Since last I wrote here, I've been to three production rehearsals. They have mostly been blocking "rehearsals," or more accurately, they have been meeting during which the blocking is introduced to the actors. Important, and at times tedious work in any production. It's not the type of work that can be written about in any interesting way. The directors placed the actors in their respective plays on the stage for each page. End of that story. Such decisions almost always evolve and change a bit during rehearsals anyway, as a production wears on.
As a reminder, this is an evening of one-act plays. Three of them, to be exact. I appear in two of this. The first is just under an hour long, the second, and final of the evening is about 15 minutes long.
I do have to make a significant correction at this point. Previously I had said that the two plays I am in were written by members of the company. The scripts and the publicity for the audition that I saw didn't list the playwrights, only the titles, so this was my conclusion.
I was incorrect. The shorter one is in fact written by the head of the company. But the longer of the two plays I am in, called Laughter of the Gods was written nearly one hundred years ago by the Irish playwright Lord Dunsany. The original script is a full length play, billed as "a tragedy in three acts." It has been edited down to a one-act play for our production. (I am uncertain by whom.)
From what I've gathered in my research, Dunsany is rather obscure outside of fantasy fiction circles. (Where he is considered a bit of a pioneer, due to his common themes of magic and divinity.) There is also little to be found about this play, though I did determine it ran on Broadway for just over one month in 1918. The Punch and Judy Theater, for those interested in such factoids.
I found one brief modern review for the script. A consumer who purchased a volume of Dunsany's work on Amazon considered the script "stilted." As I work to memorize the lines of the play, I can say I agree with the assessment. With a handful of exceptions, there is very little poetry in the script, and at times the diction is a nightmare. Still, an interesting choice to stage such a play today, albeit an abridgment. I'm starting to see my character (Ludibras) a bit more clearly now. The director even allowed me to approach a line differently than the way he has initially planned, which was good of him.
I met one on one with the actress playing my character's wife On Sunday before rehearsal. I'm glad I did so. I said in my previous post that a lot of directors don't "allow" that. Our director encourages it. Things will change and evolve as they always do, but I feel I and the actress, (whom I had never met before this show) have a better understanding of both one another, and our respective approaches to our characters.
If you've read this blog regularly, you know how often I say this: feeling comfortable and amiable with your cast mates isn't 100% necessary for a high quality show, but it makes it a damn sight more likely and easier.
The director of the whole company, (and author of the shorter play) did tell me he liked where I was going with my character in that play. That's probably the main "news" to report for now. As I think about it, I don't think I've ever performed any role in front of the playwright who wrote it before. I was an A.D. for a show that a local playwright wrote, and he came to rehearsals. The same thing happened in college, in fact. But I've never been in this situation before.
It's not as awkward as I thought it might be, though it is a short play, and the playwright himself has to appear in it too, I believe, because of the lack of cast members. There's probably too much to worry about for me to feel too awkward about it.
That's been the only major difficulty in this production so far: schedules. We've not had the whole cast together on one night yet. This of course makes blocking and character work somewhat difficult. Yet I feel most sympathy in this regard for the one play I am not in: Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread by David Ives. I was in that same play years ago, and it requires such exquisite precision in both rhythmic line delivery and stage placement that any missed rehearsal is equal to two missed rehearsals in a more standard show.
Plus in this production the director is making use of dance moves, which means a choreographer, who already has limited time to commit to rehearsals. I sympathize with the plight of that part of the production, but I won't lie; I'm relived I won't have to be doing that show again! Once is probably enough for that one.
Next official rehearsal is this coming Friday.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Tuesday, January 05, 2016
Happy New Year/Show
Welcome back, loyal blog readers. I hope you enjoyed the holidays.
Last night was the first real rehearsal for show(s) I'm in, and of course I will tell you about it.
But this year, as I am in a show for the first time in several, I aim to approach these pages a little differently.
For one, the one-act plays I'm in for this production are originals, or otherwise not yet widely known. So my usual approach of talking about my character probably wouldn't work this time around. If I'm Buckingham in Richard III, there is a built in familiarity among most readers as to who he is, and what the nature of the play as a whole is. I could use that to talk about where I was in developing the character, and my approaches to same. That won't be quite as useful in these shows. That's not to say I won't make any observations about my character development, but I'm going to try to make them broader, and more related to the acting process as a whole, as opposed to the specifics of the shows I'm in for now.
I might also through in some advice/observations about the nature of the company here and there as well.
First off, though, I'll mention, as I have in years past here on the blog, that in some ways January through March is the best time to be working on a play. After the holidays, there is little to look forward to in the dark, cold days of winter. Working on a play provides some regular, natural focus to the less-than-appealing time of the year for me. And while March in this area is generally still winter, through the course of a show during the first quarter of the year, the days get progressively, if only slightly, longer. By the time the shows opens, the approach of spring will be a ways off, but obvious. That's another advantage to a show during these months.
A danger of course, is weather that make travel impossible, as happened to me on the final performance night of my one man show last year. But we will think positively in that regard.
At any rate, one of the best things to do during a cold winter is to come into a warm home. However, a close second is to come into a warm theater out of the cold for a rehearsal. (Though many theaters remain cold, I suppose.)
For this show, we might not have to quite work twice as fast, but time is of the essence; the schedules for the cast are difficult. We will only be able to meet three times a week most weeks until tech week. That's not horrible, but of course the more time a cast has to work, the better. But I've been in tight spots with shows before, and it turned out fine. I have no reason to believe this will be any different.
As for last night, most of the evening was about discussing our characters. Again, right now it would not be interesting reading for me to get into much of that, as these plays are not yet widely known. (And one of them we could not go over last night, due to the director having to attend to emergency family business.) But a lot got done.
In fact, we have been encouraged to get together on our own with scene partners to come up with some ideas about relationships and such. Already I have contacted several of my cast mates with whom I share stage time for this very purpose. I normally would not send personal emails to strangers this early on, but they have a purpose after all. Though naturally any observations from such meetings would need to be approved later, it does give the production a bit of flex time in a sense. Work outside of rehearsal. Plus it will help me get comfortable with people I don't know in less time than normal; that's a huge plus for a show, as I've often said.
I have worked with a handful of directors and actors that don't allow this. That is to say, they've gotten angry at the suggestion of discussing the play outside of rehearsals when the director is not present. Thankfully, this has been the case most of the time, and isn't this time. But I actually confirmed last night it was acceptable, even after the director made the suggestion. I've experienced, here and there, some nasty responses to doing such things in the past. I didn't wish to repeat such things.
(Incidentally, as a director I also have no problem with casts discussing and experimenting on their own, as long as I'm made aware of what they've come up with.)
So that's how this year and this show begins. more to come, of course, but it's been interesting to get back to acting under someone else's direction as opposed to my own. Stay tuned.
Last night was the first real rehearsal for show(s) I'm in, and of course I will tell you about it.
But this year, as I am in a show for the first time in several, I aim to approach these pages a little differently.
For one, the one-act plays I'm in for this production are originals, or otherwise not yet widely known. So my usual approach of talking about my character probably wouldn't work this time around. If I'm Buckingham in Richard III, there is a built in familiarity among most readers as to who he is, and what the nature of the play as a whole is. I could use that to talk about where I was in developing the character, and my approaches to same. That won't be quite as useful in these shows. That's not to say I won't make any observations about my character development, but I'm going to try to make them broader, and more related to the acting process as a whole, as opposed to the specifics of the shows I'm in for now.
I might also through in some advice/observations about the nature of the company here and there as well.
First off, though, I'll mention, as I have in years past here on the blog, that in some ways January through March is the best time to be working on a play. After the holidays, there is little to look forward to in the dark, cold days of winter. Working on a play provides some regular, natural focus to the less-than-appealing time of the year for me. And while March in this area is generally still winter, through the course of a show during the first quarter of the year, the days get progressively, if only slightly, longer. By the time the shows opens, the approach of spring will be a ways off, but obvious. That's another advantage to a show during these months.
A danger of course, is weather that make travel impossible, as happened to me on the final performance night of my one man show last year. But we will think positively in that regard.
At any rate, one of the best things to do during a cold winter is to come into a warm home. However, a close second is to come into a warm theater out of the cold for a rehearsal. (Though many theaters remain cold, I suppose.)
For this show, we might not have to quite work twice as fast, but time is of the essence; the schedules for the cast are difficult. We will only be able to meet three times a week most weeks until tech week. That's not horrible, but of course the more time a cast has to work, the better. But I've been in tight spots with shows before, and it turned out fine. I have no reason to believe this will be any different.
As for last night, most of the evening was about discussing our characters. Again, right now it would not be interesting reading for me to get into much of that, as these plays are not yet widely known. (And one of them we could not go over last night, due to the director having to attend to emergency family business.) But a lot got done.
In fact, we have been encouraged to get together on our own with scene partners to come up with some ideas about relationships and such. Already I have contacted several of my cast mates with whom I share stage time for this very purpose. I normally would not send personal emails to strangers this early on, but they have a purpose after all. Though naturally any observations from such meetings would need to be approved later, it does give the production a bit of flex time in a sense. Work outside of rehearsal. Plus it will help me get comfortable with people I don't know in less time than normal; that's a huge plus for a show, as I've often said.
I have worked with a handful of directors and actors that don't allow this. That is to say, they've gotten angry at the suggestion of discussing the play outside of rehearsals when the director is not present. Thankfully, this has been the case most of the time, and isn't this time. But I actually confirmed last night it was acceptable, even after the director made the suggestion. I've experienced, here and there, some nasty responses to doing such things in the past. I didn't wish to repeat such things.
(Incidentally, as a director I also have no problem with casts discussing and experimenting on their own, as long as I'm made aware of what they've come up with.)
So that's how this year and this show begins. more to come, of course, but it's been interesting to get back to acting under someone else's direction as opposed to my own. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Latest Show!
Yes, I am once again in a show, that i did not write, produce, direct and promote myself. Actually I am in two show. Two one acts, that are a part of an evening of three one acts plays to be performed in late February and early March at the Black Box Arts Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. (Where I have done most of my acting for a while, under various umbrellas.)
As the scripts are original works of the company's director, I realize the name won't give anyone an idea, so I will summarize without spoiling anything.
The shorter of the two is called Blame. It could best be described as paranormal, or perhaps horror, is such a category applies to plays. In it, I play a psychotic, selfish CEO at a board meeting. That play lasts about 15 minutes.
The second show is called Laughter of the Gods. I'd call it a dark fairy tale. I play an adviser to the king of Babylon. That play lasts about one hour.
Ironically, the third play in this night of one acts, the one in which I do not appear is one in which I already appeared years ago for a different company. David Ive's Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread. That was a fun but exhausting challenge to do once, and I am happy I did it back then, but I am also happy I won't have to do it again in this production!
The production is part of a recently launched non-profit local theatre company. Among other things, their's is an actor-based process designed to improve the experience for both the actor and the audience. One can't argue with those goals.
Last night was the first read-throughs, held at the director's house. (Actually, the director of two out of the three shows, and the head of the company itself. One of the shows I am in will be directed by someone else.) Full rehearsals start on January 4th.
"Make the interesting choice," is the unofficial motto of the company. As this has always been a guiding principle of my own, I imagine I will have much to offer the production/company and vice-versa.
I am pleased that three people I've worked with before are also involved. It's always easier when I know someone else.
So there will not be much to report until after the new year, but I will have plenty to say about my adventures with these folks once rehearsals start. You'll have reason once again to check back in to this page on a regular basis. (Though this time around, I am going to try to be more broad, and "philosophical" about my experience in a show, as opposed top strictly reporting what went on any given day, as I usually have in the past.
And just so you know, I will still be doing The King is But a Man. I have been pitching venues, and I still run the lines every so often, so my one-man Shakespeare show is by no means dead. It remains very much a part of my theatre plans.
I also hope to write in this blog on broader topics in general next year, which hopefully you shall see when you visit during that time.
Until then, enjoy the holidays, and I look forward to once again sharing an acting experience with you, loyal blog readers.
As the scripts are original works of the company's director, I realize the name won't give anyone an idea, so I will summarize without spoiling anything.
The shorter of the two is called Blame. It could best be described as paranormal, or perhaps horror, is such a category applies to plays. In it, I play a psychotic, selfish CEO at a board meeting. That play lasts about 15 minutes.
The second show is called Laughter of the Gods. I'd call it a dark fairy tale. I play an adviser to the king of Babylon. That play lasts about one hour.
Ironically, the third play in this night of one acts, the one in which I do not appear is one in which I already appeared years ago for a different company. David Ive's Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread. That was a fun but exhausting challenge to do once, and I am happy I did it back then, but I am also happy I won't have to do it again in this production!
The production is part of a recently launched non-profit local theatre company. Among other things, their's is an actor-based process designed to improve the experience for both the actor and the audience. One can't argue with those goals.
Last night was the first read-throughs, held at the director's house. (Actually, the director of two out of the three shows, and the head of the company itself. One of the shows I am in will be directed by someone else.) Full rehearsals start on January 4th.
"Make the interesting choice," is the unofficial motto of the company. As this has always been a guiding principle of my own, I imagine I will have much to offer the production/company and vice-versa.
I am pleased that three people I've worked with before are also involved. It's always easier when I know someone else.
So there will not be much to report until after the new year, but I will have plenty to say about my adventures with these folks once rehearsals start. You'll have reason once again to check back in to this page on a regular basis. (Though this time around, I am going to try to be more broad, and "philosophical" about my experience in a show, as opposed top strictly reporting what went on any given day, as I usually have in the past.
And just so you know, I will still be doing The King is But a Man. I have been pitching venues, and I still run the lines every so often, so my one-man Shakespeare show is by no means dead. It remains very much a part of my theatre plans.
I also hope to write in this blog on broader topics in general next year, which hopefully you shall see when you visit during that time.
Until then, enjoy the holidays, and I look forward to once again sharing an acting experience with you, loyal blog readers.
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