~ Fifth Rehearsal : NAOMI IN THE LIVING ROOM ~

Fifth Rehearsal.

Stage & Theater Lobby.

April 23 @ 6:00pm.

Our rehearsals have a tendency to start rather dully, which is not good and is something I need to fix. Maybe it's my generally relaxed demeanor or maybe it's just that everyone is tired at the end of the day, but in either case, I need to redesign my rehearsal plan so something changes.

We started today with another Philip's and Jillian's casts. Boppity Boppity Bop or whatever it's called.

THE GAME:

One individual stands in the middle (director) while everyone else stands in a relatively large circle around this individual. The individual will point to someone and will either say Boppity Boppity Bop (to which you must say Bop before the individual finishes saying Boppity Boppity Bop), Bop (to which you must stay silent), Elephant (to which you put your arms in an elephant trunk formation and the people on either side of the pointee must make the ears), and many other actions of this nature. This game is high energy, fast, and forces everyone to be alert and ready. (A great help in fixing my issue).

We proceeded to work on a particularly high energy scene in the latter portion of the performance. The intensity is good, but I think next time we'll work even harder on building up a lot more and really developing a greater feel for the kind of fire within that I'd like them to magnify.

~ Fourth Rehearsal : NAOMI IN THE LIVING ROOM ~

Fourth Rehearsal.

Theatre Classroom.

April 18 @ 6:00pm.

This meeting was for Mike and Franchesca only. Phoebe was absent. When we started, I wanted to work on their behavior during scenes in which Phoebe would have her monologues. I also wanted to work on a specific scene between Mike and Franchesca in which Mike repeatedly copies Franchesca.

We also worked on a scene from the piece. In the scene John copies Johnna... that's all I'll say, otherwise it would spoil it. We ran through the scene a few times, making little adjustments as we went. Trying and retrying. It'll be great, don't worry.

We also did an exercise in which John and Johnna navigate the living room together in silence. This was beautiful. It was useful. It was interesting. They worked extremely well together; they were pointing to non-existent objects that were in the living room and giving them life, they were responding to each other, and they were utilizing the space. The best part was that it was real. It was true. It was interesting. It was even funny at times. Just in the beauty of the realism, John and Johnna worked to make the scene alive and genuinely entertaining regardless of the activity's simplicity. I think the key was not trying to act, but rather to just be and live in the moment. It was also fun as they finished the activity with smiles: always a good way to end a rehearsal.

Corporate America: Off Book

I never thought this day would come, but it finally has. Today marks the first off book rehearsal for my cast. I could see the difference in the way the actors spoke their lines, the way they moved in the space, and they way they focused on the audience. Getting the scripts out of their faces freed them up to do so much more than before. No longer focused on their scripts, the actors were able to move more freely through the space. The only downside to taking their scripts away was they were much less confident when speaking the words. I had told them not to worry if they did not know the lines exactly and just to power through the dialogue. However they dropped whatever they were doing whenever they missed a line. I eventually told them that on the nights of the show, they won't know 100% of their lines and they can't stop the show when they mess up. It's up to them to keep the show going, even if they don't know exactly what they're doing. It's important for them to continue the scene, when they need to say line. That way the ball is never dropped, I can feed them their line, and they can continue the scene as if nothing had happened.

To further cater to the thrust staging of the one acts, I made some small changes that made a huge impact. First, the focal point of the show is a wooden box that Conrad uses as his "cubicle/work station". Before, this box would face the front part of the audience, leaving Conrad fully exposed to them, while only giving the side audience his profile. To add in some sorely needed diagonals, I turned the box a little bit to create a diamond. Now, Conrad can still use the sides of the box, but this way he's always at a diagonal, which exposes him to more of the audience. Conrad will still need to practice using the box this way, because I noticed in rehearsal that he still liked to face the front audience. I'm thinking wooden spikes on the corners of the boxes.

I also gave the direction to always move with a point A and a point B. For example, when Sheighla enters as Cecil, she should move in one straight direction across the stage. That way, movement is less random and the actors can give themselves a reason why they're moving a certain way. Along with this, I told the actors to always think in diagonals. Their point A & B should always be a diagonal across the stage. After focussing on diagonals, I'm noticing that the actors are really starting to think 3 dimensional, which is going to be extremely beneficial leading up to tech.

Next rehearsal I would like to start taking these staging ideas and codify them in a way that the actors can repeat. Hopefully by the end of this week, we'll be able to run through with out stopping and starting.

FLSB 4/28

Tonight I only had my whole cast for a half hour.  We had a quick warm up with Bada Bada, then performing an improv scene in character.  This game helps the actors get into their characters and go over the top with their charcters.  I enjoyed watching them really get into the scene, Calli talking nonstop, Isaiah trying to calm everyone down and take a logical approach the the problem, Summer finding the dark side behind everything, and Danielle doing whatever it takes to brong the attention back to her.  Garrick couldnt come until later.  I also had them walk in the space, and one at a time say a line of theirs.  When someone speaks, everyone has to stop and look at them.  I wanted them to play this so that they could get more used to saying their lines clearly without holding a script.  For the rest of the rehearsal we ran through the script and rre blocked with the new set.  Everyone was discovering new movements and blocking, and that made the rehearsal feel very productive even though it was very short.

Two Guns Rehearsal 4/23

Today I first had Steve and Mariah show me the monologues that I had them write for the other character. They were supposed to learnt hem twice- once as their character and once as the other. There seemed to be some confusion as to the purpose of this, so we discussed that- how, as an actor, you are supposed to know who your character is as a person and, therefore, would know and how he/she would react to certain situations (even if they are not in the script).

            We went through the entire script and blocked it all. I worried less about the acting itself as I did about what they were doing and where they were going. The table will be the focal point of the entire piece- it’s almost as if they are playing the flying disc game while they are acting. They balance each other out on opposite sides of the table. So, we played a sort of game while they did the play. I would be walking around, and their job was to make sure that I could see as much of both of them as possible while still looking natural. Since we have ¾ staging, they need to play around to everyone. Also, whenever I told them ‘turn’, they would have to walk around 90 degrees then say their line on that next diagonal. Whenever I said ‘turn while walking’ they’d have to make that 90 degree transition while saying their next line, but still stopping at that diagonal.

            I told them to work on memorization, and they reluctantly agreed (it’s not fun, I know). We also chatted a bit about costumes, but not anything major.

"Ferris Wheel" - Rehearsal #6

           Today, we started with some activities to work on our articulation and annunciation. We played “I am a mother pheasant plucker,” and “I slit a sheet.” Gib had much more experience doing these activities than Maddie, but Maddie’s articulation was still superb. We then played “…to die today at a minute or two to two…” which required Maddie and Gib to speak in sync, since they had to work together, and they also had to be very articulate. They both did lovely.

            The next game we played was an improv game, which I had them play for ten minutes. They had to use the bar that we use as safety bar on the Ferris wheel as a different object every time I told them to. I told them to change what it was whenever I was getting bored with the scene that was going on. One of my favorites included when they were trying to capture a snake in the Australian Outback. I also especially liked when they were playing limbo with the bar, with Gib being an incredibly energetic and bubbly fun character, while Maddie was a more stoic, more straight to the point type of character. I liked it because these characters were extremely similar to the characters they should play as Harper and Cameron. I also liked when they were playing croquet when Gib said the line when giving Maddie advice, “I’m your sister, I would know,” since this small yet typical line gives the audience a great sense of relationship. I also liked when Maddie used the stick as a walking stick and liked the straight to the point character she portrayed because it resembled Cameron. Harper is essentially a mix of Gib’s limbo character and her nature walk character while Cameron is basically a blend of Maddie’s limbo character and her old woman with the walking stick character.

            We then went through the script, which I divided into specific moments that we could work more individually and perfect individually and then put them together. There are ten moments in all, with the longest one being just over two pages and the shortest being just a couple lines. I also made sure to remind Maddie and Gib to be more physical with what they’re doing, but since they’re obviously still hindered by their scripts, I decided I’m going to wait until next week, when they’re off book to work more on that. One problem I have is that I’m still having trouble having the characters find truthful intention behind some of the lines, and I also feel like I’m having trouble keeping them energized throughout the performance, since most of it is fast-paced. Overall, it was probably the best rehearsal that we’ve had yet.

FLSB 4/25

Tonight we started rehearsal playing BADA BADA, which is a word association game in which the participants make four word phrases. I would then have them act out a scene, using the four wrod phrase as the first line.  Then I had them act out the scenes in their characters.  This really helped the actors become their character, and not be too influenced by their lines.  They had to adapt to a situation that was not a part of the one act and then be their characters and find out for themselves how they react and what they say.  We ran through the second half of the show.  I designed a new set for the show and had them run their lines in it.  It was much esier than I thought it would be to adapt them to the new set.  Most of the show has them all standing up, so I changed a few sitting positions and changed some scenes so that they are not always facing "forward" to the center audience.  Much of the show was directed for persenium, and I am very happy with how it changed.  I had them run this part of the show three times, aftetr my notes.  Summer consistantly discovers new ways to show her emotions and character and little movements and inlections to interact with the other characters.  Danielle keeps coming up with funny additions to scenes which I am excited about, but I want everyone to be memorized before we add more to the script.  Isaiah consistantly suprises me in how real he can perform.  He sometimes does not go BIG enough, he could be more dramatic.  Although, he takes directions very well, whenever I ask him to do anything he does it without question.  They are learning that no matter my question, I have a clear picture in my head of what I want, but I am letting them get their on their own.

Today we rehearsed during a 35 minute block at 11. It was hard to get in the right mind set because we were in the middle of our academic day. On the brighter side, we were able to run through the whole show for the first time. On a less good note, we were only able to run it once because of time restraints. I have the cast their notes but we did not have time before class to act out the notes I gave them.  I need the cast to make strong choices throughout the entire show, even in rehearsal. I have been in their positions before ad know how easy it can be to become too every day, too natural. I need them to be in every moment and not let parts become weak. Certain scenes still do not have specific blocking and they need to make strong choices in these scenes to make it run smoothly. I have been planning a lot if blocking for my next rehearsals because I found that my one act is not three dimensional the whole time. I need to re block certain moments and scene in order to take advantage if the scene. I have a lot to plan out and my cast has work to do but I am very exited to see the show beginning g to take shape!

Tonight I only had Isaiah and Summer.  I wanted to work the final scene witht the two of them since most of it is standing up. I started with playing "I love you" "I don't care" to help them work off of each other.  They had to listen to each other and speak with motivation and for a reason.   We were very productive.  They were able towork off one each other and  create some very interesting synchronized movements.  We mostly worked on when they stand, when they cicle each other, why they speak to each other and what they are trying to say. Lots of stillness, and lots of dynamic between loud and quiet speaking and knowing the difference between the two.

"Ferris Wheel" - Rehearsals #4 & #5

Rehearsal #4 4/23

            Today, we had a joint warm-up with both Jillian and James’ casts. We played enemy-protector in order to energize the casts. However, it eventually devolved into chaos, so we stopped the game and moved on into playing “Bop,” which is the game where someone in the middle will point at people around them in a circle and the people in the circle have to make an animal or another situation. This game tested their readiness and required them to pay very close attention to one another.

            We then split up, and I began rehearsal with interviewing each character about themselves, which I videoed so I could watch it after the rehearsal. First was Gib, who plays Harper. She did well, but sometimes had trouble connecting her improvisation to the plot of the play itself and what the audience learns about Harper throughout the piece. Then was Maddie, playing Cameron. This was somewhat difficult for Maddie. It appeared that she had trouble committing to one idea and rolling with it; she thought too much about what she was going to say instead of just doing it.

            After the interviews, Joel brought us a bar and told us to try using the bar as a prop to hold in order to recreate a Ferris wheel. The bar worked very well. We then spent the rest of the time discussing intention and finding justifications to leaning out of the sides of the car in order for the sides of the audience to be much more engaged.

Rehearsal #5 4/24

            Today, we had a shorter rehearsal than usual. We warmed up playing the floating disc game in order to work more on their physical awareness. We then played “Speaking of…”, “Yes, and…”, and “No, but…” in order to work on our playfulness and the ability to work together. The two found that “Yes, and…” was a much easier game to play than “No, but…” because they could build off of what the other person said rather than come up with their own ideas completely; it was easier and smoother to accept.

            We then worked on justification and engagement of the sides. We spent a lot of the time finding ways to make the bar work for the entire piece, which it did, except we need to find something to do with the bar at both the beginning and the end of the entire piece. The end.

Misadventure: Rehearsals Two, Three, and Four

Thursday, April 18th
After an extremely chaotic week, we were only able to rehearse once last week. Initially, that stressed me out beyond belief, because all I could think was, "Wow, we only have like a month left!"... but then I thought about it, and I realized that not only do I have faith in my cast, but a month is a pretty long time.
It was a very productive rehearsal blocking wise. Shae and Eli are starting to get the hang on working on the diagonals of the stage. The thrust stage (Or three-quarter stage, I'm not sure what the correct term is) can be hard to get used to, but again, I have faith in them to figure things out.
It was an extremely chaotic week, so I couldn't blame them when we hit a bump in our rehearsal. Things just weren't working, so I decided to stop, have them put their scripts down, and we did some improv work for a while. It got their energy back up and really helped to move the rehearsal along.

Tuesday, April 23rd
Unfortunately, with a two person cast, we miss out on getting to play some of the fun warm-up games. Speaking of, in large groups, can be so much fun and energizing. So, yesterday, we warmed up with Connor's cast, so that we could get to experience that. It was a lot of fun and ended up being extremely helpful, because it was the most energized, fun rehearsal we've had yet. Shae is officially memorized, (And officially my favorite), so she was able to start really playing with the physical aspect.
Both of them are starting to become familiar enough with the script that they want to experiment with their lines. Every once and a while, I would stop them and tell them to have more fun with what they're saying, but usually I don't even have to stop them. Either they do it without me trying, or they stop themselves. We had an awesome moment when we found a cluster of lines that we added our own personal touches to. All in all, it was the best rehearsal we've had. I found myself laughing the whole time, and enjoying watching them have more fun then I've ever seen before.

Wednesday, April 24th
Today we warmed up with some more sibling improv. I'm always pleasantly surprised at how easily Eli and Shae work together. There isn't any sort of awkwardness between them, they both are just willing to go for it, whatever "it" may be. Then, we played the game that I still don't know the name of... where one person makes an observation about the other, and they repeat it back at them. (For example: "You're wearing shorts" "I'm wearing shorts?") The point of that game is to make sure your partner is really listening to you. It's all about communicating. Then, we worked on articulation with my favorite tongue-twister of all time, "I am a mother pheasant plucker..."
After that, we continued through the rest of the show, finalizing blocking and tweaking what didn't work. I think we're in a good place. We've gone through the whole show, stopping and starting, twice now, and it seemed like they remembered where they were supposed to be when. Shae is already memorized, Eli is very close to being memorized, I just think he's not giving himself enough credit. I can't wait until he puts the script down. Hopefully as we move forward, things continue to go smoothly.

Corporate America: Unconventional Methods

Today I tried something new in terms of warm ups. I kept the goal from Monday's rehearsal to get everyone energized and ready to have fun. To do this, I thought it would be cool to do something a little bit different and on the athletic side. Today, my cast played stage ball, a game played on the One Act stage with a ball made out of duct tape. It's a hybrid of ski ball and soccer. The goal is to get points by kicking the ball through holes in between the audience platforms. The point of this craziness was 1. to get people's hearts pumping, 2. to get them to play around in the performance space, and 3. to bond as a cast and have fun. In the end, it only tired the cast out. I don't really think they learned anything about the space and I'm not even 100% sure they had fun. I probably won't be playing stage ball in any future rehearsals, but it was definitely interesting trying something new.

Aside from stage ball, we warmed up with a mix of improv games including "yes and," "speaking of," and "one up". These were interesting to see how the actors interpret a situation and come up with ideas on the fly. It also got them topping in on each other, which is incredibly important.

Once we started reading, I noticed that something was off. Actors were speeding through and slurring the dialogue, and weren't really in it. I tried to get them to focus and take time with their words, but that didn't really help. However, after coming up with an idea for one of the characters, I could see that enthusiasm and life was coming back into the rehearsal. Though we ran out of time and couldn't get through the entire show, I made sure to take the time to sit down and talk with the actors about their feelings, questions about the show, and the next couple of weeks ahead of us. I've decided to cancel tomorrow's rehearsal because the actors need to take the rest of this week and finish up their mid terms strong, as well as get off book. I hope next week we can get the energy as high as it was on Monday, then we can get some real work done.

steubenville 4/23

what up everyone!

i just had a fabulous rehearsal in my mind and i am very, very, very excited to have the next one.

we started off working with James and Philip's group. We played a game of enemy protector because we had such a large group and it would get everyone moving. Basically everyone picks one person to be their enemy and one person to be their protector and must always keep their protector between them and the enemy at all times. This game is fun and got everyone moving around to keep up the energy.

then as a group we played boppity boppity bop which is my favorite game EVER. (because of country) and it would take a long time to explain, but it helps with listening and quick reactions because as the caller I would point to a person and say elephant and the person and the people to the left and right would make the elephant.

then the other groups left and we started rehearsing and blocking the show. there was a little confusion at first and we had to stop and make sure everyone was writing things down to keep track. i feel as though i keep changing my mind and i feel bad changing things or adding more movements.. i just dont want the piece to be boring and unimaginative. towards the end we started running through larger chunks and eventually went through everything we have blocked so far and i am really happy with the outcome so far! obviously many things need work still, but we made a lot of progress today as a group. next rehearsal is thursday! off book!

Things to continue working on:
1) more blocking
2) ENUNCIATION
3) playing out to everyone
4) speaking to the audience clearly

Ferris Wheel - Rehearsal #3 & #4

Gib and Maddie on the
Ferris Wheel

4/ 17 Today’s rehearsal was great! It was the first rehearsal with the newly updated cast, having Maddie Groves play Cameron and Gabriella DiVinchenzo play Harper. Maddie Groves was chosen to play Cameron because of her playablity and her ability to have what I like to call “controlled playfulness;” she is able to utilize her skills without getting too carried away.

The first thing we did was Colombian Hypnosis. I had them play this game in order to get the new cast used to working together. They seemed to catch on very quickly. Maddie had superb commitment. Gib had good commitment too, but she tended to break at times. We then played the spaceship game, which was a great game that they both committed to, except at times they both seemed distant. We then played the alley game, where the two would face each other and walk back and forth and respond physically to the other person. Gib was very committed in this game—she seemed somewhat reluctant compared to what happened the last time she played ;)

            We then read the script, and Maddie and Gib finally kissed just to clear the air and address the elephant in the room (the other elephant; not me). We then talked about intention and justification. One thing that they came up with was the line, “do ya park ya cah in Hahvahd Yahd?” in order to better justify Harper finding out where Cameron was from, which has now been inserted in the script. We then went over specific elements and lines, and then ended a successful and inspiring rehearsal.

4/18     

Philip in protective headgear to direct
his new cast

   Today was the next rehearsal with Maddie. We had rehearsal on the roof because of the nice day that we had been having. We started with the spaceship game, but this time, the centerpiece was me, which meant that it was a moving spaceship—that way, they had to both balance and move simultaneously. After that, we played “Yes! And…” so that the two could practice bouncing ideas off of one another and the ability to think quickly. We then played the alley game again, and the two were able to identify more concrete themes and were more cognizant of what they were doing.

            I then had the two improv being on a Ferris Wheel, where they successfully ended up rehearsing with one another the first two pages of their scripts. I then had them to legitimate improv, where they would improvise and I would tell them to change something. For example, they would start with being a couple that has dated for years, to awkward first date, to old couple that’s been married for fifty years, etc. We then ended rehearsal with running through the script and practicing what it would feel like to legitimately be on a Ferris Wheel.

Corporate America: Play Time

Today's rehearsal goes down in my books as the best rehearsal thus far. I went into it with the goal of getting energy and spirits as high as possible. To do so, I started with a warmup from class earlier in the day; the "dolphin clapping game". The game is played by sending someone out of the room, creating actions for them to perform, bringing them back into the room, and having them guess what to do. It's then up to the rest of the group to guide that person by clapping when they do something right. It's a fun game, but it's very useful for two reasons: 1. It gets the actor to listen to the audience and 2. It makes the actor try EVERYTHING until they get it right.

At this point in the process I want my actors to have fun and make choices, and that's exactly what they did. They took their roles seriously, but at the same time they made plenty of choices and had fun within the context of the work. I have never seen the actors so committed to the craziness that is this show. Before I could tell they were hesitant about how they were supposed to play their parts, but by getting them to raise the energy bar and play around, they indirectly found the essence of the show.

For example, Conrad made a choice on how to do the subliminal message part of the show where he tries to show his boss how to work the fax machine. Before he would basically just scream DIE at the top of his lungs, which was ok, but not that great in terms of him keeping his voice intact. Instead, today he made a choice to make the subliminal DIE's a lot more subtle vocally while emphasizing them physically instead. This worked way better in terms of comedy and practicality. Another great example was when Sheighla, as Mr. Sessle decided to get up from the ground in the least conventional way possible. We played around with this idea for a little, and I think the choice she made in the end works the best. Lastly, Sabina made great choices even when she wasn't a part of the scene. She stayed committed and connected to each moment and reacted to whatever Conrad was experiencing.

It's this kind of receptiveness and creativity the cast bring that makes me love my job. When I give a direction they instantly know what I want them to do and they do it. More than that, they end up doing the things that I would never have anticipated, and they're absolutely brilliant. My hope is that they continue to bring this kind of creativity and energy to the rehearsals, and that they continue to have fun with the work.

Moving on with the Catbird Seat

Last week we kept working through the script!
On Tuesday, Emma, Aaron, Jess and I met up on the Terrace to rehearse. We warmed up with movement with the chairs. I asked them to respond to each other and to think about why they might change seats or stay put. I asked them to speed up and slow down as well, for example, by telling them that they were in a very expensive shop and everything was fine glass. Dont. Break. Anything. I asked them to notice each other and respond also, which is important to the piece as a whole. When Emma's character becomes narrator, part of her needs to be aware that Aaron is still behind her. We worked on blocking whch is difficult without the boundaries of the theatre. We also almost saw someone get asked to prom, but we weren't that lucky. Maybe next rehearsal!

On Thursday we warmed up with one of my favorites. "Dolphin" is a game where one actor leaves the room, and the rest determine a task he or she needs to accomplish when they come back. In honors theatre, this task has been anything from "mime eating a cheeseburger," to "climb to the top of the shelves, grab the silver pin, and hang it on the side of the round table so it balances." Props to Jimmy for figuring that one out! All the audience can do to help the actor is clap or boo (but I took away their booing rights). This excersize is great to get everyone trying EVERYTHING. While Jess walked around the room, we could tell she was looking for a task like "write on the white board," or " pick up the glass jar." We wanted her to wave her arms and make an elephant sound. Aaron had to do some exploration too before finding his goal, but its a good excesize for listening and looking at your options as an actor.
Then, I had everyone sit down with a pen and paper. I did this instead of improv because I didn't want to put them on the spot and have them focus on their presence, motivation, or anything that would get in the head. Because, I wanted to ask them about their characters. Who are you? Where did you grow up? Who was your idol? What's your least favorite food? I think it would be helpful to start figuring out these details  consciously. Get a feel for your well rounded character and don't end up leaning towards stereotypes. Even if they forget everything they wrote down, the process of writing it down should help them start to get to know Martin, or Ms. Fitweiler, or whoever they are. I probably won't remember you're favorite food, but our conversation in general would help me get to know you better. You know? I also asked them the difference between what their character thinks of themselves and what they think of their character. another thing to think about.
We brushed up/ran through the first part of the peice just to keep choices and blocking fresh. I gave them quick notes before they had to leave: "turn earlier and farther around," "let the idea stand you up," or "remember, that's a threat." I 100% need to work on stages for three sides of audience and not have them face out all the time. I need to wrok on articulation too. But there are some strong choices happening and I can't wait until we can finish the script! We're under a month away now. It's gonna go by fast!

Two Guns Rehearsal 4/18/13

Instead of working on the script, we did several acting exercises and theater games. We started off with ‘circle time’, which is basically just us talking to each other. Nothing theater related (necessarily), but just casual chat. It’s important to know the people I’m working with, especially because I’ve never really talked to them before. We chatted about colleges and such.

Then, Steve and Mariah showed me their monologues I had them do as homework last time. They were told to write 6-10 sentences to the other character at any point in the script. They won’t actually be used, but it helps with character development, and I want them to use what they learned through this process and apply it to their characters. Steve wrote about how he’s grown to actually like Megan, while Mariah took it a whole new way. Ironically, she wrote about how she secretly knew Ace and hated him for something he did in the past, but he doesn’t remember it. Interesting, huh? I’m having them switch monologues now and do it for we twice- once as their own character (saying the other character’s words- how can you justify your own character saying these words) and another time as the other person’s character (why do you think the other character would say this?).

Then, we played a game where I would point out one of their lines in the actual text and give them a specific direction and they would have to say the line. This exercise helped with creativity, taking direction, figuring out intention behind words, and how their character thinks/moves/acts.

I’ve decided how the stage is going to be set up! The table will be in the middle and they will circle around the table, so the entire audience can see. I will either have them sit down and then find a justification for their standing up, or I will have them stand the entire time and put in some hand switches so they don’t pass out on stage of arm soreness. We’ll work on all the blocking next time.

Until then…

Peaches, cream, and light purple sunflowers,

Sarah

A Long Walk #3

Third rehearsal was nice, I’m glad to have the whole cast together. Patrick and Ann Sophie continue to prove wonderful chemistry, and are building the most charming Newt and Catherine. It makes me happy. All four cast members are taking wonderful direction from me, that is, when I give do-able directions. Today I hit a sort of wall in terms of directing, I felt as though I wasn’t providing enough information for them to work with, as if my directions were dry. I need to give them more tangible directions, do-able actions, livable situations. I keep reminding them of the same things in terms of the situation of the script, and I’m coming to the realization that my directions need to be much more creative and sparking to them. I need to give them more substance to build off of. I gave a direction about magnetic force in terms of Newt and Catherine’s physical relationship, and that was my best point of the day. More planning on my part will make for a more productive rehearsal. 

A Long Walk 4/19/13

Rehearsal went very well tonight, it was the first time we got a solid run through in. Not to mention, I had actors without scripts!! It’s amazing, how big of a change it makes. We’d warmed up with a few quick games, fast and energy inducing. It was a very fun rehearsal, full of giggles and jokes but still plenty of work. The whole no script thing…almost as if I was meeting my characters for the first time, at some points. It opens up so much potential in terms of character work and blocking logistics. Patrick and Ann Sophie kissed for the first time, and they’re so great to work with in terms of such things, as they are not the slightest bit awkward and are very professional. They have a chemistry I have noticed from the start and hope to highlight. Three whole run throughs, as well as some moment work. We’re at the point where we can stop and work moments without losing a general flow. 

FLSB Realization with intention!

Today we got our energy back!  I only had Isaiah, Danielle, and Summer today, and we were very productive.  We started with the improv games NO BUT and SPEAKIBNG OF, anf these games helped my actors speak with intention and act very energetically and really get into it.  They needed to bring their energy back to the one act, and it was back tonight.  Isaiah continues to suprise me.  He always speaks with storng intentions and makes strong movement decisions.  Tonight, he focussed on acting opposing to Summer.  He stays calm when Summer is frantic, and he is frantic when Summer is, well for lack of a better word, creepy. She was speaking a scene tonight too loudly and over dramatic, so I told her to speak with realization and intention, and also quieter.  Danielle and I were currently sitting out and were both felt shivers run down our spines when she did this.  Her acting with Isaiah panic created a beautiful scene.  Danielle has been working on establishing who her character is and how she should say her lines.  Danielle is improving phenomenally with her acting when she is not speaking.  There is a good amount of time in the show where the actor are listening to others speaking or out of scenes entirly, nd Danielle always justifies her character at these times. Whether it is grabbing a drink, or coming to her own realization, she is always fully committed. My cast is really beginning to understand the feel of this show and we are moving through the script at a very good rate!

Corporate America: Insert Clever Title Here

This week had its ups and downs. We found a new way to stage things that really picks up the energy of the piece, but at the same time we haven't had much time to really solidify it because our schedules have been slightly strained. Hopefully this week, we'll be closer to being off book, and then we can have more fun getting into the real physicality of the piece. I think my goal for this week is to get people's blood pumping and have everyone up and moving all the time. I want the rehearsals to be energized, because this show needs to be energized. Maybe I should start bringing coffee into rehearsals. Who knows? I'm excited to see what this week has in store.

A Long Walk #2

Second rehearsal went great! Working one on one with Patrick and Ann Sophie is absolutely a priority, as they need to build their own characters as well as their chemistry through their characters. Finding out who their physical Newt and Catherine is is very important, so we did a warm up in which they simply walk in the space and try different forms and motivations. My goal is for them to know their characters inside and out, beyond the script. We worked just the first scene. Scene work will be drastically easier, especially one on one, once they have their scripts out of hand. At this point, of course the scripts are binding, but they’re still learning their characters and not only the way they speak but also the way they orient themselves around each other. They’ve both proved to be wonderful to work with as they ask questions and still make choices on their own. More to come. 

Stebenville #3

Hello readers.. I hope you are all enjoying yourself thoroughly on this lovely blog written by us lovely students.

My third rehearsal was on Tuesday during an MX block. That was the only rehearsal we had this past week because I decided to be a busy bee and go visit colleges. It was definitly a very productive rehearsal.

We started off with the 1, 2, 3 game where each person chooses a partner and together they count to 3 back and forth. This goes on for a while and then I told one of the partners to choose and sound and movement for the number 1 and then they counted using this and then 2 and 3. This continues for all the numbers. Then I told the groups to have a conversation with each other using their sound and movements. After this they partnered up with a member from the other group and tried to communicate using their different "languages". They all enjoyed it I believe and I found it very funny.

Then read through the script and I gave the actors specific spaces in the space to play off of to help them work on moving and told them to try to move to and from these spaces. When they were speaking I would give them small directions to help them move from place to place. Joel told me it looked as though I was conducting them.

Anyway, since MX is a short block we decided that it would not be helpful to do a specific staging of the show and we will be doing that this Tuesday night instead. I am really looking forward to it.

xoxo
Jill

Speak the Speech

The second meeting of our cast went off without a hitch. Both actors arrived on time, and we began our warm-ups immediately. We played a few improv-ish character games, just to get Brendan and Jason interacting with each-other, and then I sat them down and showed them where their picnic was probably going to be on stage. I explained how they were going to have to adjust their play style because they weren't just playing out to a one-directional audience, but were rather surrounded. They took pretty kindly to this idea, and given the staging of this particular show it shouldn't prove too much of an issue.

I had them read a bit of the script, and after a few minutes it became apparent that some decent amount of annunciation work needed to be done. I ran to the back of the theatre and shouted that I wanted to hear them from there, and they started slowing down, so as to speak more loudly and more clearly. We'll probably do some more speech work in other rehearsals, maybe some tongue twisters (or maybe I'll even make them sing).

~ Third Rehearsal : NAOMI IN THE LIVING ROOM ~

Phoebe as Naomi

Third Rehearsal.

Theatre Classroom.

6:15pm.

Today, Franchesca came late so Phoebe and Mike started playing Colombian Hypnosis*.

*COLOMBIAN HYPNOSIS INSTRUCTIONS: 1) Select a HYPNOTIST, 2) Select a HYPNOTIZED INDIVIDUAL, 3) HYPNOTIST lifts hand and puts palm roughly 6 inches from the HYPNOTIZED INDIVIDUAL's face, 4) HYPNOTIZED INDIVIDUAL follows HYPNOTIST's palm, 5) Enjoy.

First. Phoebe and Mike played with each other, switching who was HYPNOTIST and who was the HYPNOTIZED INDIVIDUAL. Second. Phoebe and Mike separated and were following their own ~I~N~V~I~S~I~B~L~E~ HYPNOTIST. This was understandably difficult for them because they were forced to behave on their own with no external stimuli, which led to the idea that they needed to be creative. This however was not the case. I guess this exercise reinforced the idea that the normalcy of everyday actions can be extremely interesting. Third. Phoebe and Mike used wooden beams as their HYPNOTISTS which was extremely interesting. It was very simple. It was very easy. It was weird. This was confirmed when Franchesca came in, saw Phoebe on her hands and knees, looking intently at the short wooden beam and saw Mike hunched over creeping around and around a tall wooden beam. (THIS WAS GOOD)

We played several games with Connor and his cast, which was great because we rarely get to do large group games since there are only four of us. That was tons of fun and got everyone really energetic and invested which was great.

We then ditched and started script work. We started working on the latter portion of the show just to mix things up. IT WAS GREAT! I liked watching because they are beginning to get a grasp for who they are. They are all making really strong choices which is beautiful to see. They just grow up so quickly... I definitely want to keep working on escalating the intensity level on the last few pages. I think the fast escalation will be really funny.

FLSB take 4

On tuesday night, we had our fourth rehearsal.  We began rehearsal with James's cast and played zip, HA HAYA, and bada bada.  I focussed on making sure my cast stays energetioc.  They were tired, so I wanted them to warm up with games that would energize them.  We then ran through the first scene, the one we rehearsed the last time we met. They remembered most of it, but there was still some parts that were confusing.  I stressed that they need to bring a pencil tto every rehearsal in order to write down all of their stage directions.  They need to memorize movemnent just as much as lines.  One thing I need to wrok on as a director is the staging.  I need to consider the three quarter round stage in more of the staging.  I have been focussing on the diagonals, but I still have to fix some parts.  For example, throughout the show I have a long seat in the back of the stage facing the center audience.  I am going to change this seat to one facing one corner, the middle seat facing forward, and the next seat facing the other diagonal.  The actors need to work on their showing of high stakes.  They were too calm, focussing on their words to make sense more than add to the feel of the show.  This show requires a certain type of over the top acting in order to have the show work.  They had this more when we first began rehearsals, but now they are letting themselves become more "everyday" actors (not over the top).  The staging is coming together nicely, but we still have a lot of specifics to work out.

TWO GUNS 4/16

Since this block was an M/X, it was much shorter, so I skipped warm-ups for the most part. I think it’s really important for the cast and director to be close and to understand each other and listen, so I made a point of talking to Steve and Mariah before we got going. I think for next time I want to make that longer and with more purpose. We need to be comfortable around each other and we really need to build trust. If I’m going to be honest, I have never really talked to either of them before- we simply never hung out with the same crowd. This is my chance to get to know them. It seemed like they weren’t investing themselves fully in the work, so I had them play the ‘Don’t Make Me Laugh’ game, where they literally stare into each others’ eyes and cannot laugh or smile. They grew better at that over a while, and it proved useful, so I think I may repeat that one. 

            We ran the first two pages again and then moved on to the next two pages-ish. They seemed to have lost a bit of the energy from the last time (which even at that time wasn’t quite enough). Also, the lines seemed as if they were just read off the paper- I did not believe them. So, I gave them the direction to put down the ‘guns’ and just talk. Just have the conversation as if they were having a chat on the quad. That REALLY seemed to work. It worked so well, in fact, that I will not even have them mime the guns until tech week or maybe a bit before. They really need to relax. Mariah in particular has a tendency to sound really serious even when she doesn’t mean to be- that’s just naturally something she does, which is absolutely fine We just need to learn to work with that. I gave her the simple direction of “You are very happy today. Be happy as you say your lines.” That seemed to work REALLY well for her, and I instantly understood what ‘Megan’s’ intentions were. She did not even appear happy per se- it just dug Mariah/Megan out of the seriousness and into believability.

That’s the main stuff for now. Next rehearsal I’ve decided that we need to take a break from the script and work on various other things as a cast. We need a more solid foundation, because I feel like Steve and Mariah, however willing they are to learn and work hard (and they are), need some practice in character development, and believably conveying intention.

I think it may be a good idea to start recording some stuff for them to watch, so they’ll be able to see exactly what critiques I am giving them and why.

Bubbles and celery pancakes,

Sarah

Corporate America: in 3D!

Today we had a very short rehearsal mostly with the purpose of refining the work we did in rehearsal on Monday. First we played the flying disk in space game, but instead of being perfectly symmetrical, the actors had to form an equilateral triangle. It was great seeing everyone commit to high stakes, while at the same time thinking about balancing the space with their peers.

With the newfound staging, I immediately started testing the 3/4 thrust staging. I know now that the staging works in theory, but it relies on the actors to make it work in practice. Sheighla and Sabina got the hang of revolving around the center, but Conrad was stuck in the proscenium style of staging, and only focused on the front. I know that this is a result of not having as much freedom with mobility due to the fact that they're still reading from the script. I made sure to let the actors know that I want them to start getting off book now, so we can be more focused on their physicality in future rehearsals.

Another thing we focused on in rehearsal was the separation of ideas. The play constantly delivers new ideas in a very fast paced manner. The dialogue might as well have been written for someone with a short attention span. The actors need to be able to separate these ideas, not only verbally with good enunciation, but also physically, letting each new idea hit them in the head. This is something we've gone over a little in past rehearsals, but I think it will be something we work on as a group throughout this entire process.

Two Guns Rehearsal Number Two

I am very happy with how this rehearsal went. We started off with some warm ups. I grabbed a stick and had Mariah and Steve hold the stick between them with one finger each while maintaining eye contact. I them gave them directions like ‘make the stick dance’. The point of this game was to practice commitment and to practice being serious in a usually awkward and/or comical situation. I also had them use two sticks- one for each hand, and told them that someone has to get both legs over at least one stick. That forced them to work together AND focus at the same time.

Next, I had them go separately and leave cell phone messages to anyone about anything, while I gave them periodic instruction. One thing that stuck out to me was how Steve never flinched or paused or laughed, especially when I told him to talk about last week’s family reunion. And especially when I told him to mention to his mom that he got a new boyfriend!

I had given them homework to really think about their characters, especially using the script as proof of who they are. Mariah has found that Megan is more short and to the point- sassy. Sassy is the perfect word. She is also standoffish, and her young age- 20- shows a lower level of maturity which is fairly clear in the script. She is however, subtly actually interested in listening to (and looking at) Ace. Steve discovered that Ace opens up more to Megan than vice versa, and he’s really sarcastic (just like Megan, too). At 26, he’s more mature, and it’s apparent he has a bit of a crush on Megan, but she’s too ‘cool and sassy’ to do anything ‘bout it. She will flirt a little, though.

We worked on the first two pages of the script, really covering as much as possible. It went really well. We really looked into depth at several lines, and tried to figure out what the characters were really thinking. Remember- there’s a difference between what the character is actually saying versus the subtext. I wrote in lots of sarcasm, and lots of sarcasm-like lines that are a bit tricky to tackle. I told them about how I strongly do not want this piece to be intense and drama-filled. It should almost sound like a conversation in the park over an iced coffee with whipped cream between two people who ‘sorta’ know each other- casual. It contradicts the situation. Bottom line, I want them to relax more. A lot more. Breathe.

Things to still address:

-How they will move, since we need the audience to be able to see as much as possible of Mariah and Steve. Perhaps if they rotate around the table? Gotta talk ‘bout that.

-More energy- lots of the dialogue seems a bit flat, and some of the dialogue seems very flat. I’ve seen them both improve greatly, though, so I know they can do it and I have faith.

-I want to work on chemistry slash cast bonding. We should all get to know each other so we can have a comfortable and friendly zone. I’ll have a short ‘what’s been up’ conversation at the beginning of every rehearsal just to catch up a bit. I am not and will never be that suckish director who just demands stuff and doesn’t actually know the people he/she is working with. And Joel- don’t worry. You’re not one of those.

       Until next time! (tomorrow)

       Cuddles and starfish,

              Sarah

Corporate America: Inspiration!

4/15 Today was the best day of rehearsal I've seen since we've begun. Spirits were devastatingly low at the start, but by the end, everyone's energy was through the roof. We started rehearsal with something I call "circle time". We all sat down on the ground in a circle and talked about our thoughts and feelings. I know it sounds corny, but trust me, communication with the cast makes the rehearsal process so much more productive. Circle time included myself, my cast, as well as some extra folks who wanted to share in the meditation. We ended up discussing our feelings about the recent Boston Marathon Bombing. Emotional moments were shared which allowed everyone to get the bad mojo out of their system before rehearsal. After a little more warming up by playing "Speaking of..." and slapping the bad mojo out of our systems we begun the read through.

After the first read through, it was clear that things still weren't right. Luckily, one of the tagalongs who decided to be our audience shared some ideas on the staging. At the start the staging worked like a triangle; Conrad stood down stage center, Sabina stood upstage right, and Sheighla stood upstage left. For this rehearsal I flipped things around and put Sabina and Sheighla downstage, and put Conrad upstage. However this change in staging didn't help. I hoped that the new staging would give the cast more freedom to move around and cheat out to the entire audience in the thrust stage. Instead it made them even more static and still. The audience member's suggestion was to place Conrad center stage and make him pace around and cheat out to the entire audience, all the while Sabina would pace around Conrad and cheat out to the audience as well, then Sheighla would run back and forth on and off stage for her scenes, entering from a new place every time, and cheating out to the audience. This plan sounded crazy enough to work. I agreed to give it a shot and had the actors prepare for another read through. Surprisingly, this new staging got the energy in the actors pumping.

They were making the stage their play ground and taking advantage of every part without me even saying anything. Before we began the next read through I gave the actors some doable notes that proved to be very useful. I told Sheighla to get out of her everyday energy and to read all of Cecil's lines as if they were the most exciting news she'd ever heard. I told Conrad to let the motivation be a literal kick in the ass. I told Sabina to make choices for the narrator both physical and verbal. I was absolutely blown away by what I saw. With the new surge of energy, my actors took my direction and went further than I could have expected. They saw what I wanted and went with it. They made choices and it was beautiful. I'm immensely proud of my cast and can't wait to see them make even bigger choices as we rehearse.

FLSB Part 2

We had our second rehearsal last night.  We started with playing the game J'ACCUSE to practice building up tension in a life or death situation.  We then proceeded to move through the first scene of the one act.  I was very impressed by the ability of my cast to make strong decisions on their own.  I told them to go through the scene always having three people sitting and two people standing.  My cast is growing used to being on stage,  but not being in the spotlight.  Everyone is on stage for the beginning of the show, but there are lots of little conversations that break out.  I worked with how the characters react to one another, and how they interact with each other based on their characters.  I had them walk in circles with their conversation partners, and I also had them cross the stage a lot just to see how different things looked.  We need to always stay focussed on what the main focus of the scene is. We also need to work on having a strong understanding of where you can look.  There are three audiences around the stage.  They were getting much better at this as the rehearsal went on, always standing either forward or at diagonals to the corners of the audience.  I look forward to our next rehearsal!

~ First Rehearsal : NAOMI IN THE LIVING ROOM ~

First Rehearsal.

Conant Gallery.

6:00pm.

Start: Dolphin Game Warm-up:
Instructions: 1) An "ACTOR" leaves room. 2) Remaining compadres decide a task which the "ACTOR" must complete. 3) Said "ACTOR" returns from oblivion. 4) Said "ACTOR" begins to guess the task which the compadres decided upon. 5a) If said "ACTOR" begins to accomplish the task, the compadres clap uproariously. 5b) If said "ACTOR" does not begin to accomplish the task, the compadres remain silent. 6) The game ends when said "ACTOR" completes said task.

It was surprisingly easy for my cast during this game of react and response. MICHAEL and PHOEBE completed their tasks quickly and rather easily. FRANCHESCA accomplished her task after many trials (likely as a result of her task being to bring a chair into the men's restroom and then sit in another chair. The restroom is where we... rest? That doesn't sound right.) This game led into a successful discussion about responding to each other, trying different things, and reacting creatively and quickly in response to external stimuli.

We then played a less than successful game of Yes, and...
It may have been because we were "planning our adventure to camel land" . . . ?
However, it was helpful afterward to briefly discuss why we were playing the game. We touched on the idea of responding quickly and playing off of one another. The main idea was to always say yes. And run with whatever ideas were presented. Although when you're discussing travel plans to a land of camels, it is a bit more difficult than something more everyday.

We started reading through the script and it went really well. The biggest issue with directing is that I'm also an actor and I need to resist the urge to act things out for them. It is difficult to stick to using verbs when giving instruction because there is a natural tendency to say, "Be happier," or , "I need you to be really sad." Instead saying, "Put your hands above your head and smile," or, "Drop your shoulders forward and stare thoughtfully at the ground." The second set of instructions were much more difficult to write and so it is much more difficult to produce these responses spontaneously in rehearsal. It takes a second to think of them. So I think I really just need to be frank with my cast about this issue and we can converse about different issues that they may be facing as well. I think it will help us to grow as a unit and will help us progress faster in terms of the actual production.

A Long Walk To Forever #1

First rehearsal of Forever went very well. It was thrilling as a director to finally get their scripts in their hands, and to hear it out loud for the first time with my actual cast!! I was impressed already, with how they handled the language. Articulately, accurately, easily even. Very exciting. We read through about twice, and mostly discussed. I came up with a few notes to leave them to work with, mostly character based stuff. It was harder than I thought to stay away from adjectives, and give situational based directions. Sometimes it was hard to come up with! I said a few things, like “Remember the history of your relationship, and let it show in the way you interact with each other” rather than “act more like your married.” Or “make her want to come with you, charm her! Do what you have to do.” Rather than “Be more charming and boyish, be more mischievous.” It will get easier, especially as I get to know my cast as actors. It’s surprisingly intimidating, something I didn’t expect. But it’s still very fun, I just need more practice, as they do rehearsal. One down, many to go.

Ferris Wheel - Artsy Rehearsal #1 & #2

Today, we didn’t have very much time to meet because Adrian had to go to study hall, and because it was a Monday, it had been a long, busy day, and everyone had a lot of homework to do for the rest of the week. We read through the script, and I showed Gib and Adrian the floor plan for the set, which is simply a bench raised above the ground (what exactly the bench is on is still undetermined) that is as far upstage as possible in order to optimize the viewing angle for the audience.

Thursday, April 11          
Today, we started with playing Colombian Hypnosis. At first Adrian seemed confused about the game, but as it went on, he began to catch on and understood completely what we were doing. Gib had played the game many times before, so hopefully she knew how to play…but you never know with Gib. After leading one another with different body parts, they had to lead their imaginary partners, which started out somewhat rough, but as time progressed, they got much better. I had them play Colombian Hypnosis in order for them to be physically aware, as well as to be able to cooperate well with one another.

            The second game we played was “Yes! And…” in order to allow Gib and Adrian to be able to top in on each other, as well as be able to work together via their diction and syntax. It also required them to think swiftly and be quick on their feet. The first prompt they had was that they had to plan their summer vacation together (which turned rather sexual rather quickly) and the second was that they were the marketing team, designing a type of paint that the applier could choose the color of.

            The last game we played to warm up was the alley game, where Gib and Adrian stood across from each other in the room and could only move along that single axis. They did a great job, but when I was asking them questions about it after, they didn’t seem to understand what they just did. I had them play the alley game in order to be able to work together more, and also so that they would be able to practice responding to one another.

            We then started with our scripts. I had Gib and Adrian walk around the room and read the lines, and when I said “stop,” they would freeze exactly where they were, and when I said “go,” they would continue walking. I did this in order for them to be spatially aware of their physical beings, as well as in order for them to be cognizant of their positioning. We ended with starting the basic staging and practicing actually being on a Ferris Wheel. In order for them to remember to jerk forward, I slapped a music stand instead of the usual sound cue that would occur.