ARS Day 32

Today we started EPICENE, OR THE SILENT WOMAN by Ben Jonson.

We began with a table read of the play, which was full of laughter and groaning. There are some crazy lines and language in this play (not to mention some slightly convoluted plot points).

We've got a growing list of songs (which promise to be fun).

This is my "big" show in the Ren Season. I definitely have the most lines (500+). When you've got that load, people start looking to you for leadership. Needless to say, I've got a big load on my shoulders.

Anyway, we determined to focus on getting the first half of the play up on its feet for this first week. Time is somewhat on our side with this show (since we're in full swing with student matinees and rotating rep during the weekends). I'm grateful for that. Of course, this is a tough play to split the cast up. We can't double-dip that much. Most people are needed whenever we work scenes. It's tougher to divide and conquer. That said, there's going to be a lot of downtime for other actors, which I'm sure they will appreciate.

I was overwhelmed much of the day. The tough part is figuring out with what to really concern myself. Right now it's a jumble of recalling lines, figuring out blocking, and making sure we're all on the same page with the story and what's actually happening in the scenes. A big thing about this play is characters are commenting on other characters without them hearing (and often it's not noted whether or not it's an aside). It's tricky. I'm also one to want perfection on day one, which is just setting myself up for disappointment. All that said, we've managed to get 2 of five acts on their feet within the first day. I've already got a list of things I'd like to work out.

That's the other thing that's challenging: how much to you sketch out on the first look at scenes, or how much do you try to solidify right away? I'm feeling a pressure to just slap some paint on the canvas, hoping to get the details in later. But there's another part of me that would love to explore a little more and hope more of the scene sticks. At breaks, I frantically scribbled out blocking (which is constantly shifting).

I know it's only been day one. Things will be just fine. But this show is going to be quite the learning experience.