Inside the Capital Classics Rehearsal Room
Shakespeare must have had a good laugh writing a shipwreck scene. Oh yeah, that’s fun to stage: Scene: on a ship at sea … add thunder (”a tempestuous noise”!), wind, the “cracking of the ship in two” … I thought he was a producer, too?
Well, we did it and it’s pretty damn good!
So at the end of rehearsal when I was bemoaning the blocking process, my (wonderful!) stage manager Jenn told me we had blocked 40% of the play. That made my night. This part of the process is difficult and I know the actors are feeling it, too. We’ve done some deep text work and have a strong (and usable) understanding of characters, relationships and action … putting the piece up on its feet for the first time always seems to thwart the creative development.
It doesn’t really, of course, because it’s an essential layer, but creativity seems to take a back seat to the logistics of spacing. The actors get a bit squirrely — they second guess their choices (and mine) — but the insanity is temporary. I told them last night, “We’ll get back to acting soon, I promise.” But the truth is: the acting hasn’t stopped. They are using what they’ve already developed and adding to it. It just doesn’t feel as safe or fun as it did working around the table. It’ll get better, we’ll go deeper, we’ll be making more discoveries and you will own it once again.
I was telling Kevin (who plays Ferdinand) how much I dislike “putting it on its feet” for the first time when I’m acting. I said, “It always makes me feel like I suck as an actor. I’m uncomfortable and phony; I fall back on my bad habits.” He seemed relieved to hear it: “I know, I know, I feel like I suck this week,” he said. But you don’t!!! You’re bringing great depth and truth to the work — everyone is.
Let’s agree to let blocking be blocking: a necessary task that will soon be over (only 60% left!) and then we’ll get back to playing our play.
This week we’ve been rehearsing “at the table” but on a deep level – determining intentions, actions and designating events. There are times when I sit back and think “Man, my job is easy” because of the actors. They are extremely intelligent, insightful and hard working. Some of the discussions and discoveries just blow me away; most importantly, what we are discovering is forming the basis of the story and its underlying action.
There was a moment this past week when Michael (playing Caliban) was talking about his understanding of the character and sharing his back story. Basically, he and Kendra (Miranda) have decided that the sexual incident between them was not, as Propsero infers, a rape. Rather, it was a sexual exploration between two close friends who have only each other in their lives as they mature. Building upon that circumstance, we agreed that the incident happened recently and prior to it, Caliban was treated as a member of Prospero’s family: living in the house, eating at the table, being nurtured and cultivated. Thus, his banishment is sudden and severe. Miranda is struggling to justify her father’s actions and to do what she thinks is “proper.” Caliban is angry and hurt.
One of the things this discussion led to was the understanding that Caliban and Ferdinand mirror each other. Ferdinand represents everything Caliban could have been had he been born into the right circumstances (and with better looks!). This fits into our already agreed upon understanding of the play’s world – where people are divided into the “haves” and the “have nots” – the privileged and the under privileged.
It made me realize how much we depend on each other in theater. We always say it’s a collaborative process and – it is! Now this comparison between Caliban and Ferdinand might seem obvious, but to be honest, I didn’t grasp it. As director, I can read and study this play 100 times, but the true understanding only happens in the rehearsal room where every actor brings their perspective. I can’t do this alone and I certainly don’t want to!
The first part of rehearsal is about building a strong foundation – a map of the play that we will continue to add details to throughout the process. Thursday’s rehearsal was particularly satisfying. We spent about three hours on one scene, the one where Alonso, Gonzalo, Sebastian and Antonio first wash up on shore. We analyzed events and defined beat by beat intentions. One thing I want to impress upon the cast is to keep the choices simple. Intentions are usually obvious and there is the potential to over think them and make them more complicated than they are. I want to encourage the actors to go with the clearest choices, the ones the playwright gave us. I remember an acting teacher (Rob Bundy) telling me: “There’s no subtext in Shakespeare, no hidden psychology. The characters state their feelings and intentions clearly.” And so they do. The final read through of that scene – at about 10:20 p.m. after a long day of work and a long night of reherasal – was electrifying good!
I’m tired – it was a long but productive rehearsal. Two days in and we’ve gotten a lot done: pretty extensive script work, a good foundation for vocal production, and some useful investigation of the space. I’m feeling reeaalll good about this cast. The actors are smart, inquisitive and playful. It took about 3 hours to work our way through the text tonight and they were on board the whole time. Most importantly, they’re making usable discoveries – already!
Deep breathe in, hold, and a long, slow exhale …so goes the start of rehearsal. The ensemble comes together for the first time this evening and off we go. As director, I’m incredibly anxious to get going. I’ve lived with this play all winter and spring – reading, imagining – a lonely endeavor – and I’m dying to throw it out there to the actors and designers. Let’s play!
This is the home of The Tempest rehearsal blog. Check back often to follow the process of going from first rehearsal to final performance!
