"Fifth of July" 12th & 13th Rehearsal: Chiggers

Well, the last two days have been a struggle.  Thankfully, for my ego, I am not the only one grappling with the lines.  I also left each night with a headache and/or a stomachache from smoking tarragon.  Yes, tarragon.  We smoke a joint together on stage and party pooper August won't let us smoke a real one.  (Something about the law, or some nonsense.)  So, we have to settle for tarragon for now.  Apart from the side effects, it won't stay lit.  So, Chris Carver, M.D. gave us a lecture of how to keep it lit and the best way to smoke it.  He jumped three lines just get the joint passed to him.  I don't know why.  The tarragon just makes your mouth taste herby and you want to eat grapes.  It must be pavlovian for him.  He sees a joint and starts to salivate.  Silly Carver.

"Fifth of July" 10th & 11th Rehearsal: What Say?

Off book.  In theory.  Until someone pauses, then all of the actors panic and think they've dropped their line.

"Is it me?"

"It's my line."

"What is it?"

"Oh, you said it differently this time.  I was waiting for the 'the' in your line.  It threw me off."

That has been the rehearsal process for the last two days.  But, in between the uncertainty, there have been some beautiful moments.  So, as long as no one takes a pause to transition, think or (god forbid) act, we're doing good.  Otherwise, it's pandemonium.

"Fifth of July" 9th Rehearsal: Summer Stock

"Summer stock" is, apparently, what people hear when I'm tired and I say, "Since we're stopped."  Which is what we did today.  We stopped.  Margaret was out and we took our time going through Act 2, dissecting every sentence.  Seriously.  But, it was awesome.  We all tried to figure out our past and gave our opinions on what we thought happened.  It's what we live for in theatre.  This is why we do it.  We do commercials for the money and theatre for days like today.

I was so sad rehearsal ended.  I hope we pick up where we left off, with all of our new discoveries. Tomorrow we have to be off book.  But, it didn't seem that bad today.  I'm not as scared as I was.  We'll see though.  You never know.  That's also why I love theatre.

You never know.

"Fifth of July" 8th Rehearsal: I Don't Remember

I'm so tired, I honestly don't even remember much of last night.  We ran the show, I know that.  Oh, oh and I remember that I knew a whole page of dialogue!  But, I was so impressed with myself that I forgot what I was doing and stopped dead in the scene.  Other than that, it's a blur.  Maybe that imaginary joint was real?  Damn that Carver.

"Fifth of July" 7th Rehearsal: This Could Be Good

Last night we ran Act 1 again.  It was very impressive.  Some people didn't use their scripts.  Scott used his crutches for the first while holding his script and still connecting with people.  Others, like me, held their script and cursed because they didn't know their lines and they were trying to connect.  Okay, their weren't others.  I was the only one doing that.

Regardless, if this is just the beginning, I am excited.

"Fifth of July" 6th Rehearsal: Here It Is

So, unbeknownst to me, we went over Act 2 again last night.  I, of course, had been working very hard on Act 1.  It was actually really fun.  Apparently, my entrance is hilarious.  The reason, I'm told, is when I hear my cue, "Tasmania", everyone can hear my boots entering.  So, when we keep working the scene, everyone is hearing, "Tasmania", then stomp stomp stomp.  Haha, very funny.

Tonight we will work Act 1, (still totally unprepared), then a portion of Act 2.  I'm still in denial about Sunday's deadline for lines.  I'm hoping they magically come out of my mouth on Easter Sunday.  A lot of miracles have supposedly taken place on that day right?

Lord, help me.

"Fifth of July" 5th Rehearsal: Blocking Done

Yes, we finally finished blocking last Wednesday.  And, yes, more laughter ensued.  Is that a bat?  Sunday, the members helped tear down the "Young Man from Atlanta" set.  (I cleaned the box office.  I'm not to be trusted with a Makita.)  While finding a place for the open wine bottles...

What?  They were going to go bad anyway?

I realized that we only had a week before we have to be off-book.  What!???  So, I thought about it for a while with my bottle of Vendage, and realized it's not impossible.  I will just have to sacrifice some "Real Housewives" watching for actual work.  Bye, bye Ramona, with your crazy eyes.