"... scripts down next weekend - always an interesting time in the rehearsal process."
Never a truer word has been spoken.
It was scripts down this weekend and to quote a great soccer commentator whose name eludes me for the moment, "it was a game played in two halves."
Saturday went quite well with everybody stumbling through the first half of the play with the most minimal of script-as-life-preserver behaviour. It was a great testament to the fact that fine tuning is so much easier with scripts out of hands. And, being an actor, I understand the blind fear that can approach in that rehearsal when you finally have to put the script down. I am glad that we've done it this early so we can hold everyone's hands through it.
Sunday, however, was a bit of a contrast to Saturday. Understatement!? Hmmm - no! The lines for the second half were not as well known and we managed to do what should take about an hour in 2 hours and 15 minutes! So ... I don't think I need to draw you a map, there's some work to do.
I am still concerned that some cast members are being too easily absent ... I may be being unfairly harsh here but when 2 or 3 cast members show up under the weather, it's hard to be magnanimous in the face of the dedication of the majority. It's one of those things of which I must constantly remind myself - that others don't necessarily carry the same passion and commitment for a project that you do. But, I do feel that the majority of the cast and crew are with me ... so cheer up you old bugger!
Also, on the up side, I can see that the play is coming together and my assessment is as follows - Theseus and Hippolyta are coming along but can be amplified even more; Egea fits in here and has stepped up a level with the amplification of her character. Hermia, Helena, Demetrius and Lysander have strong foundations and will benefit from the future rehearsals as they cement their characters and start to get the comic juices flowing. Oberon, Titania and Puck are a strong team who I trust to get the job done and are the least of my worries. The Fairies are coming along but I'm looking for a little something to take them up to the next level ... I haven't found it yet, maybe it's behind the couch! And the Rude Mechanicals ... they are, well, stealing the show at this stage. They are very funny and if I need to reign them in - the big iguana help me!
So I can declare the PIA scale unnecessary this week and hope the momentum continues ... Now, where are the posters, postcards and media releases?
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