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Aubrey, our stage manager, has been taking line notes and has put them up as a google doc. Interesting to see where paraphrasing happens, what lines are dropped or muddled. My mission is to get to zero line notes!
Tonight we talked through the final scene. It's a tough few pages. Everyone is on stage, but Prospero has most of the dialogue. We all need to find ways to end our stories without speaking. Exploring the idea that the final scene is where everything is most at risk for each character: will it all come together? Will they get their desires? How to engage without over-acting when you’re not speaking, finding the connection to emotion and getting out of the brain and into the body, discovering the moments in the scene and not standing back from the emotion. Exhausting, but really fun and meaty stuff. For Ariel, I keep thinking, "Will I get my freedom? Will she release me now? Now? Now?!" I feel like a little kid. "Now can I have it? Now? How about now? I was reeeeally good!!! NOW?!"
I love watching Denise give notes at the end of rehearsal. Her energy seems indefatigable!
Tonight we talked through the final scene. It's a tough few pages. Everyone is on stage, but Prospero has most of the dialogue. We all need to find ways to end our stories without speaking. Exploring the idea that the final scene is where everything is most at risk for each character: will it all come together? Will they get their desires? How to engage without over-acting when you’re not speaking, finding the connection to emotion and getting out of the brain and into the body, discovering the moments in the scene and not standing back from the emotion. Exhausting, but really fun and meaty stuff. For Ariel, I keep thinking, "Will I get my freedom? Will she release me now? Now? Now?!" I feel like a little kid. "Now can I have it? Now? How about now? I was reeeeally good!!! NOW?!"
I love watching Denise give notes at the end of rehearsal. Her energy seems indefatigable!
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An approximation of me being told I will not be singing.
It's official. I definitely won't be singing/fluting in this production. All. The. Sadness... BUT! I've been told I can be more musical with the poetry. Hurray?!
We ran act 1. Vastly improved from last week!
General notes:
We ran act 1. Vastly improved from last week!
General notes:
- Where is the passion coming from in your body?
- Intensity and connection to emotion
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Rebecca's costume sketch for Ariel
Work-in-progress Ariel
Next week we have a photo shoot, and filming for the projections, so Judi/Prospero and I got together with the design team to do a try run of hair/make-up/costume. So. Much. Fun! What luxury to have separate hair/make-up/and costume designers!
My costume, designed by Rebecca Spafford, is stunning. Bright colors, easy to move around in, and totally evocative of a bird-spirit! Make-up by Suzann Ridolfi is shimmery with white and copper highlights in the cheekbones and brow. My hair, designed by Kirsten Hovorka, will be hairsprayed up, with copper tints combed through. Seeing it all together, I can finally visualize the kind of bird spirit that Ariel is.
Our team of designers have done an amazing job. The attention to detail, the collaboration between director and designers - if my collar is too high, will it diminish from the jerky/twitchy gestures?, will the audience be able to see my profile? - is just wonderful to witness.
My costume, designed by Rebecca Spafford, is stunning. Bright colors, easy to move around in, and totally evocative of a bird-spirit! Make-up by Suzann Ridolfi is shimmery with white and copper highlights in the cheekbones and brow. My hair, designed by Kirsten Hovorka, will be hairsprayed up, with copper tints combed through. Seeing it all together, I can finally visualize the kind of bird spirit that Ariel is.
Our team of designers have done an amazing job. The attention to detail, the collaboration between director and designers - if my collar is too high, will it diminish from the jerky/twitchy gestures?, will the audience be able to see my profile? - is just wonderful to witness.
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Off-book for Act 2. Much better. Set reinforced, feel safer on the top platform. Having much more fun.
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Today's rehearsal is OFF-BOOK!
Act 1 off-book day! More excitement in the room, more exploration of choices. Denise talked through how the projections will work... SO EXCITING!
Feeling much calmer tonight after running lines with Aaron this afternoon. Feeling more confident with entrances/exits, but it was a rough run overall. Collectively, lots of calls for “line!”.
I love that every time we run there are new discoveries to be made in the text. It’s delicious. I can see how Shakespeare might become addictive...
Feeling much calmer tonight after running lines with Aaron this afternoon. Feeling more confident with entrances/exits, but it was a rough run overall. Collectively, lots of calls for “line!”.
I love that every time we run there are new discoveries to be made in the text. It’s delicious. I can see how Shakespeare might become addictive...
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Act 2. Eugh. Rough!!! Being up on the top platform is terrifying. Need to get over my fear of heights pronto.
NOTES:
NOTES:
- keep going over scansion, look for each revelation
- Careful with apostrophied words - “in’t” = one syllable
- Need to play a step back from the rocks on the platforms to help create the illusion of height
- More bite with the harpy
- More jerky!!!
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Denise gives notes from the set
On the set!! Ran all of Act 1. Running around on the set is EXHAUSTING. Lots of stairs and different levels, feels very different to rehearsing on a flat floor with masking tape marking out the different platforms. Happy to say I got rid of my script early on in the run, it was harder to move around with script-in-hand than without.
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Elsa shows us how to let it goooooo
So lovely to watch the chemistry between Ferdinand and Miranda grow, seeing their scenes become romantic and lovely rather than awkward or even cliched. I love that Miranda proposes to Ferdinand. You go girl.
Have been exploring Ariel’s physicality - trying out hand gestures, twitches, different runs etc. During the “Before you can say and come go!” speech, I need to run right across the width of the platforms. I blanked on a line (we had changed it from “Each one tripping in his toe” to “Ariel tripping on her toe”), and rather than call out “line” and have the SM feed me the text, I kept moving across the platforms. When Denise gave notes on the scene, she said, “The bit with the “cry so-so”, the twitches were perfect. More of that!” Who needs to endlessly explore physicality when you can nail it fudging a line?! Good reminder that sometimes letting go, and letting it happen, can open up new discoveries!
Have been exploring Ariel’s physicality - trying out hand gestures, twitches, different runs etc. During the “Before you can say and come go!” speech, I need to run right across the width of the platforms. I blanked on a line (we had changed it from “Each one tripping in his toe” to “Ariel tripping on her toe”), and rather than call out “line” and have the SM feed me the text, I kept moving across the platforms. When Denise gave notes on the scene, she said, “The bit with the “cry so-so”, the twitches were perfect. More of that!” Who needs to endlessly explore physicality when you can nail it fudging a line?! Good reminder that sometimes letting go, and letting it happen, can open up new discoveries!
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Me, Suzann, Shannon, Kirsten, and Rebecca. The most AMAZING design team a gal could ask for.
Met Kirsten, Suzanne, and Rebecca, our hair/make-up/costume designers. Realizing we have separate hair/make-up/costume designers. LUXURY! The funny/bizarre feeling of having people look you over and working things out, assessing hair length, final thoughts on designs... It's not about YOU. It's about how the production will look. Looking forward to seeing sketches!
A long night with lots of scenes where Ariel flits about making magic, but not saying very much. It’s more exhausting than scenes with lots of lines. Getting more confident off-book, having fun with the harpy.
A long night with lots of scenes where Ariel flits about making magic, but not saying very much. It’s more exhausting than scenes with lots of lines. Getting more confident off-book, having fun with the harpy.
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getting grounded. from here.
Going back to basics, re-calling how to get grounded, speak from the pelvis, resonating the voice out clearly. Exploring Ariel’s energy. Fire and dark energy. Thinking about Ariel as dark and gnome-like. Twitchy. Gnarled. NOT graceful!!!