On Wednesday, Britt and I had a really great conversation about what I needed/wanted out of my actors. She gave me some directorial tips as an actor who's worked with Rich - just stuff he's used when she was having trouble and gotten great results. We talked about how difficult it is to be a good actor when you're dishonest with yourself. I like the actors I have, because even though they're a touch inexperienced (some less than others), they all seem to have a pretty good sense of self, and so their raw talent is incredible.
Yesterday's rehearsal was good, but afterward Britt gave me some suggestions. Before that I had been telling the actors that the closer to next week they could be memorized, the better. Britt told me I had to give them a specific date to scare them, but to get it done. She also suggested that I think about letting the actors do the scene uninterrupted, so that they get the feel for the momentum of the scene, and then I would just take notes and give the notes to the actors when the scene was over. I tried that today and I think it was better for the actors' sake.
Another thing Britt suggested when I mentioned how I was handling actors who were speaking in an unnatural cadence and rhythm because they were hyper conscious of being onstage was to have them put down their scripts and then start a conversation about something totally non-theater related. She said that Rich did that when he encountered the same problem, and what ended up happening as after the conversation, Rich would point at the actor and say, "There. That's exactly how I want you to say it."
I did that with Keihin - he was having trouble explaining something in the script naturally, and so I asked him what he did when he got home from rehearsal the day before. After about half a minute of explaining he said, "What exactly is it that you're looking for?" And I said, "Like that - just like that - see how you've explained your day to me? Do it like that." I believe his response was, "Ah. Mind tricks. I see how it is."
Today, I told the actors they had to be memorized by Wednesday. Rachel Mock, a fellow theatrical person from around Columbus who Britt recommended for stage combat choreography, came and worked with Keihin and Daryon on their fight scene. They went out to the lobby and worked for about an hour straight on just the basics of stage combat. I peeked in on them a couple times. Keihin and Daryon seemed really overly polite and nervous, and I wondered why they don't act that way to me. Obviously I know why - they give me crap because they see me as their friend first, director second, which is kind of bad, but it works in a weird way, because as their friend, they take my directions in stride, and I think it feels less like work and more like fun for them.
While Keihin and Daryon were working on their fight, I was in the theater with Rachel, Wes, Amber, Damien, Bailey, and Whitlee, doing exercises to show them the physicality of their characters for Boys Will Be Girls - when the boys are girls and the girls are boys. We practiced walking like boys and girls (even though there's very little walking in the scene), and then how to voice their lines as the opposite sex. I showed them the difference in throat voice, chest voice, and stomach voice (I'm sure there's a more eloquent name for it, but at the present I can't think of it). While as an actor, it is NEVER advisable to speak in anything else but your stomach voice (which is where your diaphragm is, which is what you should be projecting from), I helped the guys see that when they talk in their throat voice, they sound softer and slightly more effeminate. Same goes for the girls - the deeper their voice (stomach voice), the more like guys they sound. It's not a stereotypical deep voice - where you're trying to make your voice sound way way deeper than it is - it's moving the power from your throat or chest into your stomach, and by default it just sounds deeper. Now that they've got this, a lot of the little stuff will come a lot easier.
When Daryon, Keihin, and Rachel came in to the theater to show me what they had come with, I was absolutely floored. Not only did Daryon and Keihin seem so comfortable combating like that, but it looked very life-like. Obviously I knew that it was staged for safety, but the way they did it made it seem so real. Rachel had showed them the way to tackle someone onstage safely, and then from there she asked me how I would like Keihin to punch Daryon. I liked the idea of Keihin hitting Daryon while he was already down, because it's such a Tony (his character) thing to do - kick him where it hurts. Rachel staged it so that after Keihin tackled Daryon, he knelt on his chest like a boxer and just punched him straight in the nose. It's such a gross, underhanded thing to do. It was perfect. I literally cannot stop thinking about it - I love little tiny things like that, like a fight scene, or a moment between to actors where it looks so genuine you forget they're acting.
For some final thoughts - today in the Comparative Religion Class, the students were watching a documentary I had seen years and years ago called Promises about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. It's an incredible documentary, and I was so stoked to be watching it again that it motivated me to reserve and check out some books about the conflict. I have one in my bag - Understanding The Holy Land: Answers to Questions about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The FIRST THING my parents said when I told them I checked it out was, "Who wrote it?" I was pleased to tell them - not an Arab, not an Israeli - just some WASPy guy who writes for the New York Times. I suppose no matter who you are, you're bound to slant the information in some angle, but in the introduction, he said he was not out to determine which side was in the right, but merely present the simple facts. It's written very simplistically, and I like that. I'm kind of annoyed that I don't know enough about the conflict to have a serious opinion. As of right now (and I'm sure I'm about to piss someone off), I think the Israeli government is completely in the wrong. As a Jew, I can understand the intense emotions behind the need to have a country specifically for Jews - especially since the Diaspora and WWII...but I can't, no matter how I look at it, justify the occupation. The problem is, every time I think or say that, I feel guilty. Like maybe I've misspoke. Maybe I'll feel differently when I read more about it, or when I work with Sadaka-Reut.
Oh - last thing - MY PASSPORTS CAME IN FROM THE ISRAELI CONSULATE. Now I just have to rush my American passport to the post office to be renewed. BUT THAT MEANS THAT I'M LEAVING ON FEBRUARY 23!!! WOOOO!
Anyway, pictures of the actors in action are coming - for both the program for the scene night, the posters I'm making to plaster literally everywhere in the world, and for this blog. Right now I'm at the theater without my camera, so I can't upload them.
NEXT TIME = CLOSER TO SHOWTIME/CLOSER TO DEPARTURE. I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN HANDLE IT.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Tenara Tries To Get Her Life Into Order
Genelle's leaving just reminds me more and more that there is still so much to be done. Today I contacted my friends in Kfar Saba to set up a place where I could stay during the week of Purim, the week I have decided I'm spending with my friends from the program. I have it all worked out minus a couple days - my friend Ortal, who I'm closest to out of everyone, is going to host me for the most part. She and her family go to the ski resort in the mountain for Purim, and so for a couple days I need to find somewhere else to stay.
There's also the whole issue of my passports. Both my American and Israeli are technically expired, but my Israeli passport was supposed to get an extention from the Israeli consulate in Philadelphia. There's actually a lot of stuff that the Israeli consulate is, or should be, doing for me. I need my army deferment, my Israeli passport extended, and my trip notarized for the army's records. Coincidentally, the Israeli consulate is on strike. Whoopee. But for some reason, they're able to take care of my issues? I don't understand. Either way, I've called them to see if they can send back my passports so I can expedite my American passport before I leave. They were supposed to send them back yesterday, and today I tried calling to see if it was done, but no one answered. It's the first time I've called and no one has answered.
If they haven't sent back my passports, it may look like I'm leaving a little later than I thought I was, which means I'll have to shorten my time with Sadaka-Reut, which sucks. Either way, I'm making plans. Week of Purim in Kfar Saba, a weekend in Moda'in with family friends, a weekend in Haifa with other family friends, Passover in Ashqalon (or wherever it is that my hosts are going for Passover). It's actually a very sweet story - when my dad was studying in Israel, he stayed with this family. That was back when he was a teeny tiny college student. Since then, the matriarch, Rena, has become sort of like a third grandmother to me in that I have to do very little to please her besides sit on the couch, watch TV and eat her AMAZING Egyptian food. So whether or not Passover will be held in her apartment in Ashqalon, I'll be spending it with her, which is very excited. She's a very warm, sweet woman, and I think it comes full circle to when my dad lived with her.
Also - another update that I for some reason have just not found a time to tell Graham people - I got into college! Drew University, my dad's alma matter (another full circle) accepted me (BEFORE the deadline for regular admission even came around, by the way, which is really weird), and they're giving me the Presidential scholarship of $21,000 - renewable for all four years!!!! Drew isn't my top choice, but it is a really good theater school and is known for being a well-rounded liberal arts college. It's in Madison, New Jersey, forty-five minutes outside of Manhattan, and is really diverse. Worst comes to worst - I'll be going to school in New Jersey!
This makes me so happy, just because I know that I don't have to worry about college. Yes, there are still schools that I really want to go to more than Drew that I have yet to hear back from, but I am IN COLLEGE. I have been accepted - I know that shouldn't have been a major concern, but the fact that I was accepted WITH such a huge scholarship makes me really happy. I have until May 1st to tell Drew whether or not I want to attend. They're nice people over there. I think my dad was really really stoked to see that I was accepted with such a huge merit scholarship.
At the theater, my life is pretty flexible. Rich only got out of the hospital TODAY, so I had very little to do today and yesterday besides rehearse my actors. You guys - THEY ARE GETTING SO GOOD. For the scene with Wes and Amber - EVERY TIME THEY DO IT THEY GET BETTER AND BETTER. I love love love love it. And Daryon and Keihin - yes, granted, I have to work my BUTT OFF to get them to hear me and pay attention to me and to keep them focused (I'm sure I do my fair share of getting them off track too), but they are going to be soooo good! The more I direct them, the more they get excited about the scene. I have Daryon literally shoving Keihin into a wall at one point, and Keihin turns to me and says, "Why wouldn't I shove him back?" I love that they fight for their characters like that. Daryon hates one of his lines and is making the desperate fight that he shouldn't have to say it and is getting SO ANNOYED that I hold stead-fast to the script. I really, really like it when my actors fight for their characters. It shows me that they're really connecting.
Last thing - yesterday, I think I drove Daryon and Sierra INSANE. I worked the kiss scene OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER again. It was a lot of technical stuff - where Daryon would put his hand, what Sierra should do, etc., etc. At one point, as Sierra and I are pondering whether she should run her hand up Daryon's arm, Daryon says, "This is the most I've ever been touched in ten minutes." That, paired with Sierra's burp right before the line "You wanna kiss me, Sid?" just made the whole thing so relaxed and easy to deal with. At one point, they didn't stop kissing when I told them to. I loved that too - and not in a creepy way. It shows me that they're getting comfortable kissing each other, and so it'll be work to create the tension and chemistry. I WANT it to be hard work to recreate it; it shows me that they're not afraid of the kiss anymore. Finally, after everyone was just shouting suggestions and it became so hard to think that I was on the floor in the fetal position, I overrode everyone with, "DON'T THINK, JUST KISS." And they did, and it was perfect! I am very happy that I'm teaching my actors to act with instinct, because you get the most natural and real reactions through instinct. And the wonderful thing about instinct is that it's so organic that it's easy to change if I need it.
Tomorrow I'm taking pictures of the actors with a legit camera for the program, posters, and for the blog. I told everyone to show up pretty. (:
There's also the whole issue of my passports. Both my American and Israeli are technically expired, but my Israeli passport was supposed to get an extention from the Israeli consulate in Philadelphia. There's actually a lot of stuff that the Israeli consulate is, or should be, doing for me. I need my army deferment, my Israeli passport extended, and my trip notarized for the army's records. Coincidentally, the Israeli consulate is on strike. Whoopee. But for some reason, they're able to take care of my issues? I don't understand. Either way, I've called them to see if they can send back my passports so I can expedite my American passport before I leave. They were supposed to send them back yesterday, and today I tried calling to see if it was done, but no one answered. It's the first time I've called and no one has answered.
If they haven't sent back my passports, it may look like I'm leaving a little later than I thought I was, which means I'll have to shorten my time with Sadaka-Reut, which sucks. Either way, I'm making plans. Week of Purim in Kfar Saba, a weekend in Moda'in with family friends, a weekend in Haifa with other family friends, Passover in Ashqalon (or wherever it is that my hosts are going for Passover). It's actually a very sweet story - when my dad was studying in Israel, he stayed with this family. That was back when he was a teeny tiny college student. Since then, the matriarch, Rena, has become sort of like a third grandmother to me in that I have to do very little to please her besides sit on the couch, watch TV and eat her AMAZING Egyptian food. So whether or not Passover will be held in her apartment in Ashqalon, I'll be spending it with her, which is very excited. She's a very warm, sweet woman, and I think it comes full circle to when my dad lived with her.
Also - another update that I for some reason have just not found a time to tell Graham people - I got into college! Drew University, my dad's alma matter (another full circle) accepted me (BEFORE the deadline for regular admission even came around, by the way, which is really weird), and they're giving me the Presidential scholarship of $21,000 - renewable for all four years!!!! Drew isn't my top choice, but it is a really good theater school and is known for being a well-rounded liberal arts college. It's in Madison, New Jersey, forty-five minutes outside of Manhattan, and is really diverse. Worst comes to worst - I'll be going to school in New Jersey!
This makes me so happy, just because I know that I don't have to worry about college. Yes, there are still schools that I really want to go to more than Drew that I have yet to hear back from, but I am IN COLLEGE. I have been accepted - I know that shouldn't have been a major concern, but the fact that I was accepted WITH such a huge scholarship makes me really happy. I have until May 1st to tell Drew whether or not I want to attend. They're nice people over there. I think my dad was really really stoked to see that I was accepted with such a huge merit scholarship.
At the theater, my life is pretty flexible. Rich only got out of the hospital TODAY, so I had very little to do today and yesterday besides rehearse my actors. You guys - THEY ARE GETTING SO GOOD. For the scene with Wes and Amber - EVERY TIME THEY DO IT THEY GET BETTER AND BETTER. I love love love love it. And Daryon and Keihin - yes, granted, I have to work my BUTT OFF to get them to hear me and pay attention to me and to keep them focused (I'm sure I do my fair share of getting them off track too), but they are going to be soooo good! The more I direct them, the more they get excited about the scene. I have Daryon literally shoving Keihin into a wall at one point, and Keihin turns to me and says, "Why wouldn't I shove him back?" I love that they fight for their characters like that. Daryon hates one of his lines and is making the desperate fight that he shouldn't have to say it and is getting SO ANNOYED that I hold stead-fast to the script. I really, really like it when my actors fight for their characters. It shows me that they're really connecting.
Last thing - yesterday, I think I drove Daryon and Sierra INSANE. I worked the kiss scene OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER again. It was a lot of technical stuff - where Daryon would put his hand, what Sierra should do, etc., etc. At one point, as Sierra and I are pondering whether she should run her hand up Daryon's arm, Daryon says, "This is the most I've ever been touched in ten minutes." That, paired with Sierra's burp right before the line "You wanna kiss me, Sid?" just made the whole thing so relaxed and easy to deal with. At one point, they didn't stop kissing when I told them to. I loved that too - and not in a creepy way. It shows me that they're getting comfortable kissing each other, and so it'll be work to create the tension and chemistry. I WANT it to be hard work to recreate it; it shows me that they're not afraid of the kiss anymore. Finally, after everyone was just shouting suggestions and it became so hard to think that I was on the floor in the fetal position, I overrode everyone with, "DON'T THINK, JUST KISS." And they did, and it was perfect! I am very happy that I'm teaching my actors to act with instinct, because you get the most natural and real reactions through instinct. And the wonderful thing about instinct is that it's so organic that it's easy to change if I need it.
Tomorrow I'm taking pictures of the actors with a legit camera for the program, posters, and for the blog. I told everyone to show up pretty. (:
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Snow, or no snow, THE SHOW MUST GO ON!
Hello all - quick post before I sign off for the week - it turns out WE DO HAVE A SHOW TONIGHT. Two people, the two people who reserved tickets online, came today despite the near-Arctic conditions outside! It's such a strange feeling, being one of THREE audience members. Right now they're doing Act Two...I've stolen into the lobby to send a quick email and post this blog.
It's interesting to watch the chemistry onstage when there's a teeny tiny audience. The actors become intensely grateful for the very small audience reactions they receive. Because I know the feeling, can sympathize, and sort of sense their yearning for laughter, I am doing my best to laugh my hardest tonight.
Tomorrow I assume I'll be burrowing all day at my house until the show at 7:00. It's like the frozen tundra of apocalypses out there. I'm looking out of the lobby windows and am seeing tiny flakes of snow pouring down onto an already debilitated city. I love how stripped of excess we are when mother nature reminds us to shut up. Not that we can't still have our TVs, laptops, iPods and other general luxuries in the snow - no, it's just that we can't be frivolous or entitled when you drive in the midst of the snow storm. You become completely humble to the world. I love it.
It's interesting to watch the chemistry onstage when there's a teeny tiny audience. The actors become intensely grateful for the very small audience reactions they receive. Because I know the feeling, can sympathize, and sort of sense their yearning for laughter, I am doing my best to laugh my hardest tonight.
Tomorrow I assume I'll be burrowing all day at my house until the show at 7:00. It's like the frozen tundra of apocalypses out there. I'm looking out of the lobby windows and am seeing tiny flakes of snow pouring down onto an already debilitated city. I love how stripped of excess we are when mother nature reminds us to shut up. Not that we can't still have our TVs, laptops, iPods and other general luxuries in the snow - no, it's just that we can't be frivolous or entitled when you drive in the midst of the snow storm. You become completely humble to the world. I love it.
SSOOOO MUUUUCCH SNOOOOOW
The world is unrecognizable! We were hit with snow as of eight o'clock this morning, possibly even earlier.
Naturally, by the time two o'clock rolled around, there was no way I was going to rehearse. The roads were just too horrible. I ended up having to do a bit of driving myself, and a forty-minute trip took me two hours that led to my subsequent shouting at drivers who thought they could sneak up behind me in the middle of a snow storm. As I always say, drivers are practically obligated to have road rage and tonight was no exception.
You might think, dear reader, that the show tonight would be canceled, as it is Thursday, and therefor Importance of Being Earnest should be performing tonight. Well, after many phone calls, I assume, Britt announced to everyone that, you know, the show must go on and everything. If no one shows up, then they'll just rehearse.
My use of the future tense is necessary, as I have not yet left to go to the theater. I can't imagine why anyone would come tonight, considering how horrible the roads are, but I could be very wrong - tonight could be their most packed night yet. What adds even more stress is that Rich is still in the hospital - unfortunately, the procedure didn't go as smoothly as planned. Details are a little hazy as Britt was completely flustered by the snow storm and what to do when I spoke to her, but his instructions to her were: "Do the show, unless the actors agree not to."
Those are some dedicated actors.
Well, I'm off to the theater, but before I go, I leave you guys with this...a picture of what I will morphe into by the end of this year...(Genelle stole my idea, so if you go to her blog, just know that this was my idea first)...:
Naturally, by the time two o'clock rolled around, there was no way I was going to rehearse. The roads were just too horrible. I ended up having to do a bit of driving myself, and a forty-minute trip took me two hours that led to my subsequent shouting at drivers who thought they could sneak up behind me in the middle of a snow storm. As I always say, drivers are practically obligated to have road rage and tonight was no exception.
You might think, dear reader, that the show tonight would be canceled, as it is Thursday, and therefor Importance of Being Earnest should be performing tonight. Well, after many phone calls, I assume, Britt announced to everyone that, you know, the show must go on and everything. If no one shows up, then they'll just rehearse.
My use of the future tense is necessary, as I have not yet left to go to the theater. I can't imagine why anyone would come tonight, considering how horrible the roads are, but I could be very wrong - tonight could be their most packed night yet. What adds even more stress is that Rich is still in the hospital - unfortunately, the procedure didn't go as smoothly as planned. Details are a little hazy as Britt was completely flustered by the snow storm and what to do when I spoke to her, but his instructions to her were: "Do the show, unless the actors agree not to."
Those are some dedicated actors.
Well, I'm off to the theater, but before I go, I leave you guys with this...a picture of what I will morphe into by the end of this year...(Genelle stole my idea, so if you go to her blog, just know that this was my idea first)...:
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, In Which Tenara Starts to Get Nervous
This morning (or should I say around noon, as Genelle and I are lazy) Genelle came over for breakfast. She doesn't have a site anymore, and this week I don't have to be at the theater until my own rehearsals, as Rich is unfortunately having a heart "procedure" which involves an overnight stay at the hospital. This sucks, for obvious reasons. It also means that I get to use my key and hold rehearsals at the theater when Britt and Rich aren't there. Rich and I are perfectly okay with this, but Britt, I think, is concerned, not necessarily because she doesn't trust me, but because it's understandable to be concerned when a group of rowdy actor teenagers are in her theater alone. She actually stopped by today for like, two seconds, just to rush into the theater, tell me that she had to go back to the hospital and say, "Please, please, PLEASE call me if you need anything."
Today's blog's theme is: PANIC ATTACKS! Genelle and I are famous to each other for getting together, thinking too much, and having subsequent panic attacks. Genelle is leaving for Austria in twelve days. I prefer not to count how many days I have until I leave for Israel, as I'm sure I would dissolve into an anxiety-puddle if I did such a thing. I'm rounding it off to about a month until I leave, which is certainly more time than Genelle has, but suddenly I find myself facing this enormous project that is actually quite a big deal. I mean, I have been stewing about this for THREE YEARS. Of course, the actual details and content of the Walkabout have changed, and frequently, but the fact of the matter is that everything is happening. I'm actually on Walkabout right now, which is so weird to think about.
Genelle said something as she was leaving about walking across the stage in five months. For some reason, this does not scare me nearly as much as the journey ahead of me. Walking across the stage is a simple walk across the Fawcette Center stage - I walk all the time. The meaning and weight into that walk is something different, of course, but for some reason, I don't find nearly as frightening as going to Israel to intern with these organizations.
Now as I'm typing this, I'm asking myself: Why am I so scared? I suppose 'scared' is kind of a harsh word. I am excited, yes, but most of all I'm nervous. Yes, I've been to Israel before, and yes, the language gap is smaller than the last time I went. But now, there is so much more depth to my trip. It's not even the fact that I'm striking out on my own or that I'm going to be away from my family for the longest time I have ever been. It's that I'm going to attempt to make a mark, however small, on the face of issues that are important to me.
This would be a good time to list out my fears, which is something I do whenever I'm spinning dangerously out of control:
1) I won't be helpful to the organizations I'm working with
2) I won't make any friends (which is such a juvenile fear, but it's true)
3) I'll run out of money
4) I'll get terribly homesick
5) I'll end up making a complete fool of myself
Now comes the part where I try to aleviate each fear. The obnoxious things about these fears is that most of them are up to me and could very well happen, and I'll just have to deal. For numbers 1) and 3), I know that's simply up to me, and I will have to exercise good control and assertiveness wherever I am. For number 2), I know that it's a lie - of course I will make friends, just the nature and dynamic of the friendship may be very different than what I am used to. For number 4), I know that that will happen - in some way or another. Usually I get homesick right when I get there, just because I'm tired and weepy and jet lagged. But I also know that what will make me feel better is settling into a routine wherever I am, to become less of a tourist and more of a citizen, to know my way around the city, know which buses to take without getting lost, etc., etc. Israel's a strange place for me to get homesick, because sometimes when I'm here, I feel homesick for Israel.
For number 5), I know that will happen. There's not even a question of that happening. I will make mistakes, I will look stupid and dumb and ignorant, and I will offend people. It's bound to happen, at least once, and definitely more than just once. I think the trick is to be okay that I'm going to fumble, but that I have the power to get back up and prove that I can learn and do whatever it is that I've been assigned.
Anyway, after that severely introspective blog, I'll post some pictures of rehearsal today.
Damien, Daryon, Wes, and Keihin during the Boys Will Be Girls scene. Keihin's laughing because Damien's so silly.
From left to right: Damien, Daryon, Wes, Keihin, Amber, Whitlee, and Bailey. The boys are the girls and the girls are the boys. Notice how the girls are sitting. Like boys, right? The boys are still hesitant to sit like demure girls, but I'll beat that out of them.
Today's blog's theme is: PANIC ATTACKS! Genelle and I are famous to each other for getting together, thinking too much, and having subsequent panic attacks. Genelle is leaving for Austria in twelve days. I prefer not to count how many days I have until I leave for Israel, as I'm sure I would dissolve into an anxiety-puddle if I did such a thing. I'm rounding it off to about a month until I leave, which is certainly more time than Genelle has, but suddenly I find myself facing this enormous project that is actually quite a big deal. I mean, I have been stewing about this for THREE YEARS. Of course, the actual details and content of the Walkabout have changed, and frequently, but the fact of the matter is that everything is happening. I'm actually on Walkabout right now, which is so weird to think about.
Genelle said something as she was leaving about walking across the stage in five months. For some reason, this does not scare me nearly as much as the journey ahead of me. Walking across the stage is a simple walk across the Fawcette Center stage - I walk all the time. The meaning and weight into that walk is something different, of course, but for some reason, I don't find nearly as frightening as going to Israel to intern with these organizations.
Now as I'm typing this, I'm asking myself: Why am I so scared? I suppose 'scared' is kind of a harsh word. I am excited, yes, but most of all I'm nervous. Yes, I've been to Israel before, and yes, the language gap is smaller than the last time I went. But now, there is so much more depth to my trip. It's not even the fact that I'm striking out on my own or that I'm going to be away from my family for the longest time I have ever been. It's that I'm going to attempt to make a mark, however small, on the face of issues that are important to me.
This would be a good time to list out my fears, which is something I do whenever I'm spinning dangerously out of control:
1) I won't be helpful to the organizations I'm working with
2) I won't make any friends (which is such a juvenile fear, but it's true)
3) I'll run out of money
4) I'll get terribly homesick
5) I'll end up making a complete fool of myself
Now comes the part where I try to aleviate each fear. The obnoxious things about these fears is that most of them are up to me and could very well happen, and I'll just have to deal. For numbers 1) and 3), I know that's simply up to me, and I will have to exercise good control and assertiveness wherever I am. For number 2), I know that it's a lie - of course I will make friends, just the nature and dynamic of the friendship may be very different than what I am used to. For number 4), I know that that will happen - in some way or another. Usually I get homesick right when I get there, just because I'm tired and weepy and jet lagged. But I also know that what will make me feel better is settling into a routine wherever I am, to become less of a tourist and more of a citizen, to know my way around the city, know which buses to take without getting lost, etc., etc. Israel's a strange place for me to get homesick, because sometimes when I'm here, I feel homesick for Israel.
For number 5), I know that will happen. There's not even a question of that happening. I will make mistakes, I will look stupid and dumb and ignorant, and I will offend people. It's bound to happen, at least once, and definitely more than just once. I think the trick is to be okay that I'm going to fumble, but that I have the power to get back up and prove that I can learn and do whatever it is that I've been assigned.
Anyway, after that severely introspective blog, I'll post some pictures of rehearsal today.
Damien, Daryon, Wes, and Keihin during the Boys Will Be Girls scene. Keihin's laughing because Damien's so silly.
From left to right: Damien, Daryon, Wes, Keihin, Amber, Whitlee, and Bailey. The boys are the girls and the girls are the boys. Notice how the girls are sitting. Like boys, right? The boys are still hesitant to sit like demure girls, but I'll beat that out of them.
Friday, January 14, 2011
My finger is squished
Today, because I volunteered to help out with set changes for Importance of Being Earnest, I practically spent my entire day at the theater, which resulted in a squished finger, but let me back track.
The majority of yesterday and today was painting. Painting, painting, painting. I have several gray primer marks still left on my hand. Set, set, set, painting, painting, painting. Yesterday was also the final dress rehearsal for Importance, which I stayed for as well. Yesterday I arrived at the theater at one o'clock, and today I got to CCT at 10:30. It is 12:14 am, and I got home at 11:00. I love it.
It seems that I have signed off my soul, which in any other context would be a BAD thing, but for me, I am simply happy that I get to spend all of my time in a place that is awesome. Today, tensions were running a little (and by a little, I mean very) high. By 2:30 in the afternoon, the set was STILL not done, and the show was opening in six hours.
In fact, the set isn't yet done, and the first show is already over. It feels like a real let down to not have the set finished by the first performance. Of course the set looks PRESENTABLE, and believable for the show, but the trellis on top of the periactoid was covered up because the fake flowers weren't right, and there wasn't enough trellis to put on the second periactoid, and the back wall wasn't finished completely, so it looked a little sparse, etc., etc. Today was the first day I felt unhelpful - it seemed no matter what anyone was doing, there was always something more important that needed to be attended to that no one was focusing on. Of course, if you switched what you were doing, then you realized that you were actually spending your valuable time on the most important thing BEFORE - see what I mean?
Today I worked with the interns, basically barking orders at them like "GET THE TAPE OFF WITHOUT CHIPPING THE PAINT" or "LABEL THESE BAGS AND PUT THEM IN THE GROTTO" etc., etc.
My own rehearsal was shortened by an hour, and it was quite tense, as we were out in the lobby so people could clean the stage for Importance. I must say, it was difficult to rehearse in the lobby, but we managed.
One of the things I'm noticing is that several of my actors are so enthused and excited that they're talking - A LOT. I hate being the bad guy that yells at people to shut up, but I find I'm doing that more and more. It's not so much talking as it is cracking up and not being able to stop laughing. Of course, our scenes are funny, but more than that, Keihin and Daryon are having fun up on stage, rehearsing the scenes we've never done before because we were missing Keihin.
GOOD LORD, directing Keihin and Daryon is going to require a new kind of strength. The testosteronic tension is so palpable I feel like I'm hitting a wall when I'm up there. The majority of their scenes together are the four scenes from a TV show that I will intersperse with the other scenes. They're the only scenes that have a definitive plot arch that the audience will be able to follow from scene to scene. Keihin and Daryon's characters are two best friends who A) get into a major fist fight and B) make up in a kind of very dramatic scene. Of course, Keihin and Daryon are most excited about hitting each other, except that I keep telling them that STAGE COMBAT MEANS NOT ACTUALLY HITTING EACH OTHER. SAFETY FIRST.
It's hard for them, but they'll get it. Right now, they're just messing each other up with lines. One of them will really be in the zone and be working really hard, really genuinely, and then the other will crack up at the level of intensity in his friend's face. As soon as the other one laughs, it's right back to this sea of one-upping each other that I have to tame mostly by grabbing their faces and telling them to be quiet.
I like being the tough director, because they're tough actors to direct. There's a lot of very raw talent - raw talent that, of course, has to be morphed from Disney Channel raw talent into something like BBC America Skins raw talent. The guy who plays Daryon's character on the show Skins - THE BRITISH VERSION, NOT THE NEW US VERSION THAT'S COMING TO MTV (which, weirdly enough, has all Canadian actors???) - isn't necessarily the best actor, but there's so much dedication to the role that he passes off for very realistic. I privately think that Daryon's a better actor than he is, but there's still a lot of work to go.
Keihin's having trouble tapping into his inner jerk, only I assume he's only having trouble with that because he's on a stage and being directed by one of his peers. Perhaps if I were to watch him with his friends when he wasn't being put on the spot...I would see him being a little bit more like Tony Stonem than he likes to admit.
Today, we were discussing one of the things Tony did to get back at his girlfriend, something really sick and mean. Keihin wrinkled his nose and was like, "That's so disturbing." I nodded and said, "Welcome to the World of Tony."
What I didn't say to him, and what I should have, was that you can't judge your characters. This is something I learned indirectly from Rich. You cannot judge your characters, otherwise you can't play them.
Anyway, sleep for the mean time - I have another hastily scheduled rehearsal tomorrow to make up for the snow day on Tuesday, but other than that, I won't be at the theater again until Saturday night for Importance of Being Earnest.
Until then, I look forward to my finger not being squished by enormous set changes.
The majority of yesterday and today was painting. Painting, painting, painting. I have several gray primer marks still left on my hand. Set, set, set, painting, painting, painting. Yesterday was also the final dress rehearsal for Importance, which I stayed for as well. Yesterday I arrived at the theater at one o'clock, and today I got to CCT at 10:30. It is 12:14 am, and I got home at 11:00. I love it.
It seems that I have signed off my soul, which in any other context would be a BAD thing, but for me, I am simply happy that I get to spend all of my time in a place that is awesome. Today, tensions were running a little (and by a little, I mean very) high. By 2:30 in the afternoon, the set was STILL not done, and the show was opening in six hours.
In fact, the set isn't yet done, and the first show is already over. It feels like a real let down to not have the set finished by the first performance. Of course the set looks PRESENTABLE, and believable for the show, but the trellis on top of the periactoid was covered up because the fake flowers weren't right, and there wasn't enough trellis to put on the second periactoid, and the back wall wasn't finished completely, so it looked a little sparse, etc., etc. Today was the first day I felt unhelpful - it seemed no matter what anyone was doing, there was always something more important that needed to be attended to that no one was focusing on. Of course, if you switched what you were doing, then you realized that you were actually spending your valuable time on the most important thing BEFORE - see what I mean?
Today I worked with the interns, basically barking orders at them like "GET THE TAPE OFF WITHOUT CHIPPING THE PAINT" or "LABEL THESE BAGS AND PUT THEM IN THE GROTTO" etc., etc.
My own rehearsal was shortened by an hour, and it was quite tense, as we were out in the lobby so people could clean the stage for Importance. I must say, it was difficult to rehearse in the lobby, but we managed.
One of the things I'm noticing is that several of my actors are so enthused and excited that they're talking - A LOT. I hate being the bad guy that yells at people to shut up, but I find I'm doing that more and more. It's not so much talking as it is cracking up and not being able to stop laughing. Of course, our scenes are funny, but more than that, Keihin and Daryon are having fun up on stage, rehearsing the scenes we've never done before because we were missing Keihin.
GOOD LORD, directing Keihin and Daryon is going to require a new kind of strength. The testosteronic tension is so palpable I feel like I'm hitting a wall when I'm up there. The majority of their scenes together are the four scenes from a TV show that I will intersperse with the other scenes. They're the only scenes that have a definitive plot arch that the audience will be able to follow from scene to scene. Keihin and Daryon's characters are two best friends who A) get into a major fist fight and B) make up in a kind of very dramatic scene. Of course, Keihin and Daryon are most excited about hitting each other, except that I keep telling them that STAGE COMBAT MEANS NOT ACTUALLY HITTING EACH OTHER. SAFETY FIRST.
It's hard for them, but they'll get it. Right now, they're just messing each other up with lines. One of them will really be in the zone and be working really hard, really genuinely, and then the other will crack up at the level of intensity in his friend's face. As soon as the other one laughs, it's right back to this sea of one-upping each other that I have to tame mostly by grabbing their faces and telling them to be quiet.
I like being the tough director, because they're tough actors to direct. There's a lot of very raw talent - raw talent that, of course, has to be morphed from Disney Channel raw talent into something like BBC America Skins raw talent. The guy who plays Daryon's character on the show Skins - THE BRITISH VERSION, NOT THE NEW US VERSION THAT'S COMING TO MTV (which, weirdly enough, has all Canadian actors???) - isn't necessarily the best actor, but there's so much dedication to the role that he passes off for very realistic. I privately think that Daryon's a better actor than he is, but there's still a lot of work to go.
Keihin's having trouble tapping into his inner jerk, only I assume he's only having trouble with that because he's on a stage and being directed by one of his peers. Perhaps if I were to watch him with his friends when he wasn't being put on the spot...I would see him being a little bit more like Tony Stonem than he likes to admit.
Today, we were discussing one of the things Tony did to get back at his girlfriend, something really sick and mean. Keihin wrinkled his nose and was like, "That's so disturbing." I nodded and said, "Welcome to the World of Tony."
What I didn't say to him, and what I should have, was that you can't judge your characters. This is something I learned indirectly from Rich. You cannot judge your characters, otherwise you can't play them.
Anyway, sleep for the mean time - I have another hastily scheduled rehearsal tomorrow to make up for the snow day on Tuesday, but other than that, I won't be at the theater again until Saturday night for Importance of Being Earnest.
Until then, I look forward to my finger not being squished by enormous set changes.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
WEEK TWO, COMMENCE
Silly snow.
We did actually find some stuff for the show, Britt and I. I found a sherry decanter, she found sherry glasses, and I did come across a smoking jacket, but it was too small for the actor we had in mind. I found in a display a very small pair of sewing scissors that were apparently perfect for the scissors Rich needs for the show. After the Antique Mall we went to Salvation Army, where we found a tuxedo shirt (in Salvation Army?! I was stumped too), a slip cover for the couch, and a pack of ugly fake roses. While we were perusing the shelves in Salvation Army, Rich called and said it was 3:30. Rehearsal for my Scene Night was set to start in a half an hour! Britt and I had no idea we had spent SO MUCH TIME antiquing. We're going to go tomorrow too.
Today was all grunt work. The Importance of Being Earnest opens on Thursday. I have signed on to be a stage hand for all five weeks of their performances. That means Thursday, Friday, Saturday night I will be at the theater. Today, we were painting the two periactoids (huge, three-sided columns that are used to display different settings) to look like wall paper - I (with help from two of the TGS interns, Keihin and Sierra, and then from Britt later on) had to tape long strips of masking tape down the periactoid's side, making sure it was straight and the right distance from the other tape. Then someone (sometimes me, sometimes someone else) would paint the side of the periactoid - tape included. When the paint was dry, I took off the tape and - VOILA - wallpaper.
We are doing two sets of these wallpapers - one for Algernon's house and one for Jack's house. Algernon's house is painted a 'rose' color (that looks very much like plain pink, but Rich gets very flustered when anyone points this out), and Jack's house is painted a lovely yellow. Britt and I also had to use this taping method on three enormous slabs of wood that will go up against the garden stone wall for acts one and three, and be the walls for Algernon and Jack's houses. This means that one side of these slabs has to be pink - excuse me, rose - wall paper and one side has to be yellow.
I like doing the manual labor stuff, especially when people are coming in and out of the theater. Melinda, the costumer for Importance, would abruptly make appearances in and out of the day, and I liked that every time she came she could see our progress. I like that I am part of the scenery of the theater. Sometimes when I come into a theater I see someone working on a set piece, or cleaning, or looking over a script, or really just looking like they belong there. I don't ever really notice them beyond that, since I'm here at the theater to see a show or to audition or something. But I like that I have the chance to be part of the background of the theater and not in the foreground as an actor. Yes, it's awesome to be acting, but I also like just basically living at the theater. I was there from ten until six today, and Britt was telling me that I shouldn't come tomorrow at twelve, since I have to be there until about ten at night for Importance final dress. She suggested I come at two. We compromised for one.
Also - to include something I learned - Rich said something about how we didn't need actual cucumbers for the cucumber sandwiches because "it doesn't read from the audience". I didn't know what that meant, and so he explained to me that if something "reads" from the audience, that means that the audience will be able to see it - whether it be something that's supposed to be seen or not. So, for example, I was outlining the stones in the garden wall, and when it got to the very bottom of the muslin, where a plank of wood covered it up, I didn't bother to finish outlining because it wouldn't "read" from the audience. And lo and behold, when I sat down in the front row, my beautiful stone outlines disappeared behind this plank of wood.
Also, I got a key to the theater, in case I get there before Rich or Britt is there, and in case I have to rehearse when neither of them can make it that day. Having a key makes me incredibly happy. I like thinking that I am such a part of this theater that I can get a key.
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