2 posts tagged “rehearsal”

The show I've been rehearsing, Spukt, opens next week. At least that's the plan. To say that this show has been "troubled" would be putting it mildly. When I came aboard in July the script had already gone through a few revisions and between that day and this there have been many, many more. It's as if the script were one of those zen, sand gardens and we keep moving shit around to see how it looks. Last night even, we were cutting lines and adding new ones. No wonder I'm having trouble getting off book.

Don't get me wrong, it's been an enjoyable time for the most part. I've thoroughly enjoyed my fellow castmates and can't remember a rehearsal process where I've laughed as much. At times I've felt like we were only there to crack each other up. I wish every show could be this much fun.

Where things tend to get a little dicey is during those rehearsals when we have "outside eyes". You see, Theater Oobleck doesn't use a director, so most of the rehearsals have been us five actors running through the scenes and doing our thing. We give each other notes, discuss certain parts here and there and keep going. But once we get to a certain point in the process, it helps to have someone not so closely involved watch the rehearsals and give us a little feedback. Or so the theory goes.

But it's hard not to get defensive about these well-intentioned notes. After all, some of these people have never even read the show and are seeing it for the first time. How dare they give me a note about what my character does or does not want. Also, without having a "leader", aka director, it feels like you should take every note that comes your way, which can be confusing, especially when two people see the same moment from different angles. You have to learn to pick and choose. Or completely ignore.

In the end, though, I hope we've created an entertaining evening of theater. There will be live music. (I have two brief moments of singing.) Lots of running around. And, hopefully, lots of laughter. There's a small blurb about us in the upcoming issue of American Theater Magazine (with a photo of yours truly.)

We open at the Viaduct next Friday, November 9. If you'd like to come to a preview Wednesday or Thursday (and be an Outside Eye.) let me know and I'll give you the details. $12 dollar suggested donation "More if you got it, free if you're broke." You can't beat that. So come on out and see what we've been working on. I'd love to hear what you think of it.

 

 

 

I really can't believe I dragged myself out of bed this morning to come to work. But then, I don't have internet access at home, so how else would I be able to post my blog? So here I am, trying to figure out how I can make a tent fort with my coat and some file boxes so I can curl up on the floor and get another couple of hours of sleep.

Last night went a bit long. Just a little after midnight. By tech week standards it really isn't that late. It's probably pretty average. But it would have been a whole lot easier to handle if I could have slept in until noon. Then again, I think that way about mornings when I go to bed at 10pm the night before.

Something magical happened last night though. Things got underway with the actors around 8 o'clock. It was supposed to be a full run-thru with tech, but they didn't get through all the light and sound cues from the night before, so we were starting with Act II and moving on from there. Right off the bat, this is not a good indicator of how things might go. I mean, if they could only get through one act in four hours, what hope did we have of getting though the second act and still get a full run-thru in? In costume. With all the tech going off without a hitch.

I'd had a bad day at work. The grey, overcast, freezing weather wasn't helping my mood either. So when I got to rehearsal and realized how the evening was going to pan out, I was pretty cranky.  So when we finally got through all the cues at around 10:15ish I suggested that maybe a full run-thru wasn't such a good idea. People were tired and getting sick and there's no need to make it worse five days before opening. My suggestion was to get them into costume and go through a few cues and shuffle everyone home. There was some discussion and some people really wanted to see the run-thru in costume.

As an actor, I would have wanted the run-thru myself. Just walk through the space, carrying props or moving furniture, with the lights and sound. Just to start mapping things out in my brain. But last night, I wasn't thinking like an actor. I was thinking like a cranky, tired playwright who was wondering why he'd bothered to show to up to start with.

We gave the cast the final vote. The options were a) Just the tops and bottoms of scenes, in costume, running some of the more involved sound cues. Or b) A speed-thru, skipping through some of the longer scenes, but slowing down through the sound cues. At first the vote was pretty even for both options. But then one of the actors said "Let's just do it" and it was so.

And I am so glad they did it. I'm sure everyone is feeling about as groggy and fuzzy around the edges as me this morning, but I left the theater last night truly excited to see this show. They raced through the whole thing, didn't drop a line, no majorly screwed up cues and got through the whole show in an hour. It was an awesome sight to behold. The costumes look pretty darn good. At least the ones we saw. And damn if the last scene with The Chorus doesn't make me tear up every time.

I can't wait to watch it again tonight. At regular speed.

And I can't wait for you, Gentle Reader, to see this show.