Or would it be slain? Have I slayed the demon? Regardless, the Blue Demon is dead! Our KIA Rio has been declared a total loss after my car accident several weeks ago. I didn't think it was that bad but apparently once they got the hood off the damage was more extensive than they originally thought. It would have ended up costing too much money to fix the damage, and the car wasn't worth a whole lot of money to begin with. So now we are suddenly in the market for a car... again.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Sunday, September 01, 2013
Seven and a Half Days Later
I am now over 1 week removed from one of the must exhilarating, frustrating, and overwhelming experiences I've had in a very long time. I am speaking of the 24 Hour Project at Colonial Players of Annapolis. The object is to cast, rehearse and mount a fully staged theatrical production within 24 hours.
Sound impossible?
Well, I guess that depends on many, many factors. What's the show? Who's in it? How big is the cast, the seeet, the theatricality... everything? Who's directing? Can the cast handle the pressure?
Well, the show was called "While The Lights Were Out" and it was a murder mystery farce in 3 acts. Sound difficult? Let's factor in the large cast size, 15 members, the British dialects, and the fact that almost all of the cast members are onstage for the vast majority of the show.
Very nearly impossible.
By the time lights came up on our ambitious project we had yet to make it through a run of the show without major incident. Lines were not memorized. Some cast members seemed to have no idea what came next or what actually were major plot points. The stumble through rehearsals were taking over 3 1/2 hours, and a few cast members, including myself, were about to lose their shit!
Keep in mind, this is the 1st time I have been onstage in over a year. My current work schedule, family commitment, and lack of time make rehearsing and, then, performing impossible. The catch though was this would only require a 24 hour commitment. How bad could it be?
It was bad!
Well, maybe not from the audience's stand point. They really seemed to enjoy themselves. They all were in on the gimmick, and seemed marvel at the fact that we were able to do so much in so little time. In actuality, we were 15 cast members all onstage hoping someone else knew what the hell they were doing! Lines were dropped. Pages of dialogue were skipped over, and major plot points revisited so that the audience would understand what was going on. It was stressful!
Every actor, performer has a dream in which they are thrust onstage only to realize, in a panic, that they aren't prepared. Maybe they never went to a rehearsal. Maybe they're going on for the lead. Maybe they just can't remember a single line of dialogue. What ever the situation is in their dream it is stressful, and terrifying. That dreamer may wake up in a pool of sweat screaming, "Line! Line? What's my friggin' line?" Before they realize it was only a dream. This past weekend, however, it was NOT a dream! It was my reality, and I am so grateful to have made it through without alienating anayone involved, screaming at those same people or crapping my pants onstage. I am not sure I will be auditioning next time around.
Sound impossible?
Well, I guess that depends on many, many factors. What's the show? Who's in it? How big is the cast, the seeet, the theatricality... everything? Who's directing? Can the cast handle the pressure?
Well, the show was called "While The Lights Were Out" and it was a murder mystery farce in 3 acts. Sound difficult? Let's factor in the large cast size, 15 members, the British dialects, and the fact that almost all of the cast members are onstage for the vast majority of the show.
Very nearly impossible.
By the time lights came up on our ambitious project we had yet to make it through a run of the show without major incident. Lines were not memorized. Some cast members seemed to have no idea what came next or what actually were major plot points. The stumble through rehearsals were taking over 3 1/2 hours, and a few cast members, including myself, were about to lose their shit!
Keep in mind, this is the 1st time I have been onstage in over a year. My current work schedule, family commitment, and lack of time make rehearsing and, then, performing impossible. The catch though was this would only require a 24 hour commitment. How bad could it be?
It was bad!
Well, maybe not from the audience's stand point. They really seemed to enjoy themselves. They all were in on the gimmick, and seemed marvel at the fact that we were able to do so much in so little time. In actuality, we were 15 cast members all onstage hoping someone else knew what the hell they were doing! Lines were dropped. Pages of dialogue were skipped over, and major plot points revisited so that the audience would understand what was going on. It was stressful!
Every actor, performer has a dream in which they are thrust onstage only to realize, in a panic, that they aren't prepared. Maybe they never went to a rehearsal. Maybe they're going on for the lead. Maybe they just can't remember a single line of dialogue. What ever the situation is in their dream it is stressful, and terrifying. That dreamer may wake up in a pool of sweat screaming, "Line! Line? What's my friggin' line?" Before they realize it was only a dream. This past weekend, however, it was NOT a dream! It was my reality, and I am so grateful to have made it through without alienating anayone involved, screaming at those same people or crapping my pants onstage. I am not sure I will be auditioning next time around.
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