Last week the University of Nebraska-Lincoln hosted the International Thespian Festival for the twentieth year. This means 3,400 high school kids and their teachers and chaperones descended on The Lied Center, the Temple Building, Kimball Hall, the Student Union and every hotel and restaurant in the area, not to mention several dorms. It's an awesome event that includes multiple shows, workshops, competitions, parties, auditions, and hard work for lots of people. What it means for us is that personnel in the scene shop and electrics virtually stop working on our shows and get busy making all those festival productions and workshops possible. It also means we have a single rehearsal room to do all our rehearsals. Vanya rehearses there in the morning and Farce in the afternoon, which left Circle hunting for a home. We found it in St. Mark's On-Campus Episcopal Church, just steps from the Ross on Q Street. It has been a nice change as the room is flooded with sunlight and not a festival venue.
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, being the first to open, is completely staged and off-book. I saw a run-through on Saturday morning and it's going to be delightful. All the real props are being used, selected costume pieces as well, and the music between scenes has been added. The highest priority next week will be getting the set out of the scene shop and on to the Howell stage. They have a little over a week in the rehearsal hall before technical rehearsals and the addition of all the other elements.
Alan Knoll arrived on Monday, so Unnecessary Farce rehearsals have begun. I can't sit in because my rehearsals for Circle are at exactly the same time. My spies say it's going well. Staging went very quickly so they had a stumble-through on Saturday. Alan says he is delighted that the actors are so willing to try anything! The crazy bits, sight gags, and all things farcical are popping up everywhere!
I'm working Circle Mirror Transformation scene-by-scene, asking the actors to be off-book as we tackle each, doing it multiple times to set lines, adjust staging and make decisions about the transitions between scenes. Megan, my stage manager, cues the actors by saying what will happen ultimately when we have lights and sound. "Black out." "Lights up." "Lights shift." "Music, music, music, music... out," is what we hear from her. We'll do another run-through on Thursday, and will add sound cues for that run.
Last Thursday was also the crazy day we call publicity day. It is the day the Journal Star comes to take the publicity photos they use in the newspaper. I look on this as the only opportunity to give our audiences a peek into each of the plays by showing some of the characters in costume in a situation from the play. Julie and I decide what story we want to tell with the shots and choose who is in each one. This year Vanya, Masha, and Spike represent their show in costumes they wear to a costume party dressed as Snow White, Prince Charming and a dwarf, Doc. This is action that happens offstage, but gives insight into some of the relationship in the play. Eric and Billie, the cops in Unnecessary Farce, are tied up with a phone cord and being threatened by one of the crooks. I don't think this actually happens in the play, but it sure could. For Circle Mirror Transformation, we show Theresa hooping (remember hula hoops?) while two of the other characters look on in admiration and envy. This moment happens in the play, and it represents how each central action is always reflected in how each character perceives it. On publicity day we also do a whole day of interviews for the podcasts we produce every year. Our podcasts are five three-four minute videos, one for each show, one for the Destinations, and one that summarizes all of the other four. They contain a synopsis of the play, shots of rehearsals and selected interviews with directors, designers and actors. The podcasts will soon be available on our web site, www.unl.edu/rep, to whet your appetite for the season. Shooting the podcasts is a scheduling nightmare, but Julie's staff of students is wonderful, and it came off without a hitch. (I was pooped.)
It was a great week. We accomplished everything we needed to and are ready to hit the ground running for week three!
Talk to you in a week!
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