Monday, September 12, 2011

Weekend 1 down...

So, we closed a VERY successful weekend of performances, with two sell outs and a near sell out at the UNDERSTUDY show!  Fabulous!  We did fight for a third weekend, (or at the very least, an encore performance) but unfortunately, no dice.  Probably could have gotten the rights for an additional performance if application was made early enough... ah well.

Yes, we did have our share of mishaps this weekend... many injuries from Stanley losing control and hitting Juliet or Geoff or other actors... several damaged or broken pieces of furniture or props from overzealous rampages or lack of control on stage... A tub of icing (for re icing the cake each night) went MIA... But, overall, nothing terribly major. Just super annoying issues for me as I have made many attempts to correct these issues.  And, unfortunately, several audience members at the Saturday performance thought the main actor was the understudy (there were a lot of 'off moments' for him that night.)   Director's nightmare...   :-O

Really enjoyed watching my actors this weekend!  I saw some amazing performances ... Josh Katawick still amazes me.  I really don't think he realizes how naturally talented he really is.  Daniel Wilson's performance as Mitch just blows me away EVERY TIME I watch him!  This is so different from his  work in Titus Andronicus (where I met him) and I trust his performance completely!  Every time!  I am always terribly critical of Juliet Howard-Welch's performance, but she is truly beautiful in this role.  So many people have questioned my take on Stella, except for Juliet... and because she trusted me and tried what I asked her to .. it works.  My God, Geoff Moss can sing - I know he is just 'humming' compared to what he is capable of, but this young man is amazing. he has truly created a character, that others turned their noses up at.   And, he would be my first choice for a designer or collaborator in the future.

Also, my Stanley understudy, Austin Smith performed this weekend and was terrific.  Many people thought Austin was the main actor in the role and were impressed with his raw and honest handling of it.  Yes, he is young for the role (and less mature than Stanley should be), but for a young 22 year old, he carried it off beautifully!  And, he is SO directable, was never late for rehearsal and was always offering to get needed work done on the show.  My Blanche, Cassandra, brings about one of the most beautiful moments in the show for me -- her handling of Act 3.5 is her best scene in the show.  No flashiness to impress friends in the audience... just a beautifully broken woman... child like, scared, still grasping at her almost completely waned strength... I cry every time she looks at Stella and says she can't go in that room with 'those men'... I truly see what I wanted from Blanche at the end.  Realistically, ALL of them put out so much.  

Have two full days off until I have to think about the show, so will be making use of the time to work on unpacking from my move and cleaning my 'new' old house.

Will soon be opening my Director's Blog for A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM at Springfield StageWorks.  Just can't bring myself to do it until Streetcar is entirely over, though.  Debating about whether Blogger or WordPress is the better venue...

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