4/29/2010

Journal: Well, blocking is almost done for the show. I finished up the rest of what I wanted to do. The sisters never sit down at the exact same time, except for in the very opening of the show and the very last moment. I'm still using props for their flashbacks... blankets, etc. But instead of hiding them in the suitcases, they're all pre-set behind the cubes at the top of the show. Yeah, this should work out fine...

Grade: 100

Blocked up to the middle of page 4 of the script today. Once everything gets to the flashbacks, it starts moving very fast. I have Abbi jumping around like a crazy woman. It's really rewarding to work with these kids, they have a lot of potential.

4/27/2010

Journal: Worked on blocking for tomorrow... I'm having them avoid eye contact as much as possible. There's a jaded edge to these two sisters. They're not getting along very well. And of course, their father is dying. Also, I wrote a little bit today. I'm working on a new play that will probably not get finished, but whatever.

Grade: 100
Blocked one and a half pages of the script, so... Roughly 5 beats. I don't remember off the top of my head. Abbi and Lexxi have great instincts, so they're pretty good to work with. They have a very good understanding of the play and I can tell they're actually doing the homework I assign to them. I'm happy to have them in my cast.

3/16/2010

Journal: Sound research for Departures... I want to use Iron & Wine. It's the exact tone I'm looking for. Sorta the dreary, bittersweet, midwestern sorta thing.

Grade: 100
5th: Spent some quality time with the dancers.
6th & 7th: Talked life with the freshmen.
8th: Sound research lesson.

3/10/2010

Journal:
Teen Driving. I still don't have a title for it, but that can wait until later. I've got ten pages now. The protagonist is gonna die at the end... There's really no other way. I think I might leave it on one of those ambiguous endings, where the law hasn't been voted on yet and it's like a "what would you do?" moment that you find in these films all the time. I don't know, I don't want to be contrived, but I need to get the point across. Then again, we can work a contrived script into something new, so I'll worry about that later.

Grade: 100
5th & 8th: Notes on directing.
6th & 7th: Production work! What what!

3/8/2010

Journal: Worked on Teen Driving. Temporary title. I'm not dividing it into an Our Town-esque series of vignettes like I originally planned, because I don't want to copy Stick River. I'm going to stick with a more basic Aristoltarian plot structure... I just need to decide on a protagonist.

Right now the story can be summed up as such:
A group of friends reflect on their driving habits on the eve of a state assembly vote to move the legal driving age to one year older. They attend a party and then one of them will probably die. That's the way it goes.

I'm going to leave the state/region ambiguous so it can be applied to anybody living anywhere.

Let's see... Anything else... Nope, not really.

Grade: 100
5th & 8th: Worked on Teen Driving.
6th & 7th: Rehearsal for Departures. Abbi and Lexii had their "oh! that's what the play's all about!" moments today. It made me very happy.

3/5/2010

Grade: 100
5th & 8th: Read through and analyzed Javier's and Katelin's plays.
6th & 7th: Rehearsal for Departures.

3/2/2010

Journal:
Director's book: I'm throwing ideas around on my script now, making notes on things to discuss during table work. Yay, hurray, woo, yay. I'm excited to be working with Abbi and Lexii, they have pretty good chemistry and already a certain level of honesty.

Grade: 100
6th & 7th: History lesson. American theatre! OH boy.
5th & 8th: Directing lecture.