First Rehearsal
Ain't nothing like it. You read and plan and envision and imagine for a long time (in my case, a year). You consider the options (I had about 40 people audition). And suddenly you're there at the first rehearsal, where it's all possible but the final product seems so far away. So much ahead.
I usually do a read-through on the first night, and an "act-through" on the second night, to have the actors feel what it's like to get the whole thing on its feet. Since this is a long play, I tried something different: focusing just on Act I the first night, with a read-through followed by an act-through. Tonight we will do Act II that way. It was a bit exhausting but I liked it. More fun than just reading through all at once.
It was hard to really integrate the street people last night, I will work with them more on Oct. 2. But for the Act-through, I asked the 3 ghosts to simply stand up when they thought they might be in Blanche's head. Very interesting! Some connections I hadn't thought of. I'm pleased to have them as an element.
Chemistry seemed to be good already in all the right pairs: Blanche/Mitch, Stella/Stanley, Blanche/Stanley. They were all already finding some good humor in the lines, which I appreciate.
The poker players took so long setting up their cards and chips that they completely cracked me up, I was literally crying. I think that first Poker Night scene has great comic potential. Then we see the same bunch in scene 11, sobered up a bit.
I liked ending with scene 6 because if you just ended the play there it would be a happy ending. Blanche and Mitch have found each other!!!
What else? Oh, I could feel the realization on everyone's part about what a big, long, complicated show it is. Much work to be done.
I usually do a read-through on the first night, and an "act-through" on the second night, to have the actors feel what it's like to get the whole thing on its feet. Since this is a long play, I tried something different: focusing just on Act I the first night, with a read-through followed by an act-through. Tonight we will do Act II that way. It was a bit exhausting but I liked it. More fun than just reading through all at once.
It was hard to really integrate the street people last night, I will work with them more on Oct. 2. But for the Act-through, I asked the 3 ghosts to simply stand up when they thought they might be in Blanche's head. Very interesting! Some connections I hadn't thought of. I'm pleased to have them as an element.
Chemistry seemed to be good already in all the right pairs: Blanche/Mitch, Stella/Stanley, Blanche/Stanley. They were all already finding some good humor in the lines, which I appreciate.
The poker players took so long setting up their cards and chips that they completely cracked me up, I was literally crying. I think that first Poker Night scene has great comic potential. Then we see the same bunch in scene 11, sobered up a bit.
I liked ending with scene 6 because if you just ended the play there it would be a happy ending. Blanche and Mitch have found each other!!!
What else? Oh, I could feel the realization on everyone's part about what a big, long, complicated show it is. Much work to be done.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home