straining at the bit

Each part of the creation process has its own joys and frustrations. This is the point in which I want to run before we walk. The actors are doing a fantastic job in finding the core of each scene, but it's too early to delve into truly shaping the scenes the way I'd like to. Until an actor is off book and ready to move around and think more about the moment (or not think, just do), there's only so much direction I feel I can give them. Some directors are all about spending hours doing various exercises to find new things and explore possibilities and what not. I'm not really one of those. I have a pretty good idea about what I want. The trick is to let myself be surprised into something better than what I want. How to direct, while allowing for surprise, but moving them towards the play as I see it, and yet being open to something larger than my original vision... that's something I continue to struggle with.

In the meanwhile, I watch the actors pass over the scenes, over and over, each time growing a bit more into these characters, and eagerly await the chance to throw the scripts down and start living the moments versus reading them. It's like wanting to get married when you're really just starting to date. The excitement of the vision of what is to come is just too compelling, but it needs to be resisted.

We should be off book in ten days, though, and at that point we'll move into the Cassandra's Call Rehearsal Room, with all of our set pieces and props. Gabrielle Guthrie, our costumer and artist, will join us and we'll start to get a sense of how these characters look, and that will influence how they move and feel as well.

In the meantime, I'll be starting yet another project with Diana Brown. We'll be doing short video segments for the Mondo Global Network on local comedians, and also doing longer audio interviews with them for a yet unnamed Cassandra's Call talk show podcast.

Oh, and I shaved my head today. I look like a kinder, gentler Lex Luthor.