Second Production Rehearsal, cont.

Since the show is destined to be made available for schools as well as other theaters, I must contend with school events.

This week, there was a dance on the same night as rehearsal, some adults who had conflicts, and it was our first night on the stage (we have been rehearsing in a community room). My idea, then, was to be there personally for four hours, and as people came in and out, work with whoever was there, in marking everyone's entrances, exits, and where they may need to cross the stage between scenes.

As it turned out, with this premise, I then had some people from each cast at some point, and at other times had characters missing. So, I started with those who were there, and then proceeded to walk through the entire script, one entrance at a time, then walked through the script another two times, eventually getting everyone on stage to be able to walk through and mark their entrances and exits. It actually worked out rather well. My intent was fulfilled.

For the upcoming two rehearsals, my plan is to alternate casts for each scene, meaning that one cast will perform Act I, Scene 1, while the other cast watches and takes careful notes on their counterparts. Then alternate casts for the next scene, with the others taking notes, and so on through the three scenes in each act. My hope is that they will observe things by their counterparts that look good, don't look so good, or are confusing, and vice versa.

The adult cast obviously has the better experience, most of them having been with us for at least three years, while the younger cast has some actors who are working with us for the first time.

Keep watching for the results.