Fifth Rehearsal

THE SCHIZOPHRENIC HAS LEFT THE BUILDING!!! Ron informed me last night that the scenes between Vernon and Carl were to be cut. There is just no feasible way to do them with one actor. Aside from the obvious, it would also leave 5 actors up on stage, just sitting there. The scenes don't move the play along, unfortunately.

The other unfortunate things is those two scenes allowed the audience to see a little more of Vernon (and Carl, for that matter). Particularly the last one that shows a bit of a human side to Vernon. Well, maybe not human, but it does provide a little depth to why he is who he his. His struggle with trying to stay current in a world that is passing him by gets a little illumination in that scene. Vernon is a very angry man! I don't want to lose that anger but I also don't want to give a "one-note" performance.

I tell ya, cutting those scenes does free up Carl in a way. I always felt Carl was the shows real-world advocate. He follows his own rules, doesn't pull punches, calls things like he see them. Ron wants me to push the "slimy" envelope in the scene where he see the kids in the Library. I didn't have a problem with that but I guess in the back of my mind I wanted him to maintain some redeeming quallities for his scenes with Vernon. Now that those are gone, I can take him into "creepy-Janitor" land!! You know, the kind that lives in the school on a cot in the boiler room. A cross between Anthony Hopkins in "Silence of the Lambs" and Billy Bob Thornton in "Slingblade". If I can get a couple shivers down the spine each night, then that will be a success!

Almost the entire show is blocked, which is good because we can now just focus on lines and interaction. We were to be coompletely off book for the first 25 pages last night. Still struggled with some of the cue pick ups. What is frustrating is that I know I know the lines, but if any other actor drops theirs or misses their cue, it not only throws me off but I immediately go into my head and think I screwed it all up!! I guess I have put my fellow castmates on a little bit of a pedestal. I think because they all have been more active in live theatre in the past 10 years than I have I'm the one who is most likely to drop the ball. When in fact we are all on the same playing field. We all have the same struggles. Not unlike the underlying theme of the show, we all are different and have our own crosses to bear.

We are off tonight. Get to take my daughter to see "Our Town" at teh Coterie. Then back at it tomorrow for 6 straight days.