Well, dear readers, today is the day before the day when I do my first performance of the play. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, tomorrow is play day. So, today I will spend a lot of time by myself going over lines, and then this evening we will run my part of the play three times through on the set, with lighting and props. That should be very helpful. And then, it’s show time, folks. Yesterday, I got quite hoarse, what with non-stop yakking all the livelong day. I got a reasonable night’s sleep, then got up, ran my lines, and then shaved and showered. A makeup lady arrived at noon, and the camera person arrived at 12:30, along with Mr. Teleprompter. While they were setting up, Tammy and I put on our bathing outfits and went outside to take the photo that’s used on the set. It came out very well. Matt and I had a chance to do two line-throughs, which went very well. I then changed into outfit for the first of the video sequences, which was actually sequence two, the final video used in the show. We did a test so I could see the shot, then we just began with take one. And, happily, that was as far as we had to go – take one was absolutely fine, I watched it on the playback, and that was that. They’ve really improved the way these teleprompters work, and it was so easy and simple, and most of all, fun. Then we moved to a different room, I changed wardrobe, and we did video sequence two (actually the first one in the show). Since that required off-screen voices and laughter, it was a bit more intricate to get right – we did about four takes and then everything worked just fine. We wrapped the camera and teleprompter, then Tammy and I went to get the prints made of the photo we’d taken. After that, we grabbed a bite to eat. We came back to my house, where she made some telephonic calls whilst I showered again to wash the makeup off. We then went to LACC to see their current production of Michael Weller’s Loose Ends.
I’m not that big a fan of Mr. Weller’s Moonchildren, but it’s better than Loose Ends, which just sort of meanders on without being compelling at all. The production was nice, and the students all did a nice job, but it was quite long (pacing would have helped it), and I suppose I just didn’t respond to the plot or characters. One of the characters (played by Guebri Jaigle, our assistant on Kevin Spirtas’ act) did do her first scene clad only in a bra and white cotton underpants, and those who’ve read Benjamin Kritzer will know that I enjoyed that very much. After the show, some of the kids were going out for a bite, but I opted to head on home – on the way, I ran my lines again, but was too hoarse to do them too loudly. I shall rest my voice today, and drink some hot EmergenC if need be, although I suspect it won’t be necessary.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I do, after all, have a musical theater workshop (MTW) to teach this morning.
Today we shall be taping music for the duets, then I have a meeting with the head of the department to discuss the dates for our musical staged reading. Then I shall pick up the new DVD of Capote, then I shall run lines in my head (not aloud), then I shall relax and have a bite to eat, then I shall toddle off to the theater to rehearse, in wardrobe. What an exciting day it shall be, filled with oomph, and élan, and vigor, and vim, not necessarily in that order.
I have no plans at all on Friday. Oh, if I’m feeling antsy, I might get together with Matt for an hour, just to do a quick line-through, and I’m sure I’ll run lines by myself, but mostly I think I’ll stick around the home environment and catch up on my writing – nothing makes the time pass faster than writing.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, rest my weary voice during the day, rehearse at night, eat, have class, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: The 70s brought in a whole new crop of young playwrights like Michael Weller and Paul Zindel and then, a bit later, Tina Howe and her ilk. What are your favorite of those kinds of plays of the 70s and 80s, and which ones do you think have stood the test of time? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, as we move inexorably toward show time.