Avl[t] Rehearsal Log

Thugs catch a thug

2007-09-15T13:51:12Z

So ... buy your tickets today so we can replace our car windows.

Over and Over and Over Again

2007-09-06T15:08:31Z

Well, we've been rehearsing The Thugs like crazy this week. And I do mean crazy. One of the most difficult days for any cast (and their director) is the first day off-book. That's the first day of rehearsal that the actors aren't allowed to carry their scripts around - they have to finally have it all memorized. We have a shorter-than-usual process for this play, so off-book came a little fast, as it usually does. And we had our fair share of bloopers and frustration on that night. It should be noted, however, that this is an unusually difficult script. Though it's short, it has a lot pages that look like this:

CHANTAL Um. DIANE Yup. No. CHANTAL Sorry. DIANE Put this CHANTAL Right. Right. DIANE Yup. CHANTAL Sorry. DIANE Ok. CHANTAL So then DIANE Right. CHANTAL Right. DIANE Good. CHANTAL And. DIANE Yup.

Let me tell you, that kind of thing is not hard to learn, not 100 pages of it. (Not that the whole play is like that, but you get the idea.) So, here's a video for those of you who wonder what rehearsing this kind of text is like.

The Thugs has begun

2007-08-23T16:25:31Z

It actually started a few days ago when we had our traditional "first readthrough and potluck party" on Monday night. Many of the cast have worked together for a while, a few were just getting to know each other. We ate vegetarian red beans and rice, greek salad, caprese salad, beer bread, and some great deserts and listened to excerpts from Evil Dead: The Musical in-between courses. Then again, it actually started on June 20th, when we read the play in front of a great audience at the King Avenue church, up on the too-hot or too-cold third floor. (Seriously, we love that room, despite its temperature issues). Most of the cast from that reading have returned for this production, so they've already got some chemistry going. Anyhoo ... Last night we got started for real. We huddled around a table with scripts and notebooks and pens and highlighters and started to pull the script to pieces. (Not literally, for those who are thinking of this.) Normally our rehearsals begin with talks of listening, and spatial relationships, and tempo vs duration, and no characters to speak of. This time we started with objectives, sub-text, and status games. This play has a lot of space, and a very small words/action ratio. So, we're going to spend a lot of time figuring out what's happening in-between the words. We don't have very many rehearsals for this show, about a baker's dozen, so every moment counts. I have total faith in this cast, though. Everyone is re-arranging their lives to make it happen, and two of them are driving from Cincinnati each night, so you know they're all dedicated. They're talented too, which helps. More soon. Matt

TQ Video 3.04.07

2007-03-05T04:37:53Z

Just some random bits of footage from a rehearsal for Tomorrow is the Question to share with you. I was afraid that if I didn't share soon, you wouldn't believe we were really doing it.

If the movie doesn't appear below, you may have a browser problem. You should be able to watch it by clicking here. (And you can download Firefox for free right here.)

First ToMoQuo Rehearsal

2007-02-21T04:16:31Z

This evening was our first reheasal/banquet for Tomorrow is the Question. We talked a lot about politics, watched clips from a couple of great documentaries, chatted about ourselves and bit and then read the play. I was greatly relieved to discover that it's actually pretty funny in some places, and only terribly in a couple of places. So, more work to do, but at least I know the labor put in so far has been worth it. Here's one thing we watched. Tomorrow night we re-convene to begin (for some, continue) Viewpoints and Suzuki training and to start staking claims to text. Stay tuned, true believers. Oh, and here's an excerpt from the show that went over especially well.

Before the New Deal, if you got old and starved, well, tough luck. If you lost your job or your home blew down in a hurricane, too bad, Jack. If the power company charged you half your wages for your light bill; or the grain monopoly refused to buy your crop for more than the price of dirt; or if you worked 60 hours in the steel mill with no overtime pay; or if you joined a union and got busted over the head, it was that's business, buddy.

Yeah, yeah. More to come.

LoCro: Making a Scene

2007-02-12T20:36:22Z

And now for something completely different. Sort of. Well, if you've been following along, you've seen us running around the rehearsal room and occassionally falling down. Some of this is training and some of it actually in the show. Today we bring you another super-speed video, but there's no running in this one. In fact, you can see us in action, creating the first draft of a scene. Now, don't think this is how we always do it. It's not. There are as many ways to write a scene as there are scenes. But in this case, it seemed the best way.

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LoCro Video 2

2007-02-12T16:50:24Z

Got a minute and a half? Here's a brief video from another rehearsal for A Lonely Crowd (opening in Cincinnati, April 13). The music in this one is by The Books.

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LoCro Photos

2007-02-10T07:06:09Z

Here are a few of my favorite photos from our first 5 days of rehearsal. Most of them are from our ViewPoints training. Dave took all of them. Enjoy! ]]>

LoCro First Rehearsal

2007-02-10T05:54:41Z

We had our first rehearsal for the newly revised A Lonely Crowd (opening in Cincinnati, April 13) last night. We took some video, of course, and here's a little bit of it for you. Be sure to check back regularly for more rehearsal reports and more, all of which will be stored right here.

If the movie doesn't appear below, you may have a browser problem. You should be able to watch it by clicking here. (And you can download Firefox for free right here.)