IMFourPlay

A "Magical" Show: Performance Number Five

I had fun tonight! Our mics were generally working; our good-sized house was equally receptive; our stories were quirky but concentrated... All the ingredients for a little magic!

I took the stage with Charles, Darren and Kate - the latter two are pictured in this rehearsal photo on the left. Even though we were a little sagging in our energy backstage, we soon exploded playfully into the space. (On a sidenote: I tend to find that I am a little more focused as a player when I start a show a little tired. Does anyone else share this experience?) I'm not sure if I'm going to always reiterate the basic storylines here, but Saturday's were particularly fun. We adjusted how we get our initial ask-fors--just a little--and I wonder if this also helped to set us up for some wonderful adventures. Charles started the show as a penny-pinching bell-boy at the Marriott, trying to please Mrs. Witherspoon, an eighty-year-old vamp, and the Gunther brothers (Sebastian and Perry if memory serves) who were magicians on the way down. Charles impressed all with a great Hotel California parody (yeah Jim!). Darren followed up with a young working civilian on a military base who toiled alongside a love-struck intern much to the chagrin of his recently "converted" father (don't ask!). Kate was a young woman, Hope, searching for love in her tent, only to have the object of her affection, a native American called Chest to Impress, stolen by her friend Joy. How ironic. Kate gave a truly wonderful soulful solo here, one of the musical highlights of the night. Finally, I wrapped up the act as David (a name I could actually remember for a change!) who liked to pile all his friends and family into his tiny jacuzzi, but was hiding the fact that he had given up the sauce, particularly from his heavy partying buddy, Skittles. A fun act all around.

Charles took the star into the second act and the fun and goofiness just continued to climb as his once well-tipping magician clients worked to foil his every plan and ambition (or were they really just testing him?) Kate had another stand out solo as her eighty-year-old vamp, with several lines that I'd love to repeat here, but don't think I can legally or ethically! I think that she finally felt the success tonight for herself that the rest of us have been seeing in her all along. Charles did a great job as the star, building his character's energy and momentum and attacking the stage and his musical numbers with great success. I also particularly enjoyed working closely alongside Darren as his European magic-challenged brother. We had such a playful energy together and a wonderful unspoken trust. As I (literally) tried to pull a solution out of my hat at the end of the show, he was an inspired collaborator and we seemed to almost read each others' minds. Freaky! Bad pun aside, it really was one of those magic shows where the pieces came together nicely and, perhaps even more importantly, the company worked seamlessly together sharing the work, rewards and spotlight with ease.

Some other little things that were little successes that I hope we can repeat on a regular basis:

1. Our sound check was much more efficient, and after just a few initial trips, the soundscape of the show was back on track. Yeah Dana.

2. The ask-for tweaks resulted in some great starting points and created a nice bond with our audience in general and our surrogates in particular.

3. Our physical and location work was more consistent and dynamic, with several scenes having clearly defined and contrasting environments. There was a lot less standing and talking in nowhere land.

4. We simplified our wants as the main characters but retained a diverse array of supporting and goofy characters that gave the show a lot of energy and humor.

5. We played, and laughed, and then played some more, and I all-but kicked my Director's hat to the curb during the performance! Yeah!

It's a whole new weekend next Friday, but the show keeps getting stronger as we become more confident and energized...

Anyone have any questions about the show that you'd like me to answer for a mid-week blog...? And/or, should I keep summarizing the storylines?

Your it's-a-kind-of-magic Director, David C.

Back on the Horse: Performance Number Four

It's a novel feeling to actually have some time away from the show! The build up to the opening weekend was pretty intense, but now that we're settled into our normal run, it was a little odd not to have numerous rehearsals leading up to tonight (odd, but nice!)

We had a strong house for a 10:00pm show (actually, a larger house than the 8:00pm show so I can't complain). I liked a lot of the stories and dynamics that were set up in our act one as well. Chase was a stable boy who had dreams of owning and racing his own horse. Ron was a wannabe rap artist whose great grandmother overshadowed him on the stage. Robyn was a newly-wed with a very shiny ring who had to move in with her in-laws while she saved for a house of her own. I was a truck-obsessed young man who put it all on the line with a race-off against my former scorned girlfriend. Some of the stories got a little muddied or nearly resolved in act one, which can be a little problematic, but I loved the story potentials here. Ron took the vote for the second act (my own father didn't even vote for me but for Chase's stableboy!) and we set off into the land of rap. There were some strong moments here as Ron excels in this style, although we got a little stuck in this musical genre at times. Ron got sealed in a telephone booth and was about to be exported to Spain - not something you see every day! That friend of mine, Mic, apparently raised his ugly head again and several of the cast went without amplification for much of this act.

Some listening issues popped back up tonight, but the adrenalin of a crowd often ushers in this problem. We also need to create more physically distinct environments and choices, and not rush the stage quite so much. This combination of boys can be particularly aggressive when it comes to providing a volley of offers. Act two's drive dipped a little from that of act one, but there was a lot of fun playful work and some really clever characters and character combinations. Our sound woes got us off to a slow start with our post-show debrief, but there was much to celebrate and enjoy. I'm a little wary when Gina and I lead notes, that for the sake of brevity we tend to concentrate on where we'd like to go next rather than always acknowledge how gloriously far we've come. Ah, the life of a perfectionist in an improv show...

The answer to my earlier blog question - I've started to think of IM as standing for Impossible Mission as an homage to the MI movies...

I've been told I need to retire my standard lead-in of "As musical theatre performers don't have any personalities of their own..." at the top of the show. Am I the only one who liked that...? No, seriously...?!

Your intro-tinkering Director, David C.

It is rather difficult to describe Dana's position and responsibilities when it comes to FourPlay. Suffice it to say, that if something needs to get done, and we're not sure who to ask, it's probably Dana who ends up doing it! Dana agreed to talk to me briefly in the SAK tech booth while soldering a mic connection with her left hand, refocusing a light with her right hand, and painting a flat with her feet...

Current favorite musical: Mamma Mia!
Current favorite improv game: ABC/Shakespeare/Should've Said

DC: Dana, we've joked a lot throughout this process about how difficult it is to define or describe your position. From painting the stage, to refocusing the lights, to mixing the sound, to stage managing, you've been involved with practically every physical aspect of the production. Is there a particular area that you enjoy working in most?

DR: I enjoyed working on all aspects of the production. When I stage manage at other theatres I usually get into all aspects of the show because I want to know that they are done the way they are supposed to be. I love painting and I wanted the show to have a fresh look when we opened it. Sound is my weakest area of technical theatre (but I am trying to get better at it) and I am always up for a challenge.

DC: You are clearly a theatre addict! How long have you been involved in the world of theatre, and what brought you to the SAK family?

DR: I originally got involved in theatre in high school (like most theatre people) but it wasn't because I liked theatre. I wanted to go into TV Production and had been in it at my high school up in Maryland. When my family moved down here, I tried to get into a class in that but there were not enough people so they cancelled the class. Then my guidance counselor said that I could take a humanities class (where I would have to read books) or stagecraft (what the hell was that?). Read books or do something else? Yes, I took stagecraft. That is how I started. I worked with Chris [Drew] at VCC on a few productions and he had just started back at SAK. At the beginning of our spring break, I asked him if he needed any help that week and I haven't left since.

DC: You mean that literally, don't you...?! In addition to your considerable work at SAK, you've also been involved with several other theatre companies in town. Tell me a little about that.

DR: I started my major theatre experience at VCC. I then met director John DiDonna and stage managed for him at VCC. He liked what I did and he took me to Theatre Downtown to stage manage Long Days Journey Into Night and The Rocky Horror Show. He then started a theatre company called Empty Spaces Theatre Company and I am the Production Stage Manager for it. I have also stage managed for shows at Fringe, Playfest and Play In A Day and worked with the Rich Weirdoes who do The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Universal. Needless to say I am all over the Orlando theatre community and I LOVE IT!!!

DC: As one of the few people who have seen the vast majority, if not every, public performance of FourPlay last year and this season, do you have a favorite memory or moment that you'd like to share?

DR: Yes, I think I am the only person on the face of the earth that has watched every public performance of FourPlay last year and so far this year. I loved all of your parodies from last year. And I loved Charles's version of the Styx song (I think that was done during rehearsal).

DC: Thanks for giving me a little of your time... How you ever managed to make that popsicle-stick log cabin while we were talking, I'll never know!

To learn more about Dana, go here.

A Little Break in the Storm: Day Off Number One!

No, I haven't forgotten you all, but I have enjoyed having a little down time! What a great opening weekend. The folks at SAK have been kind and forwarded along some lovely comments from this weekend's audiences. Lots of very positive feedback and support.

I've been working today on some of the "Behind the Scenes" interviews that I'll start posting here shortly. I've really enjoyed the interview process as it's given me a chance to get to know a little more about my collaborators and the history of SAK. I'm also keen for our audiences to have a chance to get to know some of the faces that don't get to bow with us each evening on the stage. Anyone who has ever mounted a show knows that theatre is really a team sport.

We've started to talk about pre-production for my next SAK project - The Lost Comedies of William Shakespeare. I've also begun my preparation for my on-campus improv project, ImprOvientation, at Rollins College, as well as some revisions of (Your) Opera in a Trunk - an improv opera I direct for Pensacola Opera. So I'm not idle!! But it gives me a chance to rest my little voice.

Today's Question: What do you think the "IM" in "IMFourPlay" stands for...?

Your improv-a-holic Director, David C.

A Few Bumps in the Road: Performance Number Three

I should probably preface this entry with the disclaimer that it would be difficult for any show to live up to the magic of our gala opening... The energy and playfulness that had exploded onstage on Friday, however, was clearly a little more reserved and tentative tonight. (Perhaps a direct result from last night's celebrating...?) Again, it wasn't a bad performance by any objective standard, but I left feeling a little frustrated. I'll dispense with my obligatory plot synopsis as I have a feeling people may be skimming over those anyway.

So what was different about tonight? In short, it just felt a little less tight and disciplined. Energy wasn't focused clearly and the show felt a bit static. This was something that had haunted us a little last year, in terms of characters more-or-less standing in non-descript locations talking about unspecific events with minimal emotional energy. I am, of course, exaggerating a little, but there were several moments that I felt the need to literally force physical action on stage. I commented yesterday that I had been able to truly hang up my director's hat and just watch the run unfold. Tonight, I had to put it back on several times, particularly in our second act, to help right our course. The average audience member may not have been aware of this, but it certainly changes my personal perspective of the performance.

I've just sent out a long email to the company reviewing some of the problem spots and dynamics, so I won't repeat that all here as I feel it's mainly the company that reads this to make sure I'm not slamming them publicly! Gina summarized the issue nicely when she talked about a general lack of energy. This often is reflected by the presence or lack of dance in the show, and we were definitely dance light tonight. We also became a bit ballad heavy again, which can make the second act feel considerably longer, and we didn't do well really identifying the star's need or core desire. Many of the songs also seemed a little light in terms of content or slightly self-indulgent.

On the bright side, I thought we had some interesting new dynamics and relationships in act one, and, as per usual, there were many fun quirky characters and situations. There was also a strong positive audience response and a near full house (again) serving as the culmination of what has been, by all accounts, a highly successful opening weekend. I'm just always looking for the show to grow and develop, and tonight it slinked back into the shadows a little. But that's the joy and frustration of improv, as I've discussed here before.

Next week we move to our permanent time slot of 10:00pm. I'm a little anxious that this might shrink our audiences, but I'm hoping that I'll be pleasantly surprised. The show plays well in the more traditional 8:00pm slot, but hopefully we can tempt people to join us in our later home.

But now my bed awaits...

Your hat-juggling Director, David C.

The Play's The Thing: Performance Number Two (Gala Opening)

What a fun night! There was such a wonderful sense of play that pulsed through tonight's performance. It sounds like a simple and obvious statement to say that play is important in the show (or improv in general), but it is surprising just how often the play can find itself stressed away. (Please note that while the title above is a Shakespearean reference, this was not a deliberate effort to cross promote my next SAK show, The Lost Comedies of William Shakespeare - I have at least a couple more weeks before I really need to start thinking about that!) A form as complex as FourPlay is particularly challenging in this regard. There are so many things that can make the performers slip into their head as they consider story elements, song structures and styles, and the overall flow of the show. When it's good, these issues tend to become second nature. Tonight, we found this sense of effortlessness again.

Tonight's cast was Charles, Mark, myself and Robyn - that's nearly us pictured right. Charles wasn't able to make the photo shoot, so that's Jay standing in for him with his distinctly Constant Wife look! (Thanks Denna for giving me even more photos to include here.) We had a packed house tonight, and I was particularly pleased and touched that I had so many friends and colleagues from my day gig at Rollins College in the house (although that also made me a little nervous too!) We had some minor sound issues in act one in terms of levels and hearing the band, but content was pretty strong. Mark created a great character as an X-Ray technician who was in love with a girl named Petri Dish. Love aside, what he really wanted was a stalker of his own--of an indeterminate gender. Mark, once again, provided a fantastic solo early in the show. Robyn was a techno-savvy happily married woman of 32 years who, while planning a huge event in honor of her loving (yet slightly slushy) husband, discovered that their fortunes had been squandered on an ill-fated investment. Mark and Charles provided great support characters as her servant and party planner respectively. We then followed Charles as a nature-loving but shower-loathing mountain man who double-booked dates one evening with a beautiful vixen and a more homely amateur whittler (played by Robyn and me - guess which one I was?!) Lastly, I took on the role of Barry, an internet addict who found love on his computer but needed the help of his loyal (?) friend William and supportive mother (?) to pursue her. The act ended strongly and it felt like we had given the audience four fun and viable options for the star position. (I'm intrigued as to what criteria audience members use to make this decision - post me a comment on this if you'd like.)

Barry was elected as the star of act two - I had thought that perhaps my Rollins colleagues in the house tonight may have stacked the deck a little in my favor, but I learnt at the gala party afterwards that few, if any, of them actually voted for me! Hmmmm.... Some nights it is a bit of a struggle to find the story when your character is selected, but tonight I actually felt that we had some good potentials for Barry's journey, and Gina had some great detailed observations from her vantage point in the house that provided a strong launching point. I felt good about my early solo in the act. I have a tendency to default into a soft ballad style, but attacked this song with a more uptempo feel tonight. Jim and Keith were also particularly hot in this act, with lots of fun pimps and gifts from the pit--there were musical references to Harry Potter, Star Wars and Les Mis, as well as some great style choices. Robyn had a great solo turn as Barry's mother, mourning her lost relationship to his new woman, while Mark crafted a wonderful show-stopping number as the object of Barry's eye, and Charles and I attacked the final confrontation number with finesse. I really love singing alongside Charles. But the final word of the night clearly belonged to the masterful Jim Rhinehart who, after Barry's real mother was revealed, started to play "Who Am I" from Les Mis as the final number. I had to clamp down to hit the final note, but it was a great ending. (Of course, I happened to see Eric Zivot, our vocal coach from Rollins, out of the corner of my eye as I squeezed out that high note!!! I'm sure he'll have some vocal production notes for me when I next see him at work!!)

We had a lovely gala to end the evening, with toasts and merriment. Extra kudos to Dave, Keith, Rob, Katie, Katie's Mom, and SAK's team of volunteers for all their hard work getting everything set up. Lots of kind feedback and support and a little disbelief as to what we had achieved. (No seriously, it's all made up!!)

I'd love to sit in this moment for a little longer, but alas, we perform tomorrow with a clean slate!! But I am relieved and happy and, dare I say, proud. The show has definitely grown from last season and I am confident that this will be the start of an exciting journey with this project.

Would love to hear what viewers thought of the gala performance... How about writing a comment?

Your grateful-and-slightly-gravitating-off-the-ground Director, David C.

That's a LOT of People: Performance Number One

What an amazing house tonight! Thursday nights are often a little light at SAK in terms of attendance (but not excitement). Tonight, however, we were quite packed indeed! So much so that we got off to a bit of a late start. It was exciting and a little nerve-racking as it clicked up all of our own internal expectations. We had gathered earlier for a publicity photo shoot and to play with our new microphones - Dave worked a minor miracle to get us upgraded for this weekend. Chase, Ron, Robyn and myself were enlisted for the evening, and off we skipped into the land of improv...

We got some fun starting points tonight: Chase was a music teacher who craved for more meaningful student growth and institutional support (can anyone say "ripped from the headlines...") and gave a great solo at the top of the show; Ron was an aging wrestler who wanted one more bout in the ring, but whose wife was less-than-happy and best friend (an odd fortune-teller bowler) and manager (a poor dietician) were less-than-helpful; Robyn escaped onto a boat with her young daughter, only to have her custody challenged by her high-voiced former husband; I was a muscle-bound gym-addict in love with my jazz-a-size instructor but thwarted by my childhood rival and overly-amorous mother. The audience elected my character as the focus of the second act, and we followed Ken as he lost muscle-mass, his love-interest and his mother's affections.

The show was received really well. Ironically, we've set the bar so high for ourselves as a company that when we have an essentially solid show, such as tonight's, it can feel less satisfying personally as we've also experienced several magical ones. A couple of important issues did surface that we need to address. Our content was a little off-color in places. SAK is a family-friendly venue and we need to truly honor this. While FourPlay will generally fill the later slot where things can be a little more racy, we always want it to be a show that the whole family can enjoy. Tonight, we stepped away from clever winking to outright stating in a few places, and we need to pull this back. (Not to defend, but I've often found this to be the case as a show such as this moves into its opening weekend - the nervousness can tend to encourage the players to go after the easier laughs, rather than develop a more complex playfulness with the audience.) We also stumbled a little in the second act in terms of truly complicating the star's journey. While there were several offered plans, they were rarely realized in onstage action. Gina, our Assistant Director, had some good observations which I've emailed along to the company so that we can learn from tonight's slips. (Yes, I send out long Director notes as well as write this blog - this explains my lack of sleep...)

While we should have high standards for ourselves, and strive to hold ourselves to these, it's also important to gain perspective from the audience's response. A well-meaning (and appropriate) comment regarding some atypical content slips aside, there was a great energy in the lobby after the show, with many younger audience members getting cast signatures on their programs or show t-shirts, and a lot of big smiles and congratulatory remarks (and I got to meet John Carollo - our designer's - parents too!)

If old show business cliches hold true, a solid preview with some minor difficulties usually suggests a great opening...

We've nearly sold out for Friday's show, so if you're reading this and haven't got your tickets yet, don't say I didn't warn you (and this is a real warning, not one of those wishful thinking ones!!)

Your investing-in-a-bar-of-soap-for-content-purposes Director, David C.

The Whole Gang's Here: Rehearsal Number Twenty-Six

Yes, it was another of those rare rehearsals where we had every member of the performing ensemble present! Was I in a dream!? We were back in the Fred Stone Theatre for the evening, and parking woes aside, it was a very productive evening. We had a chance to go over some tricky elements of the format and work on details. It was also great to just have us all in the same space at the same time. As we move into shows this weekend, there will be few opportunities for this in the near future... sadly. The last bugs in the show really need to work themselves out in production as they typically require the story and character details that only a run can provide. The show's in good shape though, and in many ways the company and format opens this year with more polish and gusto than it closed with last season. Can't wait to show our baby off...

It's been a busy week taking care of last minute little details, such as the gala, program, slide show, reserving seats for colleagues, working on the play schedule and the like. Early in the week, four of the company (Mark, Kate, Darren and I) joined John and Don of Radio Rickshaw for a podcast interview. (I'm still not sure if I actually know what that is!) It was a fun hour talking about all things FourPlay. You can check out the broadcast by visiting the Rickshaw boys at www.radiorickshaw.com or just click here to start enjoying it now. John (pictured on the left) has also been a huge help with our sound woes and helped broker some better microphone headsets for the run. Huge kudos to him!

I'm starting to get anxious/nervous/excited about the opening weekend. Improv is a strange beast in that you don't ever really get to "set" a show or "put it to bed". (Strictly speaking, you could say the same with scripted work, but there is a level of predictability that typically affords a certain amount of confidence.) Every night, we start the show with no idea of what that evening will hold in store for us. This is interestingly intoxicating and terrifying at the same time! I've often commented that actors experience no higher highs or lower lows than on the improv stage: I would add that this goes double for the long-form endeavor. At the end of the day, we have only our training and wits - and those of our onstage collaborators - to help us chart the unknown.

Why do we do this again?!?

I'll let you know after our opening...

Your slightly-sleepless-and-anticipatory Director, David C.

Keith Dickerson returns to his station behind the drum kit for this second installment of FourPlay: The (Improvised) Musical, after delighting audience's last season with his overture antics behind Jim Rhinehart's back! A SAK Comedy Lab mainstay, his work both in the musician pit and in the company trenches helps make this production a reality. As a man of refined taste, I decided to invite Keith to my recently refurbished Alpine villa for some Almas caviar on toast points and a little cup of kopi luwak "java." The conversation, I hoped, would be as elegant and refined as the surroundings...

Current favorite musical: Hedwig & the Angry Inch or Dancer in the Dark (2000 musical/drama starring Bjork)
Current favorite improv game: 99 Jokes or Lounge Lizards

DC: Keith, while you’re serving in this production of FourPlay as our percussionist, literally providing the pulse of the show, that’s only the tip of the iceberg in terms of your position at SAK. Tell us a little about what you do behind the scenes.

KD: Thanks, David. Where do I start? My SAK business card says I’m the Director of Event Sales and Marketing. This means that my day job is booking all of SAK Comedy Lab’s off-site performances. We get called on to perform for a lot of corporations and private events, so I’m the one that people call when they want to book SAK. I also have a hand in marketing and promotions for the theatre, and I’m a member of the SAK mainstage cast. I also take long naps on the green room couches when no one else is around. Speaking of couches, your readers should know that your living room décor is well, amazing! I’ve never seen so much Louis XIV furniture outside of Versailles. And the chandelier in the kitchen is beautiful.

DC: Thank you - you're too kind! You'd be surprised what a teacher's salary can buy these days. You’re also a teacher with SAK University after going through the training here yourself several years ago (if I’m not mistaken). What is it that draws you to the improv classroom?

KD: I love teaching improv because I get so much out of it. It’s a great feeling when you get an idea across in a class or workshop and then see it applied onstage. You think, “Hey, this stuff really works!” Plus I always learn something from my students… or other people’s students! (Laughing) Darn! Sorry about that, I spilled the coffee. Go to the next question, I’m just getting something to clean this up.

DC: Don't worry about the cup of kopi luwak. There's plenty where that came from... We discovered several years ago that we have a Louisiana connection. While I was studying and teaching at LSU in Baton Rouge, you were working with an improv troupe in New Orleans that I had heard good things about. Describe your days working with your troupe, Without Annette. With everything that’s happened in that region over the last year, is your former troupe still going strong?

KD: Thanks for asking. They are up and running, but they were treading water for a few days after the storm. I have two great friends and colleagues in New Orleans who took over for me there when I was invited to join SAK full-time. The name has changed to the National Comedy Company and they’re playing in some new venues after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the club that had been the group’s home for two years. But they are a great bunch of improvisers – and they still have some of the original members from when we started the group... This stain isn’t coming out. Say, are these couches Scotchguarded? You know, you should really get Scotchguarding. Wait, I think I’ve got something in my car that will work. Next question!

DC: No seriously, it'll be fine. You needn't worry... I have met few people with a more extensive and seemingly random music collection. It would probably be a futile question to ask you your favorite musical artist, so instead I’ll ask what were the last three cds you played in your truck on the way to work this week.

KD: How about the last three cds I loaded into my NEW CELL PHONE WITH I-TUNES!

DC: That shows you just how behind the times I am! Sure, tell me what you "loaded" into this "I-Tunes" phone of which you "speak"...

KD: That would be the New Pornographers – Electric Version; Susan Cowsill – Just Believe It; and the Malcolm X Soundtrack. I don’t know if that’s as extensive and random as you were hoping for, but there you go! And I’m really sorry about the couch. I didn’t think this stain remover would damage the upholstery like this. Wow, it’s just coming right up in my hands. I should have listened to you and just left it for your manservant, Otto.

DC: Please leave, and never return again... Otto! Otto!!!

To find out more about Keith, go here.

Robyn Pedretti makes a victorious return to the company of FourPlay for its second installment this year. One of the busiest actresses I know, she's worked in such diverse local venues as Universal, Jester Theatre, Winter Park Playhouse and Mad Cow Theatre, alongside her regular and well-received performances as an ensemble member on the SAK stage. I luckily managed to grab Robyn for a brief chat in the SAK greenroom between shows, where we supped on Junior Mints, discarded Tootsie rolls and raw cookie dough from the freezer. All that sugar surely stimulated an interesting conversation...

Current favorite musical: It changes all the time, but currently it's Wicked.
Current favorite improv game: Universal Sign Language (I prefer to be the interpreter)

DC: Robyn, you’ve done a lot of work around town over the last few years and just finished starring in Mad Cow’s record-breaking run of Bad Dates. Do you have a particular genre of theatre that you prefer to work in, or are you truly a Renaissance woman?

RP: Musical theater is my all-time favorite genre of theater to perform in. I usually get cast as the "second-banana-sidekick-funny-girl", never the ingenue, and that is FINE with me! I love to make audiences laugh and it seems as though the "funny girl" roles I've played are usually the most memorable ones to audiences. However, I had never performed a one-woman show prior to being cast in Bad Dates and it was truly the most difficult, challenging and rewarding project I've ever been involved with. Being the sole performer on stage, with no one else to rely or lean on, was the polar opposite of anything I'd ever done before. However, I still prefer singin' and hoofin' it on stage in a good old fashioned musical!

DC: You're sure in the right show now then!! You’re a relatively new Orlando transplant. Where were you living before you made O-Town your home, and what brought you here?

RP: I grew up as a Southern California girl. I was raised in beautiful San Diego then moved to not-so-beautiful Los Angeles and remained there for thirteen years while I pounded the pavement as an actress (me and half-a-million others just like me). Los Angeles was and is a really tough town, you have to have very thick skin to survive. I am extremely proud of the tv/film/theater projects I was a part of, but after thirteen years, my skin had gotten pretty thin! I wanted to move to an entertainment-based town with less of a competitive field (more of a supportive one), cheaper cost of living, better air and a better quality of life all around! Orlando seemed to fit that description perfectly. I truly love it here and feel that there is a huge opportunity to flourish in the arts here.

DC: We're all certainly glad you made the move! Here, have another tootsie roll. While on that crazy West Coast you appeared on some pretty high-profile shows, such as Friends and West Wing. I’m sure everybody would like to know a little bit about what those experiences were like as an actress.

RP: Yes, I played "Ginger, the Salvation Army bell-ringer who replaced Phoebe when she got fired" on the Christmas episode of Friends (1998). I had one line! It was great fun and is the project that got me my SAG card. I'm proud to include that highly successful show on my resume. Filming the show itself was a little strange. Those six amazing actors are an extremely tight-knit group and it was difficult to feel welcome or a part of their circle (very typical of Los Angeles in general). I felt very alone and nervous and took about six takes of the shot, some takes with me saying my line, some takes without...well, guess which take ended up airing??!! THE ONE WITHOUT MY LINE, OF COURSE! :) I'm still in the scene; I still got paid the same; I still get paid residuals to this day, BUT...it stinks that my "claim to fame" appearance got cut down to a couple of gestures and funny facial expressions... However, that is life in the tv & film world! Appearing on West Wing was a totally different experience. It was wonderful, warm and welcoming. Martin Sheen is a true professional and absolute sweetheart. The whole cast was amazing. My scenes were mostly with Tim Matheson, who played the Vice President on the show (I was the VP's Aide in four episodes). He was a dear to me, a truly awesome individual. Unfortunately, Tim Matheson booked a pilot during the second season of West Wing and got written off the show, as did his whole staff (which included me) so I only got to shoot four episodes, but it was an awesome experience!

DC: What a topsy-truvy industry! Although, all of that craziness might have prepared you well for our project together! You were a real audience favorite in SAK's original run of FourPlay last year. What can your fans expect from you this time around (and will you keep your signature musical motif, “My name is Robyn”)?

RP: Well, yes... a few weeks into last year's run, James Newport pointed out to me that I tend to sing the same melody a lot... Long story short, we nicknamed the melody "The Robyn Song". I never realized I did that, but after thinking about it and listening to myself, I totally did!! I repeated the same melody a lot!! Throw in the fact that I can't rhyme AT ALL, and I have to question, "WHY exactly did David cast me in this??" :) Bad melodies and non-existent rhyming aside, it's the most fun I've had on stage in a long time! FourPlay challenged me every night to raise my game. My goal for this run is to really relax, be more playful, not pee my pants on stage (a story for another blog), AND RHYME!!! I'm so excited to be a part of this again!

DC: And we couldn't be more excited to have you back. Oh dear... I think I'm about to crash from all that sugar, so if you'll forgive me, I think I'd better get immediate medical attention...

To learn more about Robyn, go here and ask around.

Charles Gray Jr., a returning company member of the FourPlay company, brings an unmistakable "everyman" quality to his work, and has one of the most effortless singing voices I've encountered. I sat down with Charles over fish and chips and a beer in a nearby pub (complete with majestic mahogany benches and ample well-placed portraits of Queen Elizabeth II) and together we reflected on the upcoming show...

Current Favourite Musical: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Current Favourite Improv Game: Scene Three Ways

DC: Okay, Charles, I'm going to out you right away. We've had many chats about the fact that you are not really a big musical theatre fan!! So why sign on to FourPlay, an improv musical theatre show?!?

CG: First of all I love music -- I also love improv. Musical theatre "people" tend to annoy me (ooopps just made some enemies) with their singing of Rent and Wicked songs over and over again. Now, if Metallica wrote a musical, I would be there! The real reason I signed on is to represent all the beer drinkin', football watchin', buffalo wing eatin' guys. We get turned off by all the fluffy stuff that goes along with musical theatre. So I am here to make fun of it while being entertaining.

DC: And you do that well! You grew up in a military family, which meant a lot of moving and traveling. Did that predispose you to being an improviser in any way?

CG: That, along with my mom having newborn twin boys and a 1-year-old sister meant I was alone a lot. So, my imagination became a big part of who I am today.

DC: I think many entertainers have a similar story. Speaking of traveling, we have an Australasian connection (I'm from New Zealand for those of you who have never seen the rest of the SAK cast make fun of me on stage!) Share a memory with us from your Up With People days down under.

CG: Communicating was easy in Sydney and up the Eastern Australian coast. Once I got out into the outback a bit, I stayed with a family who had such a thick accent I had no idea what they were saying! They hated their ignorant American guest. They were sheepherders and part time school bus drivers. They also had no doors on their house so sheep would just wander into the house! It was like the movie Deliverance "Aussie" style!

DC: Oh dear... Anyone who has had the good fortune of watching you onstage will agree that you are just a natural character actor. SAK won't soon forget your impersonation of your lovely wife during a Slice of Life! Where do all those wacky characterizations come from?

CG: I tend to pick up on others' emotions and I like to go to extremes for my character choices. Plus I people watch a lot... even in a creepy way! So if you see me in the mall, walk the other way. Being a different character enables me to give off emotions that do not usually come out of my everyday life: Murderous Rage, Flamboyant Distress, and Holier than thou Apathy are a few of my favorites.

DC: Well, thanks so much Charles. Let's finish our beers. While I've enjoyed our chat, I hope I don't bump into you at a mall any time soon...

To learn more about Charles, go here.

Kicking the Wheels One Last Time: Rehearsal Number Twenty-Five

Saturday night was our last sneak preview before our opening weekend next week when we'll play in the higher profile 8:00pm slot for the Thursday "Skooled and Served" show, Friday's opening gala (with champagne toast reception), and Saturday's headliner spot. (If you're an early nighter and want to see the show, that's the week to do it, as we'll be moving to the 10:00pm slot after that for the remainder of the run.) We had another good house, both in terms of size and reception, and tonight marked the debut of the remaining company members with the exception of Jay, whose Constant Wife conflicts will keep him from our stage for another couple of weeks. We have a brush-up rehearsal on Wednesday (number twenty-six), to refocus us as we go into the opening weekend, but the show is essentially "set" for lack of a better term, and my days as the director as numbered...

Charles led the pack tonight in the first position as a young man unloading frozen Thanksgiving turkeys who fell in love with his co-worker's homeless sister who lived in a box beside the loading dock. We then met Robyn as a young mother trying to help her college-bound daughter (who wanted to study clownology at Harvard), and had to picture life without her other half. Ron attacked the stage as a young man with wavering career aspirations, trying to balance his overbearing father's desires for a military son with his own dreams to be a hollywood star. Finally, the audience met me as a third-time repeating high-school senior trying to find his way around newly introduced standards testing with the help of his less-than-scrupulous teacher. Lots of goofy characters tonight!! Act one felt like it meandered a little in places, but we got in into the harbor with good audience responses by the end. Charles took on the role of the star for act two, and we worked well together complicating and advancing his story. I felt a little off, personally, in terms of making strong relationship connections, although my fellow company members stepped up to the plate, and Gina noted after all was said and done that this was one of her favorite performances. One of our former company members from last season, Lisa, also offered some kind words and noted that she could see where the form had been strengthened.

My ongoing sparring with mike (mic) sadly continued this evening. We nearly had to have Charles play the second act as the star without a mic at all, and we had a lot of static issues throughout the first act. Dana, our ridiculously hard-working stage manager/technical director/sound mixer is improvising admirably as these issues emerge, but it's becoming increasingly clear that we're in for trouble if we can't find a more permanent and less makeshift approach to resolving the issue.

I was a little more in my head tonight. Perhaps, in part, due to these technical issues that reappeared unwantedly (in addition to the mic issues, we lost the slide show for the latter portion of act two). I also found myself inadvertently heading into similar water in terms of prior stories last night, that is, a potential Mrs. Robinson dynamic. I had to redirect my efforts to avoid that, but in doing so, replicated some old traps that I'd discovered from last year. Overall, some of the scenic work was a little tentative in act two, but the songs pulled us back into the zone of higher energy and there was a fun playful energy that circled around Charles and Robyn's relationship in particular. They also created a great duet as brother and sister, which was one of the evening's musical highlights.

I almost have a day off tomorrow (if you don't count mowing my lawn and catching up with bills and the like...) I've nearly forgotten what that is like!!

Your in-need-of-recharging Director, David C.

Taking the Training Wheels Off: Rehearsal Number Twenty-Four

Our first paying audience tonight, and it was a good one. Last year, the show suffered a little from sections of our initial audiences not expecting to see a show of this style upon arriving at the theatre (if you're in the mood for Duel of Fools, FourPlay can be quite a sell - some people will do anything to avoid a musical, let alone an improvised one.) While this is perhaps uncontrollable, I was heartened to find, upon arriving at the theatre, that many people had specifically asked for our show when they booked their tickets. A good sign.

While Darren and I returned to the stage tonight, this was really Kate and Chase's first foray into this new and improved version of the show before an audience consisting of more than their fellow company members. (I only have photos from the SAK preview at the moment, so that's last night's company looking a little devilish on the right!) We had a really fun array of storylines emerge. Chase was a half-keyboard operating computer programmer sharing a tiny office space with Gunther, a Germanic perfectionist. Darren was a newly-married bar-tender with an overly suspicious wife and suspicion-generating co-working waitress. Kate was a van-residing mother with a penchant for Walmart, a rambunctious daughter and a potentially villainous benefactor. I was a community-college dropout with adulterous desires for my former professor's recently divorced wife. It was one of those nights that any chosen character could have resulted in a fun-filled second act.

Jim and Keith have really ramped up the challenge-level coming from the pit, with multiple parodies and style pieces this evening. These numbers are clear audience favorites. I particularly enjoyed a parody of "The Sound of Silence (Stalking)" with Kate where our secret rendezvous was interrupted by her ex-husband and his dialect-shifting lackey. The play level is definitely strong--getting stronger every show to date, and I so enjoyed my fellow company members' work. It's easy with a show that is as structurally complex as FourPlay to fall into a work ethic, but as Dave Russell aptly noted to me in a conversation this afternoon, the sense of playful discovery is crucial to the audience's involvement and enjoyment.

Our act one ran a little long today, as did our intermission due to more sound and microphone issues (there's that guy Mike again...), so we wrapped up around 11:50, although our actual run time was reasonably close to the ballpark. Most musicals are easily in excess of two hours, but SAK audiences have been acclimatized to expect 90-100 minute shows, so we're diligently striving to move the show into this range without making it feel rushed or incomplete. (Perhaps it's worthy of noting that now that we have an audience, their laughter and applause adds a little time too!) I'm chatting (digitally) with Ron about trimming some of the intro narration now as well. Last year, we had such issues with the sound levels of the narration that many didn't hear them and, consequentially, they didn't really slow the flow of the show. When we re-recorded them again, sticking basically to the same script, I took them a little slower to allow for this. Now that this component of the sound system is less problematic, several have commented that they feel a little slow (cause they do!) We really twice-solved the problem in a round about way. I've offered Ron some possible edits as an interim fix. He's done so much generous work on the slide show (which is brilliant) that I feel awkward asking for tweaks at this stage, but this is also why we're not officially opening until next weekend so that we have an opportunity to play with the unknowns.

We had another microphone go out during the run. This is becoming the bane of the production, but is out of my control and area of expertise. I believe SAK is investigating some new possibilities. Keep your fingers crossed for us. Running a show of this nature without a backup mic is just plain scary.

I hope that Kate, Darren and Chase had at least half the fun I did with them tonight as I had a hoot!

Your sound-of-mind-and-body-but-microphonically-challenged Director, David C.

Reviewing the In-House Preview: Rehearsal Number Twenty-Three

Thursday night marked our in-house SAK sneak preview of the new and improved show, with an invited audience of SAK friends and family members. We did this last year as a way of testing the structure before presenting it to the paying public, and it proved to be a successful choice. While I was less concerned that the format itself would hit (as we had the benefit of last year's run and a more generous rehearsal period to get most of the bugs out of the system), I was still keen to repeat this experiment. In addition to helping us see how various new elements of the show play, it also serves as a nice confidence booster going into this weekend's public preview. Long form is such a scary undertaking, that a friendly audience goes a long way to emotionally and psychologically preparing us for the journey ahead.

It was a very playful and solid show. Mark took on the role of a blockbuster employee who only worked for the five free rentals a week and the friendship of an oddball Irish man living behind the store; Darren embodied a love-torn young man pursuing the unpursuable woman while a less obvious flower waited in the wings; Robyn was torn as a young woman living in delicious sin under the shadow of an overbearing and demanding older soon-to-be-wed sister; while I was a volleyball-playing momma's boy trying to score with the ladies with my equally ill-equipped wing-man. As will often be the case, Mark was voted as the star for the second act (he's just so charming!!) His life spiraled further into corporate misery until meeting Darren's formerly overlooked friend who brought love and meaning to his life after a series of escalating plot twists and turmoils. With only a few mis-steps, act one was quite an enjoyable rollercoaster ride with strong commitment and energy. We learnt some good lessons in act two, particularly that it's difficult to put a character who starts the act with so little into further jeopardy (we should have, perhaps, built him up first, only to then threaten his new found happiness), and that care needs to be taken when selecting the antagonist. As Mark's boss, I was the obvious choice in some ways, but Gina noted correctly, that this was not as potentially rich as perhaps following a more unexpected choice. Despite a few glitches with some awkward song introductions and placements, the second act still made it to the station with good doses of finesse and grace. On a personal note, I had a lot of fun tonight and got out of my director's head. It was a blast playing with Mark, Darren and Robyn... (That's us in our final pose pictured left.)

Fellow creative trailblazer, Bob Kodzis, of Flight of Ideas, emailed the company some kind words which he has given me permission to cite an excerpt from below. I'm sure you're all getting tired of my opinion on all of this, so I thought it would be refreshing to get an outsider's perspective:

"I wanted to let you know how truly impressed I am with your amazing gifts.

I thoroughly enjoyed the show tonight. I know you can all find areas for tweaking and improvement, but what I experienced tonight was a tight, hilarious joy filled show with unbelievable lyrical and vocal dexterity. Do whatever you feel you need to do to make it the best show possible, but do not lose sight of the fact that you are creating something so mind-blowing and miraculous. It was astounding to watch you weave stories and characters and songs onto the show tonight... great characters with hearts and flaws and connections. I will be sending as many people as I can to see the show this season. I loved Four Play last year. I love what I saw tonight even more. I think this has the potential to be a national touring show. [...]

Four play is an amazing structure and convention. Put into action it becomes amazingly simple and beautiful. I hope the community comes out to experience your genius.

[...] Thank you all for a truly inspiring performance"

Bob is a true paragon of generosity. I commented to Mark this morning as we were walking to a radio interview about the show that many people are quick to share negative commentary while whispering praise, while Bob is always the first to share his joy and encouragement loudly and publicly. We hope to live up to his confidence...

I feel that I am within days of retiring my directing hat with this project. Gina is showing great skill in the intermission discussions and I have every confidence in her ability to help us keep the ship on course throughout the run.

If you were in attendance on Thursday night and have some thoughts, we'd love to hear them...

Your nearing-the-finish-line Director, David C.

Who is This Mike Guy and Why Does He Have It In For Me: Rehearsal Number Twenty-Two?

Yet another two run evening for tonight. Thursday we have an in-house preview after SAK's regular 8:00 Duel of Fools show, so the regular rehearsal period is starting to come to an end. The company and crew have shown incredibly patience and commitment over this last week. Heather, our choreographer and my wife, joined us this evening to give our dancing a good last once-over. The first run, with Mark, Kate, Charles and Ron was extremely strong. A very playful and specific first act provided ample story and character potentials for the second act. Charles needed to get a shot at playing the star role, so I loaded the vote accordingly, but his storyline was strong and would have been in the running in front of an average audience (Ron's rapper character would have given him a run for his money though, I'm sure.) We followed Charles' role-playing character as he ventured out of his basement into the real world, tempted by a gangster-rapper gang led by Ron, fueled by a needy and ignored mother recovering from a divorce (that doesn't sound funny, but as Mark played it, she was hysterical in both senses of the word), and counseled by an undercover Irish (?) dance veteran turned peace activist played by Kate. Act two was truly a rollercoaster of plot turns and complications, and there were several times that I was genuinely surprised in the audience by the cast's surprising and surprisingly apt connections. A great run - a tough one to follow....

The second run got off to a rocky start. My mic (mike) decided not to work, and despite Dana's best efforts to create a fix, we ended up starting the run quite late and I had to go on without a mic at all. It's moments like this that the skeleton staffing situation becomes extremely problematic - poor Dana ends up having to solve a lot of these issues single-handedly. I know this got into my head and coupled with the fact that I was playing in position one for the first time since this process started, I wasn't in a very good place to start the show. I think all of our playfulness levels were subdued by the long wait and circumstances. Jay, Robyn and Chase joined me for the show. Our first act was a little heavy in that our anxiousness to begin translated into a less joyful attitude and play style. I really love playing with these three improvisers, but as I look back on the run, I don't think I personally communicated that to them or the audience during the run-through. I also tend to slide into the realm of the ballad when left to my own devices, and my mood going into the run definitely predisposed me to this tonight. As the act unfolded, we were introduced to Jay as a nice soon-to-be-newly-wed man who had difficulties putting together his vows, Robyn as a jazz-a-size instructor at a retirement home and Chase as a competitive young man fighting to make his garden a prize-winning entry.

As I hadn't yet experienced playing the star role, I asked Gina to put me in this spot tonight as it was my last chance before we started playing it in front of an audience. I knew, going in, that my union carpenter character was not the strongest candidate for this position, but with the changes made to the form, I wasn't particularly thrilled to attempt that role for the first time in front of a paying audience. The energy and playfulness did pick up for the second act, but my story line was a difficult sell, despite the best efforts of us all. We fell into too many ballad styles again - I've asked Jim and Keith to pimp us out of that if they notice it happening again, but I'm sure they were suffering from the tired energy that we were all fighting at that point (and they were unable to hear me well due to the mic situation.) We found some more light moments: Jay and Chase did particularly well in this regard. The run solidified the act for me, but didn't personally feel very artistically or comedically satisfying. I need to remember that this isn't the type of show that you can work through - you really have to play through it. The first run tonight was a prime example of how far a playful attitude can go. Those of us in the second run also tended towards "normal" characters as well and needed to heighten our attitudes in order to provide stronger comedic potentials.

The show is definitely ready to be seen artistically. I'm nervous about some sound and lighting issues, but these are being worked on as best as is possible under the circumstances. An unfulfilling run can be a hard thing to shake off as an improviser, but I have great confidence in my fellow performers. (One of the things I love about improv is that every show starts with a clean slate.) While we will still tinker as the run continues, I'm starting to feel that I can move my primary focus away from directing to performing. The nitty-gritties of directing can often be fun squelchers, but I need to make sure I give my fellow players all my joy, love and playfulness on the stage as an actor.

Your multiple-hat-wearing-and-too-loud-even-without-a-mic-apparently Director, David C.

Hitting One Out of the Park: Rehearsal Number Twenty-One

Another long two-run night, but a very productive one at that. The evening wouldn't be complete without some technical difficulties to begin... Honestly, there are gremlins or something in that space that have it in for me! We got off to a late start again - it's frustrating, but they are always things outside of my control.

Run number one consisted of Mark, Robyn, Chase and Ron. Act one went well, generally, with the band being particularly inventive this evening - Ron created a fun Mr. Rogers parody as the host of an ailing children's show, for example. (That's Jim pretending to listen to my directorial rantings in the photo to the left.) The show ended up following Mark who embodied a country radio station jockey with higher aspirations and an unwanted love-interest. There were a couple of stumbles in the second act (which is still a little scary to most), and the show halted for a moment, which I found personally frustrating as the finish line is now in sight and we need to keep running literally and figuratively, but the cast did well to steer the story home through a rather complex series of story elements. While we discuss some tentative story potentials backstage during intermission, I was impressed to learn that Mark's chosen star went on a radically different journey than had been originally suggested. The cast did well listening and accepting the needs of the story: Mark had some nice moments really increasing the stakes and risk of the star, particularly in the latter stages of the act, while Ron displayed his usual fearlessness as Mark's antagonist. For a newcomer to the form, I have been continually impressed by the fact that Ron is often the first to make a saving pass if the show heads into troubled waters (I think that was a mixed metaphor!) Robyn created a really nice connection to Mark as his sister, and Chase did well as a henchman character and in side support tying up some of the loose ends creatively.

One of the lessons of this first run was that less can be more. There were a LOT of story twists and turns offered in the first act in particular. On the one hand, this shows that the company is becoming stronger at recognizing the need for these choices and is struggling less to discover inventive choices; on the other hand, however, it can overwhelm the seed of the journey (and make the intermission particularly challenging in terms of isolating and solidifying each character's core want or need.) After the run, Robyn offered some good insights as to how this process could be improved.

Run number two ushered Charles, Jay, Kate and Darren to the stage. By all accounts and standards, this was a phenomenal run and really solidified many of the dynamics and choices that we've been working towards. There was just a great sense of attack, and each actor brought a physical fearlessness to the stage, but didn't allow this heightened presence to diminish their listening and teamwork. This, trust me, is a hard balance to achieve. Charles did a show-stopping number as his central character working in the airline industry; Jay literally exploded onto the stage as a skateboarder who decided to start a new tradition of sport-walking (for lack of a better term); Kate performed as a hostel-hopper and created a great group number with an odd assortment of fellow visitors; and Darren did some great physical and verbal work as an architect working in a unlit skyscraper. Gina turned to me just before going backstage at intermission and said that it doesn't get much better than that. While I agreed, we both ended up being wrong... we hadn't seen the second act yet!

The second act really came together in an almost paradigmatic fashion. We followed Jay's journey as a slighted sport-walking inventor. As he searched for success and fame, his character was propelled into a web of hostel/hostile deceit. There were so many nice moments in this act - far too many to note - and as is the case with improv, there's always the "you had to be there" factor. A few that stood out to me were a beautiful haunting duet with Jay and Kate, a typically great solo from Charles as the supportive friend, and a truly fantastic walk-off competition climax with Darren and Jay. There was such great listening and building in this act, with strong team work and strong narrative choices. Jay did superbly as the lead character, committing emotionally to his desires and fighting for them at every turn, while Kate, Darren and Charles worked almost seamlessly as his confidants, obstacles and objects of his dreams (sometimes simultaneously!) As I said to the cast, as the second act took off, there was a time that I really stopped watching as the director, and merely just started enjoying it as an audience member. As noted above, Jim and Keith were particularly strong tonight as well, pushing the players into new musical territory (Charles is particularly strong at bringing the rock and roll to the show.) Both Jay and Charles have been away for large chunks of time lately, so I was particularly proud of them for really coming to the show ready tonight.

The good news: We now know definitively that it can be done! The second show also made palpable the need for focused story choices with clear wants and obstacles. While there are still some minor tweaks that we need to make to act two in terms of dynamics and musical choices, I'm content that the form is pretty solid at this point.

The bad news: I think such a strong run can be a little intimidating for those of us (myself included) that weren't in it! Tonight raised the bar for us all, which really is a good thing, but this cast tends to be very hard on itself as it is, so I hope that this will be seen as a beacon of the good to come and not a spotlight on prior or upcoming slips.

Tomorrow is our dress rehearsal, and then we have a small invited SAK audience on Thursday. We're in a good place for this. I now have the fun (that's sarcastic) of juggling the casting combinations this week. Jay is unavailable due to Constant Wife, but I'm committed to giving everyone else at least one show in front of our sneak peak audiences in preparation for next week's official openings.

Can't wait to get this up...

Your the-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-isn't-a-train Director, David C.

Seeing Double Again: Rehearsal Number Twenty

It's 3:15am and I've just finished typing up the notes from the first of our two runs tonight! I'm sure you'll forgive me if I keep this entry comparatively short... (Thank goodness Gina was willing to type up the notes from the second run.)

Though we didn't quite manage an on-time start, we are moving in the right direction. Many people are wearing multiple hats, so the beginning of these runs is a little jumbled as multiple agendas need to be met - teaching the slide show, preparing the mics, sound-check, discussing lights, working show dynamics... Gina and I have talked about some strategies to alleviate this as much as possible. We have several company members rushing from other gigs to our rehearsals, so it's difficult to control some of this - for example, while I will actually have everyone at rehearsal tomorrow for the first time since week one, we won't all be in the space until around 9:00! A little frustrating, but it's beyond my control.

Two runs later, however, we're clearly making some strong leaps. The first run was Chase, Ron, Kate and Mark. (That's Darren, Ron, Kate and Mark in the photo from an earlier rehearsal - but I thought that was close enough!) There were lots of great characters, and while several of the stories in the first act tended to circle around the same issues of money and power, the cast still managed to mine some interesting dynamics. We conducted a true company vote for the star (sometimes I manipulate this during rehearsals to make sure that everyone is getting a chance to experience it - but don't worry, in the public performances this is really up to you!) Kate was just a little surprised to be selected after playing the role last night. Her storyline, however, had the most interesting relationships, and Ron, Chase and Mark all provided her with really playful and dynamic supporting roles as her well-to-do family members and employees. Kate did a great job of maintaining and building on a strong point of view - something we've struggled a little with in the past. We still had some "I don't know" numbers creeping in, and some vague locales/staging choices, but there was a physical attack and some great dance numbers (including a spoon solo between Chase and Ron!). Chase also gave a great solo as her son in a full-body cast, while Ron's antagonist song was similarly strong, and Mark's house maid provided countless moments of laughter. (I'd quote his yo-yo metaphor here but it was just too complex to write down fully.)

Run two consisted of Charles (playing with us for the first time in over a week), Darren, Robyn and myself. Again, I thought there were some interesting story angles with a rich investor trying to hit the big time, an up-and-coming student coming to terms with his mentor's secrets, an overwhelmed dorm roommate claiming her own space, and a caring uncle in search of meaning through his recently divorced sister. Charles did quite well indeed getting back into the groove (and I so enjoy having his energy back in the rehearsal hall and on the stage.) Robyn emerged as our star choice for the second act, which pitted me against her as her sloppy and vengeful roommate with an oddly ever-changing dialect (oh dear!) I enjoyed this run as a participant, and there were many strong choices. We also used the space more imaginatively which, in turn, gave Matt on lights an opportunity to explore new dynamics. I really loved my final confrontation with Robyn's character and her brilliant sudden change of heart at the last second.

We managed to finish up the second run just after 11:00, and we struck and I mopped the sweat from my brow (Chase noted that he's never seen me so sweaty after a show - for those of you who have seen me perform, that says a LOT!). Most got out of there by 11:30, although Gina and I stayed until 12:30ish discussing some new strategies and the like.

I'm tired, but I must say that the joy is really coming back to me. It's an odd journey as a director to return to a previous project, but I can really see the fruits of our labor now and the changes I've made in the format really seem to be helping us take this to the next level. I'm excited for returning audience members (and newcomers) to experience this new improved version of the show...

I need sleep.

Your up-all-night-again Director, David C.

Double the Runs, Double the Fun: Rehearsal Number Nineteen

And thus the fun begins....! Tech week is truly here and with it comes the infamous and ever-so-delicious double show runs!! It's really unavoidable as the company consists of nine members (although we never have more than eight in attendance) so to give everyone a chance to move to the next level we have to squeeze in as many runs as possible. This is when the days start to feel long!! Robyn returned to our ranks today while Jay returned to the land of the Constant Wife. Charles gets back from vacation tomorrow - I eagerly await his return so that the full company will have had several chances to experience the format in its new iteration.

The first run consisted of Mark, Darren, Robyn and Chase. While it was, by no means bad, we did fall into some old traps. Mark, in the first position, suffered from a dose of what we lovingly call the wacky patrol - a series of characters that are slightly disconnected or unnecessarily large (although I quite liked Chase's daughter character personally.) Robyn experienced a similar run to mine (read my "Humble Pie" entry) as a newly returning player and seemed a little overwhelmed as a result. There were some great characters that emerged, but as we followed Chase's star into the second act, the storyline became strained and a bit hard to follow. We lost the thread of the star's want, and as such the story skewed to subplots. Darren provided some admirable support as seemingly every supporting character at points (!), and there were some particularly memorable moments between Chase and his two wannabe-singer children (that's Robyn as one of them pictured to the left), but the show as a whole veered into the territory of the grotesque. There were many good advancements, such as a lot of great dance and movement and memorable characters, but the show was a little off-center.

The second run, with Mark, Kate, Robyn and Ron, built nicely off the lessons of the first. I had initially scheduled myself in this show, but wanted to get Robyn back on the horse right away, and Mark was keen to apply what he had just learnt through some of his slips in the first effort. It was really neat (do people actually say neat anymore?) to have two women in the show. I really want to make sure we can have this combination a couple of times during the run (it's just hard to balance shows as we have six men essentially sharing two spots as it is). We did a lot better with story in this run, and the characters were more connected without losing the playfulness of our earlier attempt. Out of a solid line-up of choices, Kate emerged as the star for the second act as we followed her journey as a vegetarian towards finding love with a butcher. This act two was probably our strongest yet and has given me faith that the adjustments to the structure are on track. Some memorable moments included a great courtship trio with Kate, Mark and Robyn, a brilliant fire-walking love solo sung by Ron with danced accompaniment by Mark, a whimsical duet between our ladies to the always clever musicians' rendition of the Laverne and Shirley theme-song, and a tender but joyful unrequited love duet between Mark and Kate. Though there were some slips (as is to be expected), the consensus was that this was clearly one of those emblematic runs that put a lot of things together for us all.

The band--Jim and Keith--particularly rocked today. I try to remind myself as I get a little mentally tired or fatigued that these two have to play for the majority of both runs, so the rest of us don't really have too much room to complain!!! We are working on a neat (there, I said it again) addition to the overture of act one... Hehehehe!!!

We have two more runs tomorrow night (with Charles in attendance - yeah!!!). Ron's slide show is such a neat component (the comedy of threes would suggest my "neat" bit is now done!) - I can't wait for returning audience members to get to see that! I also have "Before the Footlights" interviews coming with Charles, Robyn and Keith in the next week or so. (You can scroll down to see my interviews with the other company members...)

We really have a wonderful core company! I must pause, despite the hour, to give thanks for:
- Chase's wonderful exuberance, soulful crooning and seemingly boundless character quirks
- Charles's effortless soaring, contagious playfulness and unmatched lyrical attack
- Dana's tireless devotion, palpable passion and good-natured ego-checking
- Darren's virtuosity as a character actor, great story building instincts and musical leadership
- Gina's keen directorial eye, gracious collaboration and story problem-solving finesse
- Jay's formidable improv chops, detailed empathetic character creation and wickedly apt tilts
- Jim's boundless patience, amazing musicianship and unparalleled creative ability
- Kate's unrivaled harmonizing, uplifting melodic spirit and unexpected quirky characters
- Keith's unwavering commitment, kind supportive counsel and passionate playing
- Mark's musical aplomb, devotion to the dance and endless parade of memorable personas
- Robyn's exploding charisma, physical abandon and intoxicatingly playful characterizations
- Ron's uncanny comprehension, generous onstage support and fearless musical attack

We are all lucky indeed! Neat.

Your you-don't-have-to-wait-until-Thanksgiving-to-give-thanks Director, David C.

What are you thankful for? Let me know with a comment... (Was that too pathetic an attempt to get some comments posted?!?!)

Taking It Out For A Test Run: Rehearsal Number Eighteen

Dave Russell, Artistic and Managing Director of SAK, joined us this afternoon at 4:00 for our Producer Preview. We had hoped to do a run at 2:00 before his arrival, but there were a lot of technical fixes to be done and we had to get Jim's keyboards hooked up for the run, so this was not to be. We've pulled back the call a little for future double-run rehearsals so that we can hopefully avoid this situation again. Ron trialled some of his slide show in the interim, and while it isn't complete yet, the elements he's created are really fun and will add some strong show value. Our slide show last year wasn't bad by any means, but was put together at the last minute. Now that we have John's logo and overall design look, I wanted this to be incorporated into the slide show itself, and Ron has done so admirably.

While we were waiting for our Producer run, we did get some good work done, reviewing the tricky montage song that ushers in the second act, and doing a generic walk-through of the format as a whole. I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't get Jay, Mark and Darren into a full run, but we made the best of a bad situation...

Chase, Ron, Kate and I played the 4:00 run. I think this was actually one of first first true runs without any stops for questions or clarifications (or at least that's what it felt like!) It's amazing what the pressure of a Producer's presence can make possible! While we're still in need of this next week of rehearsals in terms of polish and pacing, the show unfolded reasonably well. There were some fun characters and storylines: Chase as a one-eyed janitor; Kate as a sun-tan lotion lathering mother; Ron as a snooping boss. Kate had a great character solo in act two as a child-craving single woman with a crush on her fellow teacher (Ron). I also felt a duet with Ron at the completion of the act went well and modeled the kind of energy I've been craving for this stage of the play.

Dave offered some really helpful and insightful feedback in terms of where we need to go next. It's good to have such a trained set of eyes join the production at this stage as it can be difficult to alienate your own experience as a viewer when you have been so explicitly involved in the process. Gina and I chatted with Dave for about 20 minutes before heading off for notes over dinner with the company (several of us had to be back in the Lab by 7:30 for two more shows that evening - what do I keep doing to myself!!!)

Now that the format has nearly settled, it's time to think more about shape of show (or the overall journey we're taking the audience on each night). The playfulness in performance has been steadily strengthening, but we still need to find the game of each scene rather than fall into songs or dynamics that aren't emerging from the needs of the action. As I've noted in my company notes, the songs are often being forced by the musicians sensing that the scenes are becoming long, rather than strongly initiated by the players as characters whose emotional state or situation demand that they sing to further the action. I also agree with Dave's comment that we're becoming too static during many of these songs. Mark, in particular, has been an advocate for more dance (I don't think it's a coincidence that he's one of our stronger dancers!) We need to commit to movement and environment more playfully and consistently while singing. In general, it's really a matter of energy--perhaps an understandable issue considering the current intensity and frequency of the rehearsal process.

We had some good progress with the sound system today (Yeah for Dana and Charlie seen above, and Keith and Jim et al who also helped make it happen). Act two is also solidifying nicely. Listening is still slightly problematic in places (for me too), and we need to make sure we differentiate our characters more clearly for the audience. Dave made the good suggestion that this can be achieved in part by really taking on board character choices/justifications that are currently being typically dismissed or thrown away as gags or laugh lines.

We're in the right place for where we are in the process. There's still work to do, but the show is clearly strengthening with each run as we discover new opportunities and challenges to be addressed.

Boy did I sleep Saturday night!!

Your rested-and-recharged Director, David C.

What A Difference A Day Makes: Rehearsal Number Seventeen

What an intense day! I prepared for our production meeting in the early afternoon, made some follow up calls about some flyer distributions and the t-shirts, chatted with the SAK team about our progress-to-date, re-recorded the narrator voice-overs with Ron and Matt Read over at UCF's digital school, and then ran with Ron under a shared umbrella to our 5:00 run through... (Knowing all the while that I had two regular shows that evening after our rehearsal). We're at the point that we really need to be in the space to work the show, and so I've had to squeeze in a few odd rehearsals around space and player availability. I need to learn to pack a lunch/dinner and schedule some time to eat it!

As my blog title might suggest, I felt a lot better about today's effort both personally as a performer and directorially. It was good to have Gina back in the space - the quotes I have below are thanks to her! (That's the side of her face in the photo left!) Having worked in the show last season, Gina has a really strong sense of the overall vision and mission of the piece. We have an eerie shorthand that continues to develop and I'm particularly reliant upon her to give me focused notes as a performer. Her diligent note-taking also permits a depth of discussion after a run (particularly those that I'm playing in) that would be difficult otherwise. She's a great collaborator and I'm glad she was willing to sign back onto the project.

But enough of singing Gina's praises...! Today's run consisted of Mark, Jay, Kate and myself. It was nice to have Jay back with us between his Constant Wife performances. Charles is still away on holiday, and Robyn has had work conflicts for the last few days. I'm keen to get them back in the mix more consistently as I feel the "new" journey of the show is starting to form more clearly. It's a strange process in that so much is learnt each run in terms of new strategies, dynamics and finesses that is difficult to vocalize or pass along to those who weren't in attendance.

I had so much fun with my fellow players on stage today! Mark was a not-so-young man stuck in middle management overseeing the boss's daughter as she learnt the ropes. Jay brought his new girlfriend home to his large Greek family only to have his Aunty and Uncle react in starkly different ways. Kate was a beleaguered student who was ill-equipped to deal with the antics of her fast-talking roommate and party-hearty resident assistant, Roger. I was a paranoid jogger in love with a buff female body builder and craving love from my surrogate Irish policeman father-figure.

Here is a sampling of some of the memorable dialogue/lyric lines that Gina jotted down:

Mark as his middle-management man, at Starbuck's, drenched in bottled water: "You have moistened a man in public! You have thrown down the urban gauntlet."

David as Jay's Aunty, advising him on a suitable life partner: "A family, by definition, is defined by who it excludes."

Jay as his Irish policeman: "You'll excuse me. I'm on my way to destroy a life!"

Kate as the object of Mark's love in the final number: "A girl with a mustache doesn't get a lot of chances. I'm gonna take it while I can."

There was a playfulness today that I wish I could bottle and sell! As a company, we still need to personally review the basic units of act two as this act is, unavoidably, more difficult due to the audience's selection of the lead and the re-combination of characters seen in act one. It took a step forward today though. We have our Producer Preview tomorrow afternoon with Dave Russell in attendance. It's hard not to want to give him an "opening night" performance, but in reality we need the next week to solidify the format before a paying audience gets to experience the fruits of our labor. (That's not to say we're not making good progress - but we've only had the second act assembled for a week now, and several players are yet to get a chance to play the star role for example.) We are a little plagued with sound issues in the space again this year, so I'm hopeful that he might be able to spearhead this issue after hearing it in the house for himself. The SAK stage is apparently located in an acoustic tear in the fabric of the universe. Every night the space feels different in terms of sound and the levels constantly need adjusting...

The flyers are in and are beautiful thanks to John Carollo - if you'd like to help us distribute some, drop by SAK!! T-shirts are also on the way and should hopefully be on site by our sneak peak weekend of performances next Friday and Saturday. They are also going to be pretty snazzy!

I need to stop getting to bed at 3:00am!!!

Your up-all-night Director, David C.

Humble Pie for David: Rehearsal Number Sixteen

As we've been putting together the show I've generally tried to work it that no cast member who is available sits out more than one show in a row (unless they've requested otherwise). However, I haven't applied that rule to myself, and while this seemed like the right choice at the time, last night as I stepped into the form for the first time in 10 days, I discovered firsthand that I haven't really allowed myself enough stage time. It's the whole schizophrenic Director/Performer split that creates certain challenges. The Director in me sensed nervousness from the majority of the company and an anxiousness to play as much as possible, but this insight did not extend to my own performance anxiety as an improviser. I have to allow myself a bad run, just as I would any other player, but I was a little disappointed in my own inability to step it up. So, I'm currently serving myself up a delicious serving of humble pie...

We had a late night rehearsal on Thursday, starting the run around 10:00pm (which is, actually, when we'll perform the majority of our shows). While I had good intentions, I also stumbled a little by asking two players to perform in their shadow positions rather than their home starting places, and due to awkward available casting combinations, Darren kindly stepped out of both roles into Player One's slot. This proved to be problematic too. Instead of playing myself for the first time in a combination where everyone was well-practiced, we all seemed a little off-center. The practicalities of casting, such as matching strengths, availability and sharing opportunities, requires that the majority of the company are ready to go in more than one slot, but I made this move too early in the process. Like I said, well-intentioned, but poorly timed. David? Would you like another slice of humble pie? Why I think I would...

There were some good moments, and I want to be careful not to project my own disappointment onto the rest of the company. (Improvisers have a tendency to enlarge personal performance experiences to the realm of the universal - "boy were we all off tonight...") Ron delivered a great solo in act one as an obsessive courtier, Dave, to Kate's single parent. Kate had a similarly impressive turn as the same character later in the show as she lamented the confusing and overwhelming nature of her life in a gripping patter song. Darren initiated a creative pimp into a Rent parody with a song about $528, 600 - the amount he had squandered on his father's return to the road as an aging rockstar. I felt good about some of my work as Kate's doting daughter during act two as well. Perhaps that means I can have a little whipped cream on that pie...

On the other side, I did fall into some (old?) bad habits. While some of these may apply to others in the company, I offer these as my own perceptions on what I'd like to improve personally...

1. Get my head in the space. We were all goofing around a little, but I really didn't feel mentally prepared to start the show. There is a certain level of focus that is a must. I made some simple initial slips that I would have avoided if I'd been hot to play.

2. Bring a towel. I sweat a lot (as anyone who saw it last year can testify).

3. Part of the fun of the show is letting the audience see us struggle, but I found myself stepping out of character a lot more than I would usually. This is something I've coached others to avoid, so I need to take my own note. I also danced in the realm of the gag on a number of occasions.

4. Don't scatter like a cockroach when the lights turn on at the end of group songs. There were several times that I felt I partially abandoned another player, and some times that I felt abandoned a little too. We really need to make sure we're pimping each other into strong song content.

5. It's good to have an agenda, but don't set yourself up for failure. My central offer was canoeing, and I got stuck in my head about how fun it would be to have all four of us synchronize canoe for a group song. As I tried to push my episode there, I stepped on other possibilities, and, as is typically the case, my agenda wasn't fulfilled anyway. Simple, honest and connected is always a better starting place. I truly reaped what I sowed in that scene.

6. It's good to have an agenda, but don't set yourself up for failure, part two. Others were often coming to the stage with strong ideas. In my anxiousness to help, I didn't always really take in their offers in totality - another rookie mistake. Sometimes the most supportive choice is patience or silence. (In retrospect, I feel like I shut Ron out in a couple of scenes, and he always hits the stage with strong ideas.) While we must be careful not to storyline too wildly on the sidelines, we should let a strong offer lead the action when it is clearly evolving.

7. I personally do my best work when I'm thinking about the comfort and needs of others on stage rather than my own. This year's company clearly doesn't need the sometimes heavy-handed onstage leadership that I had to provide last season; however, it does still need me (along with every other player) to really support the leading characters on their journeys in a loving manner.

8. I need to extend forgiveness for slipping to myself, just as I would for others.

9. Humble pie and self-hating notes are best served cold the day after they were baked. (You'll note that I didn't write these directly after Thursday's run.)

10. Nine notes just plain looks weird.

As I finish the last crumbs of my delicious pie, I should add that I gained a lot of insight from being back in the action. This is, in and of itself, a good thing (as Martha Stewart would say.) I'm pretty sure that I'm going to play again this afternoon, and I'm going to keep everyone in home positions as much as the math will allow unless specific individuals feel ready for a change. On the stage and in real life I prefer to make new glorious mistakes rather than repeat old mundane ones!!

And then the pie was gone...

Your now-full Director, David C.

Amping Up the Drama: Rehearsal Number Fifteen

While the title could be in reference to my own emotional fragility this evening, it actually refers to the energy of our stage work. We spent a good deal of time (a little too much, but it was work that needed to be done) reviewing and polishing some of the trickier group numbers and fine-tuning some possible song dynamics. This meant we got off to a later start with the run than I would have ideally liked, but there's little point in a run unless the participants feel that they're starting on a firm footing.

In addition to providing some good insights, Gina also provided me with my dinner, which was a huge blessing! My entire day had passed on chasing minutiae - pricing t-shirts, hunting for program ads, updating my faculty page with FourPlay info, wrestling with my crazy schedule, following up on some production issues and challenges with Dave R and Keith... I am approaching a week in the near future when I will be performing in FourPlay while auditioning improvisers for The Lost Comedies of William Shakespeare (also at SAK), and rehearsing ImprOvientation with Rollins Improv Players on campus. Heather reminded me that this is actually our norm as a performing couple, but it definitely caused me some pause as I rushed to rehearsal this evening... While I had wanted to play in the structure myself, today was not the day to do so. I find it interesting directing and performing in the piece as there are some issues that can only be addressed with an outside eye, and some insights that can only be obtained through an inside experience. Tonight, however, was an outside eye night for me.

Tonight's cast consisted of Chase, Jay, Robyn and Mark. Act one generally moved along quite nicely with the creation of some funny and interesting characters and relationships. This year's cast is doing particularly well at finding playful character dynamics that offer rich potentials for a second act. There were also many lovely little finesses: Mark's character hitting Robyn's (on the other side of the stage) in the head with his mimed yo-yo; Chase repeatedly offering to his son, Jay, that he wished he'd married his wife's sister instead; Chase's adult child pining for "hammer-proof cats"; Robyn and Jay's lovely act one duet crooning "Life wasn't supposed to be this way"; Jay's hyper absentee-parent child running around the swimming pool with scissors; and Mark's show-stopping act one solo as a 45 year old woman, culminating in the lyric, "Hating yourself is an art!"

Act two was a little more challenging. This was partially due to the fact that we had two players attempting this act for the first time, and partially due to the fact that I'm pushing a particular story agenda at the moment that undeniably raises the challenge. Part of act two centers on the emergence of an antagonist. While there are often clearer choices for this role that exist within the original family of each potential star, I'm avoiding this choice at the moment so as to see how much the structure can bend to meet each evening's story needs. I also, somewhat devilishly, like the challenge of seeking unexpected connections. My now not-so-secret agenda did create a little confusion for the second act, but it also revealed many exciting new vistas. In short, the company, with a little prodding on my part, really started to understand the importance of raising the stakes and pursuing the dramatic choice. I found it interesting and exciting that, almost without exception, when I paused the run to note that we had fallen from the path of heightened urgency and emotion, the cast was immediately able to quickly substitute a new superior choice. This bodes well. With Jay in the lead, we actually built the show to an interesting and legitimate climax. As Chase noted to me in a conversation after rehearsal, we rarely reached this level of emotional intensity last season. We may lose a little of the high comedy momentarily as we seek these dynamics, but I'm confident that this element will return. My ideal is that we really care about the star's fate by the end of the second act while still getting some great laughs along the way.

The run time wasn't particularly long, but our debrief between acts went long as we mused on possibilities. (We really need to practice stream-lining this process for the run so that our intermissions are kept tight - at the moment, though, this is unavoidable as act two is still so alien to returning and new members alike.) Sadly, we didn't finish the run until around 11:00, and notes until 11:30ish. Everyone was lovely and patient, but I want to publicly acknowledge that I do hate going over the scheduled time. As we are approaching our Producer Preview on Saturday, however, I'm keen to give everyone as many runs of the format as possible and to take the time to answer any structural or energy questions. This is a hard balancing act...

It looks like show t-shirts will be going ahead. On Andy Dooley's suggestion, I'm contemplating adding a tagline or slogan to the back with SAK approval. How about "It's always better with FourPlay" or "I'm a FourPlay Fan"? Post me your ideas...

Your slightly-the-worse-for-wear Director, David C.

Jay Hopkins is a new face to the company of FourPlay: The (Improvised) Musical, but will be very familiar to those who know SAK well. He is an improviser of formidable skill and experience, and personally, one of my favourites to play alongside in the Lab or on Corporate events. Due to his busy life and schedule as a producer, director, actor/improviser, instructor and playwright, I arranged to meet with Jay between stops on the Lymmo Bus for a quick chat and a piece of chewing gum.

Current favorite musical: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Current favorite improv game: Genre Roller Coaster, and always Crime Endowment and Parallel Universe

DC: Jay, I believe you are the most senior member of the SAK family involved onstage in this production of FourPlay. Just exactly how long have you been part of SAK, and what keeps you coming back for more?

JH: Well Dave, I've been with SAK since 1992 (14 years for those of you counting) and I stick around in some capacity or another for two reasons: the work is always fun and unique (I can always find something new to challenge myself personally) and the people I get to work with are the greatest.

DC: I agree. I haven't seen as much of you around the Lab lately as you recently began your own theatre production company, Jester Theater, with your wife, Diana. What is Orlando like as a theatre market for an up and coming theatre company?

JH: I won't lie. It's hard. Let's just say that the biggest hurdle is the money. Theater is expensive to produce, from renting a space to paying talent to paying royalties to programs, posters and (if you're lucky) advertising. Plus, Orlando is a tough nut to crack when you share your entertainment dollar with the tourists and the theme parks -- in addition to movies, outdoor activities, etc... That being said, I find it exciting. This environment forces you to produce quality work, because if you don't, you'll fold FAST. The theater community has been almost totally supportive, sharing info and resources when they can. It's still early to tell, but it looks like we're starting to tap into the crowd that wants to have live entertainment. We're keeping our fingers crossed.

DC: I have mine crossed for you too, although things seem to be looking very promising. Your company produced the extremely successful South-eastern premiere of The Musical of Musicals: The Musical earlier this year (with our very own Jim Rhinehart as the Musical Director.) You are clearly a fan of the musical as your direction displayed a finely tuned understanding of the genre. What is it that attracts you to this form?

JH: How odd. It's funny but I never thought of myself as a "musical" lover. I always thought of myself as a "comedy" lover. But I guess I clearly do like musicals. Thinking about it now, I guess it's this: musicals (or music in general in my experience) are clearly a form that are entirely unique as entertainment. You can see a murder on the news but rarely do you see 25 people break out in dance on the news singing about joy. You can see people talking in your day to day life. Or fighting or crying or arguing or all the things you see in a play... but mostly, you don't see people breaking out in song in your day to day life. That convention is almost entirely unique to musicals. I love that. As most of you who know me... I'm an entertainment junkie. Plus I guess I'm fascinated by the skill of those people who can sing well. Now that's talent.

DC: While you are probably best known around O-town as an improviser, you are also currently performing in the The Constant Wife at Mad Cow Theatre (with FourPlay's multi-talented choreographer, Heather Lea Charles). Alongside your growing resume as a performer and director with Jester, should we get the impression that are you leaving your roots as a predominantly improvisation-based performer?

JH: That's an odd perception of me too in my eye. I received a degree in Acting and Directing from UNC- Greensboro long before I started improvising. I've always said improv is a tool for acting and acting is a tool for improvising. I'll never leave improv -- let's just say I'm just focusing on some of the other parts of my skillset right now. I love improv but it gets stale if you only do the same kind of show for too long. You have to step away to keep it fresh. That's why actor's do different plays. That's why I'm so excited about FourPlay. This is stepping into some new territory for me as an improviser while still being based in what I feel strong at.

DC: I find FourPlay pretty exciting too. Thanks so much for making some time for me between your other rehearsals and productions. I believe this is my stop...

To learn more about Jay, go here.

Finding Your Way in the Crowd: Rehearsal Number Fourteen

Tonight was the third and final open Master Class. Building from our last two sessions, we explored tempo, ensemble dynamics and how to end a song convincingly with a bang (or actually with one of ten different bangs!) As an instructor, I often have a secret fear that I may not have enough material so I over plan--I know this about myself! Once again, we covered about half of what I had prepared, but I was very happy with this workshop in particular, and with the series overall. Jim and I were more in our stride together as co-facilitators, and I think I was personally more on point with the lessons. (Jim is always on point on the keyboard!)

Much of the first half of the session was spent finding comfort with the Madrigal song format. This was one of the first musical games I learnt as a teenager in New Zealand with Theatresports (it was United Theatresports then thanks to a major corporate sponsor.) I love this game! It's joy comes from an under-estimated simplicity: merely using benign slogans and the human voice, players weave together these limited elements and uncover musical and lyrical gems. I like the purity of this device. The humor evolves simply through surprising combination. For our purposes, this game also encapsulates the skills needed for group song creation: strong listening, fearless attack, clear focus transitions and the importance of establishing and nurturing an organic song structure. This is another game that I wish we played more in the Lab at SAK.

Then we put Jim to work by examining a series of possible song ending devices. Last year I had stumbled over this material a little, so I had my game plan a little more developed this time around. We had LOTS of great choruses developed during this section of the workshop. After a well-deserved break we jumped into some quick rhyme warm-ups, a little Christmas Carol crooning, and then wrapped up with a group song we use in the show where players create verses through each singing a line in turn. There were several other formats that I would have liked to get to as well, but that was all old man time would allow. While we didn't get as many full scenes/songs in as we did in the other two workshops, I felt there was still some strong growth and evidence of some good light bulb moments. I'm resigned to the fact that I can really only scratch the surface in three workshops.

For those playing at home, several little nuggets of wisdom re-emerged for me personally through the process in terms of how to create strong group numbers:

1. A simple chorus is a blessing to everyone!
2. Strong and clear leadership is a must. It should be shared as the song dictates, but it rarely serves the song for everyone to be too polite as the song starts up.
3. Fermata endings are over-used - a quick in tempo button works just as well if not better. To avoid this over-used choice, someone really has to step up and lead the final moments of the song (and everyone else has to pay attention to this offer).
4. Lowering the risk (often tempo) of the song can also lower the audience enjoyment. Songs are still scenes with discovered games and the audience likes to see us stepping out of our comfort zones as performers.
5. Group songs demand full involvement: tripping is far less egregious than not pulling your weight.
6. Don't be afraid to play to your strength: some are born soloists; some are great with rhythm; some excel at harmonizing; some do well providing the foundation; some are great lyricists. Strong group songs require all of these things coming together.
7. Don't be afraid to recognize your limitations: following someone else's lead can be a great gift; knowing if you are better at setting up or rhyming with teammates can help the overall song flow; if you are not particularly musically adept, allowing another to establish the tone or chorus might, in turn, set you up to shine brighter later.
8. Sell the song. Don't apologize for singing. Put your energy into it and tap into your emotions. Songs happen in musicals because the emotions demand that the characters sing. It's a trap, therefore, to allow yourself to retreat into your head. While I like a good dose of rhyme in my songs, I find myself not caring about this at all when the character I am watching is fully invested and passionate about their words.

As is the time-honored tradition for New Zealand directors, there will be no rehearsal on July 4th.

I haven't had any posted comments for a few days... :( I'd love to know if you're reading this and what, if anything, you find of interest so I can do more of it!!!

Today's photo was from last night's rehearsal on the stage. Does anyone else quite like it with just the undercoat showing on the platform units?

Your hoping-someone-is-out-there Director, David C.

Defying Unlucky Numbers: Rehearsal Number Thirteen

Lots of solid growth at today's rehearsal. Dana and Denna had been busy the night before repainting the set, so we had brighter new digs in the SAK space. We also started to play with the mic system with Dana, Matt and Charlie up in the booth and the house. We're using visible head-sets this year (very Madonna if you ask me) which have definitely boosted the vocal amplification. The SAK space is plagued, apparently, with level and balance issues when it comes to satisfying the acoustic needs of the musicians, singers and audience alike. Though these problems were by no means completely solved, there was some good headway, and it was extremely helpful for the four playing cast members to get a sense of how they needed to adjust for this component. Generally speaking, the louder men amongst us sometimes maxed out the system a little (for lack of a more technical term) when singing full out. In the group numbers, this often drowned out our female vocalist a little. I tend to sing at full a lot, and it was a good reminder to me that you need to allow for the mics when making your dynamic choices while not leaning on them too heavily to aid with diction or volume--this can be a bit of a tough balancing act.

After playing with mics and battery packs and mic belts and levels and the like... we embarked on our second full run with Mark, Darren, Kate and Ron taking the four positions. A lot of the structure is still pretty new (obviously) but there was some good progress made today, especially considering that Darren was the only public performance seasoned player from last year. While content started to slip into some pet peeve territory for me as a director--several characters were essentially summarized by their sexual orientation rather than explored in depth for example--the structure started to coagulate nicely in places (how's that for a pleasant dinnertime image!). As we all become more comfortable in the show format, the characters tend to become more complex and interesting. Act two was also considerably better in this regard.

Some exciting victories from today:

1. We workshopped the Montage song before the run and this strengthened considerably as a result. Jim and Keith really did some nice work solving the musical challenges of this number and leading us through it. We made some similar growth with the building section of the second act (I'm leaving that vague so you'll have some surprises when you come and see it!)

2. General confidence went up several notches. Mark, who had seemed a little overwhelmed in Saturday's run, was showing greater confidence and finesse, especially as the second act unfolded. He had particularly impressive patter sections in a duet with Darren as a tow-truck fanatic. Ron continues to surprise me with his organic understanding of the form's needs and opportunities--he was our "star" for the second act, and made some really inspired story choices that got us out of the land of "wondering about what to do." Kate continues to soar, providing wonderfully unexpected but connected character choices that forward the story arc. I loved her attack in a show-stopping number, "Puff, Puffing Away," sang by a tan-obsessed woman who had removed her own questionable skin blemishes with a butter knife!! Darren had particularly fun physical attack today, especially in the role of a wannabe Broadway dancer. In one of the highlights of the day, he, Mark and Ron reprised their roles as competing dancers as backup in Kate's aforementioned solo. We were literally rolling in the aisles!

3. As the above examples would suggest, general playfulness is building nicely. The form of the show can feel restrictive, but as the playfulness increases, story and character potentials explode. There were many surprising story twists today as players took the risk to make strong choices and follow them through.

4. While I haven't had a chance to truly debrief with Gina, our Assistant Director who observed for the first time today, she mentioned in passing that we were using the songs more productively. This was a particularly nice thing to hear from someone who was just (re)joining the company. We're chatting tomorrow before the third and final master class, and I look forward to further developing the process with her keen eye.

I'm keen to get into the form myself again, although it may be a couple more rehearsals before that can happen.

John finished the process of getting the flyers to the printers today. I'm having some issues going through the t-shirt ordering system online in terms of uploading our graphic and determining final prices/options before going ahead. I hope to get that sorted out and send out some emails regarding our ad packages to other theatre companies in town over the next few days.

Anyone want to place an ad in our program?!?!

Your non-Triskaidekaphobic Director, David C.

Is That The Way It's Meant To Go: Rehearsal Number Twelve?

There comes a time in every young show's life where caution must be thrown into the wind, nervousness must be blotted from one's mind, and seemingly impassable hurdles must be tackled... Saturday afternoon was our first full run through! It has been over a week since we have given any real attention to act one, and four days since we had stumbled through our act two, but the moment was nigh for an adventure and who were we to stop it!!!

Keith Dickerson, the other half of our FourPlay band, joined us for the first time and helped to get the space a-rocking! We were also on the SAK stage for our first regular rehearsal since week one. We reviewed some of the act one song structures, talked over some of the staging details and opening sequence, and then began with Charles, Ron, Chase and Mark stepping into the four positions. While it's unlikely that we'll ever field an all-male cast for an audience, with Robyn out today and Kate having played in our last act stumble through, I thought this was the best way to give some new faces a chance to feel the show firsthand in their bodies. The show has a different feel when it's uni-sex. Initially, when I had conceived of this piece, I had wanted a 2/2 gender balance, but the auditions didn't afford this possibility. I am keen, however, to make sure that we field one woman a night so that, particularly in the "core" role (that is, the character drawn from the audience) we are more likely to have a sympathetic portrayal. Gender switching typically creates a parodic approach, which provides much of the fun for the supporting roles, but can limit us in terms of our ability to represent diverse experiences. Gender in improv is an interesting issue in general--perhaps worthy of more developed discussion in a later entry. (Although I would highly recommend Amy Seham's Whose Improv Is It Anyway? for those interested in this subject.)

Some lessons from our first run:

1. When we drop the asides device in act one, we often end up with less developed and memorable relationships for act two, and subsequently, more challenging storyline potentials. Also, several characters tend to go unnamed when we don't fully exploit this dynamic, and often remain at the problematic level of "strangers."

2. When a chorus is going to be shared by others on stage, we have to keep it VERY simple so that it will be remembered. Ironically, many popular songs have very simple choruses, and yet we tend to avoid this in our own work.

3. The company generally has a good handle on tilting the world of other characters and pimping featured characters strongly into song. Mark gave a great moment early in the act when he immediately bought Charles's first house as a real estate broker. This propelled the action forward. Ron showed strong story skills in act two when he provided our antagonist, Chase, with a lackey henchman willing to take out Charles's power monger boss.

4. The "montage" song of act two is still problematic. Keith watched this one today to give him a sense of it. We're hoping he'll lead it during Sunday's rehearsal so we can try to set the dynamic more consistently. We may have to return to the inner thoughts dynamic if we can't make this more clearly articulated.

5. We can't be afraid of change as characters. Chase gave a nice push when his mentor figure to Charles kicked the bucket, thereby leaving the latter millions of dollars and potential problems. Charles made a good discovery of actually making choices as the second act star, even if this meant he regretted them. This is crucial to the success of act two. Our star can't merely ponder his/her future without acting upon it and allowing the resulting complications to influence him/her.

6. We're still a little shy in terms of building stakes and jeopardy. The end of act two is quite different, and we still have a tendency to want to diminish, solve or ignore problems, rather than allow them to literally propel us into active song.

We play with sound during Sunday's rehearsal and add our three techs, Dana, Matt and Charlie. Sound was a major issue last season, so we're all keen to explore this component early to get as many bugs out of the system as possible. Gina, our Assistant Director, also joins our merry band of players! Yeah!!!

Didn't really sleep at all last night :( Ruminating on production challenges and issues.

Your sleepy-but-sincere Director, David C.

Four Reasons For FourPlay Thanks: Part One

This weekend we intensify rehearsals as we buildup to our preview weekend in mid-July. So, I thought before the improvised stuff hits the improvised fan, I'd take a moment to reflect upon some of the good fortune the production has had to this point. Consider this my first "count your blessings" blog entry!! In no particular order:

1. John Carollo of nakedeyestudios.com.

You've probably read about his efforts so far if you're an IMFourPlay blog regular, but the further we get into this process, the more grateful I am for John's continued patience, professionalism and product! Little did I know, when I asked him to help out several weeks ago, the sheer scope of his commitment to this show and volume of design work needed! Several flyers, posters, t-shirt and logo designs later, I am amazed that he has not only met these last minute challenges, but, as of yet, hasn't even sworn to my face! I will forever literally and figuratively be in his debt.

2. The Theatre and Dean of Faculty's Departments at Rollins College.

For those of you who don't know much about me, Rollins College is my day job when I'm not playing at SAK. Both my home department and my colleagues in the Dean of Faculty's Office have really stepped up to the plate this year, providing rehearsal spaces, sponsorship help and generous funding to help with publicity costs. Live art is always a challenge in a community such as Orlando, and I'm incredibly grateful to my home institution for recognizing the resources needed to mount an ensemble improv creation such as this. Special thanks to Hoyt, Thomas and Scottie.

3. The Company of FourPlay.

Rehearsals have had a wonderfully playful energy--something I wasn't always able to foster last year to the degree I would have liked. Outside the rehearsal hall, however, several company members have rallied to our cries for help--designing the fun company posters that have accompanied the player interviews (Darren), arranging radio spots and PR opportunities (Mark), or generously agreeing to redesign the show's slide show (Ron). The schedule is demanding as it is - with the majority of the company having multiple family, work, study and personal commitments to balance alongside our daunting rehearsal schedule. These additional contributions are truly above and beyond the call of duty.

4. Returning heroes and heroines.

Whether it's Jim Rhinehart who makes every rehearsal a joy and every musical number an adventure, or Dana Robbins whose passion for the production has her almost single-handedly filling the shoes of multiple workers simultaneously, or the soon-to-return Gina DiRoma whose clarity of vision and collaborative finesse enable the impossible, or the SAK production team of Dave, Keith, Rob, Katie, Denna et al. who always seem to find a 25th hour in the day to help birth this musical baby, FourPlay definitely stands on the shoulders of giants of generosity and graciousness.

And so, if I become a little crazy over the next few weeks as the rehearsals get longer--not to mention my infamous note sessions--I offer up an imaginary toast (Oscar-speech-style) to these good souls...

Your eternally-grateful Director, David C.