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Rehearsal two days ago -- Saturday -- 12 noon to 5 pm for That's What We're Here For (an american pageant). Good work done, some dead ends maybe, way becoming more clear for the future.
Last week, I made up a prelim list of the sequences of the show -- full scenes, small scenes, songs/dances, audio/video transitions, etc. -- Act I wound up with 27 pieces, Act II with 15. Because I know the timing of many of the pieces that are based on extant audio/video, I put those timings in, then put in estimated timings for the other scenes to be staged.
Act I came out at an estimated 80 minutes, Act II at 48 minutes. 2 hours 18 minutes. The show is budgeted for 2 hours tops, and I actually think it should be 1.35 plus 10 minute intermission to 1.45 (Act I at 55 minutes, Act II at 40). So, things will have to go, be shortened/combined, or sped up from what I figured. Good to work towards this now.
On Saturday, we first staged the "Daddy's Office" scene, which came together easily and was beautiful -- the cast supplying wonderful visual/intellectual ideas for the sequence (Yvonne and Fred gave me a wonderful final image with a ream of scrolling computer paper and a desk as a cage). I need spoken text for the sequence, and nothing was coming to me specifically on the fly, but it was obvious where the text needed to go, for how long, and at what rhythm. During a break, Berit found several websites with "business-language doubletalk" generators, and I saved pages of that stuff for the cast to spout variously during the scene. I will arrange that this week and make up a script of the scene to send everyone.
Then we worked on "Morning in America," the breakfast scene, and everything came together as well. I was able to combine it with the "Travel" scene, which should speed things up and cut time off Act I. Stacia wasn't there yesterday -- heh, heh, she's going to get a workout in this scene it turns out. Mom gets bounced (figuratively) off the kitchen, the kitchen table, the front door, the back door, etc. Combining things also eliminated several "transition" pieces I had thought I'd need, taking off time. I think Bryan and Gyda, as the Devil and Angel figures, will wind up handling more of these pieces within the scenes themselves. Much better.
Then on to the "School Daze" piece -- also coming together in unplanned and rich ways. Hysterically, the first part of the scene became a strict 50s classroom and then after the recess sequence (we realized the "drugs" Bryan peddles in the schoolyard as the "Devil/Dope Pusher" were "subversive" books), a mellow 70s classroom -- hearing/seeing Yvonne go from being "Sister Mary Discipline with the steel metal ruler" to sitting on her desk with the students now in a circle, and saying "So kids, let's rap!" will never get old for me.
Despite not having Josephine at this rehearsal, I moved on to the "Telephone Room" sequence, which became a bit of a dead end. I don't know if it was because I didn't have Josephine, and she's crucial to the scene, or if I had just reached my limit that day of "making stuff up," but it wasn't moving in a valuable way. A start -- I can use what I did -- but just a jump in the pool and treading water, not swimming yet.
Some tech ideas came up to think about and pursue for the scene. I decided I wanted lights inside the receivers of the telephones everyone will be using -- I need to connect a feeling of "beams of light" as "voices/signals in the air." Berit gave me a serious stare, but I reminded her that I'm the one who always winds up hooking up any of the electrics, so it'll be my own damn problem to put bulbs in the phones. Then Berit, somewhat as a joke, mentioned the idea of black light puppets, which she has had to make before -- then she regretted it instantly when she realized that she just gave me an "in" to the scene that we'd have to go with. Besides the white light of the phone receivers, the phones and phone lines across the stage will have to glow under black light. So before going back to that scene, I have to think about the colors/patterns and use of the fluorescing elements of the scene, the balance between white/black light, vocal and electronic sonics. I'll have to see about borrowing larger black lights -- probably from Edward Einhorn -- to set up for the scene. A pain, but doable.
Giving the larger scenes of the show an arbitrary "5 minute" time limit, trying to keep the show to a reasonable length, has helped in getting down to the crux of the biscuit of what each scene is. "Daddy's Office" could have been 10 or 15 minutes long, stately and gradual, but cramming the imagery into 5 minutes strengthens it, I think. Same material, more focused. Like putting your thumb over the end of a garden hose.
So that's three and a half scenes started on, in various stages. A start to the show -- we begin with breakfast, travel, school, work, then an interlude at the telephone company before moving on. Still have to get to the early parts -- the opening song and "Greatest Generation" sequences (WWII/V-J Day) at some later point. Next time, onward in Act I with "Telephone Room," "Mommy's Kitchen Fantasy," "Fast Food Afternoon," "A Dinner with the Family," and maybe even "Evening Activities."
Need more audio pieces/text before the next two rehearsals -- staging the visuals will only work so far without the rhythm I need to set with the sound. Things to work on this week. I also need to buckle down and start staging the musical numbers. I'll wait on that until I get the reference tapes of Moira's show chorus she's loaning me for inspiration.
Solid three performances of Caveman Robot this past weekend, though I was especially worn out after Saturday -- a full active all-day rehearsal and then a tiring show. Same thing this coming weekend, but both on Saturday and Sunday (rehearsals, at least, final Caveman Robot is Saturday, preventing me from attending two birthday parties, unfortunately). Last times in The Brick, too -- I need to find an affordable and available rehearsal space. Yesterday, just trying to relax, read, lie back, but I had to do a bunch of shopping, cleaning, and schlepping into Manhattan to take care of a friend's pet birds while they're away for the weekend.
Tonight, board meeting for Untitled Theatre Co. #61, mainly of course to discuss the upcoming Havel Fest. I'm set on Temptation as my play, of course, and Edward has decided he needs me to do it at The Brick instead of The Ohio, as it works out better for the schedule, and he'd like to have a company member of UTC#61 hanging around The Brick a lot. So, I'll have to run tech myself on the show -- Berit will be house managing The Ohio -- and not act in the show. Fine by me. Okay, I should start casting it this week -- it may go up in October, but if I cast it now, maybe everyone will be off-book when I start work in August/September. Well, I can dream, can't I?
Wednesday, museum day. Just get off my ass and go see a bunch of Art. Helps open the brain. Oh, shoot, the film noir fest has started at Film Forum, and I missed seeing Kiss Me Deadly on the big screen! NOOOOOOO! I'll have to see what else is playing and make sure I miss no more essential noirs. Why couldn't they have done this fest a year ago, when I could have really used it for research on World Gone Wrong? Oh, well, noir is good anytime.
Last week, I made up a prelim list of the sequences of the show -- full scenes, small scenes, songs/dances, audio/video transitions, etc. -- Act I wound up with 27 pieces, Act II with 15. Because I know the timing of many of the pieces that are based on extant audio/video, I put those timings in, then put in estimated timings for the other scenes to be staged.
Act I came out at an estimated 80 minutes, Act II at 48 minutes. 2 hours 18 minutes. The show is budgeted for 2 hours tops, and I actually think it should be 1.35 plus 10 minute intermission to 1.45 (Act I at 55 minutes, Act II at 40). So, things will have to go, be shortened/combined, or sped up from what I figured. Good to work towards this now.
On Saturday, we first staged the "Daddy's Office" scene, which came together easily and was beautiful -- the cast supplying wonderful visual/intellectual ideas for the sequence (Yvonne and Fred gave me a wonderful final image with a ream of scrolling computer paper and a desk as a cage). I need spoken text for the sequence, and nothing was coming to me specifically on the fly, but it was obvious where the text needed to go, for how long, and at what rhythm. During a break, Berit found several websites with "business-language doubletalk" generators, and I saved pages of that stuff for the cast to spout variously during the scene. I will arrange that this week and make up a script of the scene to send everyone.
Then we worked on "Morning in America," the breakfast scene, and everything came together as well. I was able to combine it with the "Travel" scene, which should speed things up and cut time off Act I. Stacia wasn't there yesterday -- heh, heh, she's going to get a workout in this scene it turns out. Mom gets bounced (figuratively) off the kitchen, the kitchen table, the front door, the back door, etc. Combining things also eliminated several "transition" pieces I had thought I'd need, taking off time. I think Bryan and Gyda, as the Devil and Angel figures, will wind up handling more of these pieces within the scenes themselves. Much better.
Then on to the "School Daze" piece -- also coming together in unplanned and rich ways. Hysterically, the first part of the scene became a strict 50s classroom and then after the recess sequence (we realized the "drugs" Bryan peddles in the schoolyard as the "Devil/Dope Pusher" were "subversive" books), a mellow 70s classroom -- hearing/seeing Yvonne go from being "Sister Mary Discipline with the steel metal ruler" to sitting on her desk with the students now in a circle, and saying "So kids, let's rap!" will never get old for me.
Despite not having Josephine at this rehearsal, I moved on to the "Telephone Room" sequence, which became a bit of a dead end. I don't know if it was because I didn't have Josephine, and she's crucial to the scene, or if I had just reached my limit that day of "making stuff up," but it wasn't moving in a valuable way. A start -- I can use what I did -- but just a jump in the pool and treading water, not swimming yet.
Some tech ideas came up to think about and pursue for the scene. I decided I wanted lights inside the receivers of the telephones everyone will be using -- I need to connect a feeling of "beams of light" as "voices/signals in the air." Berit gave me a serious stare, but I reminded her that I'm the one who always winds up hooking up any of the electrics, so it'll be my own damn problem to put bulbs in the phones. Then Berit, somewhat as a joke, mentioned the idea of black light puppets, which she has had to make before -- then she regretted it instantly when she realized that she just gave me an "in" to the scene that we'd have to go with. Besides the white light of the phone receivers, the phones and phone lines across the stage will have to glow under black light. So before going back to that scene, I have to think about the colors/patterns and use of the fluorescing elements of the scene, the balance between white/black light, vocal and electronic sonics. I'll have to see about borrowing larger black lights -- probably from Edward Einhorn -- to set up for the scene. A pain, but doable.
Giving the larger scenes of the show an arbitrary "5 minute" time limit, trying to keep the show to a reasonable length, has helped in getting down to the crux of the biscuit of what each scene is. "Daddy's Office" could have been 10 or 15 minutes long, stately and gradual, but cramming the imagery into 5 minutes strengthens it, I think. Same material, more focused. Like putting your thumb over the end of a garden hose.
So that's three and a half scenes started on, in various stages. A start to the show -- we begin with breakfast, travel, school, work, then an interlude at the telephone company before moving on. Still have to get to the early parts -- the opening song and "Greatest Generation" sequences (WWII/V-J Day) at some later point. Next time, onward in Act I with "Telephone Room," "Mommy's Kitchen Fantasy," "Fast Food Afternoon," "A Dinner with the Family," and maybe even "Evening Activities."
Need more audio pieces/text before the next two rehearsals -- staging the visuals will only work so far without the rhythm I need to set with the sound. Things to work on this week. I also need to buckle down and start staging the musical numbers. I'll wait on that until I get the reference tapes of Moira's show chorus she's loaning me for inspiration.
Solid three performances of Caveman Robot this past weekend, though I was especially worn out after Saturday -- a full active all-day rehearsal and then a tiring show. Same thing this coming weekend, but both on Saturday and Sunday (rehearsals, at least, final Caveman Robot is Saturday, preventing me from attending two birthday parties, unfortunately). Last times in The Brick, too -- I need to find an affordable and available rehearsal space. Yesterday, just trying to relax, read, lie back, but I had to do a bunch of shopping, cleaning, and schlepping into Manhattan to take care of a friend's pet birds while they're away for the weekend.
Tonight, board meeting for Untitled Theatre Co. #61, mainly of course to discuss the upcoming Havel Fest. I'm set on Temptation as my play, of course, and Edward has decided he needs me to do it at The Brick instead of The Ohio, as it works out better for the schedule, and he'd like to have a company member of UTC#61 hanging around The Brick a lot. So, I'll have to run tech myself on the show -- Berit will be house managing The Ohio -- and not act in the show. Fine by me. Okay, I should start casting it this week -- it may go up in October, but if I cast it now, maybe everyone will be off-book when I start work in August/September. Well, I can dream, can't I?
Wednesday, museum day. Just get off my ass and go see a bunch of Art. Helps open the brain. Oh, shoot, the film noir fest has started at Film Forum, and I missed seeing Kiss Me Deadly on the big screen! NOOOOOOO! I'll have to see what else is playing and make sure I miss no more essential noirs. Why couldn't they have done this fest a year ago, when I could have really used it for research on World Gone Wrong? Oh, well, noir is good anytime.
