Sunday, May 8, 2011

Whose hat is it anyway?

Hey all,

We had a wonderfully productive rehearsal today in which we examined Prospero's final soliloquy and came up with a wonderful new movement piece to complement it. We are all so excited to show it to you. It's really powerful and fuels Act V with the energy it needs to see us through to the epilogue. One thing is for certain: This epilogue will be earned.

We are also looking at playing with the switches in Act V. If you've seen the show or have been following the blog, you know that we switch roles throughout the play so that by the end of it, we've each played many, if not all, of the parts. We're looking at re-examining the switches in V and using it as an opportunity to have a blast with all of the character opportunities. We're looking at the ideas of:

When does it serve the character to switch?
When does it serve the text to switch?
Who hasn't played this character yet?
How do we include the audience from the get-go in the "switching game?"
How do we keep the increase in switches clear so that the characters don't get lost in the actors?
How do we keep the storyline clear so that the arc of the play is realized and fulfilled?

These are a few questions we will keep in mind as we delve deeper into the text and figure out how we can keep the energy alive and bubbling. We'll also be looking at how we can reveal the switches in character so that the audience doesn't always see when they happen. We'll be crafting it so that everyone is present on the stage and the switches are happening, but not always in plain view. This keeps the audience on their toes and always guessing. We want them to take delight in the stage magic of it all.

Stay tuned for more details!

Tomorrow is the first Monday rehearsal we've added to the schedule. We'll be working a mark to mark with full props for the first time. This included drums and the beloved "boinger" instrument. Not to mention hats, a robe and sheet metal - we mean, thunder.

Love,

TTL

Thursday, May 5, 2011

June 2nd - and the Countdown Begins!

Okay, so we may have gotten a little distracted since our last posting that promised to bring you more blog posts. Can you blame us? We only work three day jobs, make our beds, make some coffee, make our lunch, go to work, eat our lunch, get another coffee, call our moms, go to an audition or a rehearsal or a show or a movie or a friend's second 21st birthday party and then try to sleep. Are we complaining? Never.

The Sonnet Slam was a blast. While it was cold and a little bit gray, we still loved hearing Shakespeare being read aloud from the Naumberg Bandshell on April 22nd. It was such a neat way to commemorate the Bard right before his birthday and it allowed each of us to show off our enthusiasm for his work. We read Sonnets 121-127 and it was worth the wait to do so. There were some awesome guys rapping the sonnets. There were little redheaded boys who had memorized their sonnets and brought a charlie brown-esque quality to the event. There were sonnets for lovers, sonnets for pining crushes and sonnets simply admiring beauty. And isn't true beauty enough?

Up next we have our show - The Tempest - on June 2nd at Off-Broadway Players Theater. Shows are at 7pm and 9pm and we are looking to fill up houses of 50 people for each show! It's going to be a great night followed by a reception afterward. We can't wait. For ticket reservations, visit Brown Paper Tickets.

We're thrilled to be debuting our newest Tempest Ladies, Julia Giolzetti and Laura Jernigan, on June 2nd. They have been doing incredible work on the show. We're also thrilled to be bringing a new original movement piece to Act V, which will be a physical venture you won't want to miss.

All in all, things seem to be on the up and up as we move toward the show and invite as many people as possible with excitement and delight. We're realizing more and more who we want our target audience to be and how to go about getting in touch with them. We're launching all kinds of campaigns from mass mailings and email blasts to personal calls and postcards. We're also continually grateful for people like you who loyally follow us on the web wherever we go and support us with your words, thoughts and good energy. Thanks for continuing with us on this ever-expanding journey.

With Love,

TTLs