First Read-Through

We had our first read-through of the script this evening, and while I wish we could have gotten just a bit farther, I was very pleased with the results.  A lot of what I was hearing in the script at auditions, I was hearing more of in the reading tonight.  Actors instinctively understand it, and we were getting plenty of laughs.  A lot of the humor is physical, and as we add physical action the show will really grow.

One of the things that was apparent was how strong the acting company really is.  We have a nice collection of actors in all areas of the company who are willing and wanting to give their all.  That's an exciting thing to witness and thrilling to be a part of.

I spent most of the day today and yesterday preparing things for the first rehearsal:  show bible/scene breakdown, rehearsal schedules, and general info.  It's an exhausting and frustrating process, and I am glad that it's done.  I may detail it later in another entry, but it is extremely boring.  And I need to get some work up about the rest of the characters and the specific scenes.

I did spend some time yesterday and today doing some preliminary cuts to the lines.  Most oftentimes, when dealing with Shakespeare, I cut some of the extraneous material, jokes that no longer work because of language changes, obtuse verse sections, etc.  I found that there was little to cut on the first pass.  After the partial read-through tonight, I found a few more redundant sections, but vey little new stuff rose to the surface.  I had started to give cuts out in the rehearsal and then thought better of it.  It was disrupting the flow of the process.

Prep for tomorrow's rehearsal:  prepare notes on verse vs. prose and continue to look for lines to cut