Started off the day with an actor-scholar council. These are podcasts where some actors discuss the creativity and challenges of working on shows. Graduate students from Mary Baldwin and members of the education department attend and ask questions. I was invited to join the As You Like It round-table and provide a voice as a first-timer to the Renaissance Season. It's a mix of scholarship talk and process. I think these are pretty interesting and enjoy hearing what actors have to say about the work. When I was looking up theatres that I would like to work at, I remember listening to as many podcasts from ASC as I could. I'll let you know when the As You Like It episode becomes available.
After that, we went back to Epicene land. The idea was to go back from the beginning and work through the first half of the show. Someone mentioned that these "work-thrus" that we've been doing of late are relatively "new" to the Renaissance Season, and that when we say work-thru, we shouldn't be hesitant to stop and actually work stuff. I know I have the temptation to want to barrel through and get on with things. With that in mind, we definitely worked on stuff. The first scene is giving me some troubles. I can't quite put my finger on it. I mean, it's kind of like an episode of Seinfeld and there's some big exposition-y things going on. Jonathan and I worked on it a bit. I switched up a couple crosses and stage pictures. After that, it felt better, but something was nagging at me. Part of the trouble is that Truewit walks into the room of his good friend Clerimont with no real agenda but to waste the day away. They gossip and chatter for a while and then Dauphine enters with news that his uncle plans to disinherit him by marrying a silent woman. That's when the play kicks into high gear. The "stasis" of the world is interrupted and isn't restored until the end of they play.
Then, during a break or something someone put a bug in my ear about furniture. That's what's missing: something to sit on! I never entertained the idea of putting furniture on stage for this show. It honestly never crossed my mind. It's not that we don't use furniture at the Blackfriars. Even last year for She Stoops to Conquer, we had quite a bit. Other actors started sharing other things from past ren seasons and other shows.
I guess I had avoided the thought because it's a bit of a logistical hassle. Anyway, the more this idea reels in my head, the more I can clearly see the kind of scene I'd been hoping for with this "addition" of furniture. It's just a shame that it's dawned on me rather late in the process. So....I've been chatting with some other actors about this over break. I think there seems to be agreement that it would be helpful and that it's possible. I will broach this on Sunday when we have rehearsal again. That's the bear. Do we go back and work implementing this significant change? Or do we charge forward? (Stay tuned...)
We continued working through the first half--not getting quite as far as we'd plan. But, from my perspective, it was a necessary to slow down and solidify moments/traffic patterns/landing jokes, etc.. I mean, we probably won't get to work on these until right before we open.
That night, we had a performance of Servant of Two Masters.
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