...From Rehearsal

Hi Guys,

I'm posting from rehearsal for "A Play on War," at 8th Avenue and 36th Street. There are currently eight adults in various states of dress and undress, with their lines memorized to varying degrees, trying to do bizarre choreography, learn eight songs, find their props, make sense of a complicated timeline, and figure out where they want to call to order take out.

It looks pretty ridiculous.

At this point, we've been through two weeks of rehearsal...and our first preview is ten days away. It's an inhumanly short rehearsal process, but even so, it's as much rehearsal time as just about any Equity (read: unionized) show gets these days.

Add to that: this baby's complicated. The show has, in fact, more "moving pieces" than any show I've ever done. Song, dance, fight choreography, several languages, bicycles, immobilizing costumes, and one of the most venerated "source scripts" of the 20th century -- in other words, the whole endeavor is one enormous, expensive opportunity to screw up.

Why am I not losing my mind?
Or, actually, losing it but only a little?

Short sentences.
When I don't know what to do, I ask myself:
"Am I taking the play to the story?"
"Does this order of events make sense?"
"Is what I'm hearing from actors PRESCRIPTIVE? Okay, I don't like that solution, but they're pointing me to a problem"
"Is that moment enough of an INVITATION to the audience?"
"What QUESTION does that moment raise? Is it the question I want my audience asking, or does it distract?"

I've made four changes to the script tonight. They all required me to think about things we've ALREADY discussed in class.

I encourage you to flex your muscles over the next couple of days, and see if you can start to apply some of the things we've discussed as you listen to your very bad plays in the mouths of your very generous classmates.

See you Thursday.

-jc