 
 
Today is an interesting and exciting day
because it's the first time we see the
three strands come together. We've got
the RSC actors we've got the Imaginarium
studios and stage and crew here, we've got the Intel technology all converging into one
place for the first time. We're in good
shape i would say, the project's been
going really really well for the past 18
months, and there are still a lot of challenges.
 
I've been here once before, and it's basically a chance for me to get in the suit and play around with the avatar
and see what sort of things we can come up with,
before rehearsals start properly in four months time.
The priority really for these two days 
is exploration rather than exposition.
 
It's really about trying to engage with
something that's absolutely at the heart
of this process, which is the actors
integrating with that the technical
wizardry if you like. These are sort of
standard suits that you see, where they
stick on the velcro bubbles,
but I'm going to be wearing this, which I
think I said looks a bit like a wetsuit.
I'm a little bit nervous about meeting
Simon Russell Beale
because I've never met him before,
but obviously I've seen him on stage a lot, and he's a very good actor,
so
I hope that we get on.
 
It's all rather beautiful but I have no
idea how we get to manipulate it
and use it
so it's all very exciting.
This is the first day when we
bring technology and the actors,
sound department and all the amazing Wizards from Imaginarium and Intel together.
We need to work out what is the logic by
which this is going to set up the
convention for the audience and which
they will understand the production.
Being able to use this new technology to
find a different means of expression is
just great.
He's my closest mate on stage, so we have to work out what I feel about that.
 
25 years ago or so I played Ariel, in
a very beautiful production actually at
the RSC, and this is my first return back
after that. To the same play which is very
strange, but I do remember as Mark says the lines, I remember quite clearly saying
those lines myself.
We're still trying to work out the
dynamic, the relationship between Prospero
and Ariel and the avatar of Ariel, and how
that
'menage a trois' works.
That's a bit confusing
at the moment, but I think it's getting
clearer and clearer the more we do it.
I'm a bit tired now
it's been a long day, energetic day, I feel
like we're really getting somewhere
I think we've cracked the way that
I can visually have a relationship with
Prospero the same time as the Avatar can.
I feel like we've got a fair amount
achieved which is great,
and if we can create some sort of
extraordinary spectacle,  then all the better.
