DAY 12

Yikes!  What a difference being on the big stage - and man, it is big - very wide.  The set was partially up - enough for us to work on.  Course, it's not without its problems.  Our TD (technical director) accidentally got a door which opens down stage (toward the audience), which blocks the entering actor.  He asked if I could live with that - the answer was easy - "no."  And then we realized there are no side masking walls for when each actor leaves the stage for a few seconds.  They would be leaving the apartments right into full view of the audience - not good!  Fortunately, Karla has a great tech background, and in a few minutes she came up with a relatively easy fix.  Of course, every fix just means more time and more money - but they have to be done.  Likewise with the furniture.  Our set people have been with us a long time and are always looking out for our pennies.  But, the couch was missing a back cushion - they thought they'd fill it with throw pillows, but I don't think Hannah would have decorative pillows on her couch - and the chair they found has such a high back, that if Lesley stands behind it, we can't see her - plus her feet don't touch the floor! (Have I mentioned how tiny she is!) So, I have to assure them that they can, indeed spend a little money to get the appropriate look!
We went through the show slowly, making changes in blocking that the new stage demanded.  The major difference is that now that they have all that room, they don't need to move around quite so much - so we eliminated some crosses that are now not necessary.  The hardest thing about this stage is that the audience is almost a semi-circle around the stage.  On a regular, proscenium stage, actors learn to work on the same plane - even with their scene partner, so as not to upstage the other one.  That is, not to make the partner have to turn away from the audience (upstage) to talk to them.  This stage is just the opposite.  You need to avoid being on the same plane, as it closes you off to most of the audience.  You need to stand at a diagonal from each other.  But the cool thing is that you can turn away from part of the audience, and the other part sees you great!  So, it's tricky - but kinda fun.  It's going to take some getting used to, but they were adjusting fine. 
Oh, and remember we had found an image on the net that needed to be photo shopped to make it work?  Well, Ariana's friend, Eduardo, did a wonderful job - I had it blown up and took it in tonight - and it's so great that I'm going to have another one made for the other side of the stage as well.  You have to come see the show to see what it is.
And so it goes
Janet