Rehearsal Party

When I got home, Your Sis was already laying out the grub and heating the oven for the buffalo nuggets. I helped put together the rest of the food, and the first folks showed up around 6:30. We had just about everyone by 7. The stripper, cop, and first housekeeper couldn't make it, but the judge did. The stage managers ran down the new procedure for the curtain call, punctuated by seating the jury before we take bows, and we snacked while running lines.

We sat in a circle, speeding through the dialogue and trying to ignore the cats in the laundry room. Eventually, Your Sis carried them off to her office where she was trying to work. The defendant and the widow took turns chatting with her. Eventually, I had to bring the widow back to the line-through so Your Sis could get her school work done.

We tore through the lines. We were in Act Two within an hour and finished before 9. The show usually runs just under three hours. I handed out the magnets and asked folks to sign the Fountainhead hardback for the director. Some asked what they owed for the book, and it broke down to about $2 a person. I'll take the book and magnet to the courthouse Friday for everyone else. The defendant and handwriting expert liked the comic pages hung in the hallway.

It was a casual atmosphere, and folks left right after we finished the lines. Some asked about the ceramic plate we used as a wedding guestbook, and I told the story of buying the house and the jailhouse wedding. This would have been the part of the party Your Sis would have liked the most. When everyone left, I fetched her from her office, and we had everything cleared away or washed in half an hour.

The lines are all still in my head. I had no trouble summoning them even without preparation. The first show after a break can be weak as the cast can become more nonchalant about the production. I don't want to be too casual tonight, but I don't want to dredge up the nerves. The medical examiner suggested I try to woo the jury more, and it's a good note. But I think my guy is aggravated by the collapse of his case, and I think his inability to hold that in makes him distinct from the coll approach of the defense attorney. I'll see how it feels when I get to that point during the performances and maybe soften the sales pitch is it fits.

Official play website

Rehearsals
Third Show
Second Show
First Show
Biding Time
The Last Rehearsals
Countdown: Two Rehearsals
Extra Drama
Countdown: Three Rehearsals
Countdown: Four Rehearsals
Countdown: Five Rehearsals
Countdown: Six Rehearsals
Countdown: Seven Rehearsals
Clock is Ticking
My Big Speech
Punching a Cop Is Bad, Right?
Act Two Redux
Friday Through Sunday
Eggshells
Drama!
Getting Serious
Our First Friday
Act Three Lines
Dusting Off Act One
Line Trouble
End of Second Week
'Go and Do Likewise, Gents'
Script Work
J'Accuse
Cramming
Walking and Talking
Readthrough
Marking the Floor

Auditions
First Night
Second Night
Third Night
Fourth Night

Picture of the Day
My official play photo. Man, you can really see the make-up.