Regular Rehearsals Have Begun!

Last week I established a regular rehearsal schedule with my actors for the rest of March.  We will be rehearsing on Mondays from 12:30-2:30pm and on Fridays from 12-2pm.  Wes and I started off with a one-on-one rehearsal on Friday where we reviewed the scene from Melancholy Play that we blocked several weeks ago and made some adjustments based on lighting decisions I've made.

There will be three spots on stage: one up center, one down right, and one down left.  When possible I am going to try to place actors in these spots, not only for statue moments, but for the action of the scenes as well.  This will simplify lighting for most scenes, and also serve the style of some scenes very nicely.  For example, the scene from the expressionistic play, Machinal, that we blocked at yesterday's rehearsal relies a lot on the disconnect between the main character and the other people on stage.  By using the downstage spots I can create a severe sense of disconnect between the characters and emphasize the isolation of the main character who will be all alone upstage center.

But I'm getting ahead of myself! In addition to making adjustments to the Melancholy Play scene we blocked the scene from August: Osage County.  By putting this scene on its feet and having in mind where the previous scene would be ending, I was able to come up with a transition that includes a necessary set change.  I am pleased with the efficiency of the transition as it stands right now.  Another discovery that was made during this rehearsal was the need for a total of 4 acting blocks in order to form necessary set items and the appropriate height for certain statue pedestals.

Finally, at this Monday's rehearsal I worked with Penny and Wes to block all of the scenes that the 3 of us are in together (including the introduction--Invocation), leaving only two scenes for Penny and me to block at rehearsal on Friday.  I am extremely happy that blocking is moving so quickly because it means we'll have more tim to work the scenes and polish them to a nice sparkle!

Once we come back from spring break Wes, Penny, and I will run the scenes and work to get off-book before showing our work to my thesis advisor.  I will also be taking the week after spring break to establish any transitions that do not come together by Friday.

More to come after this Friday's rehearsal, but in the mean time, peruse the statues from the scenes I've already blocked:

 

 "Invocation"                       "Eve"  

      me                                Penny  

                                       

                                            "Adam"          OR      "The Bronze Age"

                                               Wes                                 Wes

"La Danaide" for Titus Andronicus

"Pygmalion and Galatea" for Melancholy Play

"The Crouching Woman" for Machinal

"The Kiss" for August: Osage County

And now here's another dog wearing glasses:

TA-DA!