Taking a Chance Again

Here we are, a week before another opening.  Ghost of a Chance opens March 28 and runs for two weeks.  We're in the crunch time where small things make a difference.  We've actually had extra time to learn lines, but it is a wordy play and a long play.  The problem I am having is not "too many lines" but rather too much space between entrances.  Having a small role means large chunks of time offstage just waiting.  It is so easy for me to lose focus at these times- to maintain character and keep my lines straight.  I don't appear for nearly an hour into the first act, appearing on in the last three pages.  I have a little more in the second act, but the problem is the same- focus.

For an actor, focus is a huge priority.  An actor must be able to split their focus successfully into three parts: regurgitating their lines, but with feeling; puppetting yourself to be in the right place at the right moment; and listening truly to your scene partners so as to react as genuinely as possible and to catch variations in their lines that change the scripted lines and require a different response.  Lose focus on any of these and you're pulling curtain on the next show instead of taking bows.

On another note:  This weekend I will be attending The Mystery of Irma Vep at the Liberty Theatre in downtown Tyler, Texas.  It is produced by APEX Theatre20.  The review will be my next entry on this blog.

and scene!

Wonkauditions

Oh my Gawd! This Saturday and Sunday we held open auditions for "Willie Wonka". Actors and dancers frequently call this kind of open audition "cattle calls" because anyone can come and try out. This was more like a stampede. Over 70 auditioners on Saturday and nearly thirty today (Sunday). That was amazing! What makes that amazing is that it gives me a lot of folks to choose from for our cast. What makes it not so amazing is that way too many of them were way too good. I have to let really talented people be put into good, but not great roles just because there were a lot of really talented people. I actually could have cast the show three times over...in three completely different ways. Fortunately for me, I had the help of two wonderful people helping me. Assistant director Jan Sikes and Vocal director Paula Ellis. Both very talented in their own right, they helped me move through the different combinations to find one that we think will really work. We will post and notify tomorrow. I hope everyone accepts their parts. It will be an awesome show. First read-through will be Friday, May 25 at 6:30. More as the week goes on.