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.