stumbling virtue

Bloody Hell

I'm glad to say that our production of "Titus Andronicus" opened last weekend, which means that I am DONE with it (I was just asst director, not in the cast). It's a difficult play under the best of circumstances and we never had the best of circumstances. There were a number of productions either performing or in rehearsal at the complex (that's what I'll call it now that we have two theaters), and somehow we were the one that always got shunted to the side. The Saturday before we opened we weren't even able to get into the theater because it was booked for several kids' ballet school performances of "The Nutcracker." No one told us this until three days before, so the day we should have been doing final run-throughs before tech, we spent cleaning the theater for the kids shows. Then we had all kinds of problems getting pieces for the set built--basically, the cast had to do it at the last minute, some people staying all night to work on things (uh, not me--I'm not the one you want handing a saw at 3 in the morning). When we finally got into tech, we had problems with the lighting. Arrgh.

This will never be my favorite production I've ever worked on (though I am a great admirer of the super professional cast who put up with all the problems with more grace than anyone could have asked for). I don't love the play, for starters, and I wish we had had more time to work on, well, acting. But it was a learning experience, and I'm glad I was involved. Now all we need to do is recapture the magic of some of our earlier work. Oh, and that should hopefully require a choice of material with a part for me.

End of the year coming...I will have lists coming soon! Not just end of year, but end of decade! Yikes! where have you gone, Y2Ks?

There Will Be Blood

 

It is just horrible how long it's been since I've written anything here. I've been busy with projects with tough deadlines, and yes, the latest theater project. So, what's that?

Well, now we're on "Titus Andronicus," and this has been by far the most difficult to edit. The style of the play is just very talky, with characters talking about things that happen offstage or explaining their actions (which often need explaining). If you cut too much, you risk making it incomprehensible, but if you don't, well, it gets tedious.

That's the heart of the problem--it's just not a great play. I kept trying to think if there was some theme that I could highlight and edit into sharper focus. But there's really nothing other than bloody revenge for revenge's sake.I think some people like it just for the simple glee of the blood and body parts. I find it a bit tiresome, though, and think most of the characters are pretty stupid. There really isn't a part for me in it, but we found one tiny bit that I could do. Then I found out, while researching the play, that that scene is almost always cut. I felt I couldn't in good conscious say I had made my best effort to edit it without cutting that part, so...for now I'm not actually in anything. We'll see if the director wants to put it back.

A Muse of Fire

 
Agincourt

Sadly, the play closed last night (that is, a few hours ago). More sadly than usual because I had such a huge personal investment in this one. I worked so hard on the script and it felt like a struggle sometimes to try to get everyone to believe in what we were doing. But I think it all came out well in the end.

I am old enough now that I don't do a show hoping for fame and fortune (though a little fortune wouldn't be unwelcome). Instead, during curtain calls, I find myself looking out at the audience, checking each face, hoping desperately that someday I will see someone who is there just for me. But I am old enough now to know that it is foolish to think of such things.

We Happy Few

They like us! They really like us!

The Day Is Yours

Our version of Agincourt looks EXACTLY like this.

I've been absentee for a while for a number of reasons. One is that I've had some projects with difficult deadlines, making it hard for me to finish reading a book (though I did finally finish one--review coming soon!). The other is that we were coming down to the wire to get the show opened.

And yes, we did open tonight (or I guess last night, since it's after midnight here). I'd be lying if I didn't say that I thought at times that we were teetering on the brink of disaster. You'd think that "Hamlet" would be a tougher play to put on than "Henry V," but now looking back, it actually isn't. "Hamlet" is incredibly complex, but so well made that it pretty much tells the story itself. "Henry V" is tougher. The only fully developed character is Henry, and many people will even point out that he is more interesting in the "Henry IV" plays. Everyone else is pretty much just a bit part, which leads to a large, often unmanageably large cast. We had one really low point about two weeks, a week and a half ago where I wondered if anyone was even trying, if anyone understood what we were trying to do, and if anyone had the ability to do it.

But tonight we opened, and put on a cohesive show, one that is (I think at least) entertaining to watch, and one that seems (mostly) professional. And it comes in at just around two hours--pretty good for a Shakespeare history play if I do say so myself!

More soon--

This Mock

 

Lego Harfleur

We had our first reading of Henry V this week and it seemed to go reasonably well. We may be adding some things back in and cutting some others. One thing I wonder--we have a huge cast--even after cutting a number of parts, combining others, and double casting actors, we still have 26 people. With that many people, the majority of whom are playing bits, the odds seem good that we'll have drop outs. All I can hope is that if it happens, it won't be at the last minute.

I am working on a project that has crazy deadlines and won't have any time to write about books until next week. I finished one book that I liked quite a bit and am looking forward to writing about it (if I remember anything about it by then). I am into another one that so far seems a bit...okay. It's a biography, and it does have this absolutely fantastic line in it.

"Fanny Nightingale was anxious to show the world that the Smiths were not crying uncle just because their father had declared bankruptcy and their eldest brother had chosen to cohabit with a milliner."

Horrors!

 

A Kingdom For A Stage

The play I was in just ended, which is somewhat sad as it was very well-received. It's nice to be in something good and to have people laugh. There's a fair chance it will be revived again. It's biggest problem is that it is too long ( a two hour forty-five minute comedy? ohhhh...). Before I left the theater last night I told the director I'd be willing to do an edit and rewrite of the script. Hopefully he'll take me up on it; I could knock that thing down to 90 minutes in a heartbeat.

The one-act festival ended as well, and I'm more than sad about that because I only got to see my play once and because one-acts don't really have much of a life in them; it's not like it's going to get revived. I'm still surprised by how much people liked the play I wrote. I think it was mostly due to the good cast I had. They told me they all loved being in it, and that's what meant a lot to me; I always want to make the actors happy. If they're having a good time, the audience probably is too. So I guess it's a sad goodbye, my Mr. Winnecker.

Meanwhile, "Henry V" has proven almost impossible to cast. The problem is that aside from the king himself, there really aren't any substantial roles, and even with doubling or combining characters, a lot of actors seem to have thought the parts given to them were too small for them to put in that rehearsal time. To that I say it is better to be in something than nothing, no matter how small your part is. Good luck, divas.

Kill the Messenger

Got the cast list for "Henry V" (or "Henry V Minutes" as my slashing edit of Shakespeare's script is known) today. I didn't get the part I wanted. What a surprise. Sigh. I got my second choice, which was a rather distant second choice. I am on Team France. Yes, the losers.

Imaginary Friends

The One Act festival opened this week, and the production of the play I wrote for it is remarkably good. I think the cast (which includes one of the best actors in the company) is better than the material. People seem to like it so far, which is nice to hear. This reviewer person said it was her favorite of the group. Now all we need are more reviewers to say that kind of thing.

Meanwhile, the revival of the play that died opens this week. It is going rockily, at least my part is; the rewrite of the script did me no favors. Sigh.

Once More Unto the Breach

 

Let's go to Agincourt!

I just finished doing an edit of "Henry V" for a September production. I cut it realllly far down; we'll probably end up adding things back in. I mostly cut things to highlight the theme "being king is hard." I read a lot of criticism of the play that focused on the idea that Henry isn't a great character--he just triumphs over and over. So I trimmed a lot to highlight the moments when he has to do unpleasant things, as in execute friends, for both major and minor offenses, and when he is shown in his own words or those of others to be a rather lonely figure. I also (and this may not go over well with others) cut a lot of the comic bits, mostly because they slowed things down and, to be honest, I don't think this is Shakespeare's best comic work. Anyway, we'll see how it goes. I can't wait to see which part I get. Probably Messenger #4.

Meanwhile, the show that died in May is being revived for the end of July, in a new posh theater. Things are looking good for that, so far. We actually have a stage manager, crew, and people who are doing marketing. Woo hoo. Professional and fancy, all of a sudden.