WEEK ONE: We Are Family! :)

The first week (or more, half week) of rehearsals, things have gone surprisingly well, considering the things against us: one of the leads was constantly out for dance, and callbacks ran into rehearsal time on Wednesday. One of the things that I really noticed this weekend was the drastic change in group dynamic. There are two in particular I have in mind.

The first is the relationship between Erin and I. We’ve always been good friends, but now this play has thrust us into total dependence on one another. We almost always have something to say to each other now in the halls. There is so much coordinating and planning involved in directing, and I would most certainly not be able to do it without her. Often when we block Erin serves as the voice of reason, telling me that I can’t move a character there because there is a wall there, or that only half the audience will see me, or that we had definitely planned something else before and I had totally spaced. At the same time, I help her with blocking when she doesn’t know what to do next without being repetitive, or help get an aspect of characterization across that she is struggling to convey. We have this perfect yin-yang balance that I think is key for brand new directors like us to have—we’re like training wheels for each other, the tap on the shoulder that we’ll need until we are sufficient enough to be on our own. As the process goes on, we’ll have to make sure that we’re careful with when to consult one another and when an executive decision is imperative. I think it’s also important for us to continue to revisit the central vision, and to always have it in mind when making any choice about the production.

As with Erin and me, this concept of a closer relationship should hopefully apply to anyone who will be partnered with someone in a design team. Their growth may not begin as soon or as quickly as ours has, merely because we were thrown into the heat of the fire as soon as the play was selected. Hopefully, however, by the time the blackout period rolls around each of these groups will feel very close and comfortable with each other (at least to where they aren’t hindering their design process by arguing).

The second relationship I would like to focus on is the group dynamic as a whole. Being without a teacher present during these rehearsals, they have allowed us to truly work as a team in a unique environment, where their “authority” is also their “peer” and are able to approach us with problems without seeming insubordinate. We do not consider ourselves dictators, and every blocking session is more like an active production meeting, with everyone from the separate teams contributing when we discuss the production and how it affects the scene we’re working on. We laugh and have fun and learn to relax with each other, again getting a unique experience of an organized and mostly effective school environment where everyone is equal. At the end of a rehearsal one day, one of our costume designers began singing the song “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge. We all laughed and sang along, joking about how we all are a big family now. By the powers of late nights in the Drama Lab and “mis en scene”, working so closely intertwined with each other onstage and on technical aspects, we have grown closer. We learn not only about each other, but about the technical aspects they are working on, and learn to integrate them into the knowledge we retain as actors. I believe that not only is a familial form of familiarity essential to executing the full meaning of “mis en scene”, but this closeness shines through in the production. I am by no means saying that one must be in love with the person who plays their lover, or hate the one who plays their foe, but that connection enables actors to play off of one another in a scene.

In conclusion, I think that the growth this week has been tremendous, and I know will only continue to exponentially succeed. We’ve blocked over a third of the show in just 3 short days, with minimal attendance, so who knows what wonders we might achieve with an entirely present cast!