Letters to Holly

Saturday, November 10

Fourth Show

After a four-day break from performances, the script now seems so small and manageable. The physical distance from the courtroom is paralleled by a mental distance. I see the forest instead of the trees. I have a deep sense of calm and habit, and it's so comforting that I refuse to question it and dredge up the anxiety. This is how you're supposed to feel in the second week of a show.

The DVDs of last week's shows greet us as we walk into the legal library. I put the remaining magnets and the Ayn Rand book next to them. There's also a sign-up sheet for the Sunday cast party, and the hostess (the first housekeeper actress) is fretting over who brings what. The director is here tonight, and she wanders backstage a few times, forcing me to hide the book. She also apparently has words with the stage managers over the absence of the light stands.

It was my understanding that a) she had washed her hands of the show once it opened, as is common with directors; and b) she had agreed with the consensus that the lights were both useless to the audience and distracting the actors. We did at least one show without them last weekend, but I'm told they are coming back by Liz's decree.

I find out after the show that Liz was furious about the lights and hounded the husband stage manager about them before we started Act One. According to him, she demanded to know who had chosen to remove them and suggested it was the back-seat director. It's possible that guy suggested we remove the lights initially, but the way I remember it, the managers (who designed and set up the lights) asked us all what we thought of them. Unsatisfied with his answer, the director went after the wife manager between acts one and two to such a degree that she later said she'd never work with this theatre again. After the show, the back-seat director tried to assuage the managers, asking them to come to the cast party regardless of the director's presence. And then he said that she wouldn't be involved with future shows because she's not part of the theatre.

It's not a phrase I like to hear from a company. Now, yes, I believe he's taking a liberty by speaking for the theatre as a whole, and he may have been merely trying to calm the guy. But, you know, I'm not part of this theatre either. If what I hear is true, the director and I have done one show with this group, and this is it. So, technically, I'm not a part of them. Don't get me wrong; I'm not looking to be defensive, and I am already on record as saying I won't come back. But that kind of exclusive mindset isn't healthy for a company this size, and it's yet another unattractive attitude I've heard him display. Even if the director was a bad choice to direct, even if she won't be welcomed back, he'll be there, and the confrontations between them also took place during shows with other directors.

I don't think there's clean side to this, nor one I need to stand on. Neither is brimming with maturity. Nothing I say is going to jolt them into changing their ways, and those crusading efforts can be used better on things like cleaning out my workshop or finally tackling the painting for the living room.

The stage manager husband also says something to me that blows my mind. He said about my performance that he had never seen anyone do something like this. This number of lines with virtually no prompting. From even the limited degree of experience I have, what I'm doing is a given. I have a healthy role in a 90-page script. Secondary Shakespeare characters would have more lines than this attorney. But this isn't the kind of theatre that would try a Shakespeare, I realize. This is a company content to be literally a little theatre, to mount shows small in scope and script, and the role I have might seem daunting to them. But they do big shows in the summer. They just did Fiddler, they did Oliver! last year. Huge casts and large roles. I don't in any way look down at the cast and crew of this show. They've, in general, put in the time and effort that would be asked from a larger theatre. Because of time or initiative, this company isn't doing what might be considered heavy lifting. They've mounting larks. They're having fun. That's no sin. But in that casual air may come a casual ethic, and certainly I've seen an unprofessional one.

The show tonight goes well. The audience is d-e-d, dead, and we can only rouse them with the Swedes and some tension in Act Three. The stage manager from Cat makes the jury, and we make friendly eye contact during my closing argument. I later learn she voted for "Gooper," part of the minority four votes in ultimately a "not guilty" verdict. I'm terrified that everyone can her my starving stomach throughout the play, and I can't quiet it with all the water from the tabletop pitcher. There are tiny line stumbles throughout but we all know the gist of our lines even if the exact wording falters.

After the show, I meet an audience member who played my part during the 1970s production. Turns out, he had two weeks to learn his lines when the first actor dropped out. He admits he used note cards, and this might be what the back-seat director has misremembered. He said attorney notes were a precedent from other productions and more credible to the audience. Maybe he forgot (or maybe not) that the cards were a necessity in a last-minute casting.

I check the DVD quickly when I get home. Thankfully, the camera panned away from me during last Saturday's mental hiccup. The camera missed it entirely, maybe by design of the cameraman. If so, thanks muchly. This is an image from the DVD. It's fancy stuff, complete with opening music and credits.


This is when I'm questioning the first housekeeper, the second witness of Act One. Both my suit and feet look ginormous. That's the defense attorney and defendant in front of me. You can see how we sit facing the audience.


Official play website

Rehearsals
Rehearsal Party
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

Friday, November 9

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.

Thursday, November 8

Pre-Game

The latest word is that we'll have everyone at the rehearsal party except the cop, the first housekeeper, the judge, and the stripper. The stage manager's email mentioned something about grabbing props, but I don't intend for us to use them tonight. And here's a little protocol dilemma: I'm hosting the party but am I running the show? The stage managers are timid about making any rulings, and I took over the rehearsal plan to replace the originally scheduled Thursday run-through. I envision a casual line progression to dust off our brains before we open again Friday. We don't need to walk around or exchange props. And if I'm manning the conn by default, we won't.

My experience with and as a stage manager says they become the secondary directors. When a performance starts, they take over. When a show opens, what they say goes. I'm not used to timid stage managers. I'm used to folks who don't assume people will know what to do or things will fall into place. They fret, they over-prepare, they become stern nannies. That's what a stage manager should do. Knowing how to fix costume disasters is handy too.

I bought more food on the way home last night and found the book I ordered from Amazon. I also checked the magnets, and they seem to stay adhered to the lamination. The shindig starts around 6:45, and if we just sit and say our lines, we should be finished before 10. We'll need to be. Some folks have to drive back to Asheville. One of us can't legally drive after 9. She carried a note from the director after every rehearsal in case she gets pulled over, as teens with permits can be out after 9 if they're working. This will be the first party I've thrown in the house.

I tried out lines from various scenes, and all the lines are there, almost casually reporting for duty. I fried up some chicken and experimented once more with gravy. Your Sis typed up a test while read my new comics and kept one eye on the basketball game.

Picture of the Day
This is a comparison of the original Star Trek cast and the actors hired to play those roles for the new film coming out next year. They're mostly unknowns, and that makes sense for an ensemble franchise, but I still think Gary Senise would have killed as Bones McCoy.

Wednesday, November 7

Various

I sent the final magnet image to Officio Maximus and picked up the laminated cards after work. I think they turned out OK.


I ordered 30, which should cover the cast and crew. I can hand them out at the rehearsal party. Still no idea how many folks we'll have. I had just enough leftover magnetic tape from the winter show to apply to this batch. The lack of rehearsals has ruined my internal calendar. Suddenly, I have too much time to deal with.

Your Sis and I watched an American Masters special on Carol Burnett. I didn't realize she watched her show when she was a child too, and we howled for 90 minutes. That show was one of three major factors -- along with MASH and the Muppets -- to my humor from the 1970s. In the '80s, I was influenced mostly by stand-up comics. I watched their HBO specials in my room with the volume way down so the parents wouldn't hear the bad language.

By weird timing, a collection of 1980 GI Joe comics I ordered months back arrived at the house yesterday, just a few weeks after I discovered the new toys. Your Sis is interested in these comics, to my delight.

Tuesday, November 6

Failures Abound

I'm shopping for a swank Ayn Rand book for the director. Barnes & Noble, the biggest brick-and-mortar bookstore in the country, doesn't have it. This special hardback 50th-anniversary edition of Atlas Shrugged came out last month, but both my local stores say all copies have already been sent back to the distribution center. These are sizable stores. They can't display an anniversary hardback during the holiday-shopping season?

I'm instead order the book through Amazon and use their magical get-it-there-yesterday shipping so the cast can sign the book before our last show. The reaction to the rehearsal party invite has been tepid, and some are saying they won't come to any rehearsal as their parts are too small. I can understand this if we were dealing with monologues, but they interact with actors with lots of lines, and those folks (me, included) could use those actors to keep their lines tight. It would be nice if the director would flex her muscles here, but, then again, what good would that do to for a show with three performances left? She can't replace anyone who refuses to rehearse. It's disheartening.

I tried to vote this morning and was told we live one block too far to vote in municipal elections. Oddly enough, there are apparently no state matters for us to decide. I walked away slightly disenfranchised. Could have sworn I voted for this level of candidates two years ago.

It was a refreshingly normal Monday night for us. Jeopardy, This Old House, football, wings, beer. The simple comforts. Your Sister shocked me by asking for jewelry for Christmas. She rarely asks for Christmas items, and she never asks for jewelry so early before a gift holiday. This shouldn't detour me from the gift I have planned for her.

And what about you? Whatcha want for Christmas?

Picture of the Day
I don't think this muppet ever had a name.

Monday, November 5

Third Show

I'm in the make-up chair before My Parents arrive in town. I spend the morning running lines once and just once. I'm tired of anxiety and will set my brain on cruise control for the play. I will trust the lines will emerge on time. We're told backstage that the videographer is taping toe show again because the video sound was ruined by the air system. Today, the air system will be turned off, but the body heat of the courtroom should keep us comfy against the chilly fall air. The lightstands that sit in front of the attorney tables are gone; maybe they didn't do any good after all.

The producer, who suffered two heart attacks just as this play started rehearsals, attends today's performance and sits in the front row, about five feet from me. My Parents and Your Sis sit on the row behind them. I make eye contact with them as I take the stage and never look their way again. Midway through the First Act, I'm feeling that accelerated heartbeat and, as I can't blame it on the lights or a sense of nerves, I'm thinking my sitting posture tightens the suit around me. Also, Windsor knots constrict.

The lines are indeed there as I summon them. A small blip occurs with the second witness as I sear she jumped a line, but I pick it up in about two seconds. I can tell she's rattled by it, and she misses a few of her lines, but the gist gets across. The rest of the act goes smoothly. It's a good audience; they laugh loud and long.

Backstage we change in the law library and shoot the breeze. The young cop plays his portable Nintendo, some of us scan the script, some gossip, some recap Act One slips. The question comes up about a gift for the beleaguered director, and I volunteer to buy her an Ayn Rand book and everyone can sign it.

The second act goes well, until the Swedish bookkeeper takes the stand. Right as his hand leaves the Bible, the air system kicks on, and from the back of the courtroom comes "jeeeeeeeesusss." The videographer. He won't pick up our lines now. The system was supposed to be turned off. It comes on three more times during the performance, and I guess we'll see him again next week. The third act goes very well, and I;m really feeling my lines, to the point I worry I'm overdoing it. Doc misses some objections but we glide passed them. When the stripper takes the stand from the audience, I see my boss walk into the aisle so the actress can get up. I register this for a second and go back to the show.

Not guilty by an 8-4 vote. Doc has won outright. I can only manage a moral victory next week. But I'm relieved to have this time off. We're supposed to rehearse on Thursday, but the rehearsal space is being used for the next production. We really only need a line-through; we sit and say our lines. No acting, no movement. It can be a casual refresher. The stage manager asks if I want to do this, and I'm all for it. So is the defendant. And after conferring with Your Sis, I'll suggest today in an email that we have folks to our house for a rehearsal party. This will make up for us missing out on hosting a cast party after the show closes. I won't even look at my lines until Thursday afternoon.

Official play website

Rehearsals
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


The NFL Contest
HER PICKS
NFC: New Orleans (4-4), St. Louis (0-8)
AFC: Indianapolis (7-1), New England (9-0)

MY PICKS
NFC: New Orleans (4-4), Carolina (4-4)
AFC: New England (9-0), San Diego (4-4)

Such a weird year in the NFL. There are a handful of really good teams, and then the quality of the league plummets. I won my fantasy week when my major stars came through. We taped the Colt/Patriots game and watched it after dinner.

Picture of the Day
Steampunk Pacman.