Ladies in Red

Ladies in Red

There are more than a hundred of us in the David Copperfield cast, so we are divided into smaller groups called ensembles. Each ensemble becomes more involved at different points in the story. Mine, called Red, is quite special because it consists entirely of women.

During our first Red ensemble rehearsal, Sally, our director, told us she wanted one female-only group and then added, “You know… I wanted mature women who’ve been through something in life.”

“Great,” I thought at first, “people see me as a mature woman who’s been through stuff. I knew I should have worn more makeup…” But I understand what she meant.

This criterion makes us a group of strong women. Not the “get out of my way, I don’t compromise anymore” kind of strong, but more like: “Come closer, I can share my strength with you.”

That’s why we step into the latter part of the story, when David is an adult who needs to mature, find his own way in life, and deal with loss, grief, and dramatic events. We observe and support him with calmness. We come closer when he needs us. We leave him when he wants to be alone. Because, you know… we’ve seen stuff. This kind of strength does speak to me.

If anyone thinks this makes us serious and distant, that couldn’t be further from the truth. There’s a lot of laughter in our rehearsals. It often reminds me of my school days: we have some “good students” always taking notes, and others who giggle from the back row (guilty).

It’s been quite an adventure so far, and I really enjoy being part of this unusual gang. I’m grateful to the production team for letting me add my voice (with a non-English accent) and my experience (I’ve been through stuff!) to this amazing story.

Aneta Stokes