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October 26, 2013:

COLLABORATION

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, how much do I love collaboration – a LOT, that’s how much I love collaboration.  At last night’s rehearsal, when I’d finished the majority of our work, I gathered the three actors involved in a trio I wanted to do.  I had an idea for the song as I was listening to potential things for the show, as a kind of love triangle.  So, I sat the three actors down and told them what was in my head, but that I didn’t have a clear way to stage it, so I opened it up for discussion and it was just great to sit back and listen to smart actors discuss how to make the beats of the song work with the kind of story I wanted to tell.  And I finally had them get on their feet about about twenty minutes later we all realized that the word had been hanging in the air the entire time – a triangle, and that everything would move in a triangle and the relationships would then be very clear.  And it was, instantly.  I love that stuff.  We didn’t really do anything beyond that and we’ll finesse the idea at today’s rehearsal, but it was fun solving it with everyone participating.  The earlier part of the rehearsal was great fun.  We drilled the group number we’d done on Thursday night and I made a few adjustments.  Sami wasn’t with us, so she’ll have to be shown the adjustments, but I really like the number’s staging now.  Then I worked with each actor separately and I think we got eight numbers roughed out – many of these don’t require much staging at all, as the songs lend themselves to being simple, but slowly but surely we’re getting it all done and should have everything but a couple of the group numbers done by the end of Sunday.

Prior to that, I was up at eight for a telephonic conversation with the East Coast – that conversation went very well, and then I went back to bed and slept another two and a half hours, so I think I got my eight hours in there somehow.  Once up, the helper came and got some invoices, and then I went and had a grilled cheese with bacon sandwich and a small thing of onion rings.  Then I picked up no packages.  I came home and did some arranging work of a few of the songs, then talked to our musical director, and then he sent me some tracks we can work with today and tomorrow, which will be very helpful.  I don’t really know where the hours go, but it was suddenly time to leave for the theater.

I did my standard Laurel Canyon (Crescent Heights) to Olympic route, and it was pretty fast, then I whizzed west on Olympic all the way to West LA.  Then I did the adjustment and cut down to Pico and from there turned left onto Overland and voila – that worked kind of flawlessly.  I zoomed down Venice, stopped at a CVS and got some stuff I needed, then noticed a used book store across the street from the CVS.  I’m pretty sure this bookstore used to be on Santa Monica Blvd. in West LA many years ago – I think I remember going there and it was one of about three within just a few blocks.  There wasn’t much to see, but I always enjoy looking at books and there were some art books I leafed through, and I looked at their plays section – they actually had quite a few interesting first edition plays, but none of sufficient quality for the likes of me.

After that, I moseyed on over to the theater.  After rehearsal I came straight home.  I then put the tracks our musical director did into iTunes and then got the bedroom iPod and synched it – I hadn’t done so in ages, and there were over 8,000 songs to synch, which it’s been doing for over an hour now and is still 2,000 songs from being finished.  But what care I for tinsel and glamour?  I had a Gypsy moment, did you see that?  Once it’s synched, then I’ll take it and the portable speaker thing I have to the theater for our next two rehearsals.  After that our MD is back with us.  I also have to make one of our actors a CDR of some tracks as he can’t seem to deal with e-mail attachments.

Today, I shall be up by nine and out the door by ten and at the theater by eleven to begin our long day.  It will begin with Kay Cole, who’ll stage the opening number.  Then I’ll take over and run everything we’ve done so far, then continue on and do at least seven more numbers, which will leave about five for Sunday, plus the two or three group numbers that Kay will do the week after, which includes our big tap number.  I’m sure I won’t eat till after rehearsal, and maybe a few of us will go somewhere fun, but I do want to be home by six for a relaxing evening – I was supposed to go see a club act, but I just don’t have the energy.

Tomorrow, it’s another long day, or drilling what we’ve done and doing whatever new stuff is left.  I’m actually hoping to be done no later than four, and again maybe a few of us will go eat something, before I come home and get some rest because next week will be completely insane and it will take every ounce of stamina I have to get through it, keep my voice and remain focused on the many tasks at hand.  Monday and Wednesday are Kritzerland rehearsals, and I have to go directly from them to the theater – I won’t really get there before eight, but Lloyd Cooper will drill music with everyone until I do, on both those evenings.  Tuesday’s rehearsal will be just drilling the staging and I’m going to start assembling the show.  We’re off for Halloween, but rehearse Friday night.  Then Kay Cole takes over for the two weekend days – I’ll only be there at the beginning of Saturday’s rehearsal, because that’s our stumble-through day.  Then Sunday, we have our early sound check, our matinee and then our evening.  And then the following week we go into run-throughs, but the days are full with Sandy Bainum rehearsals for her show at The Federal – so we’ll rehearse her stuff in the morning and be done by one or two at the latest.  On November 5, I’m filming three numbers for her, so she can use them for promotion.  Again, I’ve told everyone we have to wrap out by three at the latest.  But it’s my Outside the Box crew so it should go well.  Once Sandy’s show is done, I’m in tech and then we begin previews on the 15th.  I am seriously taking a week off in December, maybe two.  And, of course, during all of this insanity, I have to prep the CD releases.  Clone me, quick!

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a rehearsal, do a jog afterwards, eat, hopefully pick up some packages and relax.  Today’s topic of discussion: What has been the most rewarding collaboration you’ve ever had?  Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall collaborate on some fun and positive dreams.

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