One left for One-Ders

Since we didn't have matinees for this show, tonight's performance will be the final one for this production.

But first things first: last night.

We started late last night because our sound/light guy was late. It happens. You don't want it to happen, and had it been an hour later, I'm sure I would have been more annoyed. But it was only about 20 minutes, and I just wasn't too put off by it. Some were more angry about it than others.

The performance itself had its ups and downs. The energy for the longest show was a bit low, and at one point something happened that threw off the rhythm for a bit. To be honest, I'mnot sure what happened, exactly. I suppose somebody skipped a line or something like that, but I really don't know. You'd think I would after all this time, but it occurred in a part of the play where I have no lines for ten minutes while on stage, so I am not as in tune to every nuance as I am in other places.

I never zone out. I work extra hard to make sure I am conveying a character, and telling a story when I have extensive time without lines in a play. In fact you have to pay particular attention to such stretches, as an actor who is just standing there without responding to either his character's thoughts or the actions happening around him on stage will stick out like a sore thumb. As my departed directing professor once said of such situations, "You might as well hold up a sign on stage that says, 'hey folks, I'm a fake.' "

So, I strive to not be a fake. There is a lot going on in the scene. But because I allow my character to react directly to events as they unfold in the scene, I don't know every line of it. Whatever went awry last night, it was something I couldn't jump in and fix without looking totally stupid.

The set changes continue to be a problem. People not sure what to do, in the pitch black, no work lights. These were planned out and rehearsed all in one night on tech week, and never really worked on again. Rehearsal time for these changes was probably the least adequate part of the show. I myself screwed up during a set change last night. I thought someone needed help moving something, so I grabbed it, but they didn't. It was already set. The issue was corrected quickly, but nonetheless I got confused as to what I was supposed to do for a moment during the always chaotic scene change.

I don't mind doing some extra work as an actor, especially in community theatre. That's the point. But I have to say, I have very much disliked having to stop and totally commit to a set change in what little time I already have between shows to get into character and prepare. This show needed at least a skeleton tech crew.

I always feel rushed in this show. There is no intermission, and once I am on stage, I am only off of it for moments at a time until the end of the evening. Last night, I felt a little more on edge and rushed than normal. I think it's because it was our first performance after the hiatus. An ever so thin layer of rust, perhaps, despite the pick up rehearsal. I predict I won't quite feel that way tonight, for the final performance.

There were about 8 or 9 people in the audience last night, so sadly we haven't been packing them in. Tonight being Saturday may bring a bigger crowd, especially since I and some others in the show have friends coming this time.

One more time for everything in this show, both the stuff I like and dislike.