Open Wardrobes

So, having now started a new show as an actor, a lot of future posts will likely be about that process. But, being a playwright, that is no so disconnected from the process of writing. Claudia, our director, said that in order to write for youth she feels it is important to direct youth and remain connected to that part of the process. For me I think a similar connection to the acting process is important. As a playwright I offer up a framework which requires a whole team of people, from the actors, to the director, to the designers, to interpret the work and create the finished product. And different teams of people will bring out different aspects of the piece, create the characters in different ways, and produce something that is wholely unique, even though it shares every line of dialogue with each other production. So I continue to act which reminds me of what the actors will have to go through in order to fill in everything that happens between the lines. Of course, I love the acting process in and of itself - it is a very different kind of creative process - and there is nothing quite like getting up in front of a live audience and the energy that comes with it.


But I digress, the rehearsal: We have a great cast and I can tell they're all going to be a blast to work with. There are people I have worked with before, and now I will enjoy doing do again, plus many new faces. It's always amazing to me how in a new show we can start as strangers, and by the end it will be difficult to say goodbye. We started the process last night with a readthrough and it was fun to see all the humor people were already bringing to their parts. With a cast of 22 it will take a little while to learn who everyone is (and me being bad with names), so I started last night by trying to at least remember who my "children" for the next 6 weeks are (I have seven!). They are good kids, that much I can already tell. So here we go! It never gets old, and as much work as acting is I wouldn't trade it for the world. This, I suppose, is how any of us know what we truly love - for all the ups and downs, you always go back and never regret it for a second.