Haines Logo Text
Column Archive
October 29, 2019:

THE FUN AND PRODUCTIVE FIRST REHEARSAL

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, I do believe that we had our first rehearsal for The Man Who Came to Dinner, even though the Man was not with us.  I began the evening with my usual speech – no negativity allowed in the rehearsal room, that I don’t like the words “no” and “can’t” and “won’t”, that I love actors and that I don’t plan too much because I base a lot of what I do on when I see each actor’s physicality and hear them do their lines.  Then we began with scene one – the first five pages of that scene are insane, really – one entrance on top of another with absolute clarity needed, with sharp timing needed, and an insanely fast pace.  So, I barreled through it – I blocked a bit, ran it several times, then went on, and that’s how I work.  It seems laborious at times, but by the end of our three hours I’d not only blocked all that, I did twenty-one pages total, ending just before the end of scene one.  As with my writing, I don’t like to finish a scene at the end of a rehearsal – I like to stop just before so that when I resume the next evening, I do a review and pick right up where I left off, which gets everyone back in the mode, and then we move on.  I’m hoping to do at least another twenty pages tonight.  Anyway, it all went very well, and I think everyone had a good time, which is the way I like the first rehearsal to go.  We had one of our actors sit in for our missing leading man, so I did block all his stuff, too.

Prior to that, I got about seven hours of sleep, did my usual morning things, like answer e-mails and such.  Orders for The Creature were very light, but I kind of expected it since over 100 people took the DVD perk at Indiegogo.  Still, I’m hoping we get more.  If you’re a member of any cult movie groups on Facebook, or comedy groups or sci-fi groups, please share the post I made.

At around eleven-thirty, I moseyed on over to Staples and got a notebook for my Dinner script.  Then I went to Jerry’s and had a roast beef sandwich and no fries or onion rings.  It was okay.  Then I picked up one package (shampoo), then I came back home.  I did some work at the piano and then the computer, had some telephonic conversations, and then it was finally time to mosey on over to the theater for our first rehearsal, which you’ve already read about so that this paragraph has become what is known as an anti-climax.  On my way home from rehearsal I got two filet-o-fishes from McDonald’s.

Today, I have to do a bunch of stuff, including working at the piano and the computer, hopefully forwarding more orders, then I’ll eat something light, then hopefully pick up some packages, then I’ll relax for a bit.  I have a series of production meetings with designers starting at five, and then we begin our second rehearsal at seven.  That’s actually our last rehearsal until next Monday, due to a heavy performance schedule this week at the theater (added Halloween shows).

The rest of the week is meetings and meals, giving out candy for Halloween, and then hopefully a relaxing weekend of relaxing.  I’m sure there a couple of dinners in there, too.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, work at the piano, work at the computer, hopefully forward more orders, eat something light, hopefully pick up packages, relax, have production meetings, and then rehearse.  Today’s topic of discussion: So far, which have been your favorite movies and TV things in the year 2019?  Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had a productive and fun first rehearsal.

Search BK's Notes Archive:
 
© 2001 - 2024 by Bruce Kimmel. All Rights Reserved