you think it would work? MT: Im not sure either of us were certain that it was, and in fact its not a proven fact yet that it will! (laughs). We havent got there yet. I think the notion of it being in round is that the audience are by the very nature of where theyre placed around the dead body, implicit in the murder, and the crime. So that was the reason for it being in the round. And also it just seemed exciting to do something different at the Almeida. There is something about how it is at the moment, the horse shoe and the curve at the back of stage, that sort of encourages the space to be changed into that format. AP: Have you designed a set in-the-round before and what were the trials and tribulations you faced in doing so? MT: I have, yes. Ive done two productions a long time ago at the Royal Exchange in Manchester; which is a theatre where the space is in the round. The challenges are that you dont really have walls and scenery; you have to do interesting floors. Its not something that youd do a farce in. It relies on very, very quick entrances, but for instance in Rope we had to have a door as an entrance to support the sense of whats going on beyond, and whos going to walk in at that moment AP: For those interested in design as a profession; what does your job entail and describe your journey through a production? MT: Well, I am there to help present the play, the script in front of you. To interpret a script for a modern audience and present it in a way that is going to benefit the script. Its not necessarily about making pretty pictures; its not about showing off; its about using the text and making it work for the actors onstage and for the audience. Thats the function of a designer. And then the journey; a lot of work has to be done researching the period and distilling that, finding images that some-up the play and then distilling those, making rough models, and working with the director which is very much a partnership. Theres no same as, no right or wrong way of doing it. Lots of people work in different ways and there are lots of different solutions for possible problems, designs can look very different. But I think once you have made a choice between a, b, c and d you stick to it. AP: What was interesting about designing for a play set in this particular era, the 1920s? MT: Its probably marginally more interesting than absolutely dead modern day, maybe. But any era can be equally interesting. The 20s had nice clothes; it is interesting to find out about what was happening then. Its very important that if you do design something in period that it doesnt all look like you just looked up the most fashionable pictures at the time, if it was set now you wouldnt put everyone into the most fashionable clothes. You need a whole series of different clothes worn over decades and different styles. AP: What about designing do you find most rewarding? MT: Ive always enjoyed theatre and I like interpreting scripts. I like the element of direction I suppose; you have an aspect of that when designing. (Laughs)Its so long ago I cant really remember what I like about it!
Interview with Designer

17
A Costumes Journey
Costumes are an integral part of the design of a production as well as the whole play, good costumes can really add to the authenticity. Because costumes are so important and essential they are not easy to get right and there is a long and rigorous process that goes towards making sure they are perfect. Here is the outline of the journey of a costume for Rope at the Almeida Theatre, a route that nearly takes as long as the rehearsal process!
Before rehearsals have even started the Director and Designer will meet for a discussion about the costumes in the production. They decide what period they wish the costume to be from (because it is not always the same as the script) and the general direction they want the design to go in.
THE PLAY IS CAST
The designer will then research. They will get together images of the period from the internet and from books. They need to make sure they get the class right and not just choose dress typical of the era, e.g. in Rope the characters are rich and from London so they will be fashionable. A Costume Supervisor will be employed, usually chosen by the Designer.
REHEARSALS START
Photographs and measurements are taken of every member of the cast by the Wardrobe Department and a copy is given to the Costume Supervisor. The Designer and Costume Supervisor have a Costume Chat with each individual actor. The Director attends too should they want to. After this the Designer and Costume Supervisor find a selection of costumes of the right size and feel from a hire company. Costume fittings are in week 2/3 of rehearsals, the actor is presented with 4-6 different options to try on. This is an opportunity for the Costume Supervisor and Designer to see what looks good on the actor and for the actor to get a feel of what their character will wear. A photo is taken of the chosen costume. The hire company usually does alterations. Later in the rehearsal period is a run-through in the rehearsal room. This is attended by the Designer, Costume Supervisor, Wardrobe Department and Hair or Wig Specialists. Around this time the Hair/Wig person will have a practice session with the actors to try out different hair styles. Wardrobe will take practical costume notes, e.g. when are hats and coats removed, is anything spilt on costume? Costume Supervisor and Designer will take artistic notes, e.g. does costume still look right or has character moved on?
The final costumes arrive at the theatre/wardrobe department packed as separate outfits for each character. The Wardrobe will check everything is there and label it with Actor and Character name. The Costume Supervisor will source and buy items like watches and spectacles for each character and each actor will have an item box.
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Raglan Of course, Im feeling
A Costumes Journey
absolutely ghastly coming dressed like this.

Leila Why? Im sure I ought to
be dressed too. Of course you must admit my dear, this is a most mysterious and weird meal.
Act One
The Wardrobe Department set up each dressing room and quick change areas on Monday of Tech week which is the week when the technical side of the production is rehearsed. On Tuesday the actors arrive early. The Wardrobe Department helps them into hair, make-up and costume. Because of the era Rope is set, the costumes are complicated to get in and out of. The Tech Rehearsal is the first time the Designer will see everything together on stage. The Costume Supervisor watches from the auditorium to ensure everything is as it should be. The Wardrobe Department makes sure everything looks right before the actors go onstage and help with any quick changes. The first Dress Rehearsal is when the whole Wardrobe Team truly knows if the costume aspects of the production will work. The second Dress Rehearsal is photographed so it is important the costume looks as it will at a performance.
PREVIEWS START
At this point the Designer can still make changes to the costume if they feel it is necessary.
PRESS NIGHT
After this point there officially cannot be any more changes made to the costume. A Costume Bible has been made which shows the final decision on hair, make-up and costume, where everything was purchased from and how much it cost incase the production transfers to a different theatre. The Designer and Costume Supervisor now take a step back and it is over to the Wardrobe Department who repair, maintain and steam the delicate period costumes, do the laundry, polish the shoes etc. The Designer and Costume Supervisor often watch a few performances during the run of the production to check the costumes still look as good as they did on Press Night.
FINAL PERFORMANCE
The costumes are returned to the hire company by the Wardrobe team.
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Interview with Director
Director Roger Michell answers some questions about Rope and his vision.
Almeida Projects: When did you first decide you wanted to direct Rope and how did you go about ending up here at the Almeida? Roger Michell: I've been wanting to do the play for at least 20 years , and always in the round: when I presented the idea to Michael Attenborough a year or so ago he jumped at it. AP: For Almeida Projects talk us through what happens in the play? RM: The play starts with two young men stuffing a dead body into a box. They then have dinner ... off the top of the box ... with the corpses father.
Roger Michell in rehearsal Photo: John Haynes
AP: What about Rope interests you particularly?
RM: It satisfies on all levels... as morality play, as anthropology, as thriller and as a superbly crafted piece of writing for the theatre. In my view a clear ancestor of Pinter. AP: Could you tell us a bit about Patrick Hamilton? RM: Brilliant novelist at his peak in 20's and 30's who wrote two famous plays, Rope and Gaslight, both of which went on to be filmed. Hamilton languished in comparative obscurity until recent years. In the last decade there have been two biographies, a revival of Gaslight at the Old Vic, a BBC TV series based on his novel cycle Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky, and now this. AP: Apparently Hamilton denies basing the book on the real life crime committed by Leopold and Loeb, what is your view on this? RM: Impossible! AP: How and why do you think the play works well in the Almeidas unique theatre space? RM: We sit in the same room as these men and women; we can practically smell the corpse rotting as the champagne corks pop. AP: What has been the most exciting moment of rehearsing so far? RM: The first run-through. AP: What do you want audiences to take away from this production? RM: All their hats and coats... plus a chill up their spine! AP: What about this play do you think is pertinent to young people? RM: It's about young people. Or at least people in their very early twenties. AP: Throughout the history of the play the homosexual undertones have been a talking point, what is your take on the subject and how have you addressed it in your production? RM: I have tried not to over emphasise elements in the play which are perfectly obvious to a modern audience.
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Assistant Director Lotte Wakeham talks us through the process of page-to-stage in his rehearsal diary.
WEEK ONE When strangling someone with a piece of rope, the victim will struggle violently and then lose consciousness after fifteen seconds. It will take another three to four minutes for them to die.
Cast member Alex Waldmann begins his presentation on strangulation to the rest of the company. By the end of the week, weve heard from the actors on all kinds of subjects relating to the characters and 1920s setting of Rope. My rehearsal notebook is full of questions, from the practical to the quasi-philosophical: How easy is it to carry a dead body? Can we find a cocktail waiter to teach Blake Ritson [playing Brandon] how to make 1920s cocktails? Did silent movie star John Gilbert always have a moustache?
Blake Ritson in rehearsal Photo: John Haynes
In the Rehearsal Room
The weeks kicks off with a meet and greet on the first day. Were in the rehearsal room at the Almeida. About sixty people have arrived to introduce themselves. Its incredible to see the number of people involved in making the production happen and running the theatre. These include the Rope creative team (director, designers, producers), members of the Almeida education department, stage crew, wardrobe staff and our eight actors. The cast gather round a table in the middle of the rehearsal room and read through the whole play. Its the first time that anyone (including the director) has heard the play read aloud by this group of actors. They give a fantastic reading; the show is going to be incredibly tense and thrilling to watch. After the read through, our designer Mark Thompson shows everyone the model of the set; its really exciting and will totally transform the Almeida space.
I wanted to see that everything was all right. Im sorry. My nerves going. Im all right. Ill be all right.
Granillo
Act Two
Were now focusing on table work. The only people in the rehearsal room are the actors, the director Roger Michell, the deputy stage manager Harry and myself. Sitting round a table, we read a few pages of the script at a time and then go back and discuss them. Roger assigns everyone research topics relating to the play: cinema in the 1920s, Mayfair (where the play is set), the life of Patrick Hamilton (the playwright). Over the next few days everyone gives their presentations, bringing in pictures relating to their topic. These get blue-tacked to the walls of the rehearsal room. By the end of the week theres an intriguing collection: photographs of 1920s film stars in
21
one corner, diagrams explaining rigor mortis in another The actors need to have a clear idea of what has happened to their characters in the off-stage world of the play. They improvise some scenes. We imagine the murder scene, which is really chilling. For this, the actors put on some items of costume: 1920s waistcoats, jackets and hats. They need to get used to a more formal way of dressing and speaking. Penny Dyer, the dialect coach, provides our first voice session. She teaches us about accents from the 1920s. We experiment with different vowel sounds. Soon everyone is murmuring sentences such as: If you knew that dubious tune, Id assume you were a new student, practising their best received pronunciation. Its the end of the week one. All three acts of the play have been read and discussed in detail. Were building up a picture of what life in London in the 1920s would have been like for these characters. What an eye opening few days! I cant wait to start getting the play up on its feet next week. WEEK TWO We need someone to play the dead body in this rehearsal. Harry? Our deputy stage manager Harry begins the week by playing a strangled corpse. Were at the very exciting stage of rehearsals where the actors are up on their feet for the first time. Theres a mark-up of the Almeida stage on the rehearsal room floor and some furniture, including chairs, a fireplace and a chest. Roger (the director) has asked everyone to arrive having leant their lines. Its unusual for actors to be off book so early in the rehearsal process, but its brilliant as it leaves their hands free to start experimenting with props: cocktail glasses, cigarettes, canes and soda siphons We start with the very first scene of the play. Blake Ritson (playing Brandon) and Alex Waldmann (playing Granillo) perform the first few pages, moving around the space and getting used to the layout of the room. We then stop and discuss that section. Roger gives some notes and the actors go through the scene again, trying out some new ideas. Its fascinating to watch the actors making discoveries about the text and their characters. Patrick Hamiltons stage directions are incredibly detailed. Hes very specific about the amount of light that should be in the room on stage. We rehearse one scene which takes place in almost pitch black, so we run through it a couple of times before switching off the lights. Its so tense! Theres also a speaker system in the rehearsal room; the rain and
Brandon God, you fool! Didnt
I tell you to check up in there!

Granillo What? Brandon Look at this! The
boys Coliseum ticket. It was on the floor, we could hang on that!

Act One
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Philip Arditti, Roger Michell and Bertie Carvel in rehearsal Photo: John Haynes
thunder sound effects are incredibly atmospheric. The play revolves around a sinister dinner party, so the cast will have to get used to eating and drinking on stage. When not indisposed as a murder victim, Harry keeps the actors supplied with glasses, ice, bottles and lots of water to drink. Each time we rehearse a scene, all of the props have to be reset to their original place; whisky bottles and glasses need to be refilled, furniture has to be rearranged. The stage management team are starting to compile a meticulous list of where every prop is at any given point. Three of the characters in the play have to smoke. Theres a lot of discussion about the type of cigarettes that will most suitable. In the rehearsal room were allowed to light matches but not cigarettes, so the actors have to imagine roughly how long it will take them to smoke each cigarette, and experiment with when to extinguish them. Its a crucial part of the action on stage, as the smoking will really help to create the 1920s ambience of the play.
Raglan Of course, he had a
moustache in that didnt he?

Rupert I expect that improved
his didnt it?

Leila But then John Gilbert
always had a moustache, didnt he?

Raglan Oh no. Rather not. Ive
seen him in thousands of ones without.

Act One
In between rehearsals there are some more vocal sessions with Penny Dyer. She suggests some warm-up exercises. She asks the actors to try writing their names in the air using the tips of their tongues, but without moving their jaws: In the 1920s it would have been considered vulgar to move your jaw a lot when speaking - make the tongue do the hard work. By the end of the week, weve worked through the whole of act one. Its thrilling to see the world of the play start to come alive. Even at this early stage there are already some incredibly chilling moments. Im really looking forward to starting on acts two and three!
23
WEEK THREE Can we audition some quieter wrapping paper? Were rehearsing a scene from Act 2. Henry (playing Kenneth Raglan) and Phoebe (playing Leila Arden) have to wrap up a pile of books, using brown paper and string. They make a valiant attempt but unfortunately drown out several key lines of dialogue, as the paper is so noisy! Roger (the director) schedules a special parcel-making rehearsal. Henry, Phoebe and I spend an hour trying to work out the optimum way of wrapping the books whilst creating the least amount of noise. Our stage management team come up with various paper alternatives; their prop-sourcing expertise means they find the quietest brown paper in London Were still working through the play, section by section. Props are continuing to play a major role, and new items are being introduced. At one point Alex Waldmann (playing Granillo) has to empty his pockets on stage. What should be in them? We settle for a cigarette case, handkerchief, wallet, keys and coins. Were also experimenting with furniture and the number of chairs needed. We have to be very aware of sight-lines for the audience. Its important that the stage isnt crowded with too much furniture. The chairs are gradually being eliminated Roger is very interested in making the action on stage seem as spontaneous as possible. We run through scenes several times and he reminds the actors not to anticipate what is going to happen next - they dont know whos about to come through the door, or how their question is going to be answered. This helps to keep the action really fresh. Its brilliant to watch! This week the actors start having their costume fittings. They meet with our designer Mark Thompson and the costume supervisor Stephanie Arditti to talk through ideas and try on some clothes. We still have some items of rehearsal costume in the room, to help them get used to moving in a more formal way. Its now the end of week three, and the play is in really good shape. The actors are trying out new things and really getting a strong sense of their characters. Its so exciting to run scenes and see them develop over the course of the week. Were getting closer to the version of the play which the audience will see on stage.
Bertie Carvel in rehearsal Photo: John Haynes
Granillo Shshshsh! I put it in my waistcoat pocket. Brandon (shouting) You put it
in your waistcoat pocket! You put it in your waistcoat pocket! Where is it now? Where is it now?
Rupert My dear Brandon. What
have you lost?

Act Two
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Alex Waldmann and Bertie Carvel in rehearsal Photo: John Haynes
WEEK FOUR Is anyone here a vegetarian? Our assistant stage manager Natasha is double-checking the food preferences/intolerances of the cast. In Rope, students Brandon and Granillo invite some guests round for a meal. Up until this point in rehearsals, the cast have been miming this. Now, its time to try the scene with actual eating. Michael Elwyn (playing Sir Johnstone) reveals the secret of how to make the perfect cucumber sandwich. We run the scene a couple of times. The actors have to tuck into their food, whilst avoiding having their mouths full when its their turn to speak. Its so exciting to watch the scene come together. Having the real food reminds me of how close we are to the start of production week!
Rupert Well as a matter of
fact Im in here on an errand.

Brandon An errand? Rupert Yes. I want some
rope.
Brandon/Granillo (together)
Rope!
Act Two
The rehearsal room has been set up with some stage lights and a real working table lamp which the actors can switch on themselves. Harry, our deputy stage manager, operates the stage lights to give a basic sense of how the lighting will be in the theatre. Following Patrick Hamiltons stage directions, we run through the opening scene in the dark, with Blake Ritson (playing Brandon) and Alex Waldmann (playing Granillo). It makes a huge difference, as they have to try to make out where the other person is, and then gauge how they are reacting by reading their whole body language, not just the face. Our Fight Director Terry King joins us this week. His job is to make sure that the actors are completely safe. Any fights or aggressive moments have to be choreographed and then rehearsed over and over again, like a dance. Its crucial that
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Michael Elwyn in rehearsal Photo: John Haynes
the cast feel completely in control. Terry is one of the most renowned fight directors in the country, and its brilliant to watch him work with the actors to create movements which look completely spontaneous. Were now at the stage of running quite long sections of the play. Blake Ritson, fresh from his cocktail-making training, is displaying his new skills. He is playing the perfect host, keeping his guests well supplied with drinks. There are also ice cubes to contend with, and a slightly temperamental soda siphon. Over the course of the rehearsal, water is liberally splashed over the drinks trolley and the surrounding area Alongside rehearsals, our 1920s research continues. Michael Elwyn gives a presentation on 1920s theatregoing, describing what else was popular in the West End when Rope was first staged: Noel Coward, Journeys End, Showboat. Its really helpful for us to view the play in this context. Henry Lloyd Hughes and Phoebe Waller-Bridge tell us about sex and courtship in the 1920s. Young people were experiencing a new freedom, post-World War One. The cinemas described by the characters in the play were well-known pick-up joints, and cars were viewed by some as being prostitution houses on wheels, as they afforded couples rare moments of privacy. Its great for the actors to be reminded of the historical world of the play, and what their characters would have been experiencing. Its now the end of week four, and were in a position to start doing whole run-throughs of the play next week. So much detail has gone into each moment of the play, and
Rupert Well I telephoned this
house at a quarter to eight and heard the most hysterical noises.

Sabot Hysterical noises, sair? Rupert Hysterical Sabot
noises. Somebody has evidently lost their nerve.

Act One
26
Emma Dewhurst in rehearsal Photo: John Haynes
everyone has been working incredibly hard. I cant wait to see all the scenes put together on Monday! WEEK FIVE Can you try dribbling this dip over yourself? Weve just completed a run through of the play. The stage crew are discussing which props still need to be improved. Our assistant stage manager Natasha has produced three bowls of cheese and chive dip. She has made them up to various viscosities, with different ratios of mayonnaise, cream and water. In Ropes meal scene, Bertie Carvel (playing Rupert Cadell) has to drop some food, ideally over himself. Under Natashas watchful eye, Bertie attempts to trickle each version of the dip off a stick of celery. He also experiments with dropping caviar off a spoon. In the end, we decide to go with the caviar. During the course of the week, the cast do four complete run throughs of the play. A few audience members sit in each time - the stage crew, some members of the Almeida staff. It makes a huge difference to have even a few people watching. Its really energising for the actors to be aware of people being gripped by the story and laughing at the jokes. I cant wait to see what its like next week with four hundred audience members! There is a notes session after each run through. Roger (the director) gives very detailed feedback to each actor. He suggests some minor changes, which are incorporated into the next run through.
Whatever the story was piratical, detective, murder, adventure or ghost it always contained a marvellous denouement with a bloody chest containing corpses. You had a perfect mania for it, dont you remember?
Rupert
Act Three
27
Phoebe Waller-Bridge in rehearsal Photo: John Haynes
Our vocal coach Penny Dyer also gives some notes. She tells the actors to keep focusing on their 1920s accents, reminding them of the purity of the u vowel in words like you and true. According to Patrick Hamiltons stage directions, the whole play takes place in one room on stage. However, Roger wants the cast to have a very clear idea of the off-stage world of the play as well. I check through the script and work out exactly which characters are off stage in the dining room or hallway at any given time. There are some points when we should be able to hear smatterings of dialogue from the other rooms. We rehearse these during the week and add these noises off in the run throughs. Its incredibly exciting to feel all the elements of the production coming together. New items of furniture arrive during the week: pieces well actually be using on stage. The stage crew are busily perfecting every item. Natasha picks up ten bottles of gin from Sainsburys. She and Charlie (on stage crew work placement) research and design new labels so that the bottles look like theyre from the 1920s.
My dear Granno, have we not already agreed that the entire beauty and piquancy of evening will reside in the party itself ?
Brandon
Act One
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A production meeting involves all the production team coming together to discuss anything about the production that is not clear, planning how to solve any problems and general organisation. Almeida Projects went along to get a flyon-the-wall account of what happens at these important meetings.
ATTENDEES Director, Roger Michell Designer, Mark Thompson Deputy Stage Manager, Harry Niland Production Manager, Igor Company Manager, Lorna Seymour Assistant Director, Lotte Wakeman Costume, Stephanie Arditti and Catrina Richardson Stage Manager, Laura Flowers Assistant Stage Manager, Natasha Jenkins Stage Management Placement, Charlie Storey
In a Production Meeting
Philip Arditti in rehearsal Photo: John Haynes
Everyone sat in a circle, each voicing any concern they had and as a group deciding on a plan of action to resolve that particular issue. Here is what was discussed in this particular meeting. GENERAL CONCERNS 1. The body The first subject up for discussion is the body. In the play the dead body of Ronald Kentley is concealed in the chest and in this version on the production the audience will see that body, meaning they need an actor to play the part. ACTION: An advert will be put in Spotlight (a casting directory) for the actor playing the body of Ronald Kentley. DESIGN/PRODUCTION 1. Confetti At one point in the production the director wants confetti, but not just any confetti. He wants the confetti to be coliseum tickets which is a reference to the play. And it is still not as simple as that, there are different kinds of jets and fans which distribute the confetti and depending on the type of paper used the paper falls differently. Although this decision may seem insignificant, what is created can give a completely different effect and subsequently a different feel to the production. The director decides on using flutterfetti so called because of how it falls, the questions then posed are: Can it be printed on? - What tone of blue do we want? Is it fire proof? Can we put flame proof paper through a printer or is it flame proofed after? ACTION: This information must be found out by the team. 2. Fireplace The designer has chosen a fireplace to be purchased for the set, some are concerned about whether it will fit or not, will it look as the designer intended? It is decided this is not a huge issue and the fireplace can always be altered if necessary. The director is interested in if you will be able to poke the fire and throw matches in it? The answer is it can be poked a little but not so much that it disturbs the
29
In a Production Meeting
gas burner behind and it is possible for matches to be thrown in which is very pleasing as it will make it seem all the more authentic. 3. Outside stair sound The director would like the sound of people coming up the stairs before they enter the room. This is possible but some of the stairs are wood and some are metal which would not sound right. ACTION: Clad the metal stairs with wood. STAGE MANAGEMENT/PROPS 1. Glass A glass needs to be dropped in the production but it must not break. Because of the stage set-up of in-theround the audience will be close to the action and their health and safety is imperative. An ordinary one made out of glass may break but a plastic one would bounce which would ruin the illusion of this naturalistic play. ACTION: Find a glass that is tough enough not to break and heavy enough not to bounce. 2. Separate Props meeting to be held after production meeting. LIGHTING No notes as it still very early on in the rehearsal period. SOUND 1. See Design/Production note 4. - Test sound of wood clad stairs without and with microphone to exaggerate noise if necessary. WARDROBE 1. Fittings The Wardrobe team need to organise a time when the costume fittings and hair sessions can be done. This involves negotiating with the director when he can let the actors out of rehearsal and corresponding this to when the Designer, Costume Supervisor, Fitters and Hairdressers are actually free. ACTIONS: Costume fittings to take place on Friday and early next week. Hair sessions/cuts planned for end of next week. ANY OTHER BUSINESS None. The next production meeting is planned: Next Thursday 9.30am.
When watching the play it may be interesting to look out for the issues raised in the meeting and see how they were solved?
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A Call Sheet is a document which shows which members of the cast are required for rehearsal each day, what time and where. The Deputy Stage Manager puts these together at the end of each day having negotiated with the Director what pages he wants to work on the following day. The calls are communicated through an answer phone message which the cast must ring up, a direct call, text or email which is most common at the Almeida. Some theatres have deadlines by which the call sheet must go out each night.
Clear Date and Venue are vital for a call sheet.
Call Sheet
The production meeting happens once a week before the actors arrive
Always ladies first on the call sheet and then alphabetical order.
The part of the play the company will be working on.
There are fights in the play and they must be practiced with a professional so it looks real and is safe
All cast members attend voice classes to attain the accurate dialect that their character has.
Costume and hair appointments are also on the call sheet.
The DSM puts together the call sheet after negotiations with the Director.
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The DSMs Book
The book is vital for a performance at the Almeida Theatre. It is written and looked after by the deputy stage manager (DSM) who attends every rehearsal to take notes. The book contains a script which the DSM annotates with every cue in the production, actors entrance and exits, sound, lighting, set etc. As well as cueing the lighting and sound, having the book also means that if the actors forget one of their moves in rehearsal then the DSM can check in the book and remind them.
This symbol corresponds with the one on the other page.
Leave a beat before running cue, line links to name of cue.
Cues are influenced by what happens in the script.
All instructions must be clear in case the DSM is ill.
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Or if from offstage one of the actors cannot see their cue to enter then the DSM can look in the book and see what the cue is and tell them when it happens, if an actor is ill then with help from the book a different actor can be taught their moves. It is very important that everything written in the book is very clear just in case the DSM themselves cannot attend a performance.
The DSMs Book
This box shows which actors need to be called to the stage.
These letters represent people and where they are onstage.
This column is to put cues in, sound and lighting.
The DSM cues everyone else so The Book must have all information.
These are the names of cues said to the rest of the team.
This table shows information about where in the play you are.
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Patrick Hamilton
Patrick Hamilton (1904-1962)

Anthony Walter Patrick Hamilton was born in Hassocks, West Sussex in the early 1900s. His parents were published authors, Ellen and Bernard Hamilton. Due to his fathers alcoholism and financial trouble he spent most of his childhood in boarding houses, his education was inconsistent and ended at 15. At 17 he began working as an actor and assistant stage manager but he soon changed his career path to novelist. His first of many novels was published at the age of 19. He went on to establish himself both in the UK and US. Some of his work was semi-autobiographical, including The Midnight Bell (1929), published the same year as Rope, featuring a prostitute he had fallen in love with. Despite his success, at this point he frequently found himself penniless and lived in a bachelor pad in Piccadilly Circus. Rope was his first theatrical success, remarkably similar to the infamous Richard Leopold and Nathan Loeb murder case in 1924. Hamilton refused any connections but many believe the circumstances in the play are too alike to deny the connection.
Patrick Hamilton
It has been said that I have founded rope on a murder which was committed in America some years agoI cannot recall the crime having ever properly reached my consciousness until after Rope was written.
It had huge success in the West End and on Broadway and in 1948 Alfred Hitchcock adapted the play to screen. Hamilton was less than satisfied with the result which was filmed in a series of eight/ten minute continuous takes which he felt killed the excitement. It was also banned in Chicago and other towns because of the homosexual aspect, although this was not prominent. During the success of Rope in 1932, Hamilton was run over by a car leaving him eternally disfigured and it is maybe because of this that he fell into alcoholism which shaped his work. He went on to write Hangover Square (1941) which is often considered his finest work and still sells today. His success continued in theatre, film and in radio up to and after his death in 1962. He was married twice and his wives both nursed him in his dying days. His work has gained attention recently due to the 2007 publication of Slaves of Solitude, originally published in 1947, by The New York Review of Books.
A riveting dissector of English Life.

Keith Waterhouse
on Patrick Hamilton
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Selected Works of Patrick Hamilton

NOVELS 1925 Monday Morning 1926 Craven House (revised edition 1943) 1928 Twopence Coloured (revised edition 1943) 1929 The Midnight Bell 1932 The Siege of Pleasure 1934 The Plains of Cement 1935 Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky (Trilogy: The Midnight Bell, The Siege of Pleasure, The Plains of Cement) (BBC Television Series, 2005) 1939 Impromptu in Moribundia 1941 Hangover Square (adapted to film) 1942 This is Impossible 1947 The Slaves of Solitude 1952 The West Pier 1953 Mr Stimpson and Mr Gorse (adapted to television film) 1955 Unknown Assailant WRITING FOR THEATRE 1929 Rope (adapted to film) 1930 The Procuration of Judea (Adaption of a work by Anatole France) 1930 John Browns Body 1938 Gaslight (adapted to Film) 1939 Money with Menaces to the Public Danger 1942 The Duke in Darkness 1946 The Governess 1954 The Man Upstairs WRITING FOR RADIO 1937 Money with Menaces 1939 To the Public Danger 1941 This is Impossible 1952 Caller Anonymous 1958 Miss Roach 1965 Hangover Square
Patrick Hamilton
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Rope: The Film
Rope is probably best known to most as a film thriller, directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
The good Americans usually die young on the battlefield, don't they? Well, the Davids of this world merely occupy space, which is why he was the perfect victim for the perfect murder. Brandon in Alfred Hitchcocks Rope
Alfred Hitchcock directed Rope in 1948. It was re-written for screen by Arthur Laurents and the final adaptation was completed by Hume Cronyn. It was transferred from 1920s Mayfair, London to 1940s New York. However this wasnt the only factor that made the film strikingly different from the play. Most of the character names were changed: In addition characters natures had been changed, for example Mrs Debenham/Atwater though in the play is very quiet, in the film was very talkative and Rupert Cadell was in his mid 40s rather than 29. Storylines were added and changed including a love-triangle between Leila/Janet, Kenneth and David/Ronald. However the film title did revert back to the original Rope which had changed to Ropes End in other theatre productions. The film was considered experimental in its time, the action was shot in long continuous takes of eight/ten minutes and edited to make it seem like it was one take for the whole film which hadnt been done before. This was done by zooming in on the actors backs on one take and then zooming back out again on the new one. Hitchcock wanted to give it to give the feeling of a stage play. This for the most part was very effective but there are some points where it obvious that it is not one long take. Because Hitchcock chose to film it that way it made life very difficult for the technical team. The set and furniture had to be moved to accommodate the camera which had to be rehearsed even more than the actors. CAST OF THE FILM Rupert Cadell James Stewart Phillip Morgan Farley Granger (Charles Granillo) Brandon Shaw John Dall (Wyndham Brandon) Mr. Kentley Cedric Hardwicke (Sir Johnstone Kentley) Mrs. Atwater Constance Collier (formerly Mrs Debenham) Kenneth Lawrence Douglas Dick (Kenneth Raglan) Mrs. Wilson Edith Evanson (Sabot) David Kentley Dick Hogan (Ronald Kentley) Janet Walker Joan Chandler (Leila Arden)
Laurents, the writer of the original screen adaptation, talks about the how the script had to be changed from English style to American and how difficult this transition was because of the different class systems in England and America and because the film is set some fifteen years later. The main reason it had to be changed was because of the homosexual undertones. He comments that even my dear boy would be considered to be homosexual in America and so had to be removed. Because of a watchdog of censors at the time called the Legion of Decency one was not allowed to even say the word homosexual in any film and some actors turned down the main roles in Rope because of the fear of association. Laurents remarked that because the nation denied homosexuality they did not pick up on it in the film.
One of the most interesting experiments ever attempted by a major director working with big box-office names.
Roger Ebert
on Alfred Hitchcocks Rope
36
The first production of Rope was performed by the Repertory Players at the Strand Theatre (now the Novello Theatre). It opened on 3rd March 1929, the same year that the play was published.
The cast list appeared as follows: Wyndham Brandon Sebastian Shaw Charles Granillo Anthony Ireland Sabot Frederick Burtwell Kenneth Raglan Hugh Dempster Leila Arden Betty Schuster Sir Johnstone Kentley Daniel Roe Mrs Debenham Ruth Taylor Rupert Cadell Robert Holmes
Previous Productions
Play enormous success your schoolmastering days are over writing weekly henceforward Patrick.
Telegram from Patrick Hamilton to his brother, Bruce
REVIEWS... Only seven men feasted on the dead mans chest (Yo-ho-ho!), but they accounted for more than a mere bottle of rum. Seldom on the stage or off, have I seen such a thirst as Granillo the poltroon Second Murderer, failed to quench before coma landed him as nearly under the table as its unaccommodating nature allowed. The play had some passages of well-written comedy, a sense of style, and a light, if hollow heart an arresting piece of work. Mr Hamilton can write easy, naturalistic dialogue; he has a pleasant sense of humour, and his charactersare well drawn. Mr Sebastian Shaw and Mr Anthony Ireland, as the murderers, gave competent performances
Rope then transferred to the Ambassadors Theatre with the London Repertory Company for its West End debut; it opened on 25th April 1929 and was re-titled Ropes End.
The cast were as follows: Wyndham Brandon Brian Aherne Charles Granillo Anthony Ireland (returning) Sabot Stafford Hilliard Kenneth Raglan Patrick Waddington Leila Arden Lillian Oldland Sir Johnstone Kentley Paul Gill Mrs Debenham Alex Frizell Rupert Cadell Ernest Milton REVIEWS... Amazing Thrill Daily Press
Some weeks ago, when Rope was first produced by the Repertory Players, I was revolted by the playWhen I saw the play again, produced last night for a run at the Ambassadors Theatre, I found that I was now so used to the idea of murder merely for murders sake that I was no longer revolted...there is no doubt about it Mr Hamilton can write a play. ...a piece that will assuredly grip you and hold you from start to finish. If you are particularly sensitive it may even make your flesh creep. The reception given to it on the night I saw it seemed to indicate a very long run.
The atmosphere of terror achieved by the play is remarkable The Sketch However, in the end it did have to close because the theatre had to be refurbished.
37
Previous Productions
PRESS... Ropes EndIt is now fixed that the runat the Ambassadors must end on Aug. 17 as the theatre is to be altered and redecoratedMeanwhile Rope is to be done in Paris and America. Rope, Patrick Hamiltons macabre piece, which had its 100th performance at the Ambassadors last Monday, is to be done in Paris as well as America.
Other Performances
Rope had two more runs in England in 1929 and also had its Broadway debut. The performances in England were by Powerful London Company at the Princes Theatre, Bradford which opened on September 2nd and The London Repertory Company at the Regent Theatre which opened on October 12th. The first Broadway Production opened at John Golden Theatre (now Theatre Masque) on 13th September 1929. It had a total of 100 performances. The first time Rope appeared on television was in 1939 with the BBC. It was adapted by Hamilton himself. At the time a lot of stage adaptations were being made but the discs were destroyed after a few showings because of an agreement made with West End Producers so as not to take business away from theatres. Consequently there are no copies left to be viewed. It was also on ITV in 1957; Dennis Price appeared in both versions, though in different roles
38
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was a German philosopher who challenged religion, contemporary culture, philosophy, science and traditional morality.
He grew up in a small town, went to boarding school and studied philosophy at the universities of Bonn and Leipzig. Before had even completed his doctorate, such was his level of intelligence that he was he was offered an academic position at the university of Basel.
In 1972 he published his first book, it was considered controversial. It is still thought to be so nowadays and it is often discarded due to its speculative nature, however a study shows that Nietzsche has influenced:
Nietzsche
anarchists, feminists, Nazis, religious cultists, Socialists, Marxists, vegetarians, avant-garde artists, devotees of physical culture, and archconservatives, and it certainly doesnt need to stop there.
Nietzsche: A Very Short Introduction
Friedrich Nietzsche
He was ill for most of his adult life but still managed to write eleven books, although they sold very poorly during his lifetime. For the last eleven years of his life he was cared for by his sister after a breakdown caused him to loose his sanity. She used her influence to publish carefully chosen selections of his work as anti-Semitic which was contrary to his intentions. Unbeknownst to him, at the time of his death he was a celebrity, wrongly associated with the Nazi party and was so until after the Second World War. Ironically Nietzsche wrote in his final book in 1888: Do not, above all, confound me with what I am not! This association with the Nazi party hindered how his work was received for a time.
The problem I thus pose iswhat type of man shall be bred, shall be willed for being higher in valueThis higher type has appeared often but as a fortunate accident, as an exception, never as something willedSuccess in individual cases is constantly encountered in the most widely different places and cultures: here we really do find a higher type that us, in relation to mankind as a whole, a kind of superman. Such fortunate accidents of great success have always been possible and will perhaps always be possible.
Friedrich Nietzsche, The Antichrist, Sections 3,4 In relation to Rope and the case of Leopold and Loeb, it is his challenge of traditional morality that is most
39
Nietzsche
interesting and probably the main theme of his work. As the quote above demonstrates Nietzsche believes that there was individuals in the world that were of higher standing that others; the superman or over-man. This man is not subject to the same morality as other lower types. Nietzsche considered himself an immoralist, he completely re-evaluated the idea of universal morality stating that it was something put in place by weak people to protect themselves from the strong. He considered the triumph of equality and democracy unnatural and a great tragedy for humanity, his thinking was namely master-slave morality. Master-slave morality is the idea that there are two different types of morality, master morality and slave morality. Master morality is the one Nietzsche supports. It values the self-assertive drive in all individuals; it does not value compassion, pity, selflessness and the ideal of equality. He believed that universal morality is simply a denial of what master morality values and life itself. Masters create their own morality, truth and reality, they are the origin of value, and the values of others have no significance to them. As well as this how they treat people below themselves is not a matter of morality as they dont have pity.
What is ape to man? A laughing stock or painful embarrassment. And man shall be that to over-man: a laughing stock or painful embarrassment.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Slave morality is the standard morality which has taken over the western world and had now grown innate. It includes the abused, the oppressed, and the timid. Nietzsche believes it favours limited existence and a mediocre group over a superior individual. According to this form of morality, good focuses on easing suffering and evil focuses on inspiring fear, interestingly for master morality inspiring fear is good. Nietzsche saw slave morality as a way for the weak to use ideologies to constrain masters from power, from reaching their potential and a method of making a virtue of their weakness and cowardice. It gives the inferior a licence to persecute those who are superior; it is putting the best specimen of human at risk when really he is beyond good and evil.
From this theory one can work how Leopold and Loeb, Brandon and Granillo under master morality could commit the murders they did...
40
Leopold and Loeb The real life version of Rope.

Nathan Leopold Jr and Richard Loeb were two welloff University of Chicago students who, in 1924, attempted to commit the perfect murder. On Wednesday 21st May they put 14 year old Bobby Franks to death without motive. They lured him into a rented car, one of them hit him on the head with a chisel, they stuffed a rag in his mouth and he later died. The well-educated boys were born into influential families and lived in a wealthy Jewish neighbourhood on the Southside of Chicago named Kentwood. They were both remarkably bright. At 19 Leopold had already graduated from college and 18 year old Loeb was the youngest graduate in the history of University of Michigan. Over the time they knew each other a sexual relationship developed and so did their thirst for lawbreaking, they started with petty theft and the crimes escalated over months culminating with the murder.
Leopold & Loeb
Blake Ritson and Alex Waldmann Photo: John Haynes
"A superman ... is, on account of certain superior qualities inherent in him, exempted from the ordinary laws which govern men. He is not liable for anything he may do.
I wonder now, Nathan, whether you think there is a God or not. I wonder whether you think it is pure accident that the disciples of Nietzsches philosophy dropped his glasses or whether it was an act of Divine Providence to visit upon your miserable carcasses at the wrath of God.
Robert Crowe for the Prosecution
The Hearing of Leopold & Loeb vs. the State
This is an extract from a letter Leopold wrote to Loeb before the murder took place. The pair considered themselves to be Nietzchean superman; morality is for the masses but exceptional people have their own inner law. Because of their extraordinary intelligence this led them to the conclusion that it was permissible for them to commit this meaningless murder. However, as in Rope, there was a tiny bit of evidence which gave the game away. After the murder the friends dumped the body in a nearby ditch, covering it in hydrochloric acid first so it would be hard to identify, and later sent a ransom note to the parents of Bobby Franks although money was far from their primary motive. Shortly the body was discovered and with it a pair of horn-rimmed glasses with an unusual hinge. So unusual that although the prescription was the same as thousands, only 3 pairs of these glasses had been sold in the whole of Chicago. Unlucky for him, one of these pairs was sold to Leopold which led to the pairs arrest and eventual confession.
41
Leopold & Loeb

42
Clarence Darrow, who was hugely opposed to capital punishment, was hired by Loeb and Leopolds families for their defence. The media interest surrounding the case was phenomenal, and because of this Darrow insisted there would be no jury involved in the case because if so then the boys would inevitably face the death penalty. Every seat in the courtroom was full, over 300 people watched as the boys pleaded guilty to the kidnap and murder of Bobby Franks. Darrow then attempted to convince the judge that this involved mitigating circumstances because of the sanity of the defendants. Yet this was not a usual insanity plea, a customary insanity plea is a plea of innocence and Leopold and Loeb pleaded guilty. They both saw psychologists who reported back to the court.
"this terrible crime was inherent in his organism, and it came from some ancestor Is any blame attached because somebody took Nietzsche's philosophy seriously and fashioned his life upon it? it is hardly fair to hang a 19-year-old boy for the philosophy that was taught him at the university."
This is part of a lengthy speech Darrow gave on the final day of the trial, the day that he saved Leopold and Loeb from hanging. They both received life imprisonment for the murder plus 99 years for the kidnapping. Loeb was murdered in prison in 1936 at the age of 30; Leopold was released on parole after 33 years in prison and died in 1971 of a heart attack aged 77. Rope is not the only play or film influenced by this true-life story; Leopold himself wrote an autobiography, Life Plus Ninety-Nine Years in 1958, in 1956 Meyer Levin wrote a fictionalised novel version named Compulsions which was later made into a film. John Logan wrote a theatrical version in 1988 named Never the Sinner. Other works influenced by this fascinating story include: Swoon Tom Kalins 1992 film, Funny Games Michael Hanekes 1997 film (remade in 2008), Murder by Numbers Barbet Schroeders 2002 film, and Stephen Dolginoffs 2005 off-Broadway musical Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story and various TV episodes.
Theatre in-the-round is a type of theatre layout also known as arena/central/island/ring theatre. Theatre-in-the-round involves the audience surrounding the stage from all sides so the actor has as many audience members in front of him as he does behind him.
Unlike other forms of theatre there is no recognised ideal inthe-round set up, the stage can be virtually any size and any shape. This includes round, oval, square, triangular and many other irregular shape. In the case of the Almeidas production of Rope, it is an octagon. With a purpose built circular theatre there are assumptions about building and acoustic difficulties but this is not always the case.
Theatre in-the-round
The Set: theatre in-the-round Design: Mark Thompson
Theatre in-the-round frequently makes a space more diverse. The stage can either be at ground level or at a raised level and the size of the stage and audience are interchangeable which means that a theatre can be transformed easily. However in general in-the-round has less scenery and can pose problems for the actors as they will always have their back to the audience. These issues can be seen in both a positive or negative light.
The history of in-the-round is very difficult to place. It is thought that the arena was used with primitive drama and through to the Middle Ages; there are structures that were previously used for herding cattle that went on to have a new use as an arena. As well as this it is thought that theatre was shown in the middle of a circle of pageant cars at the market place. However witness accounts cannot be completely trusted because they are sporadic from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century and often dont correspond with each other, stating different places and times. It is thought to have been very popular in Ancient Greece and Rome. In the UK theatre in-the-round only started being used regularly in the late 1960s, before then it was only really used in amateur productions. Initially it was used in studio spaces and smaller venues, before the first large UK theatre-in-the-round theatre was built in Manchester in 1976; The Royal Exchange Theatre. However the first ever theatre-in-the-round was built in Seattle as part of The University of Washington in 1932, and the first professional theatre in-the-round was a conversion of an old building in Dallas. The stage was an interesting shape; a trapezium, demonstrating as said before that this type of staging often lends itself to having an irregular shaped stage. The Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond is Londons only permanent in-the-round theatre and a good example of the intimacy that this design brings to the audience experience.
What is really special about theatre-in-the-round is that it creates an intimate space whereby the audience feel involved in the scenes on stage. Because of this it is mostly used for smaller productions where the purpose is to create that intense atmosphere, but it also has been used for Operas and large scale performances in the past ...that sort of murder would not where the auditorium would be much larger. Another factor is that be a motiveless murder at all. It the audience are sat opposite and sometimes in plain view of each would have a clear motive. other which adds another interesting dynamic. At the Almeida Theatre this is the first time that a play will be performed in this format although it will not be the first time that audiences will be sat on that side of the building. In the past the stage and the auditorium were actually the other way around but this was reversed giving the stage its curved back which it is so famous for.
Vanity... And because of that, the criminal would be quite unable to keep from talking about it, or showing it off.
Rupert
Act Two
43
Practical Exercises
44
The play deals with a number of issues that are particularly interesting to explore in the classroom. Below are just a few exercises, adapted and elaborated from our Rope Introductory Workshop, for use in lesson time, to investigate the themes of the play in further depth.
Exercise 1. Sliding Scale

Duration: 5 minutes each at the beginning and end of a workshop/lesson. Aim: To show the participants how much they learn during a session by measuring how much they know at the beginning and end. Practical Work: Ask the students to find their place on a scale to show how much they know, with one end of the room representing that they know a lot and the other end that the know nothing. Then pose questions to the group and they should move around depending on how much they know: How much do you know about the story of Rope? How much do you know about different genres? How much do you know about dramatic irony? Evaluate: After running this exercise the second time, discuss how these exercises helped the participants to learn about the play?
Exercise 2. Truth and Lies

Duration: 10 minutes. Aim: To show students that, like the characters in the play, some people are good liars and some people are not. Practical Work: Sat in a circle, go round and everyone say three statements about themselves, two should be true and one should be a lie. The group doesnt need to guess which statements are true and false but certainly should look out for lies and what gives it away. Evaluate: Ask group what factors made them think that someone was lying and why? Does anyone know how this links to the play?
Exercise 3. Genre of Rope

Duration: 10 minutes. Aim: To encourage participants to think about different genres and the genre of Rope. Practical Work: Start with a discussion of the genre of Rope; some see it as naturalistic horror, thriller or melodrama. What are the key elements of each of these genres? Place five chairs in the centre of the room in a line and ask for volunteer to fill them, when the person in the middle chair says Go the volunteers must all swap. However each time they swap the volunteers will have a situation to think about: 1. No one wants to sit in the centre chair 2. Your chair is on fire and the other chairs will put out the flame. 3. If you leave your chair, a child will die 4. You are in love with your chair. Evaluate: Ask group what factors made them think that someone was lying and why? Does anyone know how this links to the play? Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton
Exercise 4. Dramatic Irony

Duration: 20 mins (plus share back time). Aim: To learn what Dramatic Irony is, what effect it has, and how to use it. Practical Work: Discuss and explain what Dramatic Irony is and how it relates to Rope, how the audience know something that the characters do not. Split the participants into small groups and ask them to create a scene using Dramatic Irony. Give examples of other plays that use this technique, e.g. Romeo and Juliet, to give ideas for a scene where the audience knows something that the characters do not. Show these back to the rest of the group. Evaluate: How did this make the actors and the audience feel, was it funny? Or did it make your feel scared or nervous?
Practical Exercises
Exercise 5. Script Work

Duration: 30 mins (plus share back time). Aim: To think about why the characters in Rope did what they did, and to think about morals and how different peoples morals differ from each other. You will need: Multiple copies of the script extract from Rope (see pages XX XX) Practical Work: Discuss what the group knows about Rope so far. As a group read extract provided, what has happened in the scene? Can you deduct why they do it? Do they have any morals? In groups create a short scene involving someone using adventure as an excuse for why they have done something wrong, in the scenes created is this a valid excuse or not? Evaluate: In the context of the scene did the audience think it was a valid excuse? Do different members of the audience disagree, are their morals different?
Exercise 6. Stage Directions

Duration: 20 minutes (plus share back time). Aim: To think about conveying a sense of place, sense of character and sense of tension using no words. Practical Work: In Rope, there are a lot of specific stage directions. As a group, read the extract provided out and discuss. Using these stage directions as a stimulus, in groups create a piece with no words, thinking about the atmosphere and tension the stage directions produce and trying to recreate that. Other rules can be added to the scene if appropriate for example a moment of stillness or a time limit on the scene. Evaluate: How was this scene different than if the participants had been allowed to use words? What techniques were used to reflect what was said in the script?
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Script Extract
46
Rope Script Extract

Brandon and Granillo are bending over the chest, intent, working at something exactly what, we cannot discern. The silence is complete. Suddenly the lid of the chest falls with a bang. Brandon goes over to the window and closes the heavy curtains; the room is now in complete black-out. They continue whatever they are doing.
Brandon(murmuring) All right, all right.
Pause. Brandon moves DR and switches on the lamp at the little table.
Granillo (by the chest) Put out that light! Put out that light!
Brandon switches the light out.

Brandon Steady, Granno. (He sits in the DR armchair and lights a cigarette with the match)
The cigarette glows in the darkness. Pause.

Feeling yourself, Granno? No answer. Feeling yourself again, Granno? No answer. Granno. Granillo Brandon Give me some matches. Matches? Here you are. Coming. (He throws the matches over)
The matches can be heard rattling in the air and falling on the floor. Granillo picks them up and lights his own cigarette. The two pinpoints of light are all that come from the darkness. Pause. Its about time you pulled yourself together, isnt it, Granno? Sabot will be here in a quarter of an hour. Pause. Granillo You fully understand, Brandon, what weve done? Brandon Granillo Brandon Granillo Yes. Brandon And immaculate murder. I have killed. I have killed for the sake of danger and for the sake of killing. And I am alive. Truly and wonderfully alive. That is what I have done, Granno. Do I know what Ive done? Yes. I know quite well what Ive done. (His voice becomes rich, easy, powerful, elated and yet withal slightly defiant) I have done murder. Yes. (continuing in the same voice) I have committed murder, I have committed passionless motiveless faultless and clueless murder. Bloodless and noiseless murder.
Long pause. Whats the matter? Are you getting superstitious? Granillo Brandon Granillo No. Im not superstitious. (suavely) Then may I put on the light? No. You maynt
The following sources provide further information about issues and themes covered in the Resource Pack.
Hamilton, Patrick Rope (1944). Constable & Co.
The script of Rope as performed at the Almeida Theatre.
Further Reading
Hitchcock, Alfred Rope: DVD (2007). Universal Pictures UK

The first film made of Patrick Hamiltons Rope. Released in 1948, the script was re-written for an American audience. At the time it was seen as revolutionary as it was intended to look as if it had been filmed in one long take.
Higdon, Hal Leopold and Loeb: The Crime of the Century (1999). University of Illinois Press
Higdons intelligent account of this real life crime really makes a distinction between the facts of the case and the frenzied fiction created by the media. With never before seen testimony from the trial where Leopold and Loeb were defended by the most famous attorney of the time, Clarence Darrow, this book answers questions about this case that have gone unanswered till now.
Jones, Nigel Through a Glass Darkly: The Life of Patrick Hamilton (2008). Black Spring
One of the most stimulating biographies for years The Literary Review. Nigel Jones incorporates Hamiltons own letters and notes in this biography about a marvellous novelist who, despite his success, became increasingly resentful of the world he lived in.
Leopold, Nathan Life Plus Ninety-Nine Years? (1974). Greenwood Press

Leopold shares his side of the story, life after he and Loeb committed the perfect crime.
Mencken, H. L. The Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche (2003). See Sharp Press

Mencken was only in his 20s when he wrote this introduction to Nietzsche, and despite being written nearly a century ago it is still deemed one of the most understandable and succinct books about Nietzsche. One of the subjects it tackles includes Nietzsches much misunderstood concept of the superman.
USEFUL WEBSITES The Friedrich Nietzsche Society www.fns.org.uk Leopold & Loeb: History, Crime, Trial, Prison www.leopoldandloeb.com
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Almeida Projects
Rope
Almeida Projects Resource Pack
Compiled by Sarah Ball. Designed by Charlie Payne. Rope by Patrick Hamilton was produced at the Almeida Theatre 10 December 2009 - 6 February 2010. The information in this Resource Pack is correct at the time of going to Press. All rights reserved. Almeida Theatre, Published December 2009. The Almeida Theatre is a Registered Charity No. 282167. The Almeida Theatre Company Limited, Almeida Street, London N1 1TA Use of this Almeida Projects Resource Pack is authorised in connection with the Almeida Projects work at the Almeida Theatre. Any further use in any form must be approved by the creators. The copyright of all original material remains with the creators. Quotes and script extracts from Rope by Patrick Hamilton. Script extracts may be photocopied for use in connection with Almeida Projects work only. Almeida Projects photography: Bridget Jones and Ludovic des Cognets.
Almeida Projects is the Almeida Theatres community and learning programme.

Inspired by the Almeidas productions, Projects delivers a range of high quality, innovative activities to make the theatre accessible to young people, inspire them creatively and encourage an exploration of the power and potential of theatre. Almeida Projects provides an active, creative link between our theatre and its audience, more specifically an audience that may not have considered that the theatre might not be for them. Our aim is to act as a catalyst to their energies, to their hunger to participate - celebrating the creativity of young people in the best way we know how: by offering them our experience, our expertise and our unique theatre.
Michael Attenborough Artistic Director, Almeida Theatre
Almeida Projects work draws on all aspects of theatre, working with thousands of people each year, and includes: drama projects in partnership with local schools and community groups; the Young Friend of the Almeida scheme; and a subsidised ticket scheme for schools with introductory workshops and resource materials. For more information please visit our website.
www.almeida.co.uk/education
Almeida Projects is supported by:
National Lottery through Arts Council of England Sue Baring & Andre Newburg Raymond Cazalet Charitable Trust James & Erica Dickson The Foundation for Sport and the Arts Grocers Company Charitable Trust The Peter Harrison Foundation J.P. Morgan Mr & Mrs David Lakhdhir The Noel Coward Foundation Pinsent Masons Jan & Michael Topham Andrew Wilkinson, Goldman Sachs Lady Alexander of Weedon

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ROPE

Patrick Hamiltons Rope.

Alex Waldmann and Blake Ritson Photo: John Haynes

Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton

2. Production & Creatives

Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton

Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton

Introduction to the Play

Rope Cast Photo: John Haynes

Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton

Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton

SIR JOHNSTONE KENTLEY

Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton

Alex Waldmann and Blake Ritson Photo: John Haynes

Granillo You fully

understand, Brandon, what weve done.

Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton

Henry Lloyd-Hughes Photo: John Haynes

Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton

Bertie Carvel Photo: John Haynes

Sir Johnstone But surely your

stupid and conceited murderer... which of course he might be.

Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton

Blake Ritson and Bertie Carvel Photo: John Haynes

Rupert You were a morbid

Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton

Henry Lloyd-Hughes and Phoebe Waller-Bridge Photo: John Haynes

Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton

Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton

Blake Ritson and Alex Waldmann Photo: John Haynes

Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton

The Almeida Theatre empty stage Photo: Bridget Jones

The Designer for Rope is Mark Thompson.

Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton

Interview with Designer

Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton

THE PLAY IS CAST

Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton

Raglan Of course, Im feeling

absolutely ghastly coming dressed like this.

Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton

Interview with Director

AP: What about Rope interests you particularly?

Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton

In the Rehearsal Room

Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton

In the Rehearsal Room

Blake Ritson in rehearsal Photo: John Haynes

Brandon God, you fool! Didnt

I tell you to check up in there!

boys Coliseum ticket. It was on the floor, we could hang on that!

Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton

In the Rehearsal Room

Raglan Of course, he had a

moustache in that didnt he?

his didnt it?

always had a moustache, didnt he?

seen him in thousands of ones without.

Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton

In the Rehearsal Room

Bertie Carvel in rehearsal Photo: John Haynes

Granillo Shshshsh! I put it in my waistcoat pocket. Brandon (shouting) You put it

have you lost?

Resource Pack: Rope by Patrick Hamilton