The Rehearsal

---

1

- Block of wood.

- Yep.

(paper shuffling)

- Oh, he... It's a lovely face.

- Yeah, my note was, um,

vulnerable.

You know, a bit...

bit too vulnerable.

- So definitely a maybe,

I think.

- No. Too many maybes.

We'll be here all night.

- She's got the eyes.

- Mm, beautiful.

- Non-speaking role

on Power Rangers,

where she gets to wear

a leather bikini.

(laughter)

Vodafone ads.

- So that's a yes?

- Mm.

- She's interesting.

(laughter)

I just feel that her voice

is just still trapped

in the prison of her throat.

- No. Oh, I like him.

- Which one's he?

- Stanley from Whakatane.

- Country boy.

- Pretty boy.

I wrote down "virginal."

- No, I.

There was something, you know.

- Hmm.

- Repressed outrage.

Mm, I could work with that.

- Oh, God, no. No.

- Enough. Two fingers,

two votes.

One, two, three!

- Um.

(exclamation)

(electronic music)

(electronic hip-hop)

- You any good?

- I'm okay. Average.

What about you?

What are you good at?

- Um. Ha.

Um, I just auditioned

for drama school.

- Yeah?

- The Institute?

Yeah, I think I screwed up.

I did a monologue,

Stand Up for Bastards.

- King Lear?

At first I thought it meant,

like,

standing up

for really mean people.

It's funnier that way.

- Yeah.

- This is my stop.

Good luck.

- Oh, thanks.

Hey, good luck

with being average at tennis.

(chuckling)

- Thanks.

(man whispering):

You're making me so horny.

Yes, yes.

You're making me...

(woman moaning)

(panting)

(distant exclamation)

(laughter)

(saw buzzing)

(Livia speaking Maori)

(Livia and Michael

speaking Maori)

(Michael speaking Maori)

(all responding)

(Michael speaking Maori)

(all responding)

- Welcome to this,

your first year

at The Institute.

Our sincere congratulations.

We saw promise in each

and every one of you.

Many of you will have spent your

lives being admired and praised.

We're sorry

that happened to you.

(laughter)

We want to treat you

better than that.

And now it's my great

pleasure to introduce to you

my fellow teachers;

people who inspire...

(door closing)

Tena koe, Hannah.

Hannah Bauer, our...

Head and Head of Acting.

- Two heads.

And eyes in the back of both.

Hello.

You've probably heard things.

That this first term

is a physical

and emotional undoing,

that you will be forced

to unlearn everything

you have ever learned,

that you will break

or be broken.

This can happen.

I'm not joking.

So what happens here?

What violence is inflicted?

And what can you do

to minimize the damage?

- Don't f*** each other.

(laughter)

- Head of Movement,

Michael Perry.

(quavering opera)

(cheering)

- I want you.

- I can't hear you.

- I want you.

- Well, I feel the same.

Are we meant to, like, move?

- Yes.

Put your scripts down

and please move.

- I want you.

- I can't hear you.

- I want you.

- Is this working?

(all):
No.

- No. It feels kind of fake.

- How does that feel, Stanley?

- Pretty horrible.

- Okay, good.

Stay with that.

Acting is not copying real life.

The Greeks knew that.

You have the moment here,

the opportunity to be present,

to create a presence

in the space between you.

Start with that. Start again.

- Ahem.

I want you.

- Just pussying around.

Do you want this?

- Yes.

(chuckling)

- That was a long time

before you could answer.

Is there anything you've ever

wanted in your life?

Do you know what want is?

- Yes.

- Okay.

Show me.

- I want you.

- Good.

Why are you looking at me?

It's not about me,

it's between you and her.

Every time you look at me,

you destroy the presence

between the two of you.

You betray her again.

- I want you.

- Where does this desire,

this need, this want come from?

- I'm not sure.

- What is want?

Have you ever wanted anyone?

- No.

(Hannah sighing)

- Imagine

she's a bar of chocolate.

(laughter)

Again.

Show me.

- So... she's chocolate?

(laughter)

Mm.

- Do you like chocolate?

- Yeah, I love chocolate.

- Show me. Let me hear it.

- I want you.

- That's better.

- I can't hear you.

- I want you.

- Well--

- Frankie has a body.

You can touch her.

- I--

- Oh, this is ridiculous.

You're a creep.

A creepy creep creep.

Sit down. Who's next?

- I will.

- Okay, Max.

Just don't bore me

- I want you.

(distant barking)

- What the hell

are you doing here, bro?

- Oh, hey.

I'm here about the--

- I know. I'm William.

Cool.

I was just thinking

about putting a sleeping chamber

in that tree.

Yeah?

What do you think?

- Yeah, cool.

- Yeah.

Are you psyched for the year?

- Definitely.

- Yeah.

- Are you?

- Oh, I'm not not psyched,

I guess.

Ah, that's the room down there.

- Yeah, cool.

- Yeah.

- How much?

- A hundred and twenty.

Yeah.

My dad's a property developer,

so, I mean, there are some perks

along with all that shame.

- Ahoy-hoy!

- Hey, s'up.

- Yo.

- Um, Theo, this is Stanley.

- Now, I tend to make

a lot of noise.

What... what's your bedtime?

(William chuckling)

Dunno? It's all good.

We'll work it out, eh?

Yeah.

- Yeah. Sweet. No worries.

- Cool.

- Thou, nature, art my goddess.

- Good. That's really good.

I feel like you're just working

a little bit too hard,

do you know what I mean?

So do you want to turn round

and speak it to me?

Okay, just turn to here. Great.

Okay. So I go:
"F*** you!"

- F*** you.

- No, just give me the line.

I go... I go:
"F*** you, buddy."

Give me the line.

- Thou, nature, art my goddess.

- But you can be mean to me.

I'm much older than you.

I'm a woman. Slap my hand.

Give me a clap here.

Like, really give me some power.

Okay, look at this hand.

Hold up your hand.

It's actually bigger than yours.

Okay, so I'm going to...

You hit me like that.

Cool, and now hit me...

hit me again, like, harder.

That's not hard!

Come on, what are you, a p*ssy?

Give... give me a hit.

And now give me the line.

- Thou, nature, art my goddess.

- Cool. And a little bit louder,

'cause I'm going

to come back here.

- Thou, nature, art my goddess.

(Hannah speaking Maori)

(Stanley speaking Maori)

(weatherman):

Gisborne does get a few.

Napier mostly fine.

Remember, later on

we'll bring in more cloud

with that trough,

and that could bring

a few of those showers

into evening areas.

But I think much

of the Central Plateau

is looking pretty good after

your frosty start as well.

Get up to about nine

to an even 13.

- A top tennis coach accused of

an inappropriate relationship

with a young player

was today suspended

from the Greenfields

Racquet Club in Auckland.

Police are investigating

whether the alleged offending

began when the player

was underage.

George Saladin, who's coached

several world-ranked players

declined to comment

on the allegation.

A lawyer for the alleged

victim's family said

it was a difficult situation.

(barking)

- Sit.

Sit.

(dog growling)

No.

(Stanley):
And I had this moment

of incredible fear.

Fear.

And I just wondered

if... overnight...

...what a thing it would be

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