Observation #3

Rehearsal 11:30am-12:15pm Hansani Safari by Heidi Heimarck, directed by Andy Jensen

Once again, without having the official schedule in hand, I suspect this is Heidi's piece... and it is. And, once again, I can't exactly explain how I know but there's something about Heidi's writing that is poetic and specific and embraces the mystery of the world. And this is a mysterious piece. They are well into the process, the actors are even speaking whole lines without looking at their script, and it takes me awhile to understand exactly what I'm hearing. It's real dialogue. There's something really happening here with three of the actors, Patrick Allcorn, Scott Plusquellec, and Allison Strickland. But there's also a presence on stage that is not human played by Ben Gonio. Andy steps into the center of them to talk about the space and the staging. He is a kenetic, energized, positive director. He does a stomping, tap-dancing move when he comes up with a cool idea. He likes hearing actor input. He talks to Patrick about his physical presence and his voice and how strong it is. He praises Allison for her choice to deliver her lines matter-of-factly. Scott plays with the humor of his character and makes me laugh. Ben suggests a fluttery movement for his character. Even without completely understanding it, I get goosebumps, and once I've watched long enough to understand it, I'm entranced. My car is already in danger of getting a ticket and I have to run out and move it. I'd rather stay and see this piece develop.

Becky