A Group Struggling....A Coincidence?

As I'm working on some research for the essay, I came upon this online article about another group of students working on a performance which takes place in.....a cemetery!   It appears as though they are struggling some things which we were initially concerned about with using an active space.

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2010/08/some_offended_by_planned_theat.html

Directing

The first night of rehearsal where I'm responsible for actually doing some directing was difficult.  Not that I expected it to be easy, but the fact that I had to not only direct, but be a character with a relatively large part in the two scenes we worked on made it even more difficult.  Having a plan going in is good, but you also have to be quick on your feet to adapt to the things that are discovered during the process.  I'm not quick enough on my feet yet.  And it's difficult to learn something, like directing, where there is no "how-to" book.
It is good that my first experience with directing comes with a play I know well.  Even though we have changed aspects of it, cut it to pieces, and of course the dramaturgy is different, it is still a play which I feel I know and am confident about.  It's just the way of communicating my ideas to my actors which I have to find and figure out.  More ease with it will come with more rehearsal time.  After all, practice makes perfect!

thoughts on the play

celebration, fun, marriage, jealousy, love, honor, playful, moonlight, magical, mysterious, mischievous, misconstrued, loyalty, contempt, desire

This story is important to me because of the magical and mysterious intervention of these beings of which we're told are fairies.  Mayhem and mischief occur naturally when beings of another sort interfere in the lives of men.  It's also not as much a love story as say, Romeo and Juliet, and the only lovers who seem to be believable are Lysander and Helena.  Though I believe Lysander's love to be a little more true than Helena.  I believe Hermia has a big of an agenda as does Demetrius.  There is also something to be said of the fact that Demetrius is under an enchantment by the end of the play, when he discovers Helena again.

I have a special place in my heart for the Mechanicals.  A simple folk who want to do themselves and their leader proud by offering him quality entertainment at his wedding party.  The only problem is they've never done this before.  They truly want to do their best, and with Bottom's desire to do everything himself, he makes quite a show of it.

This performance:
To celebrate life in a place where celebration is taboo, and where death is focused upon instead of the life which came before the death.

Taking on a new challenge

I sit here 2 days before starting rehearsals for our final showing and I must admit I feel a little like a fish out of water.  I have been a part of many, many rehearsals since starting out in this crazy theatre world 15 years ago, but never have I been in the director's seat.  I feel terribly unprepared, and I have moments of thinking, "why do you think you even belong in the director's seat?".  However, I know there is a drive for me to do this, and a passion about it.  So, even though I may not have all the answers and all the techniques, I have been in a rehearsal room enough to know what works and what doesn't work.  I also absolutely love this play, and I know I am surrounded by a group of talented professionals who will make this a great production.  Liz and I have some intriguing ideas, and we have a great site to use for our "world".  Everyone has to start somewhere, and this is my turn to start off my experiences as a director.

Getting close

So, we are now less than a week away from starting our "in person" rehearsal process for the final showing.  It has been very difficult not being in the same city, let alone the same time zone, as Liz for the last six weeks.  We have had to deal with losing our performance space, which we designed our show around.  Luckily, we were able to find a replacement space, and I think this will work out better, because it is now a single showing to an invited audience only.  I think it will allow, at least for me, to be a little more comfortable and to enjoy working on the piece.

I have been very concerned with how this project will turn out, to the point where I had lost the drive and interest to do anything with it.  Just going to the new space yesterday has energized me for the performance, and I can't wait to just get in to the rehearsal room next week and start working with our cast.  The planning stage is almost over.  Now we just have to do, and do well.  I believe that we will.