WEEK FOUR: Days 4-5

Day 4:  Thursday, October 7

3:00 - 6:00 Paper Tech - Patrick, Teddy, and I met to go over all cues before getting into Tech on Saturday.  We clipped along pretty well, and almost finished Act I.  The first two days of tech will be Act I, so we will find another time to do Act II prior to Tuesday night.

Rehearsal:  Plan to run with invited guests!  At 6:30 we worked a few items that needed attention and I felt that 3/4 of that  manifested in the run itself.  at 7:15 we began the run.  It became apparent in the run more of what I couldn't tell in the rehearsal room (due to my concept of the crew being an active part of our continuing story) more than what I could tell.  It also was interesting to me how we have work to do to find the EVENT in every scene and work up and down from that so that the story propels forward.  At this point, I feel that there is more work ahead of us than behind us.  BUT as a director, I also have to remember that Tech rehearsals can also keep propelling the acting forward if I continue to engage the actors.  We have  a good deal of hours remaining before we open.  It is the ultimate job of multi-tasking for the director.  If managed well, all can be accomplished at once.

After the run, even though I tried to circumvent this by email, the guests spoke with me in the room after in response to what they experienced.  My hope was to set additional meetings to maximize my rehearsal time with the ladies.  This is a peculiar part of the process to Carnegie Mellon.  It always feels like it creates doubt in the actors mind about what product we have at this point.  It stops momentum.  Anyway, the actors got a substantial break and then we began reworking Act I Opening and Act I Finale.

Day 5:  Friday, October 8th

1:30-2:30  Meeting with Jed Harris to receive specific notes from run.  There are specific, concrete notes about "truing up the acting"  that will be useful to implement over the next week.

4:00-5:30  Rob Hartmann is in town to meet with Corey Waschala, the keyboard player, to devise a patch plan for orchestra rehearsal.  It was discovered that much can be accomplished through Garage Band tracking the patch changes.  They will meet again prior to Orchestra Rehearsal tomorrow.

Rehearsal -   Rob was with us to be an outside eye to "crack the nut"  that is the Opening of Act II.  He gave interesting insight to why I was feeling imbalanced.  There was a thought in my mind that if this was the 200th time the icons have been through this cycle, they would be tired and Agatha would have to inspire them......this shifts the energy to the opposite dynamic necessary.  The intent is that Amelia and Aimee are just content/happy to continue this cycle, but Agatha is not - SHE breaks first.  Then the others have to buck her up!!!!!!! THEY INSPIRE HER TO BEGIN.   Then we worked many Act II numbers.

We have Orchestra and Tech tomorrow.

WEEK FOUR: Days 1-3

I cannot believe it's October AND it's Thursday today.  Day 1-3, M T W have been huge days in the production's development.

Monday 10/4:  

NEW Sound Designer hired.  Welcome Matt Benjamin on sabbatical from his duties at Wright State University.  I am very excited to work with this seasoned, talented professional.

PRESS MACHINE MEETING:  The design team, Brian Russman, and I met to discuss a redesign to endow the machine aspect with more human like qualities.  We are going to make torsos metallic, heads more mannequin-like with press hats and dangling arms and legs with camera and pen/pads.  

REHEARSAL:  Individual work day.  We broke rehearsals down to allow for a rotation between Alexander/Dialect Coaching, Solo Music Coaching, One on one Staging/Acting Coaching.  Strong work was done to move us forward.  We also crawled through Act II.  Worked in detail about when/how the women take control of their world (props) and identities.

Tuesday 10/5:

Phone Meeting with Sound Designer to talk through my Rough Cues.  He emailed an augmented Cue sheet incorporating ideas we discussed and created together. 

Rehearsal:  This was a day where we had 45 minutes at the top to do spot work and then we were doing  a run for designers.  It was my job to maximize our efficiency of time for the beginning of rehearsal.

6:30-7:15: WORK  accomplished:  Integrated Press Machine as a "Character"  in the opening of the show.  Kept trucking through the GP section-Lady Lindy-giving new intention of "Making Amelia" as a product.  Give new intention of traveling with a suitcase to place to place and using it as a platform, etc.

7:25 RUN THROUGH - This was a huge step forward and illuminated the exact moments that need reworking.  The ladies were allowing themselves to give over to the journeys and see where it takes them.  Some specific directorial challenges... Each scene is high stakes.......how do we work with pace to vary energy/intention of Act I?

WORK AND ADD DETAILS TO ADVENTURE, SPECTACLE, MYSTERY to personalize each woman's story and give the Vanishing Point Trailer!!!!

Wednesday 10/6:

JUDY CONTE DAY OF MOVEMENT ADVISING!  After restaging different scenes and moments, my Movement Advisor came in and helped make those 'dramatic storytelling through movement'  moments clear and specific.  I showed what I had for the moment and Judy and I worked together to add and specify elements for the actor.  The sheer physical control that Judy exhibits and her ability to pass that toolbox onto each individual actor was an education for me.  Thank you - another leap forward.  After, we added new moments to build Act I Finale to the feverish pitch that it needs to have right before the disappearance.  Each woman left feeling fed with new inspiration, including me.  

Production Meeting went smoothly, and we continued by going into the space and talking about monitor and camera placement.

The deck is being installed;  I took a look into the Rauh after rehearsal.  Set is expansive - in a good way.  The space always looks different to me in compared to in the model and then, again, different to the rehearsal room!  Wild.  There is a space concern on the Deck left side, but Stage Management feels that we can still manuever all changes in the space allotted.

In the late evening, I received Sound Samples from Matt for all of our cues.  Couldn't wait to get at them on Thursday morning in prep for our meeting.

FULL DAY THAT MADE IT A REALITY IN MY BRAIN THAT WE ARE DOING THIS WITH AN END DATE........WITH AN AUDIENCE.

WEEK THREE: A Note from Christian Fleming, AD

This week was exciting. Beginning the exploration of Act Two, added some new layers to the show's "message" for me. I, personally, would like to live in the world of Act Two much more than the first act. The difference between the two act's worlds is refreshing. This week felt more playful and more spontaneous. 

WEEK THREE: Day 3,4,5 & 6 Staging Act II

Wed 9/29, Th 9/30, F 10/1, and S 10/2

Staging Act II:  Very different, womb-like, space that allows for play and the women having a real, palpable relationship with each other and explore what that means.  We came into rehearsal and the stage was bare and the designer asked that it be our playground.  So I asked each actress to take all the props and furniture pieces that were important to them in act one and strew them about the SR and SL platform.  Then, we began staging by allowing Lee, Tess and Kaleigh to just improvise the story of Act II without using the actual text and discovering props in the space as needed.   We did this for the portion of the show after "The Plot Thickens" to through the set up for "Afternoon Tea".  I encouraged the icon to experience the surprise of  the twists in the new stories and enjoy the freedom allowed by the not knowing what's happening.  We, then decided each icon would be in charge of the set up and discovery of their individual story instead of being forced into it.  This would be physicalized by moving the furniture necessary to create the tale.  The fun and frolic translated into a renewed sense of investment in each other and the piece.  Of course I had some strong pictures that needed to happen, but how to and from there, we created together.  Just like the women created their ultimate destinies together.
Special joy and fun was had staging Afternoon Tea and Red Herrings ------- our tribute to traditional musical theatre staging and choreography!

We are in a slight redesign of the Press Machine to eliminate the clanking noises -love them but are overpowering the voices of the women.  We also are combining the machine quality with more humanistic traits and endowing it with press acutrements - press hat, perhaps pad/pen, camera.  We will introduce it as a character at the top of the show and them allow it to take its place on stage in the vom.

Stumbled through Act II!  We are on the way!  Next week is full of runs and refinement!