Childe Byron: The Walk-Through

Yesterday, we had our third informal rehearsal. The two previous had been sit-down read-throughs; this time, the actors were on their feet.

Greg took the cast through the Ventoux process: a modified version of our physical and vocal warm-up, followed by a game of "Changes." Only Melissa an Renee had played before: Suzanne, Dorian, Sam and Ricci were virgins. All I will say is that Suzanne upped the stakes to 7 changes and set the bar pretty high. It will be interesting to see who will trump her.

After the tune-up, we walked through Act 1. It was great to see that the cast had done some homework. Lots of interesting play was going on. Sam, Ricci and Dorian, who are new to Ventoux, jumped right in and each brought great things to their scenes. Melissa is the most fearless and inventive actor I've ever seen. She always finds new things to do and brings it full-on.

The relationships between Ada and Byron (Suzanne and Greg) and Augusta Leigh and Byron (Renee and Greg) are beginning to take shape. Suzanne and Greg have a nice chemistry, and yesterday's Ada was very different from the Ada of our August reading. Suzanne's Ada is nutty as a loon and stoned out of her mind, presiding as the ringmaster of her drug-induced hallucination. Greg is doing something I've never seen him do as an actor: rather than make Byron larger than life and bring it down later, he's starting in a much more subtle place, making Byron a more vulnerable, sympathetic character. Greg and Renee have worked together before, so the comfort level is already there and they can play sooner that they might otherwise be able to. Instead of playing up the incestuous aspect of their relationship, G and R are focusing more on the emotional intimacy between Bryon and "Goose."

Personally, this play is becoming more and more important, on personal and artistic levels. Personally, I am fascinated with the father-daughter dynamic. Growing up, like Ada did, without my father, I've always wondered what I would ask him if I could, and what he would tell me about why he left and why he never came back. Artistically, I feel an obligation to do justice to Byron and Ada and all the rest of the characters in this play, who were real people, not characters born in Romulus Linney's head.

The real work starts in two weeks. I can't wait!

Lisa