Musing Made Metamorphous

Most of us who have the honor of acting on stage are very accomplished craftsmen. Many craftsmen in other pursuits become a prisoner to convention and repetition. One of our jobs as actors is make things "new" for each audience. That is a challenge and a reward. Our work on emotions last night helped remind us of our collective gifts. I, for one, am impressed by the professionalism and dedication of our ensemble. You all are gifted and unselfish in presenting your talents for all to enjoy. Vive le difference!
RL2

WOW!

The cast kicked ass last night! Everyone brought new stuff to the table, and there were moments that gave me goosebumps and nearly made me cry. I cannot wait to get this beast in front of an audience! woohoo!

To those of you who took the time to read my blog yesterday (actor's obligation): thank you. The bad theatre experience I had during Rogue (the only one, actually, since everything else I saw was top-notch) stayed with me (like when you have onions for lunch and they're still there at dinner-yuck) and I had to get it out. That was mostly a PMS-fueld rant and once I got it out and had some chocolate I was all better.

...onward and upward....

lis

psst... Lisa...

... part 2 is up... ya know... B.I.T.S.! Oh yeah... the rest of you can read it to.

An Actor's Obligation

Have you ever been in a show where you or another actor had an "off night?" Worse yet, have you ever been in the audience of a show that was having an "off night?" Why is it acceptable to excuse a sub-par performance? Don't we, as actors, have an obligation to our castmates and audience?

We have one chance every night to make a lasting impression. The audience doesn't care if we had a bad day at work or the dog threw up on the carpet or we had a fight with our significant other or if that certain "someone" came to see the show. Each and every person took time out of their lives and money out of their pockets to see us; we owe them the best work we can give. If a cast has an "off night," are they going to offer rainchecks for people to come see a better show for free? Of course not. We shrug it off and say, "Oh well, I'll/we'll be better tomorrow." I saw a show during the Rogue on an "off night." I felt cheated, especially when a cast member said that the night before had been really good. "Thanks for coming; too bad you saw us on an off night."

What will make Ventoux stand apart is the training the actors are getting. With what everyone is learning in terms of emotions, relationships, etc. if somebody has a bad day it won't affect the performance. Every night we will bring our best game, because every night is opening night.

TO THE DIRECTOR AND ASSSITANT DIRECTOR:

Emily Dickinson once wrote to her editor: " Thank you for the surgery- it was not so painful as I supposed." I believe you are entitled to receive the same message. Thank you for allowing us the freedom to try new things, to come up with our own ideas, etc., but also thank you for your suggestions and keeping us focused on our work. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

from the "intermittent in nature" theatre company

Since we are and anyone hardly comes by any more... there is a new post up there.

BTW... cheers on the great work that is continuing to happen!

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.

Rehearsal ala Ron: On Our Feet

B.I.T.S. Pt. 2

(or... How we got over ourselves, experimented in web marketing and sold out 3 out of 5 performances at Rogue 2007!)

Is now up and can be found HERE & HERE.

Cheers!

Week 1

Well here it is one week of working "This Flattering Glass". It is such a talented group, with such a passion to create. Sometimes I feel a little over whelmed, that I am not further along in my work. So I have to remind myself it has only been a week. Our Director has a different way of directing, and alot of what he does comes from the actors themselves. It is so different to be able to create our own characters from how we see them in relation to the other characters and their position in the story.
This play is coming along extremely well. Everyone is learning and contributing, It is truly a group effort.
This is my first attempt at doing Shakespeare, and I find that I struggle with the lines as it is soooo different from the way we talk, but slowly it is starting to come, and gets easier every time.
We still have almost a month before we put this up to the public and I know it is going to rock. Thank you everyone in the cast and especially Lisa for all her hard work and the invaluable help she gives.
This is going to be AWESOME!!!!