Rehearsal Notes

To: Britt, Latimer, Cheryl Ann, Greg
Sent: Tue, May 3, 2016 12:41 am
Subject: rehearsal things

Hi guys,

Thank you again for all your hard work on the show. Tonight started out pretty frustrating (what with the malfunctioning Bluetooth, no sound cues and a late start due to same), but I was really happy with how things were going during the second run. The pacing was good, and I got caught up in the story, not in taking notes.

That being said, please please continue to not just study but DRILL your problem scenes. From Tuesday night on, no calling for line. Michael has told me he will be at home and available tomorrow before rehearsal from 6 p.m. on, if anyone wants to meet and run lines. I am happy to be there and do the same. Text and let us know if you're interested. As I mentioned, there was quite a bit of paraphrasing and adding/subtracting from lines, so please review.

I am very proud to be your director and excited about this weekend! See you tomorrow night, and try not to eat any paste in the meantime.

Love,
Sarah

Rehearsal, The Nerd

This afternoon we ran Act One, not only off book for the first time, but with temporary props. The run went surprisingly well.

I've been a bit nervous about the "Shoes and Socks" scene. "Shoes and Socks" is a game that Rick introduces. Not only are we in bare feet, we also have paper bags over our heads. I was worried that I'd tear my eye hole too high or too low and I wouldn't be able to see. I was also concerned I wouldn't be able to hear cue lines.

All that worry was for nothing. My eye hole was perfect and, while a bit muffled, I could hear my cues. It was, however, unexpectedly hot under the paper bag.

After the run I was helping the stage manager replace props and our director called me over. He wanted to call attention to what he called "thigh slaps". He thought it was a subconscious movement on my part, akin apparently to picking one's nose. I do make a conscious choice to raise/drop my arms against my side during a particular moment of frustration with Willum and I told our director so. He seemed a bit surprised, claimed that that wasn't the moment, but he couldn't give me specific instances.

As I hopped in my car for the trek home I couldn't get one of Axel's lines off my brain - "Dipstick."

Rehearsal, Daughters Of The Lone Star State

Rehearsal was again at the scene shop. I was prepared tonight, wearing my Pepsi sweatshirt and polar fleece jacket. Even still my toes were cold!

We have a new Clara Bell. Mimi felt it wasn't fair to us that she can't make rehearsals since she's in Rent, so she dropped out of the show earlier this week. Angela Hodges will replace Mimi. (I saw her in the Collaborative's Summer Showcase. I'm looking forward to working with her.)

Tonight we learned that Lysandra is moving to Asheville, and so she's dropping out! Becki West, who I worked with during WSTA's staged reading of Betty's Summer Vacation, will now play Ima Jean Gomez.

So, here's the current cast list:

Mildred Keifner - Karen Robertson
Liddy Bell Cartwright - Danya Bray
Clara Bell Ivey - Mimi Cunningham Angela Hodges
Darlene Parsons - Clara Yarbro
Lola Faye Barnes - Reba Birdsall
Lois Wheelis - Maggie Gallagher Betsey Pugh Charlene Watkins
Cookie Hawkins - Carol Roan
Ima Jean Gomez - Lysandra Sykes Becki West
Vergie Hopkins - Ally McCauley Cheryl Ann Roberts
Sharon Johnson - Natasha Gore
Doll Johnson - Kiki Fisher Lauranita

We were off book for the first time, and I did much better than I thought I would. I did call for lines a few times, but at least I knew it was my line!

Carol has graciously offered her apartment as rehearsal space. While I don't think it will be much bigger, at least it will be warmer!

A Mega Audition and a Rehearsal

There's only one other show in the remainder of Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance's season that I'm interested in doing. And I'm not just interested, I am dying to do one particular role.

As soon as I read Del Shore's The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife Willadean went on my "Roles I'm Dying To Do" list. I immediately gave the script to Mikey, who added JD to his list. Since Mikey would be touring during the scheduled auditions, he and I read together for the roles after striking for Sordid Lives. I must say, he was frightening as JD.

I attended this morning's Part 2 Mega Auditions. Sordid Lives castmate April was there for the role of Rayleen, as was a KLT friend, Beth. Another KLT actress, Linda, also read for Willadean. There were two men auditioning for JD; Mike who worked backstage for The Great American Trailer Park Musical and Don, my hilarious castmate in Moonlight and Magnolias. Don was also frightening.

Overall I was very pleased with my readings. We won't find out who got cast until Wednesday. Thank goodness I've got The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later to occupy my mind.

And speaking of The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later, we had a very good rehearsal tonight. There were still some changes to the script, but they were minor. We are all definitely ready to move into the theatre tomorrow night. We need to determine if the work lights will allow ample light to read.

If you haven't reserved your ticket(s) for the reading, you need to go to Paper Lantern Theatre Company and do so NOW. Really, you don't want to miss this very important production.

Run Thru, Moonlight and Magnolias

I don't think I've been to a more enjoyable read thru.

First, Murdock, a UNCSA grad student and our set designer, brought in his model. He's done an extensive amount of research which reflects in the period set. It will be absolutely phenomenal. (Period blinds have been ordered.)

Next we were introduced to Bill, a UNCSA faculty member in the costume department, who will be designing our costumes. This won't mean much to the guys; they wear the same costume throughout the show. I will be getting 3 costumes and I'm very excited about my period look. I'm gonna look so fab!

Listening to Tony and Don, as Selznick and Fleming, act out Melanie's birthing scene was hysterical! There's some very funny stuff in this script! During the break Chad, Stan and Don told anesthesia stories. Don had the best story, by far. I was laughing so hard, I was crying!

I can't wait for the next rehearsal!

Rehearsal with Photographer, Sordid Lives

Last night David Joy attended rehearsal to take show pictures. Now normally that doesn't bother me. In other venues there usually is some distance between the stage and audience, so the photographer can walk around inconspicuously snapping away. Theatre Alliance is a very intimate setting, with mere inches separating the stage and audience.

So not only did I see David walking around trying to get the best shots, I also heard the click, click, click of the camera because he was so close. As a result, there were times when I lost focus and went up on some of my lines.

As if that wasn't bad enough, I actually caught myself posturing for some of the shots! I'd be "in the moment" and suddenly see David out of the corner of my eye. Twice I had to fight the inclination to pause, smile, and hold the pose while David captured the shot. One time I actually changed my blocking so I could be more in the scene. Aaargh! I am so lamenting my total disregard for theatre professionalism!!

It's not really my fault, though. I totally blame my mother and aunties for years of "Stop! Hold there and let me take your picture."

Rumors and Notes, Sordid Lives

Last night I was standing in the bathroom putting on my Latrelle wig when one of my castmates appeared in the doorway asking if I wanted to hear the latest rumor about me and one of the crew. Apparently everyone was under the impression that we were living together. Everyone? I mean, that's a pretty inclusive pronoun.

So I returned to the dressing room and asked all the ladies if anyone had heard that rumor. As suspected, no one had. I received an explanation from another castmate; she said it was probably borne of jealousy.

I think she was right.

Later during notes, the director was complimenting me on a comedic bit. That same castmate butted in, and tried to give me direction on how to play that comedic bit!

Starting rumors is bad enough, but commenting on and directing someone else's note! I'm still shaking my head over the audacity.

Rehearsal, Sordid Lives

If there ever was a performance that I phoned in, it was last night's. Thank goodness it was a tech rehearsal. I'm not sure what my problem was, but I was just not feeling Latrelle. At all. I thought getting into costume would help, but it didn't.

After rehearsal as I was walking to my car, Jamie called me back. I thought he was going to talk to me about my blah performance. Actually, he did talk to me about my performance - he gave me a really nice compliment!

Have you ever had a day when your hair is crap but someone comes up and tells you your hair looks great? That's exactly what last night felt like! I didn't feel my performance at all, and yet the director ends up complimenting me.

Life, and rehearsal, are sometimes funny like that.

Rehearsal, The Cemetery Club

This is exactly how I felt tonight after rehearsing a particular scene. We had the water tonight, as we will for the rest of the run. Pat S. is one of my favorite actresses and a very good friend. So when it came time to throw the water in her face, I just couldn't do it. John encouraged me, rather loudly, and I did throw the water. A few drops landed on Pat; the rest of the water settled on the chair behind her. Per the script, Pat then threw her water at me. Bullseye! She got me but good.

After rehearsal, with tears in our eyes, Pat and I hugged each other. It's not us, it's Lucille and Doris.

Read-Thru, The Velveteen Rabbit

This afternoon, we all got together to discuss The Velveteen Rabbit. This production is part of The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem's New Horizon Series, which is a two week festival of stage readings of shows by NC playwrights. Because it is such a wonderful story, we all agreed that we'd like to breathe more life into it than just reading the story on a stage.

After reading through the script, we discussed that even though the Narrators have the majority of lines, the other actors must create their characters physically. They will have to use their body and movement, action, instead of dialogue. So, of course, we had to play some theatre games. How would you walk if you were a rabbit, a horse, a mechanical toy, etc. I am not a fan of these games, but I participate for the kids.

Already, there is one kid who is going to annoy the bejesus out of me. He's the kind of kid who announces to everyone, often while someone else is speaking, that he has no problem learning lines, can speak in a multitude of dialects and voices, and corrects others who have made a mistake. He's also full of ideas. I will admit that he is talented. I just don't think courtesy was part of his upbringing. Maybe I can help him with that?

Mark your calendars now. We will perform March 7 and 8. Performances will be in the lobby of the Arts Council and at the main library.

Rehearsals, The Foreigner

We were supposed to be completely off book today. You would think that having two weeks off would provide enough time to learn lines. Not during the Christmas and New Year holidays. I studied as much as I could, but it was still not enough. Thankfully Stan is an actor himself, so he understood the tall order to be completely off book during the holiday season. He even gave us permission to use scripts if really necessary. I was able to go scriptless for Act One, Scene One. I had to call lines in Act One, Scene Two and ended up picking up my script for my big monologue. I didn't put it down the rest of the night, although I tried not to glance at it if I knew the lines.

Getting off book and stumble-throughs are my most despised part of rehearsal. I'm either forgetting my blocking because I'm too busy concentrating on my lines, or blocking is fine and I can't remember the words. I just feel so inadequate.

Good news, though. For the next several days we will only be rehearsing specific scenes. That means I can spend some quality time reviewing a section at a time. Yikes, tomorrow's rehearsal is the longest scene in the show. I'd better get cracking. If I sleep with my script under my pillow will I be able to magically absorb Catherine's lines?

Rehearsal, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Last night was the first night we had a full run-thru without stopping. The show ran pretty smoothly. The scene changes went much better. For the most part, my light cues were tighter. The sound operator got a little flustered, but even if there had been an audience I don't think anyone would have noticed.

I was really proud of the kids. They all nailed their lines. Sarah almost went up on one of her mini-monologues. As soon as she opened her mouth her eyes conveyed a look of uh-oh. Still, she managed to get a sentence out and complete her speech.

Kelly cracks me up at times (especially during a long winded phone call with Mrs. Armstrong) and other times she's this side of overacting. Still, the fact that she can ad-lib without thinking twice is a huge benefit to the show. All the other actors should feel very safe when they are onstage with Kelly. (I know I always did.)

Tonight is final dress and we will have an invited audience. I'm looking forward to this rehearsal, as I'm interested to see what happens when the kids realize there is a "real" audience watching them.

Rehearsal, Ready for Love

Last night was my first rehearsal with the Golden Triad Chorus. No, I've not joined a singing group. (They wouldn't have me anyway! You have to really sing to be a part of the group.) Next week Golden Triad Chorus will be performing their annual stage show. They've put together a little program called Ready for Love. They wanted an actress to be in the show instead of using a chorus member. Robin called me and I agreed. I will be playing the Wife, and Stan will be playing the Husband.

While we were waiting to rehearse the show, the ladies warmed up. I was blown away. My goodness, these ladies are wonderful! One of the songs, One Voice, almost made me cry. Then 4 local high school students sang individual songs. They are competing for a chance at a scholarship. Sasha from RHS was fantastic. Staci (who was an orphan in Annie)was also very impressive. I hope one of them wins.

Stan and I went through the show with the chorus. It's a cute little program. Wife is getting ready for an anniversary celebration, which Husband has forgotten all about. In between our dialogue the chorus sings appropriate songs. I had so much fun with my role. I can't wait until next week's rehearsal!

Rehearsals, Steel Magnolias

Our director, Norm Birdsall was in LTWS' production of Smoke on the Mountain. The show closed on Sunday, so we began Steel Magnolias rehearsals on Monday.

I've had a little over a month off from any type of rehearsal, and I was getting pretty used to having my nights free. That said, I was not really looking forward to Monday's rehearsal. The change in my schedule made me a bit grumpy. We blocked the first 20 pages and ran the scene a couple of times. By the end of rehearsal I was excited about the show. My attitude was much better at last night's rehearsal.

We've blocked all of Act 1 and by the end of the week the entire show will be blocked. At times Norm will give us specific blocking and other times he will allow us the freedom to "block" ourselves. I love this style of directing. You've got a general idea of placement, yet you can still let the emotions move you. And the emotions are going to move M'Lynn all over the stage!

First Rehearsal, The Angels of Lemnos

My goodness. I am the only non-School of the Arts person involved with this staged reading! Chance is 4th year, Ryan is 1st year, Amanda is 2nd year, Adam is 4th year and Matt is one of the drama teachers. And that's exactly how they introduced themselves. What was I supposed to say? "Hi, I'm Cheryl Ann. I'm 38th year." Needless to say I was a bit intimated.

The rehearsal time was well spent as we read through the script. Except for Chance, we all play multiple parts. Adam stopped us after each new character was introduced and we talked about characterization. Since this is a staged reading, character differences must be made vocally and physically instead of with costumes. I have two speaking roles. My main role is Ellen, Nathan's mother. I love this character; the love she has for her son is very evident. We are combining the doctor and nurse roles so I'll be playing a nurse. There is also a very poignant scene that I'll be doing with Chance.

I actually read the script yesterday and I absolutely love it. It's a very well written play. I really would like to see a full scale production. As we were reading through today, Adam pointed out so much hidden meaning. I am very impressed with this 4th year director.

Despite being the only one not wanting to "act" for my regular paycheck, I am looking forward to working with the NCSA group. There is no way that I will walk away without having learned something.

The Vagina Monologues

(Yes I said Vagina. Vagina, vagina, vagina. Okay? Are you over it now?)

The Vagina Monologues will be presented at 8pm on March 10. The show is a V-Day Campaign fundraiser sponsored by Family Services. Proceeds from ticket sales will also go toward Family Services' programs for battered women.

I post this now for several reasons. The first reason is the most important one. Please go ahead and mark this date on your calendars. Please plan on purchasing tickets to see this empowering show. Leave husbands and boyfriends at home (unless they are open-minded to lots of vagina talk) and bring your girlfriends, your mothers, your sisters, your cousins, your co-workers and your neighbors. Money raised is used to help stop violence against women. All women.

The second reason I post now is because I want you to have plenty of time to get prepared for the power of The Vagina Monologues. Yes, the word vagina is referenced frequently throughout the show. No, there aren't naked women onstage showing off their vaginas. There is no nudity; only shades of black, red and pink. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will get angry as you listen to each of the pieces various women present. You will leave the theater with a renewed appreciation of womanhood. My mom, my manager, my supervisor and one of my best (male) friends have attended previous performances. Each of them left the theater in awe.

The third reason is that for the second consecutive year, I will be in the show. (I also did the show back in 2004 for the Community Theatre of Greensboro.) Once again, I will be performing the "Reclaiming Cunt" monologue. (Yes I said cunt. And if you find that word a bit harder to get over, well, that's exactly the point of my piece.)

We started rehearsals with a read-through yesterday and let me just tell you how honored I am to be included in this cast of absolutely amazing women. Even though I am familiar with the show, I found myself laughing and crying to the new voices presenting standard monologues. There are two new monologues this year, and both brought tears to everyone's eyes.

Please mark your calendars now. I can't wait for you to meet my wonderful castmates in this incredible show.

I'll Tell You Who's Got the Will

It's a Divorce Southern Style, Sordid Lives and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest cast reunion!

Dana Benson is Sara Lee Turnover, Mimi Cunningham is Evalita, and I'm playing Lurlene Sue Turnover Rogers. Ken Ashford is Orville Turnover and Ally Macaulay is his wife, Marlene. Mark March plays Buford, our Daddy, and Betsy Pugh is (grand)Mama Wheelis. Zack Brown rounds out the cast as Harmony.

Tonight was our first rehearsal. Jamie doesn't do a read thru; he just jumps right in with blocking. As he was explaining what "business" he wanted Lurlene to do, I couldn't help but smile. He noticed and immediately read my thoughts. I'm sitting in the chair fanning myself with a magazine, just like I did in Sordid Lives.

Rehearsals, On Golden Pond

Here are some photos I quickly snapped off during last night's rehearsal. Our director, Ken, is standing in as Billy.





And oh yeah, we open next Friday!

Final Tech, Grace and Glorie

Usually by tech week, I know my character and lines well enough that I don't have my nose in my script. I keep it handy in my bag, to write down director's notes or for quick refreshers. My philosophy was that if you didn't know your lines by tech week, you'd never know them. Well, my nose is still in my script. I am still spending hours reviewing lines. With just Pat and I on stage, I can't afford to go up on my lines. And what makes things more difficult is that some of our lines are very similar in each scene.

Take what happened tonight. I'm sitting on the footlocker having a conversation with Grace. Pat delivers her line and I respond appropriately. We continue the dialogue but something just doesn't feel right. I turn to Pat with a quizzical look on my face; a poor attempt to signal her that something is off. I finally realize that we've jumped from Act One to Act Two! It took some fancy talking to get us back on track. If there had been an audience, I don't think they would have noticed anything.

From the Physical to the Emotional

I've been remiss in keeping you updated on "Grace and Glorie" rehearsals. We started rehearsing on August 14, which was also tech week for "Debbie Does Dallas". April and Pat have been wonderful to work around my DDD schedule. Most of the rehearsals only lasted about an hour and a half so I could get to DDD, and we rehearsed a bit on Saturday.

Yesterday I wasn't able to make it in to rehearsal. Four nights of cheerleading, record store O's, and leing paying customers along with several hours of bending over picking up nails, pieces of wood, and hoisting heavy flats took its toll. I stayed home hopped up on Advil and doused in BenGay.

I walked in to rehearsal tonight, and we took about 30 minutes trying on costumes. We agreed on a few outfits. I am happy that I can go back to eating pizza for these costumes.

April and I ran the first Act, which includes the big emotional scene. Let me just say that by the end of rehearsal, April and I were both spent. I cried all the way home. I wasn't particularly sad about anything. I think I just needed the release.

I spent a lot of time telling you how physically demanding my role was in "Debbie Does Dallas". And I knew the role of Glorie offered a nice emotional range; that's what attracted me to the part. But I totally underestimated the emotional impact. From a physically demanding show to an emotionally demanding one. I just hope my next role will be a senseless comedy!