Rehearsal, Rehearsal

(NOTE: I've added a Photos and Resume page on the right side. I have yet to add the resume, but there are plenty of cool photos to check out)

We had a strange rehearsal today.

We had a speed-through for lines and blocking. I wasn't too hung up on much, but I did have some issues toward the end. But I know exactly which spots to reexamine; it's not so nebulous and fuzzy as last week was--PROGRESS!

THEN was the doozy. We worked through the first half of the show and went and had no restrictions of lines, blocking or anything. We could speak what would come to our heads, which created some incredibly powerful moments. We had conversations (rather than an exchange of monologues, which is how the show is written).

Afterward, our director said that we've been too rigid and technical. We've got the basics of the more mechanical things. We have to trust that foundation and start jumping and flying higher. We have to find ways to actively show what's going on in our heads as another person's talking. It's about having permission to experiment and play. We don't have much time for that, but there's still time.

In other words, we have to channel the exercise into the constraints of the blocking and lines. This is going to create some even more beautiful moments.

I think we were pretty playful toward the beginning of the rehearsal, but that kind of petered out when we got worried over the lines (there are a ton, I know that's not a good excuse, but there are some insane passages in this show).

Now, my key is to get into the right framework for the beginning of the show. That's going to help inform the transformation Death has (and yes, he goes through quite the terrain). It's a safe room. I'm doing a lot of weird things; so I have little reason to feel self-conscious.

We open in ten days!

In other news, I begin rehearsals for the next show in a week. I'm really excited. It won't be your typical Ibsen, methinks.