this program presents rehearsal scenes from august strinberg's miss julie. now, your host, mr. jose ferrer. audiences who see a finished performance are seldom aware of to what extent theater is a collaborative art. it is then fascinating to be invited backstage to observe the way actors and director work to develop a scene. these rehearsals of strinberg's miss julie took place over a five-day period in a london rehearsal hall. the aim was to find ways the text, written in 1888, could be made to live for a contemporary audience. the preproduction work includes discussion of motivation, acting technique, line readings, stage business and personal experiences of the actors themselves. i, myself, as an actor, have often found that the rehearsal period is almost the most interesting part of acting, the most creative part. it is there that you use your instruments, both external and internal. the external instruments, of course, are your voice with which you speak the words, and your body, your appearance with which you enter, sit down, get up, walk to the window, turn around and ex