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
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Day 11
We all came dragging in today. A six-day rehearsal week - on top of the fact that most of us have other jobs - makes for a l-o-n-g week.
Today was fun though - we had our "Designer run." The sound, set, lights and costume designers came in to watch the show and make notes. In place of Thom, our set designer, his wife Mavis came. She's going to be "dressing" the set. That is, she'll get the furniture, rugs, telephones and other things we need. I was glad she was there to see the types of things we'll need. Right now we're using a couch that happened to be there, and then rehearsal cubes (wooden square boxes) to represent tables and such. She took detailed notes and will start checking with other theatre companies to see what we can borrow. And then hit the thrift stores! Costumes seem to be under control - Eric's sport coat sleeves were too short, but that's easy enough to fix. And we're anxiously awaiting the arrival of the head coverings we ordered for Lesley. Sound is pretty simple for this one - two different doorbells and phone rings, maybe a little thunder at the top of the show. We've added a radio playing in one part, and got Israeli CDs to choose from. We talked about Curtain Call music, and have decided that at most we'd like a little violin music. And we have to record a message for the phone. Lights got to see the various playing areas we're using. Phx. College struck their huge set Sat. night and re-painted the floor to black today. There must be a thousand coats of paint on that floor!
We ran the whole show - actors were great - and it was such fun to hear the designers at the end - each with a different opinion as to who is "right" and who is "wrong" (of course, neither is - or is it that each is in his/her own way!). After a short meeting where we set the schedule for tech week, the actors came back in. They were exhausted. We just ran through a couple of parts to help seal their blocking and called it a day.
While the actors have tomorrow off, the tech staff will be very busy loading in the set. With any luck, we'll be able to add the furniture on Tuesday, and actually try a rehearsal on the stage Tues. evening. We know there's going to be a lot of re-working of blocking, as the actors acclimate to the new, larger space. We're lucky to be on the set this early - having 8 days on the actual set is wonderful!
Really looking forward to this next big step!
And so it goes
Janet
Today was fun though - we had our "Designer run." The sound, set, lights and costume designers came in to watch the show and make notes. In place of Thom, our set designer, his wife Mavis came. She's going to be "dressing" the set. That is, she'll get the furniture, rugs, telephones and other things we need. I was glad she was there to see the types of things we'll need. Right now we're using a couch that happened to be there, and then rehearsal cubes (wooden square boxes) to represent tables and such. She took detailed notes and will start checking with other theatre companies to see what we can borrow. And then hit the thrift stores! Costumes seem to be under control - Eric's sport coat sleeves were too short, but that's easy enough to fix. And we're anxiously awaiting the arrival of the head coverings we ordered for Lesley. Sound is pretty simple for this one - two different doorbells and phone rings, maybe a little thunder at the top of the show. We've added a radio playing in one part, and got Israeli CDs to choose from. We talked about Curtain Call music, and have decided that at most we'd like a little violin music. And we have to record a message for the phone. Lights got to see the various playing areas we're using. Phx. College struck their huge set Sat. night and re-painted the floor to black today. There must be a thousand coats of paint on that floor!
We ran the whole show - actors were great - and it was such fun to hear the designers at the end - each with a different opinion as to who is "right" and who is "wrong" (of course, neither is - or is it that each is in his/her own way!). After a short meeting where we set the schedule for tech week, the actors came back in. They were exhausted. We just ran through a couple of parts to help seal their blocking and called it a day.
While the actors have tomorrow off, the tech staff will be very busy loading in the set. With any luck, we'll be able to add the furniture on Tuesday, and actually try a rehearsal on the stage Tues. evening. We know there's going to be a lot of re-working of blocking, as the actors acclimate to the new, larger space. We're lucky to be on the set this early - having 8 days on the actual set is wonderful!
Really looking forward to this next big step!
And so it goes
Janet
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Days 9 and 10
Okay, you caught me. I didn't write yesterday. I had stuff to say - worded it beautifully as I fell asleep and never got it written down. And now, of course, I don't remember any of it! I do remember that I confessed to the cast that I was having second thoughts about allowing their characters to become quite so sensitive and vulnerable. Was I ignoring the Israeli aspect to them? They said they were comfortable with the direction their characters were going - and we agreed to see where things led. The last part of the show is perhaps the most explosive. But as they went through it, with tender, heart-felt emotion - I knew I was wrong - or maybe that I was right. How else could this story be told in a meaningful way? The whole essence would be lost if they blustered their way through. They have found a deepness and richness to the characters that surprised me - in a very positive way. I started this morning by telling them they had assuaged any misgivings I had. That I was confident we were on the right path. Now, to get even deeper!
This is the scariest part for actors, I believe. (you can stop reading now, Eric). I thought Lesley took giant steps forward today. In her attempts to make Hannah nervous, she had actually made her timid. I simply reminded her to relax, to use her arms and body more, and to remember she was a strong Jewish woman. During one of our breaks she had mentioned that someone called her an "iron butterfly" - I was set to tell her to add a layer of the "iron" when we did Act 1 today, but suddently it was all there! I didn't have to say a word. The energy was electric - she had taken control of the Act.
Eric has done most of his work in Classical theatre - such as Shakespeare. There the language is melodic and rhythmic. It's easy to get into patterns, which work great in classics, but are a bit less sincere in contemporary theatre. He has such a wonderful voice and a commanding presence, that he would be just fine as is - but I think I can push him a little more - not without some resistance on his part - but that's fine too.
This is the point in the process where we will fine tune, question, argue, and finally come to understandings about things. It can be tricky. But in the end, we should have a stellar production.
And so it goes
Janet
This is the scariest part for actors, I believe. (you can stop reading now, Eric). I thought Lesley took giant steps forward today. In her attempts to make Hannah nervous, she had actually made her timid. I simply reminded her to relax, to use her arms and body more, and to remember she was a strong Jewish woman. During one of our breaks she had mentioned that someone called her an "iron butterfly" - I was set to tell her to add a layer of the "iron" when we did Act 1 today, but suddently it was all there! I didn't have to say a word. The energy was electric - she had taken control of the Act.
Eric has done most of his work in Classical theatre - such as Shakespeare. There the language is melodic and rhythmic. It's easy to get into patterns, which work great in classics, but are a bit less sincere in contemporary theatre. He has such a wonderful voice and a commanding presence, that he would be just fine as is - but I think I can push him a little more - not without some resistance on his part - but that's fine too.
This is the point in the process where we will fine tune, question, argue, and finally come to understandings about things. It can be tricky. But in the end, we should have a stellar production.
And so it goes
Janet
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Day 8
Got a few more comments from my colleague, Mira Hirsch, and passed them on to Lesley - she felt if filled in some blanks for her and helped her to understand Hannah's underlying anger. Hey, I'm always happy to accept help, wherever it comes from, and Mira is a trusted source since she played the role and also worked closely with Motti. I'm really lucky to have this kind of a circle of sources to go to!
We delved more deeply into Act 2 tonight. I'm trying to walk the line between the sterotypical Israeli hot emotions with something more accessible -- and hopefully more meaningful -- to an American audience. Fortunately, we have time to try things a number of different ways.
Can't believe how much we laughed tonight! There are times I'll give a note to Eric and he looks at me like I'm from another planet. But he's always willing to try - and more often than not, seems to agree it helped.
I commented that at one point I thought the women in the audience might turn on Eric's character - both Lesley and Karla disagreed - ah, but they're young! Then again, I could be so wrong! It'll be interesting to see what happens. I'd love to be able to hear the conversations in the cars on the way home. The deeper we dig into the script, the richer it becomes, and the more the characters become 3-dimensional.
It's an amazing process.
And so it goes
Janet
We delved more deeply into Act 2 tonight. I'm trying to walk the line between the sterotypical Israeli hot emotions with something more accessible -- and hopefully more meaningful -- to an American audience. Fortunately, we have time to try things a number of different ways.
Can't believe how much we laughed tonight! There are times I'll give a note to Eric and he looks at me like I'm from another planet. But he's always willing to try - and more often than not, seems to agree it helped.
I commented that at one point I thought the women in the audience might turn on Eric's character - both Lesley and Karla disagreed - ah, but they're young! Then again, I could be so wrong! It'll be interesting to see what happens. I'd love to be able to hear the conversations in the cars on the way home. The deeper we dig into the script, the richer it becomes, and the more the characters become 3-dimensional.
It's an amazing process.
And so it goes
Janet
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Day 7
It's funny how things work out. When I first found out Eric had a conflict for Tues night, I wasn't thrilled. Can't rehearse a 2 person play with 1 person. But then, coming home late Mon. night after auditioning actresses for a yet un-filled role in "The Last Schwartz," (more about that in the next show's blog), I started feeling icky. And in the few minutes it took me to get home, I knew I had a cold - the heat behind the eyeball kind, you know? I stayed home Tuesday - and slept off and on from about 5 pm - good thing there was no rehearsal! Thank you Eric!
Lots of hot mint tea with honey, and a little swig of Nyquil, and I'm doing better today. But I warned the actors tonight that I was only at about 75% and might fade early.
We started work on Act 2 by talking about what's happened to their characters in the 2 1/2 month time lapse. Understanding that will affect their entrances to Act 2. Act 2 seems like it will be a little harder for them - the characters in effect change places - their views, opinions, intensity - While actors like to think they can magically transform themselves into anyone, it takes a little longer to embody a character you don't feel you're like. Most actors enjoy this challenge - and Eric and Lesley will for sure. I'm glad this act is shorter, because we have to dig deeper - find connectors for them. They were off book, though a bit tentative with the lines. We went through 8-10 pages - but by 9:00, I knew I was done. They chose to stay with Karla and Ariana and run lines for awhile.
Today I also connected with 2 other people who had done the show before - Diane Gilboa, the first American producer of the show, who had played the character; and Mira Hirsch from Atlanta, who I saw in the play in NY last year at the Jewish Theatre Conference. I asked them both about some of the script inconsistencies - and turns out they each had different copies of the script than I had! They agreed there were sticky parts, and had worked with Motti to clear them up! I feel so much better! There were just a coupla spots we found that they had missed, but we can correct those easily. Also found out today from Sharron, our Israeli contact, that Israeli phone numbers have 7 digits. Since Eric has to make a phone call, we wanted to be sure. A small enough thing, indeed, but why not make it right?
So - it turned out to be a good day.
And so it goes
Janet
Lots of hot mint tea with honey, and a little swig of Nyquil, and I'm doing better today. But I warned the actors tonight that I was only at about 75% and might fade early.
We started work on Act 2 by talking about what's happened to their characters in the 2 1/2 month time lapse. Understanding that will affect their entrances to Act 2. Act 2 seems like it will be a little harder for them - the characters in effect change places - their views, opinions, intensity - While actors like to think they can magically transform themselves into anyone, it takes a little longer to embody a character you don't feel you're like. Most actors enjoy this challenge - and Eric and Lesley will for sure. I'm glad this act is shorter, because we have to dig deeper - find connectors for them. They were off book, though a bit tentative with the lines. We went through 8-10 pages - but by 9:00, I knew I was done. They chose to stay with Karla and Ariana and run lines for awhile.
Today I also connected with 2 other people who had done the show before - Diane Gilboa, the first American producer of the show, who had played the character; and Mira Hirsch from Atlanta, who I saw in the play in NY last year at the Jewish Theatre Conference. I asked them both about some of the script inconsistencies - and turns out they each had different copies of the script than I had! They agreed there were sticky parts, and had worked with Motti to clear them up! I feel so much better! There were just a coupla spots we found that they had missed, but we can correct those easily. Also found out today from Sharron, our Israeli contact, that Israeli phone numbers have 7 digits. Since Eric has to make a phone call, we wanted to be sure. A small enough thing, indeed, but why not make it right?
So - it turned out to be a good day.
And so it goes
Janet
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Day 6
11:00 am is a much more civilized hour. I even had time to pick up bagels and ruggalah for everyone.
I don't want to give away too much, but there is a bit of a love scene in the show. Today, we were going to tackle it. We talked through the movements first and made sure the actors were ready for it. They assured me they were. Once again, they were wonderful. We've managed to soften the scene a bit - make it a little more romantic - for example, the script says they fall to the floor - but we have a couch right there, so we're using the couch. Don't want to give away too many details!
The actors asked if we could go back over yesterday's work just to nail their blocking (movement) and the mechanics, or technical, aspects of a few thing - so we did. We also spent some time just running lines so they could check where their sticky spots were. Then we went over the last few pages of Act 1 several times. Finally, we ran the whole act! We're in such good shape! I let everyone go around 3:30, rather than staying til 5. Eric has his own theatre company which has to load in its set at Mesa Arts Center and I figured he could use the extra time. His company is doing "The Last 5 years," a wonderful, small musical - opening Oct. 10 - check it out at http://www.class6theatre.org/
The Equity work week is 6 days - Mondays are the traditional day off, so no rehearsal tomorrow. And since Eric is getting his show up, we're taking Tuesday off as well. Wed. night we start on Act 2!
And so it goes
Janet
I don't want to give away too much, but there is a bit of a love scene in the show. Today, we were going to tackle it. We talked through the movements first and made sure the actors were ready for it. They assured me they were. Once again, they were wonderful. We've managed to soften the scene a bit - make it a little more romantic - for example, the script says they fall to the floor - but we have a couch right there, so we're using the couch. Don't want to give away too many details!
The actors asked if we could go back over yesterday's work just to nail their blocking (movement) and the mechanics, or technical, aspects of a few thing - so we did. We also spent some time just running lines so they could check where their sticky spots were. Then we went over the last few pages of Act 1 several times. Finally, we ran the whole act! We're in such good shape! I let everyone go around 3:30, rather than staying til 5. Eric has his own theatre company which has to load in its set at Mesa Arts Center and I figured he could use the extra time. His company is doing "The Last 5 years," a wonderful, small musical - opening Oct. 10 - check it out at http://www.class6theatre.org/
The Equity work week is 6 days - Mondays are the traditional day off, so no rehearsal tomorrow. And since Eric is getting his show up, we're taking Tuesday off as well. Wed. night we start on Act 2!
And so it goes
Janet
Day 5
10:am sure seemed early to me! But our trusty staff had coffee ready, and off we went. Today was what is called a "straight 6." Equity allows us 34 rehearsal hours a week. We use 20 from Tues-Fri and the other 14 on Sat and Sun. 7 a day, right? But, Equity says that if you have a 7 hour rehearsal you have to have a one-hour break - so, the Equity actors and stage manager take a vote as to whether they'd rather do a "straight 6", with a 20 min. break (in addition to regular required breaks) - A "straight 6" counts as 7 hours to Equity.
Clear? It really means that we all get to be away from home for 6 hours rather than 8.
But, it can be grueling. Especially when there are only 2 actors. I try to keep an extra eye on their stamina and their voices.
We made great headway today. Got through another 15-17 pages. The actors are off book this far as well. We worked a lot of the physical movement - they need to be natural and comfortable, but still move around in certain areas for the sake of the audience. So we need to find a reason the character would move - does he need to get something - does she want to get away from him - etc. Their motivation. We're working very collaboratively - the way I love to work. Everyone seems comfortable in making suggestions, and we try it various ways. And the actors are also great at taking direction - so man, I'm a happy camper!
I brought in my old clock-radio telephone as a phone prop. Not one person there had ever seen one before! Okay, so it was a bar mitzvah git to my now 36-yr-old son, but still! They were doubly shocked to find I had just replaced it last week.
About 3:30 you could just see the actors fade....so we wrapped up a little early.
I came home and took a 3 hour nap.
And so it goes
Janet
Clear? It really means that we all get to be away from home for 6 hours rather than 8.
But, it can be grueling. Especially when there are only 2 actors. I try to keep an extra eye on their stamina and their voices.
We made great headway today. Got through another 15-17 pages. The actors are off book this far as well. We worked a lot of the physical movement - they need to be natural and comfortable, but still move around in certain areas for the sake of the audience. So we need to find a reason the character would move - does he need to get something - does she want to get away from him - etc. Their motivation. We're working very collaboratively - the way I love to work. Everyone seems comfortable in making suggestions, and we try it various ways. And the actors are also great at taking direction - so man, I'm a happy camper!
I brought in my old clock-radio telephone as a phone prop. Not one person there had ever seen one before! Okay, so it was a bar mitzvah git to my now 36-yr-old son, but still! They were doubly shocked to find I had just replaced it last week.
About 3:30 you could just see the actors fade....so we wrapped up a little early.
I came home and took a 3 hour nap.
And so it goes
Janet
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