JUNE 1 - 15
I missed the very first part of rehearsal due to school, but these first few weeks have been incredible. I love working with everyone here. The director of the show just so happens to be the father of one of my favorite actors, so I thought that was pretty exciting.
The dynamic at Miner's Alley Playhouse is really interesting. Truth be told, it feels exactly like rehearsal with Drama Club at school, except everyone is a better actor. The woman playing Miss Tipdale is in London for these two weeks, so I've been filling in for her, and should she fall ill during the run of the show I'm her understudy.
Richard (the director) is a lot more hands-on than Ms. LoSasso as a director. Whereas Ms. LoSasso usually just lets us do a lot of character interpretation work and create business for ourselves, Richard tells the actors exactly what should happen when. I definitely prefer this style of directing to Ms. LoSasso's.
Mike is the assistant director, and he did all the research for the show. I was amazed to see all the research he did -- he found the origins of such common phrases as "I'll hold the fort." He did enough research for Not Now Darling to form its own book. I have a lot of respect for that -- at school, we usually do very little research, and it was refreshing to see how much time is taken in a real production.
All of the actors here hold down other jobs. Christian is a waiter and Rob is a math teacher. I know that their jobs put a considerable amount of stress on them, but it's nice to see them come here and be able to relax and let themselves have fun with the play. Often they have so much fun with it that their improvisation is made into part of the play. Richard is incredibly talented at thinking of ways to work in the little things that they do without thinking about it. The more I watch him, the more I start to learn how to incorporate things like that as a director. It helps that this is a farce, which lends itself to improvisation, but it's still a useful skill to develop.
I leave for vacation soon and will not return until the 25th. I'm disappointed I can't be here, but I have a feeling they'll do fine without me.
JUNE 25 - 30
It's the week of dress rehearsals. Richard is still making big changes with the actors, but there has definitely been some improvement. I'm surprised that they're changing so much in the week before the show opens. The actors all take direction really well, though, so the changes can be made quickly.
Since I'm no longer needed to fill in for Miss Tipdale, I'm stage managing now. It's a pleasant change from school not to have a huge crew backstage -- just one person is more than enough to handle a show like this. I'm surprised how much all the actors depend on me. I need to keep them on time before the show starts, and I'm in charge of all their props and special effects. I also clean up the stage during intermission.
A lot goes into a small theatre like this. We all wear many hats. Paige is co-owner of the theatre, but she also bartends, stage manages (other shows), and cleans the bathrooms. Paige and her husband Rick also direct and act in shows there.
There isn't much space back stage to move around, so the actors do a lot of their preparing at home, or they come in much earlier than necessary so as not to get in each others' way. One actor isn't in the show until the second act, and he doesn't even come until after the first act has already started. Contrary to what Ms. LoSasso often tells us, the actors don't "get into character" backstage at all. They mess around just as much as we do at school.
JULY 20 - 29
The show is just about ready to close. I won't be stage managing next weekend because I'm having surgery. I really will miss the cast and crew here, but I've learned from them that Denver theatre is so small and tight that I will almost undoubtedly be seeing them again. I'm really excited to work there in the future. Another exciting piece of news: Rick and Paige offered me a job at the theatre! I'm so excited! I did make quite a few mistakes as stage manager, but they understood that I was just learning so they didn't mind at all. This has truly been a great experience. I now know that theatre, even if it is unpaid, is truly what I want to do with my life, whereas before I had a number of doubts. I look forward to upcoming shows, both on and off stage.
