Two Nights, Two Halves.

The last two evenings of rehearsal where some of the longest we've had so far. Tuesday was the first time we ran the entire first half of the show, last night being a rehearsal of the entire second half of the show.

Tuesday, for whatever reason, was rougher. More confusion, more "rust" from the pieces that hadn't been touched in a while. Personally I felt comfortable, but I do far less in the first half of the play than I do in the second half, despite playing three different characters. Still, the flow of the first half was virtually non-existent, and our director warned us ahead of time that it would be so.

One problem is that most of the exits, and maybe a fifth of the stage are still blocked by construction junk. Ironically, this is the second time I have been rehearsing a play in this venue during major construction. This time is a bit less stressful, nevertheless it is getting frustrating, not being able to rehearse in the space as it will be during performances. (Which begin in less than four weeks.) Things are what they are, and everyone means well, but for me, having space is one of the most important things for an actor to properly rehearse. We've been without that from the start. (Early rehearsals sometimes taking place in a space about one fourth as big as the actual stage will ultimately be.)

It is what it is, and I of course can't do anything about it, but I'm frankly weary of tripping over everything in the space. I'm more than ready to have all the space opened up, and am a little concerned at how little time is left. But I've been in far worse situations in theatre less than a month before opening, so I don't classify my feelings on the subject as worry. Annoying, maybe.

As is the fact that I have have addressed my very first lines, "This is the sergeant who like a good a heart soldier..." to thin air half the time, and to three or four stand ins the other half of the time. Only once, I believe, is the person who will actually play the part been present, and that was on the very day he was appointed to play the role. (Last week.) Absences in general are in fact one of my biggest annoyances in theatre. Maybe the shouldn't be, but certain people have hardly ever been at rehearsals, and the last two shows I was in suffered from extensive absences, so perhaps I'm just sensitive to it right now.

As for my performance, I put an eye patch on for the scene wherein I play a murderer for about five minutes. I wanted something to make him obviously different from Malcolm. And in the very next scene, I play a nameless banquet guest during the "Banquo's Ghost" scene. I'm going to use a cane to appear like someone totally different once again. I'd rather not be in the scene, honestly. I prefer some gear down time before intermission, so one or the other of the two scenes I mentioned would have been enough, but I hate having to hurry up and do tiny little bits of things leading into intermission.

Plus I've just been assigned sound effects duty for the scene right after intermission. Easy enough, but it's something else that takes time away from my main concentration in this production-being Malcolm. Two scenes later I have yet another sound effect job, newly assigned last night. What could have been a large amount of time to prepare for the challenging scene that is my biggest of the play, will not be broken up by tapping on sticks and bamboo. I know in community theatre everyone needs to work together and do multiple things, but there is "multiple things" and then there is "running around plugging all sorts of holes" kind of thing, and I'm feeling like this is the latter.  A few more people in the cast and this wouldn't have been needed, but...too late to be concerned about that now.

As for the second half of the play, (everything after the Banquo's Ghost scene), last night, as I said was smoother on the whole. I expected my big scene to be rough, and it had some spots, but actually went better than I thought it would go, given that we haven't rehearsed it at all in about three weeks. I would have loved more chances to rehearse it, but I'm glad to know it is as solid as it seems to be for the moment.

The final speech that gave me so much trouble earlier in the week, (except for at the end of the night the other night) went well, though I did trip on it a bit this time. During it, as per this production, the witches appear from the audience, unseen by those on stage, and surround the action as the play closes. That was new last night. Might take away from my speech a bit, honestly, but I won't know for sure how it feels until after we've done it a few times.

Now that even problem lines are starting to smooth out somewhat for me, I must dive further into the process of becoming Malcolm, giving him emotion and making me performance deeper. I've had no complaints about it from anyone, and I suppose it is near satisfactory as it stands. But I feel the need as an actor to flesh our his personality more, especially given some of the new directions and blocking the director has given us for some of Malcolm's scenes. (Some of which will change, slightly, the nature of my performance.)

Tonight, it's the first half again. Saturday morning is the fake wedding of the Macbeth's to be video taped for the prologue film to show the audience before the start of the play.

Half-Life of Radium Girls.

The pun on being halfway done with this show was probably inevitable.

As was my slipping on my daily productions updates here on the blog during tech weeks and opening weekend. Sorry about that. But let's talk about what went on in the first weekend of the show, as tech week itself proceeded as most of them tend to do: a mixture of chaos and progress.

All three performances had small audiences; Saturday's I think was the biggest, with over 20, I think. My impression was that everyone who came to see the show enjoyed it, however. I wouldn't say "electric," but involved. There are a few funny moments throughout the show, and from what I noticed, someone in each audience laughed at most of them. Some such moments got big laughs, in fact.

My guess is that the show is lesser known around this area, and thus hasn't pulled a large audience. Also, though I am fond of the BBAC as it is my "main" venue right now, it has often had a problem drawing large crowds for most of it's shows. The reasons for this are an on going discussion among those of us connected with the place, but we're aware. Our director is very popular in another community theatre in the area, and I thought perhaps that popularity would bring more people from her circles to see the show. It may yet do so, but it didn't for the opening weekend, it would appear.

As for the performances themselves, I won't lie, they were rough at times. I've said all along we probably could have used an extra week of rehearsals, but since that was not an option, some bugs were being worked out in the actual performances. A few others appeared here and there as well.

The worse was on Saturday for me. One of my scene partners forgot to show up for the scene. I wasn't aware it had happened until I turned to ask  him the question my character was due to ask, and found nobody there.

I proceeded, as best I could, to incorporate his lines into my own lines for the scene. I was lucky to be playing a reporter at the time, which allowed room to used this trick more so than my other characters. A guy reading news flashes and quotations from his notebook. Others in the scene, who at first didn't realize what the problem was adapted in a few moments, and helped take some of the weight off. in the end, I could have done a better job at remembering the order of the missing actor's lines, but I'm not beating myself up over it. In fact in some ways I consider the whole thing one of my best, most professional moments as an actor. I didn't panic, didn't forget where I was, are stand around looking dumb. I let training take over, remained calm, and proceeded. I'm sure it must have for at least a few seconds appeared awkward to the audience, but giving myself some credit on this one, it could have been a lot worse if I had panicked.

Not that I want to experience that very often. It was only the second time I ever had to deal with that kind of blooper, and this one was probably worse than the other one. But there are times in an actor's life when invisible poise, calm and reliance on knowledge of the moment speak just as much to his talent and professionalism as those parts of his performance that other people see. Few people probably knew what happened, but if they were unaware of just how big a hole in the show they were witnessing, I did something right. I'm not perfect, but I'm pretty damn good most of the time.

I did lose my cool once during the weekend, and it wasn't because of the missing actor. It was due to another error of a different kind, not as huge but still annoying.

I have some fast costume changes in this show, and for opening night my costume pieces, which had always been placed by crew in the same place, were that not nowhere to be found. I had to perform that character for the rest of the show without his specific costume, and I did get blustery about it, to tell you the truth. Turns out the costume had been thrown by someone, (I never was sure who) off stage during a scene change, and fell behind two side curtains. I was extra annoyed because I had only just finally established some kind of system for maximum efficiency and minimum help from other people for all the costume changes. But, afterwards, discussions were had with the proper people by the stage manager, and it didn't happen again, so I won't dwell on it here.

The Sunday matinee had some issues as well, but strictly speaking, unless I missed something big, it was probably the smoothest of the performances for the first weekend. Scene changes, though still clunky were usually faster than they were during tech week and the first few nights.

Through all three shows, I was satisfied with my performances, and I hope to improve on what i do even more for the final three shows. No pick up rehearsal though, and I think we probably needed one, but schedules are schedules. So I'll keep reviewing my lines until then, and give it my best as I always due once the weekend gets here.

First Half "Stumble-Through"

Last night we ran the entire first half of the show. It was a stumble here and there of course, as is to be expected for a first run through of a half. But it wasn't as rough as the director expected it to be.

The dynamic between my character and Queen Margaret was better last night. I am still not where I want to be, but after talking to the actress and experimenting a bit with some of my delivery in the scene I feel I am getting closer. Last night I felt I was conveying more of a nervousness and uncertainty, mixed with fatigue, as opposed to a straight-up cowardice. No doubt it is still one of my scenes that requires the most work for me right now, but by no means hopeless.

After that scene are two scenes in which I don't do much. The "pipe-laying" nature of Act II. Those 10-15 minutes of short scenes are just setting up plot points by and large, and while I play a part in that foundation-laying, it is not the most interesting section of the play for me. In fact, though I hate none of the scenes, Act II may constitute my least favorite section of the play. There are some subtleties I am working on for Act II, they are probably a bit too much inside baseball to get into here. Personal preferences in my performance that I'd like to accomplish. Important, but possibly tedious to try to explain here.

There is one moment of potential artistic significance for me, and that is a moment at the end of Edward IV's only scene. As we have staged it, (though by no means would this scene always have to be staged this way), Richard and Buckingham are the only two remaining in the room after the rest of the court leaves to tend to the sick Edward. It is here that Richard speaks of the alleged duplicity of the queen's family. Buckingham has no reply, but we want this to look like the first moment that the two begin their conspiratorial relationship. For by the next time we see them, they have obviously plotted things. So I want that small moment to indicate that perhaps Buckingham's interest in Richard has been piqued. At least insofar as Richard may prove useful in getting Buckingham what he wants most. (To get the hell away from court for good, as per my interpretation.) So I do enjoy that moment in Act II, and hope to perfect it soon.

Then of course, we came to Act III. (Which is the last thing we do before our intermission.) Act III, where the pace begins to pick up considerably. Act III, where I do most of my work.

I tripped over a few lines here and there. (This is the first time I ran most of this without the script.) For the most part, however, I am pleased. I did get totally lost for a few moments in scene 7, which is by far my biggest scene. (Buckingham "begs" Richard to accept the crown.) But I recovered quickly. I know that I need to slow down those speeches a bit, despite them being animated crowd-pleasers for the citizens of London that have assembled. Part of my slipping a bit was due I think to my going a bit too fast without the book. (Again, the first time I did this huge scene without the script in my hand for reference.) I will say though that the energy is already quite apparent in the scene. (The director confirmed this.) Once I get my speeches smoothed out, and the crowd of townspeople hits a good rhythm for cheering, the scene should not only look good to the audience, but be quite fun to perform.

I think perhaps I should incorporate the paying audience into some of this. Firstly because, by necessity I will be giving those speeches from the house. Secondly, the audience will never see my face otherwise. (Unless they are in the first row, my back will be to them for most of the scene.)

I wasn't exhausted by the end of the scene last night, but I can predict that once it is at performance levels, I will be a bit winded and ready to take a seat by the time it ends. It is fortunate for me that this is my final scene before intermission, and I will be free to head to the green room and scope out the best couch while the final scene of the first half goes on.

All and all, despite one of the actresses being missing last night, I'd give the rehearsal solid marks. Tech stuff needs to be ironed out, and scene changes made smooth, but as for the acting, I'd say it is on course. Now I just need to commit to memory the order of the scenes. (We've only recently begun to perform them in order, you see, and I need my script to reveal which scene is which sometimes.) But that will come.

I also tried on some costumes. Two suits. Both the director and myself preferred a dark, charcoal gray suit to a lighter blue one, and so this is the suit that was selected. It needs alterations, but I at least know now what I will be wearing for the play. (I won't have a costume change. I guess Buckingham has many similar suits. Which actually sounds like him, when I think about it.)

Tonight we stumble through the second half, as well as have head-shots taken for the lobby display.