Rehearsal #8 - Tuesday, April 29th (6-8 PM)
We had a super fun, two-hour long rehearsal on Tuesday. We started in the small lobby between Conant and the theatre by going over some of the enunciation tongue-twisters ("What a to do..." "I slit a sheet..." etc.). I really felt this was important because two things we have not discussed much are enunciation and volume. Both my actors are pretty solid on enunciation, but they are quite shaky on volume. That's definitely something we need to work on more as time progresses. After that, I gave them a quick situational improv where Quinn has a muscle spasm while walking with Evan. I did a lot of side coaching during this one, which was interesting for me as a director. I like giving these to Nick and Calli because it forces them to think on the spot and to play off each other organically. I think this kind of fun chemistry is crucial for the later portions of the script. I do think, however, that Nick and Calli need to work on generating more serious chemistry and taking time with the script. I need to generate more warmups that focus on that area of the chemistry.
After that, we had two complete run throughs. For one thing, both of them are almost completely off-book, which I was thoroughly impressed with. While the space was more cramped than we're typically used to, I was pleased with how my actors were moving through the space and applying what they know about their characters and translating it into action. I am worried, however, about their volume and their ability to really project their character choices onstage. I think that both Calli and Nick have a tendency to make pretty small choices when they are not speaking, but I have spoken to them about being engaged the entire time, so I think I need to design warm ups that are concurrent with that.
Once we moved to the theatre classroom, we kind of laid on the floor and played the script as if they were looking at clouds. At first, Calli and Nick were making references to clouds themselves, but I advised them to stick to the script. This was really fun because, again, it really allowed Nick and Calli to play with their characters and interpret the scene in a slightly different way. Because the idea of looking at something through different perspectives is so integral to the meaning of the script, I think this exercise was important in helping them achieve that feeling. After that, we had another couple of run throughs, during which we talked about the specific blocking for the rest of the performance. I stopped them a lot to interject notes and to remind them to do certain things, such as keep a purpose to their movement. Again, my cast work very hard to apply the notes I had given them and the movement directions we had established for blocking, and I think they did a tremendous job on Tuesday.
Rehearsal #9 - Thursday, May 1st (MX/F)
Today we had a brief rehearsal before showing Joel a complete run through. We started by doing the "one-upping game," in which each actor stands on a chair and talks about how horrible their life is, and the job of the other actor is to push their companion off of the chair and talk about why their life is worse. Calli and Nick, I believe, can be a little too much in their heads, so I think improv helps them be more natural and more spontaneous. They both came up with some really fun stuff during this, and I think that was helpful. Once we finished that, I summoned Joel, and we did a full run through for him. To me, I thought it was one of the best run throughs we have ever done, but I think Nick, and possibly Calli, disagreed. However, once they left and I talked with Joel, I did realize that there is a lot that I need to change and work on. My original idea for the blocking - having the characters both constantly moving throughout the space on diagonals - does minimize the importance of the words being said and lessens the effect they should have on the audience. What I need to get Nick and Calli to do is to try to connect with each other more - to move to one destination and talk to the other person instead of wandering aimlessly while speaking. Nick and Calli, as actors, need to think about what exactly they want from the other person and use that motivation to drive their movement and drive their reasons for saying these lines. Those are the two major problems I need to fix - their connection and the blocking. I think having them both slow down a little bit - to learn to not be afraid of silence - would be helpful. Other than that, there are small things that we need to change - the entrance, where the proposal happens - but I think these can be fixed. My plan is to go through the script piece by piece in a timely and efficient manner and work through these difficulties so we can produce a more effective performance.
Rehearsal #10 - Thursday, May 1st (7-8:15 PM)
Once I got a hold of everyone - I literally begin every rehearsal knowing where one actor is and being unable to find the other one - I told them what I had talked about with Joel and how we were going to proceed. Both members of the cast were not discouraged by the new changes, however. They both maintained a positive attitude and were willing to work with me to fix what needed to be fixed. We all felt like a warm-up was not necessary, so we moved to the stage and began to work through the script. We only made it through the proposal scene because I was stopping them so frequently, but this method worked well with my actors. Both Nick and Calli responded better to the direction I gave through this method rather than going through a full run through and getting some abbreviated notes at the end. To be honest, I feel like I should have done this work earlier in the rehearsal process. We had such a short rehearsal process anyways due to all the scheduling difficulties that the entire thing feels rushed. I don't think that I'll ever feel like we're close to being finished.
This was a purely technical rehearsal in that we focused a lot on blocking. There were instances with Nick especially where I had to paint the context of the scene before him to help him understand what was needed of him in that particular section of the script. I still get questions from him about how to say lines, which is slightly frustrating, but I now simply tell him to not worry about how he is saying a line or how it looks if he does a certain thing, but to rather construct his performance using a knowledge of his character and understanding what it means to be here with Quinn and what he wants from her in that moment. That has been pretty helpful in getting my actors into the right mindset.
