Fridays rehearsal was long coming. We were unable to rehearse because of the rain on Wednesday pushing Colby's game to Thursday.
We worked on blocking the rest of the show (after the push) in the theatre. We able to complete the rest of the show! Of course it still needs more work to be fluid but actors have great command of the stage and are defiantly getting there.
After the push worked with remembering diagonals and how to keep their voices loud even if they are 'speaking softly'.
It was their first day without scripts so a lot of their energy was put towards trying to remember their lines. Both forgot some of their lines which gave the run throughs alot of hiccups. It also made them forget their blocking and their hops and pauses. They seemed to rush through the lines. However the main problem was with both Paige and Colby forgetting their diagonals.They seemed to rush through the lines. I hope that as we continue to rehearse they will become less self conscious of their lines and remember their original blocking.
The other thing we dealt with was how quiet both of they were being, especially Colby. It was an intimate scene and both played the emotions and and motivations of the characters beautifully. However it was damn near impossible to hear them. We did a couple of enunciate games (I slit a sheet and I bought a box of biscuits) and worked on projection. I explained to them the difference between being loud and projecting their voice across the theatre. Both need more work but as it goes I think it was good.
I talked with Joel after and he recommended that I have my actors sitting down for less time and I don't disagree with him. I think that the last scene, though it is intimate, can have more dynamic staging. I don't want to lose the idea of polar magnets in the last scene.
Next time we will work on getting the diagonals back, playing with more dynamic staging, and projecting.
Monday, May 5, 2014
John and Emily Rehearsal
Today we accomplished a lot and now I know what direction to go in. We did a run through after a few warm ups to get their energy up. Watching the run through I realized there are still some areas they need to get their energy up and not just go half way. There were many times where they would try to get angry or be hurt and it came off not as realistic because they were not fully invested. That is the biggest concern for me right now.
After reading through Joel's notes I ale realized some of the staging, like the movement at the end has to change. This note made me realize I need to spend next rehearsal really working through those moments. I think from now on I am going to push them further to make bigger choices and make their characters actions more clear.
I am the most proud right now that they have not regressed or forgotten what we talked about at previous rehearsals. They both are making improvements at every rehearsal and this is good progress
After reading through Joel's notes I ale realized some of the staging, like the movement at the end has to change. This note made me realize I need to spend next rehearsal really working through those moments. I think from now on I am going to push them further to make bigger choices and make their characters actions more clear.
I am the most proud right now that they have not regressed or forgotten what we talked about at previous rehearsals. They both are making improvements at every rehearsal and this is good progress
Rehearsal Five
I was not a fan of this heads holiday. I did like it because I was able to sleep for a very long time but it got in the way of my rehearsal schedule.
However we were able to have a rehearsal during this mx block. I was happy to see that the presence of Joel has even less of an effect on Colby and Paige now. Joel also commented that our rehearsal were 'fun' so that also makes me happy.
As always we did a little moving in the space but we quickly got down to business. We ran through the first half of the scene and stop and did notes. All of what we have rehearsed so far has stuck with both Colby and Paige. The first half of 'The Dog' looks as good as ever.
We then moved on the the infamous push secene. I call it infamous because both actors seemed a bit befuddled on why it was in the script and how it was suppose to go. We spent a good portion of rehearsal blocking it and talking about the motivations behind the push.
I first started out by showing them the kind of humor I wanted this sense to be like. I asked Colby to put his hand on my head and I ran trying to 'attack' him. The gag was ridiculous and I explained to Colby that what Lizzy was trying to do was ridicouls.
We then worked with the push in the same way. Paige pushed Colby in such a way that it gave the illusion that she was pushing Colby hard but it had not effect on him. I asked them to do this, putting their script down. Colby burst out into peals of laughter and I asked him why, as a director, he nail on the head.
We talked about how James was not taking Lizzy seriously. Lizzy chimed in that in real that would only make her even more pissed off. I shouted 'YES!'. We tried the scene again and it started looking better and better. Both actors now understand what motivations are behind the push and why it is such a high tension moment. Colby and Paige continued to work off of each other and draw on their own experiences. (Paige even noted that when she was really pissed off her voice got higher and it was now starting to show in the push scene).
Though the blocking did take a majority of rehearsal I am happy with how it looks. I think both actors understand the motivations behind their characters and genuinely express them during the scene.
However we were able to have a rehearsal during this mx block. I was happy to see that the presence of Joel has even less of an effect on Colby and Paige now. Joel also commented that our rehearsal were 'fun' so that also makes me happy.
As always we did a little moving in the space but we quickly got down to business. We ran through the first half of the scene and stop and did notes. All of what we have rehearsed so far has stuck with both Colby and Paige. The first half of 'The Dog' looks as good as ever.
We then moved on the the infamous push secene. I call it infamous because both actors seemed a bit befuddled on why it was in the script and how it was suppose to go. We spent a good portion of rehearsal blocking it and talking about the motivations behind the push.
I first started out by showing them the kind of humor I wanted this sense to be like. I asked Colby to put his hand on my head and I ran trying to 'attack' him. The gag was ridiculous and I explained to Colby that what Lizzy was trying to do was ridicouls.
We then worked with the push in the same way. Paige pushed Colby in such a way that it gave the illusion that she was pushing Colby hard but it had not effect on him. I asked them to do this, putting their script down. Colby burst out into peals of laughter and I asked him why, as a director, he nail on the head.
We talked about how James was not taking Lizzy seriously. Lizzy chimed in that in real that would only make her even more pissed off. I shouted 'YES!'. We tried the scene again and it started looking better and better. Both actors now understand what motivations are behind the push and why it is such a high tension moment. Colby and Paige continued to work off of each other and draw on their own experiences. (Paige even noted that when she was really pissed off her voice got higher and it was now starting to show in the push scene).
Though the blocking did take a majority of rehearsal I am happy with how it looks. I think both actors understand the motivations behind their characters and genuinely express them during the scene.
Rehearsal Four
Today we jumped right in to moving in the space ( we were lucky enough to have the theatre to use). Both Colby and Paige were extremely exhausted from sports. Paige forgot her script and I think I almost killed her by telling her to go 'run' and get it. From there we went to the diagonal game, which was just moving in the space but using the diagonals.
Gib and her cast popped in on us for a bit and it was good to have them there. Both actors are a bit un-used to having an audience so it was good for them to have a taste of what it was like to have other people watching while they preformed. They had some problems not looking at the audience. It is the same as when Joel is in the room. Both Colby and Paige seem to stiffen a bit. They are not as big in their choices and sometimes become flustered with how they say their lines. However after a few moments both Colby and Paige fell out of the stiffness and became more comfortable. I would like to have Gib and her cast or other casts pop in on us more often because I think it will prepare the actors for what it is like when show time actually rolls around.
After Gib left with some encouraging words to both me and the cast, we continued playing. I pushed Colby to make bigger choices. He has gotten a lot better about taking side direction and takes these directions in the moment, instead of stopping the scene to ask questions. Sometimes when playing a call in response game (example: 'Where where you'... 'I was at home'), Colby only has a range of angry, going from slightly pissed off to yelling. After prompting him a few times to 'change his tactics' because Lizzy 'was not listening to him', he really got into the game switching his tactics to pleading, joking, serious, friendly. It was good to see this and I told him that he needs to apply these different tactics to the script.
It was also beneficial to see Colby change tactics because of Paige responses. With his investment in the game came her total investment in the game. At one point she got on a chair to respond to one of Colby's tactics. Other times she wouldn't even respond to his questions. This beautifully transferred into her role as Lizzy because of her reactions to James.
The other thing I worked on with Paige was her searching for Charlie. We talked about it together and Paige and I both came to the solution that though it was frantic it was really more of an avoidance technique. This improved the veracity of Lizzy character immensely.
We then did a ran through the script up until the 'push'. Both remembered the idea of the diagonals wonderfully and the overall picture of the stage looks wonderful. Both remembered their staging from the previous rehearsal which makes me very happy. They also both remembered the ideas of long pauses and hopping (Joel calls it topping in but Paige decided it should be hopping so there you go).
Though I had them stop at the push (it hasn't been choreographed yet) I let them run the whole thing without giving side direction and waiting for notes at the end. I said last time that I wanted to try to let the actors run for longer giving them time to play out the scene. It was the right descion. I am very happy with what the first half of 'The Dog' looks like.
I gave notes and we continued to run it (each time it looked better and better), until Paige had to go catch the bus.
Gib and her cast popped in on us for a bit and it was good to have them there. Both actors are a bit un-used to having an audience so it was good for them to have a taste of what it was like to have other people watching while they preformed. They had some problems not looking at the audience. It is the same as when Joel is in the room. Both Colby and Paige seem to stiffen a bit. They are not as big in their choices and sometimes become flustered with how they say their lines. However after a few moments both Colby and Paige fell out of the stiffness and became more comfortable. I would like to have Gib and her cast or other casts pop in on us more often because I think it will prepare the actors for what it is like when show time actually rolls around.
After Gib left with some encouraging words to both me and the cast, we continued playing. I pushed Colby to make bigger choices. He has gotten a lot better about taking side direction and takes these directions in the moment, instead of stopping the scene to ask questions. Sometimes when playing a call in response game (example: 'Where where you'... 'I was at home'), Colby only has a range of angry, going from slightly pissed off to yelling. After prompting him a few times to 'change his tactics' because Lizzy 'was not listening to him', he really got into the game switching his tactics to pleading, joking, serious, friendly. It was good to see this and I told him that he needs to apply these different tactics to the script.
It was also beneficial to see Colby change tactics because of Paige responses. With his investment in the game came her total investment in the game. At one point she got on a chair to respond to one of Colby's tactics. Other times she wouldn't even respond to his questions. This beautifully transferred into her role as Lizzy because of her reactions to James.
The other thing I worked on with Paige was her searching for Charlie. We talked about it together and Paige and I both came to the solution that though it was frantic it was really more of an avoidance technique. This improved the veracity of Lizzy character immensely.
We then did a ran through the script up until the 'push'. Both remembered the idea of the diagonals wonderfully and the overall picture of the stage looks wonderful. Both remembered their staging from the previous rehearsal which makes me very happy. They also both remembered the ideas of long pauses and hopping (Joel calls it topping in but Paige decided it should be hopping so there you go).
Though I had them stop at the push (it hasn't been choreographed yet) I let them run the whole thing without giving side direction and waiting for notes at the end. I said last time that I wanted to try to let the actors run for longer giving them time to play out the scene. It was the right descion. I am very happy with what the first half of 'The Dog' looks like.
I gave notes and we continued to run it (each time it looked better and better), until Paige had to go catch the bus.
John and Emily
Todays rehearsal was a bit more laid back then normal. We started off doing Katelyns favorite game she chose. It was a game where one sat on a bench and the other tried to get that one to move. as we went I gave them new tasks transforming the game. This was fun and my actors worked well with directions
Next we did a run through. My main concern for today was to see where they were memorization wise and for now I am happy. I still want to push them to have it all memorized soon. We worked on some blocking again that they forgot and did a lot of talking through sections. This was important but I don't want to do to much of this next time or soon.
Today I think they improved a bit on chemistry through the playing around with each other. I really like the atmosphere in the room and they have with each other. They improved mostly today in steping into their characters. with out having to hold the scripts I could more clearly see who their characters were and saw them much more invested in the scene.
I still need them to make bigger choices and up the energy but this is a good place to be.
Next we did a run through. My main concern for today was to see where they were memorization wise and for now I am happy. I still want to push them to have it all memorized soon. We worked on some blocking again that they forgot and did a lot of talking through sections. This was important but I don't want to do to much of this next time or soon.
Today I think they improved a bit on chemistry through the playing around with each other. I really like the atmosphere in the room and they have with each other. They improved mostly today in steping into their characters. with out having to hold the scripts I could more clearly see who their characters were and saw them much more invested in the scene.
I still need them to make bigger choices and up the energy but this is a good place to be.
4/29 - Lipidleggin'
Nicholas Guarracino
I did my first off-book, and it didn't suck!
Lets start off from the top. I'm trying to get my actors in a mood to be playful without breaking. That is a problem I've been having with them. I might give a comment ,or there might have been a mistake, and they feel the need to make a comment or remark. It's like "The Sparrow", except I have become Joel.That man mus have the patience of an angel.
We moved in the space before tongue twisters, and did a run through. The first run through, on book, was OK. They din't move in the space enough, and as such didn't present themselves to enough of the audience. So I did some diagonal work with them, some movement work, some character work, etc. The idea was to improve their ability to present their characters.
And then I gave them a surprise off-book run. And to be honest, I didn't expect as much from them as they gave. They told me they only had half their lines. They only asked for lines a handful of times. And they got the majority of their ques right! It's almost like this whole "rehearsal" thing actually works,and when I ask them to "memorize their lines", they actually put in the effort to memorize lines!
Am I worried? Yes! Hell Yes! It's essentially March, which means I have two weeks left. But I'm hopeful. If I can get my props in to them by next week, and get us back on the stage, then we will have one Hell of a play. Knock on wood for my optimism, but I don't think the play will suck.
Much.
I did my first off-book, and it didn't suck!
Lets start off from the top. I'm trying to get my actors in a mood to be playful without breaking. That is a problem I've been having with them. I might give a comment ,or there might have been a mistake, and they feel the need to make a comment or remark. It's like "The Sparrow", except I have become Joel.That man mus have the patience of an angel.
We moved in the space before tongue twisters, and did a run through. The first run through, on book, was OK. They din't move in the space enough, and as such didn't present themselves to enough of the audience. So I did some diagonal work with them, some movement work, some character work, etc. The idea was to improve their ability to present their characters.
And then I gave them a surprise off-book run. And to be honest, I didn't expect as much from them as they gave. They told me they only had half their lines. They only asked for lines a handful of times. And they got the majority of their ques right! It's almost like this whole "rehearsal" thing actually works,and when I ask them to "memorize their lines", they actually put in the effort to memorize lines!
Am I worried? Yes! Hell Yes! It's essentially March, which means I have two weeks left. But I'm hopeful. If I can get my props in to them by next week, and get us back on the stage, then we will have one Hell of a play. Knock on wood for my optimism, but I don't think the play will suck.
Much.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Honey, I Love You - Rehearsals #8, #9, and #10
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.
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.
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