Second Rehearsal

An interesting thing I'm discovering in this process is the level of despise Vernon has for the students. Rod Perlmutter brought of the concept that Teachers become Vice or Asst. Principal's for two reasons 1) A better job with more money and 2) They are sick of dealing with kids in a classroom setting. I definitely feel Vernon falls into the later. To the point he has little to no patience left for any of them. I'm not sure if he is on detention "duty" by choice or was assigned by the Principal. Either way, he has no desire to be there. Regardless, it is a cross to bear. I know some folks from the 60's and 70's might beg to differ but I think the era this show came out was pretty pivotal in how teenagers viewed themselves and how they were viewed by adults. Physical punishment was disappearing in schools. Dress codes didn't exist. Even the music was changing. Rock and Roll wasn't the only game in town. There was a British invasion of sorts that brought a lot of new sounds into the mainstream. Kids were developing a more distinct definition of themselves that created a freedom in not "following the herd". Sure, they were looked on as weird but there was a sort of intriguing side to those outcasts because they were able to get away with it. Athletes and Princesses weren't the top dogs anymore. The Rebel had a certain "je nais se quoi" to them that started to grow and flourish. I think Vernon is stuck in that realm of "Why can't these kids be like I was when I was their age?" He thinks the kids have "turned on" him. Carl, later on, points out "Come on, Vern, the kids haven't changed, you have!"

I think there is a vulnerability in Vernon that underlies his anger. His upper hand is slipping away and he's not sure what the next step is supposed to be. Let's see what tomorrow brings!!

After a meeting about Coterie rules and regs, and a visit from Karen, the Marketing director about how we can get the word out, we sat down to do a read-thru. It was GREAT! It amazed me how quickly the cast morphed into their characters. I know there were some similarities in what they were doing and what we all know the film to be but each one brought his or her own style to the reading that was just a treat to watch.