I stage managed a play once in college. It was a one-act. I've since directed a couple of short late-night pieces, and "directed" a solo piece my friend Joanie did several years ago. In that instance, I just met with her a couple of times, gave a couple suggestions on blocking and pacing, and had a little input on the lighting. I have also done fight choreography on a number of shows, but was never intimately involved in those productions. Usually I'd just be asked to stop by once a week or so and check in. If I was more involved, it was because I was also performing in the show. The point is, until now I've never observed the production side of a full scale theatrical production. It is fascinating.
Actors spend little time exposed to the creative processes of the designers on most shows. This isn't a knock against actors; it's just that their work and the designers' work are done in separate places and follow different schedules. Actors usually only experience the last few stages of the designers' efforts. Working as the writer on The Count of Monte Cristo, I have a whole new perspective on the kind of work that goes into building a set, or lighting it. For weeks, thoughts and images would be passed around, ideas discussed, research referenced. Discussions would revolve around, say, a photo our set designer found of a cathedral. He would point out the feel and texture of its marble floor. This would be combined with a painting our lighting designer had found, showing stark beams of light coming through a small window, illuminating and isolating a small corner of a larger, darker space. Our costume designer would discuss images from the time period we are creating, and would remove or enhance certain details depending on what best told our story.
We are in tech now, where all of these elements and many others are finally coming together onstage, to be combined with the work the actors have done in rehearsal over the last several weeks. My job is almost done. I am reminded of the time I saw Tom Robbins give a reading. He was asked about his writing process, and how he approached revisions. He said that he doesn't stop tinkering and tweaking until the publisher finally tells him it's gone to print and it's too late to change anything else. I completely understand what he meant by that. I find myself constantly wondering if it would help if I changed this line here, cut that line there, clarified this little thing here, gave this line to that character, snipped a word or two from this speech. I don't mean to be picky. It's just that I want it to be perfect.
We have our first audience in less than a week. I am giddy with excitement. I love my cast and production team, and I am so proud of this show. I can't wait for everybody to see it.
Sunday, September 04, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Insomnia
Rehearsals for The Count of Monte Cristo start tomorrow night. Or rather, tonight, if you consider that it is well past one in the morning right now. I can't sleep. I think it's nerves. Also, I took a long nap this afternoon, because I didn't get much sleep last night either. There was a reason for that, however: I was trying to sleep on an uncomfortable sofa-bed in a house that, while air-conditioned, was warmer and more humid than my delicate sensibilities normally prefer. Tonight I am back home and was back in my own bed for half an hour, and now I'm out on the couch typing at you fine people because I can't sleep.
As I said, I think it's nerves.
It could also be Civilization V. The video game. I got it last Christmas, but wasn't able to get the upgrades necessary to actually play it until last week. I played for several hours before trying to go to bed. So that also may have something to do with it. When I close my eyes I still see the map I slowly uncovered as my campaign grew. I pushed on until my civilization discovered gunpowder. The game usually stops being fun (read: too difficult) for me after that, so I packed it in. I certainly felt tired enough when I shut the computer down. And yet here I am.
And I've got these rehearsals starting in a few hours, and I am certain that I have forgotten to do something vital to the success of this show. I don't know what it is. Maybe I should have done more tweaking since I presented the most recent draft. That was a few weeks ago. I wanted to let the script rest until rehearsals began. But now I'm wondering, should I have looked at that one section again? Should I have tried to work that one idea in somewhere? I thought they were small enough fixes that it would be no big deal, but now there is a part of my brain yelling that we start tomorrow and THE SCRIPT ISN'T FINISHED.
Of course, this is a Lifeline show, and I've done enough of these to know that the script is not finished until opening night. I still have six weeks to get it right. And I have a fantastic team with me to help me see it through. And the script really is in decent shape, I think. I'm excited about where it's headed. I can't wait to finally start seeing this stuff up on its feet. This will be an entirely new experience for me. I wonder if the work I do in rehearsal will be as fun as the work I did on my own was.
Still not tired yet. Any other interesting news? I sent my headshot and resume to an agent a couple of weeks ago. No response yet, but I think that's normal. I'm not worried about it. If it happens, then cool. If not, oh well. I'm too old to be sweating about it.
After 1:30 now. I really should try to get some sleep. Sure, rehearsal isn't until tomorrow night, but I also have to put eight hours into the bill-paying job between now and then. And that job has been requiring stamina lately. If I am not well-rested, the day could become unbearable.
As I said, I think it's nerves.
It could also be Civilization V. The video game. I got it last Christmas, but wasn't able to get the upgrades necessary to actually play it until last week. I played for several hours before trying to go to bed. So that also may have something to do with it. When I close my eyes I still see the map I slowly uncovered as my campaign grew. I pushed on until my civilization discovered gunpowder. The game usually stops being fun (read: too difficult) for me after that, so I packed it in. I certainly felt tired enough when I shut the computer down. And yet here I am.
And I've got these rehearsals starting in a few hours, and I am certain that I have forgotten to do something vital to the success of this show. I don't know what it is. Maybe I should have done more tweaking since I presented the most recent draft. That was a few weeks ago. I wanted to let the script rest until rehearsals began. But now I'm wondering, should I have looked at that one section again? Should I have tried to work that one idea in somewhere? I thought they were small enough fixes that it would be no big deal, but now there is a part of my brain yelling that we start tomorrow and THE SCRIPT ISN'T FINISHED.
Of course, this is a Lifeline show, and I've done enough of these to know that the script is not finished until opening night. I still have six weeks to get it right. And I have a fantastic team with me to help me see it through. And the script really is in decent shape, I think. I'm excited about where it's headed. I can't wait to finally start seeing this stuff up on its feet. This will be an entirely new experience for me. I wonder if the work I do in rehearsal will be as fun as the work I did on my own was.
Still not tired yet. Any other interesting news? I sent my headshot and resume to an agent a couple of weeks ago. No response yet, but I think that's normal. I'm not worried about it. If it happens, then cool. If not, oh well. I'm too old to be sweating about it.
After 1:30 now. I really should try to get some sleep. Sure, rehearsal isn't until tomorrow night, but I also have to put eight hours into the bill-paying job between now and then. And that job has been requiring stamina lately. If I am not well-rested, the day could become unbearable.
Friday, June 24, 2011
A Fond Farewell to the Rabbits
It has been a long, brilliant two months.
Watership Down was a huge success, critically acclaimed, Jeff Recommended. I don't know that I have ever had such a positive experience working with an ensemble. I do know that I have never worked this hard on a show before. It was the most physically demanding project I have worked on since summer training camp for high school football. Early on, I was not sure I would be up to the challenge. I worried that the demands of the role would wear me down. I thought for certain that my knees would eventually give out. I feared that I wouldn't make it to the end of the run, and that my understudy would have to take over.
Turns out my fears were unfounded. I wore protective knee braces, was careful about warming up before shows, and followed our movement designer's advice on how best to carry myself in performance, and by the end of the run I was noticeably stronger. My knees became less and less of an issue. Halfway through the run, the whole thing became fun.
I will miss Watership Down in a way I rarely miss shows. It deserved a longer run than we were able to give it. Being a part of this production encapsulated everything I love about theater.
Eesh. That got awfully sappy. Sorry about that.
It's Friday night and I'm on my couch. No shows tonight. The first Friday off in months. At my day job, a project three months in the building finally came to fruition, so that's another weight off. And I was able to send the latest draft of The Count of Monte Cristo to my director today, so that's another goal achieved. All things considered, it's been a pretty good time for me. I have a few weeks until Monte Cristo rehearsals start, which should give me plenty of time to finally whip through the final season of Friday Night Lights, the Blu-rays of which some friends were kind enough to lend me. I am also telling myself that I will start doing some push-ups, maybe try a little running, something to maintain the activity level -- and associated benefits -- I achieved while pretending to be a rabbit for the last two months. But then I've always been good at finding reasons to avoid that sort of thing.
Basically I've got two things on my plate. I have Monte Cristo rapidly approaching. And then once that's open I have a eight-week gap before I start rehearsals on the next project. I need to find something to fill it. I was thinking maybe a class. Or some new writing project. Not sure yet. We shall see.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Battle-scarred
Tomorrow we begin tech on Watership Down. Tonight is our last free night for a while. It couldn't come at a better time. The right side of my body is covered in bruises and scrapes. I am sore everywhere, and I have some sort of unpleasant chest cold happening on top of it. Seriously, it feels like somebody dragged a rake through my lungs. To be honest, I'm not sure how much of the soreness is show-related, and how much is a result of this cold. But I can tell you for certain that my ass has never been so thoroughly kicked. I want nothing more than to go home, climb into bed, and stay there for the next thirty-six hours or so.
This experience has served to highlight a cold hard truth, one that I have struggled to ignore for the past few years: I am getting older. I am no longer able to fling myself about the stage with reckless abandon - or any kind of abandon, really. Last night was our most successful run of the show yet, and I am happy to report that my energy level stayed up enough to get me through it, but the moment we were done I could barely walk. I am genuinely afraid of Saturdays, when we have to perform this beast twice. I'll make it through. I don't really have a choice. But it won't be pretty.
Now that I'm done whining, I can report that I think this show will be something special. It is unlike anything I've ever done before. It is intensely physical (obviously), but it's also a great story with characters unlike anything most actors ever get to play. I mean come on. They're rabbits. But this ain't no kids' show. These are some bad-ass, hardcore, tough-as-nails wild animals in a battle for survival. You haven't seen anything quite like it. I promise.
This experience has served to highlight a cold hard truth, one that I have struggled to ignore for the past few years: I am getting older. I am no longer able to fling myself about the stage with reckless abandon - or any kind of abandon, really. Last night was our most successful run of the show yet, and I am happy to report that my energy level stayed up enough to get me through it, but the moment we were done I could barely walk. I am genuinely afraid of Saturdays, when we have to perform this beast twice. I'll make it through. I don't really have a choice. But it won't be pretty.
Now that I'm done whining, I can report that I think this show will be something special. It is unlike anything I've ever done before. It is intensely physical (obviously), but it's also a great story with characters unlike anything most actors ever get to play. I mean come on. They're rabbits. But this ain't no kids' show. These are some bad-ass, hardcore, tough-as-nails wild animals in a battle for survival. You haven't seen anything quite like it. I promise.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The Count of Monte Cristo
I've been sitting on this for about six weeks, but the news finally broke today. Lifeline Theatre has announced its 2011-2012 season, and the first mainstage show will be an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo written by Yours Truly. The show will be directed by my friend and fellow Lifeline ensemble member Paul Holmquist. I am excited and terrified. Mostly excited. Usually.
We had a reading of an early draft a couple of weeks ago. It was the strangest experience, hearing words I'd written read aloud for the first time. It was very difficult to be objective, and mostly I found myself watching and listening to everyone else's reactions. Fortunately, the development process at Lifeline involves a great deal of helpful feedback from the rest of the ensemble, giving me some useful starting points as I dove into the next draft. And now that the initial shock has worn off, I hope I'll be able to listen to future readings with a more critical ear.
There's still some time before rehearsals begin. I'm acting in one show closing this weekend, with another in rehearsal and opening in a little over a month. But soon enough there will be another reading or two, and production meetings, and eventually we'll be ready to start rehearsing at the end of July.
Adventure!
Based on the legendary thriller by Alexandre Dumas
Adapted by Christopher M. Walsh
Directed by Paul S. Holmquist
"Fool that I am, that I did not tear out my heart the day I resolved to avenge myself..."
Framed by a conspiracy of three terrible enemies, Edmond Dantès is torn from the woman he loves and wrongly imprisoned for fourteen years. After escaping captivity, he enters the upper reaches of Parisian society under a new name: the Count of Monte Cristo. With the aid of Albert de Morcerf, son of his former fiancée, the Count insinuates himself into the lives of his three tormentors and, one by one, seeks to use their own secrets to destroy them. A dark tale of intrigue and vengeance, in a world premiere adaptation.
Based on the 1844 classic by French novelist Alexandre Dumas (The Three Musketeers, The Man in the Iron Mask).
We had a reading of an early draft a couple of weeks ago. It was the strangest experience, hearing words I'd written read aloud for the first time. It was very difficult to be objective, and mostly I found myself watching and listening to everyone else's reactions. Fortunately, the development process at Lifeline involves a great deal of helpful feedback from the rest of the ensemble, giving me some useful starting points as I dove into the next draft. And now that the initial shock has worn off, I hope I'll be able to listen to future readings with a more critical ear.
There's still some time before rehearsals begin. I'm acting in one show closing this weekend, with another in rehearsal and opening in a little over a month. But soon enough there will be another reading or two, and production meetings, and eventually we'll be ready to start rehearsing at the end of July.
Adventure!
The Count of Monte Cristo
September 9 - October 30, 2011Based on the legendary thriller by Alexandre Dumas
Adapted by Christopher M. Walsh
Directed by Paul S. Holmquist
"Fool that I am, that I did not tear out my heart the day I resolved to avenge myself..."
Framed by a conspiracy of three terrible enemies, Edmond Dantès is torn from the woman he loves and wrongly imprisoned for fourteen years. After escaping captivity, he enters the upper reaches of Parisian society under a new name: the Count of Monte Cristo. With the aid of Albert de Morcerf, son of his former fiancée, the Count insinuates himself into the lives of his three tormentors and, one by one, seeks to use their own secrets to destroy them. A dark tale of intrigue and vengeance, in a world premiere adaptation.
Based on the 1844 classic by French novelist Alexandre Dumas (The Three Musketeers, The Man in the Iron Mask).
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Back On the Wagon
As of yesterday I am back on Weight Watchers. For the last couple of months I told myself I was not really off WW, just taking a break for the holidays. But as the scale informed me on Sunday morning, that was a complete lie. I am pretty much back where I started. So it is time to knuckle down and get this thing done.
I should have known it would go this way. Ten years ago I tried the Atkins Diet. I started in the fall and lost a ton of weight. Then Thanksgiving approached and I figured I could take it easy between Thanksgiving and New Years, and then pick up where I left off. I was mistaken. Why I thought it would be different this time I have no idea. I will strive not to make the same mistake again.
Rehearsals for Watership Down start a week from today. I had planned to be in MUCH better shape for this. Now it's gonna be a hell of a lot of work. Yikes.
I should have known it would go this way. Ten years ago I tried the Atkins Diet. I started in the fall and lost a ton of weight. Then Thanksgiving approached and I figured I could take it easy between Thanksgiving and New Years, and then pick up where I left off. I was mistaken. Why I thought it would be different this time I have no idea. I will strive not to make the same mistake again.
Rehearsals for Watership Down start a week from today. I had planned to be in MUCH better shape for this. Now it's gonna be a hell of a lot of work. Yikes.
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