Katherine Hare On Rehearsing a Loud Show about Ian Dury on a Quiet Beach In Shetland

Hi, my name is Katherine Hare and I am associate director on Hit Me: The Life and Rhymes of Ian Dury. I am thrilled to be heading to Edinburgh with the show before we take it on a UK tour. It has been a fantastic process which began in a very unusual way with a weeks rehearsal in Shetland. Jeff Merrifield, the rather brilliant writer of the piece has a home on The Shetland Islands and myself and Mark White who is playing Ian Dury travelled up to spend a week in preparation for the London rehearsals.

While there we were fortunate enough to have glorious weather and we frequently rehearsed outside and once even on the beach! It allowed us what is so rare in a rehearsal process….real time to spend examining the source material while getting to know and trust each other in a relaxed environment.

Jeff has had a large shed built at the bottom of his garden which houses his huge library of books as well as a cinema screen and surround sound. We spent many an evening watching old recordings of Ian Dury and several documentaries about his life and work. The time we had in Shetland was invaluable, particularly for Mark who turns in a truly astounding performance as Ian.

Since returning to London the show has gone from strength to strength and we’re now looking forward to opening in Edinburgh on Wednesday. I hope you get a chance to come along and see this production which started fairly quietly on a beach in Shetland and is getting louder as it travels to The Gilded Balloon!

Katherine Hare Theatre Director