Merrily we (still) roll along...

We are entering the final week of working rehearsals, and after a very productive and creative rehearsal last Thursday, we are finally ready to put the show on the set, add in the interlude scenes, and tie this show up into the bawdy, silly, magical, fun little package it is meant to be. 


 The exhilaration and paranoid panic of these last weeks of rehearsal  are definitely taking their toll...

Tired and exhausted ... strained and lost friendships... stressed creativity... that about sums it all up for me and many of my actors right now.  There hasn't been one day since all this began that I haven't rehearsed or worked on this show at least 5 to 8 hours a day and this is in addition to the rest of my theatre commitments, real life and work. 

Though most actors are not called to all rehearsals, there have been two (aside from myself) who have attended every rehearsal, meeting, audition session, activity that the production has spawned.  The three of us have been at the theatre hours early nearly every day, done a great deal of out of rehearsal shopping for props, research, and work and are just about ready to fall over!  Now, though, all the dedication and work is about to be tested and displayed as we ready ourselves to jump off the edge into tech week on 1st April.

Costumes and props are still in the void and off deadline, but set and lighting are in (or going in) and showing some progress.  I am used to having all props and costumes in and working at least 40 rehearsal hours before production week, so I am having to adjust and accept these additional stressful challenges. 

I normally don't rehearse Shakespeare this long, but with the headache and inconvenience of not having all actors at the rehearsals they need to be at (ones additional to those given at auditions), I had to extend the process... If I had been able to have all my actors in place and at all called rehearsals, we could have shaved off at least two weeks of the process.

But, having examined some of the exhaustive issues of the process, I have to say I am anxious to see where the long and hard journey of the next two weeks leads us. Through all the stresses this show has presented, none have been insurmountable (so far) and is 'par for the course' for any production.  We've got this far... How much farther can we go?!

I take a short break over the next two days to audition my next show, but we are all back at it on Wednesday!