I have to say that Kathleen is much more patient than I. There were moments (which I will not address specifically), design-wise that I would have "outlawed" things immediately and she was always willing to try a compromise befor edoing so. God Bless Her!
Other trials were things like the REAL RAIN! At times it was beautiful but too loud to hear the actors, but everything truly does work itself out and we always found beautiful solutions, bringing in and out, using sound instead...
Opening Night...
I cried like a two year old everyone was so nice to me, Kathleen gave me the nicest card and a beautiful journal as a thanks. The actors extended themselves warmly to me. It was beautiful.
The show was recieved very well, I believe..Tony, I mean, Anthony Chase gave a great review in this weeks ARTVOICE. It was all very pleasing.
I am satisfied with my experience and now must figure out how to sum it up in a paper, afterall that's what you do at the end of an internship.
cheers
]]>"The 4th Wiseman" is the next show at Studio Arena and I got cast as a part of the ensemble. The ensemble is made up of all buff state students or recent graduates, originally there were 8 of us but 1 person dropped and the other didn't show. The cast is made up of 3 equity actors and what I guess is now 6 puppeteers, that's us.
For our first rehearsal we just went through the characters and got to see renderings of the puppets, who were all designed and being built by Michelle Costa, who I have to say is just wonderful. We then got to see and work with some of the puppets, that was actually the point of reheasal...
]]> Some of the puppets take 2-3 people to operate and some have hands that are actually our hands and feet that are ours. It is and will be challenging because not only do we have to get used to moving with the puppets but also with one another.Luckily the first puppet/character I operate is with a friend of mine, Afrim, who I have done a lot of work with, so we understand how eachother works and move, we have a good physical relationship. Also the character is very interesting, well every character.
On top of it all, the play is a lot of fun and the puppets are just beautiful, really impressive.
It will be most challenging for me because the puppeteers have to stay kind of dull so not to draw attention from the actual puppet, and I have never been good at not stealing attention so I need this.
Once that was over I went downstairs to the "3 Days" rehearsal. This has been a difficult process for me because I don't do much, but sit there. I am learning loads about acting and directing through observation, but I really like being active. So again this has been another thing I need and have had the oppourtunity to work on; a great test of patience and stillness.
Tommorow is our first day of tech and it's a long one so we'll see how that goes and hopefully I will have lots to do, till next time...
]]>Anyway today in rehearsal everything really came together. We are one week from preview and there was a concern about one scene getting the musicality of it. After trying several different means to one end, it just came alive. At one point Kathleen was welling up and I, who sat quite still and cross legged for most of the day, shot up and was breathless. I was so moved and finally we were allowed to use the word violent.
Like I mentioned in another entry Kathleen is kind of a "hands off" director. What I mean by that is she doesn't feed the actors instead lets them feed her and the show. "It's the difference when working with professionals," she said today...
]]> This is a shock to my system. But the point is she did not want to use the word violent because it is important that the actors discover the violence without the word itself intruding, what they THINK it means instead of how actions give it new definition.After the moment in question was achieved she ended rehaersal, because they are ready for an audience and tommorow is the first "crew view."
First when I say ready for and audience I mean; todays run went beautifully and there is no need to mess with it, because everyone will get bored and change things that don't need changing. I don't know how else to describe it.
Second, "crew view"-everyone who will working during the run of the show; stagehands, wardrobe/costume, box office...everyone who desined and pretty much everyone who works at studio gets to come and watch, either because they have to become familiar with the show because they will be running it or won't get a chance to see it.
So tommorow should be fun.
]]>We finished up working on ActII of "Three Days of Rain" today and by the time we did a run around 4:30 or so it was like a new play, the actors were really falling into their charecters. Some Truly breathetaking moments.
It seems like every show that I do (not to say it's just me) there is some auspiciousness surrounding the company and the work...
]]> ...For example when we did Shakespeare's "The Tempest" the night before and of our first rehearsal there was a terrible storm in the area and by the time we began rehearsing a beautiful rainbow!Ofcoarse for "Three Days of RAIN" I'm pretty sure only 3 reheasals have been sunny ones. In fact when one of the actors was driving into Buffalo for the show he was slowed down and actually had to pull over for several hours because the rain was so bad. At one point in the play, well...we were running ACT II and about 1/2 way through it rains for the first time in the script and at that very moment (5:05pm), right when the script acknowledges it, our fair little city gave massive downpour.
Truly beautiful!
I'm assistant directing for Kathleen Gaffney at Sudio Arena, yes it's an internship, and we just finished our first week of rehearsals. I am there 4 days a week, because I still have to take some classes, but in professional theatre rehearsals are 6 days a week, 6 hours a day, and from what I gather, typically a 10-5 thing. I had no idea! I am used to doing shows that rehearse like 3 hours 4 NIGHTS a week.
The process...
]]> oh wait, the show is "3 Days of Rain," Richard Greenberg, you may recognize the title from Julia Roberts' bomb on broadway earlier this year.But, it really is a great script, like a treasure hunt. I have had a lot of fun just talking about the story and the layers long before rehearsal began.
But eventually the table work must end and we see ACTION. The cast is truly impressive, I have never seen actors work so hard, I have also never worked with actors who were making money, less about the money, more it's their job, what they have chosen to do with life, no classes, no waiting tables, no kids, just work, act. It's beautiful.
What impressed me most is Kathleen's ability to trust, herself and the actors. For the first couple days of rehearsal she just let hem go and run scenes and work out kinks on their own, without stopping them. I would have and wanted to stop and pick apart moments. But I realized by the 3rd and 4th day the actors were getting it on their own, which is far more valuable.
when I mentioned this to Kathleen she made a very good point...she trusts them and doesn't have to teach them how to act, which has been my experience less as a director and more as an actor doing shows in a learning environment on campus.
So the big lesson this week...
As a director cast people you trust and as an actor make BIG I mean BIG choices and own them (you have to come se "Three Days of Rain" to understand that)
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