Rehearsals from Saturday

I've checked in on a few of the rehearsals this morning and the evening is shaping up to be very fun. David Schmader's 'Macrophages' finds worlds colliding in the realm of plastic surgery and body modification, and the recovery process that follows. This one presents a couple particular problems for the design team in creating the set, costuming the actors, and getting them to and from the stage. It will be interesting to see what this one ends up looking like.

It also again shows just how cool the 14/48 band is. When presented  with the possibility of 'a particular, very not Enya, artist' being covered by Enya, the response from the band was 'I love that!'

Erin Stewart's 'Atomic' takes us back to Halloween as kids. And, more specifically, just how mean and nasty kids can be. It lacks the blood of last weekend, but makes up for it with pee. The show also has rather involved blocking, which came to light when I heard 'We're only on page 1!?'

'Whatever Gets You Through The Night' from Zoe Fitzgerald goes backstage at the theatre and brought my favorite exchange of the day as Lisa Viertel asked about tracking where her bourbon is. Charles Smith replied that it should just be in her hand the whole time. That gets you a long way down the path where this one is headed. There was also discussion of the possibility of a number of cameos.

And on another band note... last night's performance of 'Last Dance' by Sara Porkalob went over so well that she's been invited back. She'll be closing out the night with another performace. Without spoiling the song I'll just say that constantly carrying around your bourbon is a solid clue.

Rehearsals everywhere.

The various groups are now scattered all over the ACT building, from the basement to the 8th floor, with design, sound, and lighting people roaming back and forth to get everything in order as we hit 3 hours to tech.

The random casting draw has worked splendidly for Stan Shields, working on Keri Healey's noir 'Curtains!'.  Talking with Lisa Viertel and Kate Witt, they couldn't be happier with their team. After the first read through they were set on who everyone was going to be. Witt and Chris Shea have that midwestern earnestness, and Viertel... well, let's just say that there may be a bit of a bonus for Kitten fans. It seems Miss Viertel's Principal may have what you would call Matron-esque attributes.

Stopping in at rehearsal for Mr. & Mrs. Hargrove, the farce is getting ramped up as they work toward, 'Less romantic, more frantic!' As they rerun a scene, this is looking like a hilarious stop in the second half of tonight's schedule.

I am very curious to see more of Zoe Fitzgerald's 'Good Night'. I arrived right as they headed off to break, but Charles Smith has described it as a sweet little play that is not your typical play seven.

Loud noises...

PLAY 2

"Dude looks like a lady... you'll know what I mean later."

- Lisa Viertel (ACTOR)

PLAY 3

"Pull the audience into this world by finding the stillness... finding the danger of this world and how we can live in it."

- Carol Roscoe (DIRECTOR)

PLAY 5

"Word to your mother."

- Troy Fischnaller (ACTOR)

PLAY 6

"I think we should do an improv game."

- John Farrage (DIRECTOR)

FROM THE STAFF ROOM

"Good thing I'm not tired because then I don't say stupid things."

- Tim Hyland (after saying he spent some time with the pork roll)

"Do these people really need breakfast?"

- Alex Samuels

"That's some good pig right there."

- Shawn Belyea (upon eating some of the pork roll)

The In-Between Time

Daniel Arreola, Morgan Rowe, and Lisa Viertel rehearsing for PLAY TWO: Taxi by Dawson Nichols, directed by Tyrone Brown.

The time is 2:39pm. The directors' meeting is in 21 minutes. The first performance is in 5 hours, 21 minutes.

Once again, we have arrived at that strange part of the day, right after lunch, just before the directors meet where no one knows exactly what to do. Here in the Bullitt Cabaret where I have presently positioned myself, Tyrone Brown (like most directors right now, I'm sure) is struggling with how best to use the little time remaining. What to do? Run the play? Work the lines? Try on costumes? So many things need to get done.

And why is it so dark in here?

Jordan

LOU HAS ARRIVED!

14/48 Stage Manager, Lou Butler, has arrived!

Quick Quotes and Tiddly Bits:

"Intense. The day has been on constant fast forward. Veterans have asked if I'm going to barf."

- Arreola - VIRGIN ACTOR (Hey, don't barf on me, buddy.)

"It has to come from the heart... I'm starting to find it."

- Ryan Higgins - ACTOR (asked how the 'girly wave' he was directed do was going for him)

Morgan Rowe is wearing a birthday hat... yup.

"God... we have a complicated piece and I'm glad to be a part of it. Trying to wrap my brain around it... a little overwhelmed at the moment."

- Lisa Viertel - ACTOR

"Ummm... they would be those butterflies that are beautifully colored but the bottom half of their wing is deformed to look like tear drops... and they would be wearing a jaunty beret."

- Erin Kraft - DIRECTOR (asked what Director Butterflies look like)

Personally - this day is like riding a moose through a marsh... yeah, you're going to get a little muddy, but think about the stories you'll have to tell.

Lisa has arrived...

Lisa Viertel has arrived at ACT, along with a plethora of other actors. Lisa, after saying a few more inappropriate things to me, informed me that this was going to be...

"MY STAR-MAKER WEEKEND!"

LSD flashback or seeing the future... I'll let you be the judge. But I'm leaning more towards a combo of column A and column B.

Thanks, Lisa! Actor draw in 25 minutes in the Falls Theatre!