Blargh Entry

Stage Manager Ben Herman shares some of his thoughts on the rehearsal process -- in the style of a rehearsal report, of course!

GENERAL:
"...but that might change."

It could be the tagline for any show, but I feel I've been whipping it out far more frequently than normal. With a new play, it's especially important to remain flexible on the production end.

DRAMATURGICAL:
Constant revisions! The show is great though. Being a bit of a theatre history/lit/theory buff, I enjoy reading a really solid new play. A wiser man than me once assured me in my youth-ier youth that 70% of all theatre sucked - now that I'm older I realize how easy it is to mess up even a good play. The first place to start, though, is with the text - and this delivers. It's going to be lovely.

Now I need to get a clean copy of this script.

SET:
Putting it all together - the thing is TECHNICOLOR! There's so much to love about this play - the text, like I mentioned above, is a source of great satisfaction, but it's also full of color, physically, literally, every which way! This is reflected in the set, which reminds me of the coral reef.

SOUND:
Gotta say: I'm a huge music lover. I listen to a lot, and love so much of it! There's something about original compositions, though -- Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with pulling from the pre-recorded canon -- but there's something about custom-tailored sound that runs the words through me, if that makes any sense.

And furthermore, I've discovered a new love -- Indian par-tay music!!

PROPS:
Wow, I have a new respect for the professional props designers. How many are there in Chicago, anyway? Dan does great stuff. We've mostly been working with rehearsal props up to this point, but we're starting to introduce the actual props and they look great.

COSTUMES:
Another one of those aspects I haven't seen in the flesh yet, but soon enough! I have a new understanding of the layer closest to the actors, and watching them begin to live in their largely-unfamiliar rehearsal clothes has been interesting, culturally.

LIGHTS:
Man, If I think the set looks cool NOW... I can't WAIT to see it lit! It's so dark now. Under the work lights everyone's face is all dark.

DIALECTS:
We've found a fantastic dialect coach for this production and it has made a world of a difference. Also, there's something soothing about the Indian dialects...

CHOREOGRAPHY:
There's a freedom and joy in these moves, and even though they're rough around the edges yet, I can see the spirit of the dance coming through a little. I love it. (The production team has a Bollywood night planned next week -- can't wait!)