Last Pre-"Tech" Rehearsal

I did not particularly enjoy tonight's rehearsal. Not because it was unproductive. In fact we did smooth out some things. But sometimes you just do not feel a given night of rehearsal is clicking. That it just feels sluggish and unrewarding from the beginning. Not everyone experiences such nights at the same time, but tonight I did.

It wasn't any help that traffic was horrible on the way to rehearsal. After that, the bathroom at the rehearsal building was locked. (Though I jimmied it open with old old ID card I had in my wallet. Sue me.)

Then most of the people were late for rehearsal. And we did not have any props to work with, because the director forgot them.

When we finally did start, we ran the final scene, so the guy who is making the set dressings for it could get a better idea of what to look for. Specially, he is making some dummy wine barrels. Turns out, we will not be able to keep the win barbells in the section of the stage that we have been. So we had to move the chairs representing them, the designer told us, and had to rework some of the blocking. This isn't a huge deal, but it was a bit of a distraction.

As was the fact that we were not running the whole show. Though nobody told me specifically that we would be tonight, I assumed that since we had done so on Sunday, all remaining rehearsals would see us running the whole show. So I was caught a little off guard by that.

When we did run the scene, it was rough. It has always been one of our weaker scenes, but today, at least during the first run through of it, it was particularly slipshod in places.

To add to tonight's lack of enjoyment, we ran my least favorite of all scenes tonight..twice in a row.

I have talked about this scene before.

During that scene, I was told I should probably not relax during rehearsal, and should stand up, and not move, behind the tapestry, so I could "get used to" standing still, as during the play I will not have anywhere to sit. I politely pointed out that I think I could manage to wing it, in regards to standing behind a curtain come opening night, given as how I have been standing for 25 years or so. I wasn't trying to be rude, but in this little tiny room of a rehearsal hall, I am not sure it makes alot of sense for me to practice something that requires no practice..especially when everyone else who is not in the scene is sitting and observing as well. Nothing to brun a barn over, but it has given me some pause.

Speaking of the actual venue, adding to the overall "offness" of this evening for me, we learned that "John" will not be able to come to practice on Sunday. Sunday is one of the two (and only two) four hour days in which we will be able to rehearse on the actual stage before opening. For those keeping track, this means that the whole cast will be together, running the whole show, on the actual stage exactly ONCE before we open. I am all for spontaneity, but I confess a marked increase in apprehension about this. I am sure we will survive, but it is not the kind of thing a cast ideally should be dealing with as they open a show. Especially when an entire week will separate the one and only stage rehearsal, from the opening night. Nothing against "John" of course, but instead of a tech week, we will be having literally, a "tech day"...and that is somewhat troublesome.

At least I myself will have two separate rehearsal days on the actual stage. But without John, against whom I play so much in this show, it will be far from ideal. I can handle it, but sometimes you just want to do more than "handle" something.

We did run the scene with Geoff and Eleanor in her bedroom today. "Eleanor" added an extension of her hand to the scene, which I opted to kiss as I did my usual kneeling down. I will have to do it a few more times to see if it feels right, but it will probably work.

I also made use, in each of the scenes, of the new motivations and inner thought processes I came up with last night and this afternoon before rehearsal, as mentioned in the previous entry. But today was so haphazard that I really did not get a chance to see if they sank in. I am confident most of them will...but it will certainly be a longer seeding process, what with so little time to rehearse on the stage.

But next week we will, in some place or another, at least rehearse the whole shoe each night. (I again assume...) So that will, I hope, go a long way in smoothing out the reaming rough edges. Even if it is in the director's living room.