Man, Shakespeare is the hardest thing I've ever tried to act. The language is intimidating. But the character build, I'm finding, is interesting. Prospero is such a complicated guy. It's all about power and control. And of course finally, forgiveness and letting go.
Not that I would know anything about that.
Theater is, on the whole, such an interesting art form. It's so much work for such a short run. Then there are the little dramas that take place during the rehearsal period. Actors don't show. People get pissy.
For instance last night the house manager for Mary's show, Tango, wouldn't let our children into the preview because the arrived three minutes late. Now, this guy was model for the snarky little director in Waiting For Guffman and (we thought) a friend of ours. But he's also dying from kidney disease. Consequently he's turned into the angriest little man in the theater.
Mary was so angry with him for not letting the kids in. I mean betrayal always sucks but it hurt her feelings because she has been rehearsing for three months. Not seeing her kids except for short little bursts. The one night they could all come to show, this little sad man ruined it for her.
Alack, for pity.
I spent the whole weekend learning my lines, rehearsing and creating the poster for the show. Man, that is a long weekend. Trust.
Mary, sweetie that she is, while neck deep in her own show, Tango, still found the time to assist me with my lines. The kids at the school are now referring to us as “the acting family”. It’s kind of nice. Definitely better than “the dysfunctional family”.
I tried my opening monologue off book this Saturday. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I knew it, hence, the desire to start without a script in hand tonight.
I’m feeling pretty good about it now. Act V is the next big chunk I’m going to try and stuff it in my head this week. But it’s pretty much blocked and ready to jam.
So it goes…
as dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep
I decided to quit my job today, and with characteristic speed and resolve, promptly did so. Having had almost two years of corporate life I decided to go back to freelancing. Effective April, 28th. So, we'll see if that works or not.
It's a little nerve wracking -but that's okay.
Last night at rehearsal we started in on Act IV. The first of the "purpled prose" as it were. I'm having a blast on this show. I dig my cast. The director is so mellow.
Allen Hamilton gave me the staff he used when he played Prospero -with the injunction that I keep it until I meet the next Prospero and duely pass it on.
It's really becoming a profound experience. Just getting that language, all that beautiful verse into my head, is changing me in new ways.
Why is it that no matter how much I prepare, work always seems to pile up while I'm rehearsing?
I'm coming in early in the morning now to make up for other peoples mistakes. Mostly contractors, but still, when I was freelance -I wasn't screwing things up all the time. I'm just saying.
Man, rehearsal always charges me up. I get home at 10:30 p.m. and I can't sleep until 1:30. Then of course I'm getting up at 5:30 or 6:00 a.m. so, of course, I'm nice and fresh to do it all o'er again.
At least I'm digging my cast. Great bunch of folks. I'm worried that trying to pull this off in this short time frame could be trouble. But it's always fun.
By accident most strange, I ended up being cast as Prospero in The Tempest.
We began rehearsals last night. We go up in a month. I've spent the last few weeks learning my lines and trying to figure it all out. "Trying" being the operative word. The language, the verse is beautiful. Which given that's it's stuck around the last 400 years probably makes some sort of sense.
At any rate I may start writing about again as that always seems to help me when I'm doing a show.