Blog #5: The workshop phase

Blog #5: The Workshop: Some lessons learned. Edited Highlights: 1) my partner ‘producer’ dropped off the radar 2) actors exiting stage left and right 3) lessons learned 4) many considerations It was everything and nothing that I thought. The workshop with our professional director was both exhilarating and daunting. We didn’t know what to expect. As far as I could discern, this was the director’s gig now. And largely it was. Although, I was involved a lot more than I thought I would—or should—be. This was due in no small part, because of the complexity of the play we’d chosen to kick off with; we may have started to ambitiously. Having said that, the next two plays are much more straightforward, so am not expecting as many discussions about the text. Nonetheless, it was everything I could have hoped for: highlighting the ‘holes’ in the play—even though it’s taken me a day of serious thinking to change my mindset. And your mind does set. But I was determined not to be precious about the play and if the pro said something needs to be looked at, then I would take that on board and try to attend to those concerns. I just didn’t realise how difficult that would be. But once the grinding of gears and the flashing lights stopped in my head, I think I have indeed attended to the director’s concerns in a way that I can live with. (Note: he is yet to get back to me re the changes.) Lessons: They say that economics is not a new thing and that in fact it’s been part of the natural world ever since microbes started eating other microbes. It’s like when fruit trees offer their fruit so that seeds can be dispersed away from the tree, that sort of thing. It’s just we humans are supposed to be complex organisms who use more subtler means of exchange for the purpose of sustenance, survival and sex so we may continue our viral domination of this planet. There are still exchanges that need to be made. People never do anything for nothing—not deep down—there’s always something in it for them. Even altruism is a payoff. That’s an important concept to keep in mind when dealing with people. It’s important to ask yourself, “What are they going to get out of this?” Because if they sense there isn’t going to be a payoff, then they won’t stick around. This thought occurred to me on Thursday night when 1) I hadn’t heard from my young ‘producer’, and 2) the actors I was contacting were saying ‘sorry, I’m busy next Sunday’. There was a very lonely feeling sitting beside me growing larger and larger by the minute. We’d gone from a potential 15 people down to three in a few days. Although, when I thought about it, having a lonely feeling sitting beside me, did make me feel less lonely. Even my young enthusiastic ‘producer’ had vanished; not returning emails or texts. A much smaller lesson learnt was that I now know the difference between a rehearsed reading and a moved reading. A rehearsed reading involves people going through the script with a director, or dramaturg, and maybe the writer, and discussing and deconstructing the work so that the actors may better deliver their lines. A moved reading is one that incorporates the processes of a rehearsed reading but there is some blocking involved. Depending on the level of performance one wants to aim for will depend on the amount of blocking involved. This may also involve a very limited number of essential props and technical additions. It may or may not be conducted in a theatrical space. At its most basic then, a rehearsed reading would occur before a moved reading with the rehearsed reading being performed with the actors more or less static, usually seated. Many considerations: Well yes, it’s OK to say “Hey let’s put on a rehearsed reading”, but there’s a few things to consider when considering the considerations of such a statement. Leaving aside the difficulty of getting actors for a project like this for the moment, there’s the presentation of the thing. Which raises all sorts of logistical consideration to consider, like: props, lighting, sound, tickets, programs, rehearsals, rehearsal space, the venue, the venue facilities, the program and the schedule of activities on the day. How much of any of this do we need? I mean it’s not just a matter of saying, “Well the play has a bed in it so we need a bed”. The consideration is about what are we putting on and how much detail should that involve. We are advertising the performance as a “rehearsed reading”, which wouldn’t ordinarily be a great concern, but having secured funding from the state government we are required to invite the funding committee, the local council member, and the state member. There will also be the local Little Theatre representatives and of course, the friends and family of the cast to consider. So it seems perfectly reasonable to assume that the quality of the offering needs to be commensurate with the expectations of the potential audience. Now we are in altogether different territory. Maybe we do need a bed. Fine. Where do we get a bed, and how do we get it there? And when can we get it physically in the venue. After all, there’s a very narrow time window to bump in and bump out. Time is money—my money as it happens. So the more complicated the set, the more we have to bump in and out. Actually, we’d have to beg, borrow or buy so much of this stuff and then find or hire a vehicle to shift it. And on it goes. See what I mean about considerations start mounting up when you start considering things. End Blog #5