Back in the Saddle Again

Had my first real rehearsal of the entire production so far. It was nice to be back in the groove of being on stage and going through blocking and such, albeit for only a very short scene.

I go back in about 5 days. That represents the last time I will have a hiatus between rehearsals of more than a day or so. The nightly or semi-nightly grind will begin thereafter. I do not mind this, as it is my favorite part of the rehearsal process. Things really start to come together for most shows during that time.

This whole show is sort of on fast forward. As I have mentioned here ad infinitum, not only do I have a small part, but a part that does not at all appear in act one of the show. (A very first for me.) So it was not until tonight that I showed up for my first review of blocking and such, and I was already on stage, which is kind of cool.

Normally, at this particular theatre, a show begins rehearsing not long before the current show opens for actual performances. This requires actors to run through scenes in a nearby rehearsal room, so the curent show has access to the stage. This rehearsal room may represent about 3/4 of the performance space on the actual stage, depending on the set. Sometimes less. It is always nice to reach the point in the rehearsal when we can leave that stuffy little room.

Yet because of the schedule, I am happy to report I did not have to have a single rehearsal in said little room. The show took control of the stage last night, and I was there tonight. Sweet timing indeed.

Even what little bit was run through today, I was able to get more of a feel for what I want to do with the character; his walk, his voice, his stance. I see him as mostly proper and professional, but not stiff. More on those particulars as I think more on them and experiment. Suffice to say for right now, my movements on stage, as blocked for the scene tonight, seem to mesh rather well with the idea I had in my head.

So, a good night for me tonight, simply because I was back in the saddle again; the smell of the shop, the light hearted coversation with colleagues, etc.

And because it was the stage manager's birthday free cake was provided. Not normally a cake fan, but free cake is almost always good cake.