Corporate America: Group Warmups, Stubbed Toes, and More...

Today was a very generous day in terms of running through the show and getting closer to a polished product. We started the rehearsal with a massive group warmup with 3 other casts. This may have been the biggest warmup we have ever done.

The first warmup was enemy/protector, a game where you pick an enemy and a protector to save you from people in the group. You have to keep your protector in between you and your enemy at all times. What ends up happening is everyone starts frantically running around, trying to save themselves from their villainous enemy. The point of this warmup is to present the idea of high stakes. To make the game work you need to believe that your enemy is about to kill you and the only thing you can do is save yourself by hiding behind your protector.

The next warmup was the counting game. Everyone stands in a line, receives a number, and each person calls a number. When your number is called, it is your responsibility to say another number. If you fail, you move to the back of the line, and the people behind you fill in your spot. This is a fun game just to get people's minds focused, which is unfortunate because my cast was especially bad at this game.

Once we started running through, my cast was on target. And boy did they impress me. They called themselves out on things like pacing, enunciation, and diagonal staging without me even saying anything. They've taken these responsibilities on themselves so I can focus on helping them make big choices and come up with big ideas. So far, everyone has done a great job of making awesome choices. Conrad is really understanding the three dimensional staging and plays to all parts of the audience with great ease. Sabina is doing a really good job of staying detached from Conrad at the beginning, but slowly empathizing with him as the show goes on. Sheighla is doing a magnificent job of making a character choice and sticking with it. I have no doubt that they will continue to make great choices and make each new run through the best they've ever done.