Breakin' Da Rules

One of the goals of Theatre V. is to get past the "rules," both spoken and unspoken, we are taught as actors.Last week's rehearsals showed me that when you go against the grain and break the rules, amazing things can happen.

The actors were on their feet for the first time Wednesday, staging Act 1. GT laid out the expectations: if an actor was not in the scene, they were to be working lines/scenes in another room or they could stay, observe and reflect upon what was happening. Nearly everyone chose to stay and watch. After each scene, we shared our observations, which had to be prefaced with "Yes," "No," or "What if." Initially, there was some hesitation; As actors, we often don't give constructive criticism to our peers because that opens the door for us to be criticized. We addressed that issue, then dove in.

What followed was collaboration, exploration and experimentation I've never seen before. As the "what ifs" flew round the room, the actors brought the work to a new level. Hal (Edmund) came up with an idea that we hadn't considered, and it worked beautifully. It raised the stakes for Edmund, Percy and Hotspur, while showing Richard (Matt) in a deliciously sinister light; the connection between Richard and Edward (Matt and Stephen) is disturbing in its intimacy; Ron and RJ (Gaunt and Henry) are developing a believable father-son relationship; Renee and Melissa (Alais and Isabel) have a close, alsmost sister-like bond that takes an interesting turn in the second half of the play.

In all, the first week of rehearsal was very productive. The actors trust Greg and are willing to do whatever he asks. I am looking forward to seeing what this week brings.