Tried to work through act two last night. Didn't quite make it. I was moving too slowly during the pounding of the grain scene. AH well. Did get through to the scene with the Priest and the Captain.
Today we will attempt a stumblethru for my benefit. It's not the best way to leave the cast before their break. But it should kick everyone in the pants to them same degree. Whose idea was it to have rehearsal at 1030, I wonder?
I have never listed the cast so here it is
Josh Alexander
Mark Alhadeff
Veronica Cruz
Sam Dingman
Sarah Nina Hayon
Mercedes Herrero
Guiesseppe Jones
Ana Cruz Kayne
Ephraim Lopez
Melissa Miller
Sean J. Moran
Gita Reddy
James Saba
Anca Suiu
Joaquin Torres
Ching Valdes-Aran
Audrey Lynn Weston
Yan Xi
And the designers:
Wilson Chin (sets)
Kimberly Glennon (costumes)
Colin D. Young (lights)
Sound (Matt O'hare)
and Jojo Gruenhut (AD)
Samone Weissman (PSM)
Saturday, December 22
Friday, December 21
ART - Closing Weekend of NO CHILD...
Last night, Nilaja performed for 520 people. Wish I could have experienced that! This is closing weekend, so if you are in the boston area, go check out NO CHILD!!!
Friday, 12-21 at 8pm
Sat, 12-22 at 2pm and 8pm
Sun, 12-23 at 2pm
Thus ends our second stop on our national tour!
Friday, 12-21 at 8pm
Sat, 12-22 at 2pm and 8pm
Sun, 12-23 at 2pm
Thus ends our second stop on our national tour!
Review of act one and the kiss
It was a tough night, though a helluva lot got accomplished. I had to put in several actors who were not there the first time we blocked. I found that some scenes were easier to really do nitty-gritty work right away, while others required a full run of the scene, before stopping and starting.
Jojo - the best associate director in the world - thought I was peevish. I probably was. Though I am elated by the proceedings thus far, the toughest part is choosing the time to talk through a moment, and just essentially being steely and pushing through. If we talk through something, well there are anywhere from 12 to 18 people there. And not every opinion should be incorporated or its a free-for-all. On the other hand, I think I've gotten my best suggestions naturally from the actors.
Always interesting to see who has impulses that they can just try out, or who needs to talk those through, who's uncomfortable physically onstage, who gets stage picture etc.
It's clear to me that I need to get the Women of the Valley to be more like peasants - and rather than play an idea of peasants, i think they need to get it in there body what a life working in the fields, doing laundry by the river, losing your husband! might be like. It's coming along nicely.
"She's there, but not really there." One of the actors so that as a physical stage direction (as if they were ghostly beings - there but some place else). I read it as a psychological stage direction (distracted). Funny.
THE KISS - it's a grotesque moment and I won't spoil it: but there is a kiss that should hopefully make you squirm. Spoke to both actors and tried to talk through how I thought the kiss should go and what I think it is intended to mean. Both actors are doing great with it, it seems. Good stuff.
Jojo - the best associate director in the world - thought I was peevish. I probably was. Though I am elated by the proceedings thus far, the toughest part is choosing the time to talk through a moment, and just essentially being steely and pushing through. If we talk through something, well there are anywhere from 12 to 18 people there. And not every opinion should be incorporated or its a free-for-all. On the other hand, I think I've gotten my best suggestions naturally from the actors.
Always interesting to see who has impulses that they can just try out, or who needs to talk those through, who's uncomfortable physically onstage, who gets stage picture etc.
It's clear to me that I need to get the Women of the Valley to be more like peasants - and rather than play an idea of peasants, i think they need to get it in there body what a life working in the fields, doing laundry by the river, losing your husband! might be like. It's coming along nicely.
"She's there, but not really there." One of the actors so that as a physical stage direction (as if they were ghostly beings - there but some place else). I read it as a psychological stage direction (distracted). Funny.
THE KISS - it's a grotesque moment and I won't spoil it: but there is a kiss that should hopefully make you squirm. Spoke to both actors and tried to talk through how I thought the kiss should go and what I think it is intended to mean. Both actors are doing great with it, it seems. Good stuff.
O'Neill
Reading for the O'neill right now. As much as I bemoan the task when the scripts arrive, I do enjoy screening these scripts (hey, I agreed to do this). I get pretty bilious at times, and today was no exception. Right now I am reading one in which the three women, despite being onstage and in scenes with each other, don't actually interact with each other: they just give each other updates on their lives. I think I read three different times that everything with the marriage was ok because they're done with the construction work on the studio. Three times.
The three scripts I've read so far are at various stages of completion. Which is peculiar - or rather, unexpected. Although, if I think about it, I guess at sundance it's not uncommon to submit a film that hasn't been completely edited yet. So, maybe, similarly, these writers are just sending what they've got. In evaluating a script, you'd think a writer would want to show you that they can complete a draft - but here I've been reading 25 page scripts. Strange.
There is often a gem in the mix, and with two to go, here's hoping.
The three scripts I've read so far are at various stages of completion. Which is peculiar - or rather, unexpected. Although, if I think about it, I guess at sundance it's not uncommon to submit a film that hasn't been completely edited yet. So, maybe, similarly, these writers are just sending what they've got. In evaluating a script, you'd think a writer would want to show you that they can complete a draft - but here I've been reading 25 page scripts. Strange.
There is often a gem in the mix, and with two to go, here's hoping.
Thursday, December 20
Pounding of the grain.
There's a scene (act 2, scene 9) in which the women are pounding grain. Ariel's not totally clear in the stage directions about the women of the valley (we got five of 'em) being present. What we do know is that once sofia starts naming names the women are present. And upset.
But I wonder if it makes sense to have them conjured by the naming of names or already present and responsive.
Also last night we staged the burial. That's a lot of folks on stage. Already I have a concern about sightlines. And bodies. And graves. I think we'd be better off without lifting an actual human. So we may try to get a dummy wrapped. Which begs the question. Do we want a dummy for each body? I don't think so. But the thing is with a body, its gotta be moved offstage and its heavy.
I think I played a corpse once: in arsenic and old lace. I vaguely recall that the person who originated the role was named riley birch. Hard to forget a name like that.
Off now to watch some shooting of paul giamatti's new film COLD SOULS. Fantastic.
But I wonder if it makes sense to have them conjured by the naming of names or already present and responsive.
Also last night we staged the burial. That's a lot of folks on stage. Already I have a concern about sightlines. And bodies. And graves. I think we'd be better off without lifting an actual human. So we may try to get a dummy wrapped. Which begs the question. Do we want a dummy for each body? I don't think so. But the thing is with a body, its gotta be moved offstage and its heavy.
I think I played a corpse once: in arsenic and old lace. I vaguely recall that the person who originated the role was named riley birch. Hard to forget a name like that.
Off now to watch some shooting of paul giamatti's new film COLD SOULS. Fantastic.
Sunday, December 16
On our feet.
We've been up on our feet for three days now. I've been using a clock to help with direction for the round (since there's no real upstage downstage sl sr in the round). Thus, the booth is at 12, the entrance to the theater is 9, opposite the booth is 6, and opposite the entrance is 3.
That's how they did it in the bingham at humana, and its what we did at catf. And so. Once again.
Yesterday was our first vast cast day. All four valley woman, plus fidelia, the lieutenant, yanina, the soldier, the doctor. Its huge when they're all on together. I haven't had a cast this large since caucasian chalk circle
Hardest of all is scheduling. Our able stage management team (samone and lauren) have put together a scene by scene, page by page breakdown - these are the columns. The rows are the actors. So for each day we highlight an actor who has a conflict. And we choose accordingly. Its painful. But there doesn't seen to be another way.
Reverie is not only doing this as a showcase (everyone gets a stipend) but also we are rehearsing over xmas season. Oy.
Still. KIT.
That's how they did it in the bingham at humana, and its what we did at catf. And so. Once again.
Yesterday was our first vast cast day. All four valley woman, plus fidelia, the lieutenant, yanina, the soldier, the doctor. Its huge when they're all on together. I haven't had a cast this large since caucasian chalk circle
Hardest of all is scheduling. Our able stage management team (samone and lauren) have put together a scene by scene, page by page breakdown - these are the columns. The rows are the actors. So for each day we highlight an actor who has a conflict. And we choose accordingly. Its painful. But there doesn't seen to be another way.
Reverie is not only doing this as a showcase (everyone gets a stipend) but also we are rehearsing over xmas season. Oy.
Still. KIT.
KIT
Its a terrific cast. I couldn't be happier. And they are in seemingly good spirits. When it was time to speak at the first rehearsal, I imparted the following advice: keep it together. its a huge cast - and of course some things will go wrong, mistakes will be made. And well its too damn easy to let morale slip. If one person starts to bemoan, the bad apple effect is then in motion. My advice: keep it together. When things get wonky: keep it together. When something doesn't work: keep it together.
KIT. Keep it together
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