First off book day

We are off book as of rehearsal Monday night. Some more than others. The first off book rehearsal is always fairly tedious for me because it can really only be about the lines and how solidly the actors have them down. The first off book rehearsal is sort of like a test where you prove to yourself that you can say the words without a book in your hand, but not a lot of acting gets done. When the lines are foremost in an actor’s thoughts, character is lost. This is why I insist on an early off book date and also why I’m adamant that people not carry scripts even if they’re not solidly off book. You have to throw away the crutch if you’re going to act with confidence. The best scene Monday night was the ghost’s tale of his murder and his current state of suffering in hell. JD has done solid character work on the ghost, is fully off book, and has a vision for the character that aligns with mine. Additionally, he’s handling his page-and-a-half-long monologue like a pro. I hope the less experienced actors watched what he did last night and learned from it. The other scene that presented with something other than the walking, talking dead was the nunnery scene. Luke and Sydney have been off book on it for a couple of weeks, and we’ve been working on finding the right tone, objectives, and resolution. It will be the end of Act One for us in performance, so having it be particularly strong is important. My advice to my actors at this point is this: trust that the lines are there and concentrate on getting what your character needs; trust in the character work you’ve done and the choices that you’ve made; put your focus on the other players instead of yourself; relax and invest in the reality of the play. It sounds simple, but it’s really quite a challenging thing to do. Anyway, that’s what we’ll be working on for the next three weeks until we open.