The first weekend of The Music Man is complete! The exhausting theatre "hell week" has been survived. Not without some colds and laryngitis within the cast, but we did endure. Now we have a two day break until Wednesday read through, and then start it all over again.
Even though I was tired and low energy, Sunday afternoon was my personal best. I stepped on some poor young girl's foot because I changed my blocking without warning, and I was so mean in one scene I made a baby cry. The audience was very responsive, and I loved it. They were reacting to lines and facial expressions.
Today I will probably work a little later in order to make up for the times I leave earlier than normal (leaving at 6 PM instead of 7 PM). This is based on hopefully keeping my fried mind focused long enough. There are jobs with longer hours, but it does require a lot of mental focus and energy.
Tuesday night Benjamin performs in a high school play/skit. I don't know how he does it, being both in that and in The Music Man at the same time. He is the lead and has the bulk of the lines. When he found the time to learn them, I don't know. But we're looking forward to seeing it. Benjamin is turning into a very good actor. Hopefully, he'll find theatre to be an excellent outlet, like I do, to help balance and cope with the regular work world.
Wednesday night is the play read through. This is a theatre tradition to help refresh the play in your mind and get refocused. Our director has made this rehearsal not mandatory. It will be interesting to see how many show up.
Thursday night the play returns, and then will continue for Friday and Saturday nights, and then wrapping up Sunday afternoon,
Such an intense schedule makes you wonder about your commitment to theatre, and makes it hard to plunge into the next play. Nevertheless, that is exactly what I am going to do! I plan on trying out for The Beverly Hillbillies, to be performed in May. Am I crazy? Well, yes, but that's beside the point. I look at some of the others trying out, especially Anita Lynn, a great friend from church, and I can't resist. Anita has been in two plays recently, both of which I was not in, and I can't pass up a third.
Sports is gone as an element of my life. I guess spring training is on, although I know nothing of results or how individual players are doing. Do the Tigers or Braves look promising? I have no idea. I guess March Madness is coming soon, but I've lost complete tract as to who is contention. I hope both the Michigan State Spartans and the Michigan Wolverines make it in, but I don't know whether that's possible or not.
Movies must be playing at the local theatre, but I haven't seen one since Christmas season. I suppose I'll see Superman v. Batman, although I am more apprehensive than excited.
Writing has slowed considerably, and I have done nothing to get more on Kindle, or to publish the two books I have completed. Maybe that will get better in a month and a half, or maybe I'm phasing out of writing so much. We'll just see.
I love politics, but the primary season has me depressed. Trump won the state on the Republican side, which means I have to be coming into contact daily with people that voted for him. I'm scared to ask some of my friends. some of them it would really hurt to know if they had voted for that fascist clown. Church members whom I thought would know better, cast members from Anne Frank who unfortunately did not absorb the message of the play, co-workers who may have abandoned reason in the voting booth. It's like looking around with fear in the world of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, not knowing whether the person next to you has been replaced by an alien pod - they're here! You're next!
Until next time,
T. M. Strait
No comments:
Post a Comment