A Helping Hand: Week 2, Motion and Depth

 This week began what I guess would be "real" rehearsals. Delving into characters and exploring what lives there. I has been oh-so fun. I had forgotten what it was like to pull apart a script (I may have gotten carried away) and how different people work through their characters and it's forever fascinating to see how they work in their own unique processes. It turns out film may have stolen a few things from theater (surprise, surprise) and so the translation has not been too rough from one medium to another. The one thing I worry about is the next step: blocking. For film it's all centered around the camera, which is what we will basically be doing since we have a camera and will be filming. But to treat this as a recorded play is still, then, different. I think the main difference between a director of film and theater, at least in my small experience so far, would be how one guides the attention of the audience. In film you can directly influence what the person is looking at using the camera and it's narrow lens, however in theater, as it seems to me, you must draw their attention through motion and depth. 

    It will be interesting to experiment with blocking and see what comes to the surface. So far I feel as more of a guide than a director, which may to well or ill, but I want to allow room for play until we have all the motions going. I have been allowing the actors to pursue different portrayals, and only making slight suggestion. Something that I'm trying is a page out of Sokrates in that I am simply asking questions more so than making statements. I'll be inquisitive to the nature of a character and try to frame the actors portrayal by their perceived motivations and emotions, and the like. That was a good icebreaker I believe, however I do think I will make suggestions and, as a director does, directions going forward, not to decide for the actor, but rather to focus them, and ultimately refine the play into a single action, a single possibility which then can be continuously recreated. This allows for the greatest amount of play and creative freedom and yet can still be refined into a a performance which does not include improvisation. I think this is a good idea. The keyword is "think". I could be wrong, but so far it seems to be leading to powerful performances and emotional moments, even if only one rehearsal in. When blocking comes into the picture, I believe that it will only create more potency. 

    I feel good about our group. We have good energy and a strong forward momentum. All of which synthesizes only more excitement.