On Thursday, I rehearsed act 2 of the show. That half has gotten less time over the last few months than the first half, so I've dedicated a few rehearsals on the stage to only the second act. This isn't that odd, really. Many standard shows get to a point in the final few weeks where they rehearse all of one act one night, and all of the second act another night. In that regard, I'm staying somewhat true to a more standard rehearsal process.
My intention was to go through it twice, but I only did so once. Not because it's too long, (though it still is by several minutes) but because by the time I was done, it felt like a good place to end rehearsal. There were several loose ends and other issues with those sections that I was able to improve or fix. I did in fact shave a little time off of the second act, and I also came into some more efficient ways to deliver certain aspects of the material. And though a lot of the blocking is organic as I perform, there are aspects of it that remain consistent each time. On Thursday a few more guideposts suggested themselves which I hadn't considered before. I will probably keep several of them if not all.
I don't know if I will stick to just act two on my next rehearsal night (Tuesday), or start running the show show top to bottom. I can't wait too long to run everything at once of course, but I may need a bit more time for act two to catch up to act one. Which presents the question, will I be running only act one on any given night? The answer is maybe. There are a few tiny moments in act one that could use some work. Yet I feel so comfortable with act one that I don't, for the moment, feel it needs it's own night. Act two, however could use a few multiple run-through nights if I'm honest with myself.
I still have a few props that I mean to secure, but don't think of until I'm standing there performing and don't have them. Must correct that soon, especially since there are not that many props in the show to begin with.
I'm finding it takes me a bit longer to get "warmed up" to rehearse this show than it normally does. The reason I think is obvious; when you are accountable only to yourself in a rehearsal as opposed to directors and cast mates, you stay rusty a bit longer at the start of things. When rehearsal starts in a standard show, you need to be ready right off.
Even then, however, there is some amount of time to ease into everything. I considered that for the first time on Thursday as well. In a normal show I am there early, and sort of loosen up in any number of ways before I begin. Being the only person involved in producing this show, there is no showing up early. As soon as I'm there, everyone is there. The first few times on the stage I think I overlooked that, and jumped right into rehearsing. On Thursday I gave myself some time to just walk around and get some water, stretch out and just loaf for a few minutes. The same sort of things I'd do before a more standard rehearsal. Then I started in earnest, and I feel it helped. I must remember to give myself that warm up time from here on out when I rehearse alone.
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Looking For Space
Okay, I'm not actually looking for it. I know right where it is. But I am getting used to the space, how's that?
Last night I was back at the Black Box Arts Center rehearsing for my one man show, The King is But a Man. Mostly I ran act two, because I've had less time with that half of the play over the last few months. I'm not so far behind as to be worried, as I'm off book with it. But nonetheless it has a few rougher edges than act one which need to be softened a bit over the next few rehearsals.
I'm very familiar with this performance space, having been on it in many different shows. Yet this is the first time I've been doing a one-man show on it, (or any where for that matter.) The special challenge, therefore, is to make sure I use all of the space so as not to remain stagnant the entire evening, but also avoid running around the stage just for the sake of saying I used every inch of it. I don't anticipate this being a difficult task, but it will require a few run throughs in order to attain said balance.
It's a small venue, as it's name would indicate, so I want it to also be an intimate engagement with the audience. It's not an audience participation show, by any means, but I still want to maintain that comfortable, conversational feel. That will probably be what I focus on more next week. It's already there to some degree given the nature of the material, but I want to play around with it a bit more.
I've not yet worn my full costume during these rehearsals. One reason is that the heat is out and I would be cold, but just as importantly, I'm trying to replicate a standard rehearsal process as much as I can with this one man show. Costumes don't come right away in most rehearsal processes, so they haven't for this one. I sense, nonetheless, that I will make use of them earlier in the process than would be the case in most standard performances. I just want to get used to the feel of things. Especially since a pocket plays a prominent role in more than one place, and the sooner I'm used to the actual pocket, the better.
Given some of the lumps for the second half, I'll probably spent at least one more day working on just that section of the play, before returning to running the show show again. Maybe even two more nights, depending on how I feel after the next time I use the stage. (Thursday.)
In any case, new ideas and perspectives are emerging each time I run the show now. I look forward to the coming rehearsals.
Last night I was back at the Black Box Arts Center rehearsing for my one man show, The King is But a Man. Mostly I ran act two, because I've had less time with that half of the play over the last few months. I'm not so far behind as to be worried, as I'm off book with it. But nonetheless it has a few rougher edges than act one which need to be softened a bit over the next few rehearsals.
I'm very familiar with this performance space, having been on it in many different shows. Yet this is the first time I've been doing a one-man show on it, (or any where for that matter.) The special challenge, therefore, is to make sure I use all of the space so as not to remain stagnant the entire evening, but also avoid running around the stage just for the sake of saying I used every inch of it. I don't anticipate this being a difficult task, but it will require a few run throughs in order to attain said balance.
It's a small venue, as it's name would indicate, so I want it to also be an intimate engagement with the audience. It's not an audience participation show, by any means, but I still want to maintain that comfortable, conversational feel. That will probably be what I focus on more next week. It's already there to some degree given the nature of the material, but I want to play around with it a bit more.
I've not yet worn my full costume during these rehearsals. One reason is that the heat is out and I would be cold, but just as importantly, I'm trying to replicate a standard rehearsal process as much as I can with this one man show. Costumes don't come right away in most rehearsal processes, so they haven't for this one. I sense, nonetheless, that I will make use of them earlier in the process than would be the case in most standard performances. I just want to get used to the feel of things. Especially since a pocket plays a prominent role in more than one place, and the sooner I'm used to the actual pocket, the better.
Given some of the lumps for the second half, I'll probably spent at least one more day working on just that section of the play, before returning to running the show show again. Maybe even two more nights, depending on how I feel after the next time I use the stage. (Thursday.)
In any case, new ideas and perspectives are emerging each time I run the show now. I look forward to the coming rehearsals.
Friday, January 09, 2015
New Year, New Project
I am still around, folks. Further, so is my interest in theatre. Sadly, there has not been much to report on since the staged reading of "Over the River and Through the Woods" back in September. But that's all about to change.
I've mentioned several times over the last year about a one man show I've developed. I'm happy to report that The King is But a Man is officially in the rehearsal process.
Actually, I should amend that statement a bit. I have been going over speeches and sections of it in my home for months now. But last night was the first time I ran the entire thing in one sitting, as well as doing so on stage. I've been giving access to the Black Box Arts Center for a number of rehearsals, in preparation for the show opening there on February 27th. That will hopefully be the first of several stops for the show, as I hope to at some point take it to other venues.
But first things first.
Last night was about getting a sense of the stage, and how to use it for this show. I've been on that performance space many times over the last few years, but every show is different, and there's nothing like feeling it out in person. This is a minimalist production, but I still have a set piece here and there, along with some props laying about in various places. Most of them act as decoration more than anything else, but I don't want them to be distractions. I think I've found good places for all of them, with maybe some tweaking in the coming days.
As for the use of space itself, the blocking is somewhat organic. There are certain crosses and other movements written into the performance, but I want to preserve a sense of spontaneity as well. This not only makes for a more dynamic show (in this case), but will keep things open for when I perform it in other places. In theory, I should be able to tailor the experience to fit the venue I am performing in at any given time. But as I am starting at the BBAC, that's where much of the thought has gone for the moment.
If you are the only person on stage, the key, as with so much, is to find balance. If one stays in one place the whole time, it can bore people to tears. Yet move around too much, and you might make people skittish or distracted. My balance is not perfect yet, but I already see directions I need to take after one rehearsal.
That's the big take away from last night; all kind of ideas and solutions presented themselves as I worked. There is a lot of polishing still to be done, but possibilities I had not considered at all as I was rehearsing at home became almost obvious as I ran the show on the stage. Though early in the rehearsal process, even on my own I could feel a new type of life force entering the material.
I hope to shave some minutes off of the running time, but I imagine that will happen the more I rehearse on the stage. I'm not worried about that right now.
Energy will be a concern as well. Projected energy that is. Though I sit down while performing several times in this show, intermission is the only real break I will get. As with any other play in the world, low energy on stage will sap energy from the audience. In a one man show you have nobody to feed off of on stage. It's all up to you. I must always keep that in mind. I'd say last night I was good with energy about 70% of the time. I felt it slipping a few times, but I think I corrected pretty well.
Not that I know for sure. I can't see myself as I perform. As I am "directing" myself in this, I was all alone in the theatre last night. This alone is a unique challenge.
Ideally, someone would have directed me in my own material. That feedback and guidance can be valuable. But we work with what we have, and nobody was available to fill that role, thus I fill it myself. I must keep both practical and performance considerations in mind as I do this. (Another good reason for it to be minimalist.) If I have to err on one side or the other at any given time, I'll choose erring on the side of performing.
It's an extra labor, though. One I am not used to. Packing my things, going to the theater, letting myself in, setting up the stage and running through the show, all without accountability to anyone but myself. It will pay off in the end, of course, and I find the challenge rewarding in a unique way. But there is something about working with others, and communicating ideas throughout a cast and crew that I miss while doing this.
On the other hand, I only have to answer to myself as well. I don't have to worry about being late, or someone else's scene taking too long, or being annoyed by a cast member I don't like. Every moment I am there is spent in exactly the manner I think is best. Believe me, you'll never get that in a regular show with a full cast.
So the next level of this adventure begins, and I will be covering it regularly here on the blog. The oddities of a one man show aside, it will be good to be back on stage again, and I hope you will join me on the blog as at last I have something regular to share with you again.
I've mentioned several times over the last year about a one man show I've developed. I'm happy to report that The King is But a Man is officially in the rehearsal process.
Actually, I should amend that statement a bit. I have been going over speeches and sections of it in my home for months now. But last night was the first time I ran the entire thing in one sitting, as well as doing so on stage. I've been giving access to the Black Box Arts Center for a number of rehearsals, in preparation for the show opening there on February 27th. That will hopefully be the first of several stops for the show, as I hope to at some point take it to other venues.
But first things first.
Last night was about getting a sense of the stage, and how to use it for this show. I've been on that performance space many times over the last few years, but every show is different, and there's nothing like feeling it out in person. This is a minimalist production, but I still have a set piece here and there, along with some props laying about in various places. Most of them act as decoration more than anything else, but I don't want them to be distractions. I think I've found good places for all of them, with maybe some tweaking in the coming days.
As for the use of space itself, the blocking is somewhat organic. There are certain crosses and other movements written into the performance, but I want to preserve a sense of spontaneity as well. This not only makes for a more dynamic show (in this case), but will keep things open for when I perform it in other places. In theory, I should be able to tailor the experience to fit the venue I am performing in at any given time. But as I am starting at the BBAC, that's where much of the thought has gone for the moment.
If you are the only person on stage, the key, as with so much, is to find balance. If one stays in one place the whole time, it can bore people to tears. Yet move around too much, and you might make people skittish or distracted. My balance is not perfect yet, but I already see directions I need to take after one rehearsal.
That's the big take away from last night; all kind of ideas and solutions presented themselves as I worked. There is a lot of polishing still to be done, but possibilities I had not considered at all as I was rehearsing at home became almost obvious as I ran the show on the stage. Though early in the rehearsal process, even on my own I could feel a new type of life force entering the material.
I hope to shave some minutes off of the running time, but I imagine that will happen the more I rehearse on the stage. I'm not worried about that right now.
Energy will be a concern as well. Projected energy that is. Though I sit down while performing several times in this show, intermission is the only real break I will get. As with any other play in the world, low energy on stage will sap energy from the audience. In a one man show you have nobody to feed off of on stage. It's all up to you. I must always keep that in mind. I'd say last night I was good with energy about 70% of the time. I felt it slipping a few times, but I think I corrected pretty well.
Not that I know for sure. I can't see myself as I perform. As I am "directing" myself in this, I was all alone in the theatre last night. This alone is a unique challenge.
Ideally, someone would have directed me in my own material. That feedback and guidance can be valuable. But we work with what we have, and nobody was available to fill that role, thus I fill it myself. I must keep both practical and performance considerations in mind as I do this. (Another good reason for it to be minimalist.) If I have to err on one side or the other at any given time, I'll choose erring on the side of performing.
It's an extra labor, though. One I am not used to. Packing my things, going to the theater, letting myself in, setting up the stage and running through the show, all without accountability to anyone but myself. It will pay off in the end, of course, and I find the challenge rewarding in a unique way. But there is something about working with others, and communicating ideas throughout a cast and crew that I miss while doing this.
On the other hand, I only have to answer to myself as well. I don't have to worry about being late, or someone else's scene taking too long, or being annoyed by a cast member I don't like. Every moment I am there is spent in exactly the manner I think is best. Believe me, you'll never get that in a regular show with a full cast.
So the next level of this adventure begins, and I will be covering it regularly here on the blog. The oddities of a one man show aside, it will be good to be back on stage again, and I hope you will join me on the blog as at last I have something regular to share with you again.
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