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This Week In Temptation
Sep. 24th, 2006 10:31 amThree rehearsals in the past week for Temptation. I should be writing these daily after each one, but this week has been crazy in other ways (brief post on this to follow), so I haven't got round to much of anything besides rehearsal and dealing with personal matters.
Last Sunday, three hours with Walter and Timothy at Times Circle Studios on 8th near 46th (note, link is to a list of their studios on another site, Times Circle's own page is down currently). This rehearsal space isn't for everyone, I'm sure -- it's primarily a dance space, and there are often VERY loud classes (tap, flamenco, etc.) going on in other rooms -- but it's reasonable for reasonable space, and generally convienient for everybody. I also have a silly kind of "nostalgia" affection for it -- the place has been there for decades, and feels it; it's a tad run down, but it has that feel of "older theatre district" that I like. Going in someplace like that makes me (and hopefully the actors) feel like workers, craftsmen, artisans going in to do a good hard job rather than pampered artsy-types whose delicate sensibilities must be carefully protected as they emote.
We blocked through all three scenes with Foustka (Walter) and Fistula (Timothy) with moderate speed. As opposed to the larger cast blocking session prior to this -- the "Garden" scenes -- there was a lot more actorial/internals discussion for both actors/characters, but not to any point of time-wasting indulgence from anyone. There was a bit of through-line discussion that needed to happen to make the blocking right, and then we got where the two of them go. A lot started to come up in terms of their vocal relationship as well, but just first ideas to be refined in future rehearsals.
Tuesday night we were at Keystone Studios on 30th and 8th. A nice place, good size, clean, little pricier than I like, but it was what I could get. No, not as "worker"-feeling as Times Circle but still eccentric and "off" enough to not feel cold and devoid of life/personality -- maybe that's it, I don't like to rehearse in clinical spaces; a little personality is needed. Keystone is a nice, clean dance studio, but it feels odd being in the building it's in (can't quite tell if it's a residential or commercial building), also, we have to work with shoes off. So, there's enough personality to help the work.
On the other hand, despite that, I wasn't in best form that night. Oh, I did good, and blocked two scenes (the first two office scenes) with skill and craft, but I didn't feel inspired. The scenes work, and I don't know that my blocking is any different than it would be if I was feeling anything else, but I just felt craft, skill, and talent. It's not that generally I feel like I'm blessed with some kind of amazing VISION in my blocking all the time, but usually I look at the set, and I look at the actors, and I think, "Okay, here is THE way to do this." On a night like Tuesday, I have to look at the materials over and over and eventually think, "Okay, here is probably the best way to do this."
I think with this play, any kind of inspiration will come more often from finding the tiny, beautiful little subtle shifts in tonality and emotion and meaning in the dialogue, and working with the performers to make those shifts both crystal clear and externally imperceptible to the audience. Usually, I use subtleties of movement and business to expand those internal moments outward, but it doesn't work here -- it only works here to have the people just sitting or standing there talking to each other (or generally, at each other). So, no subtle movements, really, just subtle vocal changes.
I blocked the first two office scenes with Danny, Fred, Walter, Alyssa, Jessi, Roger, and Maggie that night. I had hoped to get to all three office scenes, but nope.
Yesterday, Saturday, back at Keystone with the same group, we started with that last office scene and got it set. Then we went back and ran the two garden scenes. Well, the first garden scene and then we had a break, and a brief scare when one of the actors had a fainting spell during that break (which I know they wouldn't want me to mention, but . . .) -- too much action, not enough food and water, apparently. As a result, we came back and ran the final garden scene, but I don't think we were all 100% there anymore (at least I wasn't), so it was more about working in Roger and Maggie, who had missed the original blocking session for this scene, and reminding everyone else of where they were supposed to go. Then I broke everyone but Maggie and Walter and quickly blocked the two short Foustka/Mrs. Houbova scenes.
Berit and I will be leaving in a half-hour to drive up to Alyssa's apartment, where we'll meet Alyssa and Walter and block the two Vilma/Foustka scenes. And then the show will be COMPLETELY BLOCKED, top to bottom. Lovely. From now on, I just run scenes and tweak performances more and more and more. One month from today, I have a full-cast rehearsal in the space at which I hope to have all the tech, sets, etc. ready as well. November 2, we open.
I feel like a GC right now, directing a bunch of burly workers with hammers and saws. Soon we'll have all the walls up, and the wiring and pipes in. Then we need to slap up a couple coats of paint. And then we can worry about the interior decoration.
More info is constantly going up at The Havel Festival Website.
Oh, and, Fred, if you're reading this, I got your script -- you left it at Keystone . . .
Last Sunday, three hours with Walter and Timothy at Times Circle Studios on 8th near 46th (note, link is to a list of their studios on another site, Times Circle's own page is down currently). This rehearsal space isn't for everyone, I'm sure -- it's primarily a dance space, and there are often VERY loud classes (tap, flamenco, etc.) going on in other rooms -- but it's reasonable for reasonable space, and generally convienient for everybody. I also have a silly kind of "nostalgia" affection for it -- the place has been there for decades, and feels it; it's a tad run down, but it has that feel of "older theatre district" that I like. Going in someplace like that makes me (and hopefully the actors) feel like workers, craftsmen, artisans going in to do a good hard job rather than pampered artsy-types whose delicate sensibilities must be carefully protected as they emote.
We blocked through all three scenes with Foustka (Walter) and Fistula (Timothy) with moderate speed. As opposed to the larger cast blocking session prior to this -- the "Garden" scenes -- there was a lot more actorial/internals discussion for both actors/characters, but not to any point of time-wasting indulgence from anyone. There was a bit of through-line discussion that needed to happen to make the blocking right, and then we got where the two of them go. A lot started to come up in terms of their vocal relationship as well, but just first ideas to be refined in future rehearsals.
Tuesday night we were at Keystone Studios on 30th and 8th. A nice place, good size, clean, little pricier than I like, but it was what I could get. No, not as "worker"-feeling as Times Circle but still eccentric and "off" enough to not feel cold and devoid of life/personality -- maybe that's it, I don't like to rehearse in clinical spaces; a little personality is needed. Keystone is a nice, clean dance studio, but it feels odd being in the building it's in (can't quite tell if it's a residential or commercial building), also, we have to work with shoes off. So, there's enough personality to help the work.
On the other hand, despite that, I wasn't in best form that night. Oh, I did good, and blocked two scenes (the first two office scenes) with skill and craft, but I didn't feel inspired. The scenes work, and I don't know that my blocking is any different than it would be if I was feeling anything else, but I just felt craft, skill, and talent. It's not that generally I feel like I'm blessed with some kind of amazing VISION in my blocking all the time, but usually I look at the set, and I look at the actors, and I think, "Okay, here is THE way to do this." On a night like Tuesday, I have to look at the materials over and over and eventually think, "Okay, here is probably the best way to do this."
I think with this play, any kind of inspiration will come more often from finding the tiny, beautiful little subtle shifts in tonality and emotion and meaning in the dialogue, and working with the performers to make those shifts both crystal clear and externally imperceptible to the audience. Usually, I use subtleties of movement and business to expand those internal moments outward, but it doesn't work here -- it only works here to have the people just sitting or standing there talking to each other (or generally, at each other). So, no subtle movements, really, just subtle vocal changes.
I blocked the first two office scenes with Danny, Fred, Walter, Alyssa, Jessi, Roger, and Maggie that night. I had hoped to get to all three office scenes, but nope.
Yesterday, Saturday, back at Keystone with the same group, we started with that last office scene and got it set. Then we went back and ran the two garden scenes. Well, the first garden scene and then we had a break, and a brief scare when one of the actors had a fainting spell during that break (which I know they wouldn't want me to mention, but . . .) -- too much action, not enough food and water, apparently. As a result, we came back and ran the final garden scene, but I don't think we were all 100% there anymore (at least I wasn't), so it was more about working in Roger and Maggie, who had missed the original blocking session for this scene, and reminding everyone else of where they were supposed to go. Then I broke everyone but Maggie and Walter and quickly blocked the two short Foustka/Mrs. Houbova scenes.
Berit and I will be leaving in a half-hour to drive up to Alyssa's apartment, where we'll meet Alyssa and Walter and block the two Vilma/Foustka scenes. And then the show will be COMPLETELY BLOCKED, top to bottom. Lovely. From now on, I just run scenes and tweak performances more and more and more. One month from today, I have a full-cast rehearsal in the space at which I hope to have all the tech, sets, etc. ready as well. November 2, we open.
I feel like a GC right now, directing a bunch of burly workers with hammers and saws. Soon we'll have all the walls up, and the wiring and pipes in. Then we need to slap up a couple coats of paint. And then we can worry about the interior decoration.
More info is constantly going up at The Havel Festival Website.
Oh, and, Fred, if you're reading this, I got your script -- you left it at Keystone . . .
