Tech Week!

What a week is ahead of us! I'm so excited. By this time next week, we will have opened! We're in Tech week now, and we have Q2Q tonight. I know actors are notorious for being grumbly about Q2Q, and it can be a long process, but I don't mind it at all. As Rob keeps reminding us, it means many opportunities to act! It's extra time, in a way, to get specific with things. Double casting has its own set of challenges and rewards, and one of the challenges is there isn't always a lot of rehearsal time. But that's a really great learning opportunity - in the professional world, there often isn't a lot of time to rehearse.

I've also found out I won an award with FSPA! That's quite exciting. I really don't know anything about it. It will be presented next week at opening. And Marina and I are giving an interview next week for the Herald. It's lovely to have so much going on. I need to keep working on Liz, though! We open so soon! 

Compositions and Connections

Essay writing: baths, beers, and tears. Sometimes all at once. I'll feel much better once this paper is finished. It's been a blast to write, and I'm strangely satisfied with it, but it's quite difficult balancing English and theatre at the moment.  I've severely neglected OCG these past few days.

Unfortunately, I find that I want to devote 100% of my time and passion to theatre. But I also want to devote 100% of my time and passion to English. And I don't want to devote 50% to each. What ends up happening is I devote 25% of my time to each and 50% of my time to being stressed. Luckily, there's a lot of thematic overlap between my current English class and this play.

I do feel like I'm in reasonably good shape for Liz, though. There's still some things I don't feel entirely certain on, which is really nice at this stage. It's not allowing me to be complacent in any way. And I love possibilities; I love knowing that there are still options out there that I haven't explored. 

The best part about Liz, though, is that she's a character I love so very, very deeply. Obviously it's an actors job to love every part they play. But sometimes I find there's an even deeper connection that happens. That's when you know you've been well cast, I suppose. It's still a challenge, but there's this innate connection. And with Liz - my god. My heart aches. I just love playing her. And I want to give her the biggest hug. 

Rehearsing the rehearsals!

Rehearsals are going well for Our Country's Good! I'm so delighted to be playing Liz. Some aspects of her character come quite naturally to me, but there's still a lot to figure out - it's exciting. 

Today we blocked what I think is one of the most moving scenes in the play. It is the scene in which one of the more vicious officers humiliates the convicts during a rehearsal - desperately sad and quite chilling to be part of. I find scenes like this can be quite hard to act. As myself, I want to cry. Looking at the scene from the outside in, I mean. But it doesn't necessarily make sense for the characters to cry. I think they're all a bit too terrified to even move; there's no time for emotion. So it's a matter of channelling that energy, that emotional impulse to cry, into something else. I think. Who knows, maybe we'll all be sobbing by the end. 

The Birds Opening + Our Country's Good Casting

Last night, we had the official opening for The Birds! It was a great crowd and the snacks afterwards weren't bad either. I'm so excited to go out and do it all again tonight! It's quite the ride. 

Also, I'm really, really, really thrilled to say that the casting for Our Country's Good was just announced, and I will be playing Liz Morden! The show will be double cast, and my dear friend Marina Maye Gwynne will also be playing Liz, on alternate nights. The show runs from November 25 - November 29, with student previews on Nov 23 and 24. I'm actually bubbling over with excitement right now. 

Now off to English class!