I’m feeling a little self-conscious that I now have two blog posts back to back, but as I am the only fall director with a summer assignment, I guess it is to be expected. So you’ll have to indulge me.
I am now two weeks in with Romeo and Juliet at Shakes & Co. We are fortunate in that we have an 8 week rehearsal period for this production, the downside however is that half of our cast is also in As You Like It, which is also two weeks in and doesn’t get 8 weeks. In fact we lose those actors in week four to Tech/Previews and the like. On top of that, Shakes & Co. has several other shows as part of its summer season and we are sharing actors with a number of them as well. Mathematically speaking we will have a total of 12 rehearsal days in which the full company is available to us. Scheduling is like reconstructing a rubix cube, but somehow the SMs have it down to a science and both shows are making tremendous progress.
Our fight choreographer, Edgar, was in this week – and let me tell you the fights are bad ass. They are fast paced and exciting, and I have to add so sexy. This coming week the sound designer and choreographer will be in rehearsal adding their expertise to the mix. It is truly thrilling to watch all the layers get added in as are creatively scheduling to maximize our time with the actors. I’ve never rehearsed in rep that was quite this intricate. The theatre is constantly alive with activity.
In other news, I have begun the search for my short play to appear as part of December’s DirectorsFest. This is no easy task. There seem to be an unlimited amount of 10-minute plays, but finding a 30-minute play seems a little more tricky. I wonder how my colleagues are faring? Is the rule 1-2 minutes a page a true thing? It has been the case for my Shakespeare cuts, but maybe published scripts are different? Well so far I have found a handful of writers who really excite me: Quiara Alegria Hudes, Tanya Barfield, Luis Alfaro, Laurie Carlos, and Jose Rivera. Onward with my search.
Look at this gem of a photo. Remember Mr. Mark Rylance, who so graciously invited us to his dressing room following Jeruselum? Well here he is as Romeo in 1990 at the Royal Shakespeare Company. His Juliet is the actress Georgia Slowe.
Welp I’m all in for now. Stay tuned… “our toil shall strive to mend”
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