Friday, January 8, 2010

January 6th Rehearsal

First day of classes. First rehearsal back from break. An exhausting day.

Today we started off rehearsal by warming up. The actors seem to like the vocal warm-up "What it to do, to die, today" and the physical warm-up "Chop, chop, saw." "What it to do, to die, today" focuses on annunciation and diction. "Chop, chop, saw" is used to build focus, rhythm, and energy within the group. First the cast played to get the hang of the game and then started to eliminate those who could not keep up with the rhythm. Usually there are two winners in the game because there must be three people to execute the necessary actions but Emily and Moira both missed a beat simultaneously, leaving Jordan as the solitary winner!

Every day after warm-ups, I will give the actors a subject to draw. Benjamin was able to express his emotions in his artwork, so I thought I would give the cast a chance to do this as well.

Todays drawing: Favorite pet or favorite animal.

After warm-ups all cast members gathered around in a half-circle. I spread out paper, crayons, and markers in the center of the circle. The cast immediately started to draw their cats and dogs from home and one member even drew "Bubbles" the pink elephant (this is their dream pet). I told them to interperate the subject however they liked. Some drew cartoon styles, others realistically, and a few put shoes, hats, and ties on their animals.
During the time that the cast draws, this also allows them to tell stories and bond.

First day back and we immediately got the play on its feet. I had created images that I wanted to portray and used the rehearsal time to get them there. The first 14 pages of the script are very difficult. There are constantly 7 or 8 people on the stage and the setting is always changing. All of us put our brains together to come up with new and fun ideas. Without some of the props it is hard to fully execute the blocking because there are silks that play an integral part in the movement.

All in all, a lot was accomplished on this long and exhausting day.

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