We are on week 10 of rehearsals.
I don't have much to report today. We continue with run-throughs, fixing little things here and there. MZ (the choreographer) rehearsed parts of the dances that didn't look unified. I rehearsed all the ensemble songs and was as nit-picky as I could be about vowels, cut-offs, and breathing.
I can see that the cast felt tired today. At this point, we all feel comfortable enough with the show to relax a bit, but we are lacking the excitement of the first few weeks. Doing run-throughs over and over again helps us refine, but it also means a lot of sitting around for most of the actors–times of quiet concentration, followed by a need for a sudden burst of energy.
It's all wonderful training for these young actors. These are the practices and scrimmages that will help us win the championship. And I am certain that these actors WILL win the championship! With every run-through, I see them grow more confident and more clear about their characters. Their stamina is growing during these long rehearsals (the show will be about 2 hours long). And once we are in the theater and the stage (!), the adrenaline will flow through us and it will not be difficult to find our energy again. Everything will come together beautifully!
So what is this "happy accident", you want to know?
All throughout, I've been making changes here and there–adding music where music was needed, removing music where there was too much, changing a few lines to better match the action that is happening in the scene. For the most part, my job at the rehearsals is to just watch, play the piano at the right times, and take notes on what can be improved upon. At one rehearsal last week, one of the actors missed singing a snippet of a song, and the scene continued until she remembered to sing the song. This happened right when the sand fairy made his exit. The moment was so tender (it made me tear up), that I didn't even realize until later that this was different from what I had written. When this hit me, I grabbed a script, saw that it was indeed an easy change (the lines flowed effortlessly without the song there) and the scene was indeed much better by putting the song at the end! How happy I was that this mistake had been made during rehearsal!
So, you can see how this musical is a living, growing thing. And if you come and see the show, watch for this moment in Act 2, Scene 4!
As I mentioned earlier, we will soon be at the theater. Next Friday, we will hold a regular rehearsal. Then on Saturday, we load-in at the theater! This means the sets will get moved in (with the help of a rental truck), all costumes and props will need to find a home backstage, the band will set-up in the "pit", and for the first time, the actors get a real feel for what it's like to been the sage with the lights and limited space. We have less than two weeks until opening night! It's so exciting!
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