The Guardian: Calm Before the Storm

So, auditions went pretty well. Will's input on my picks and ideas were pretty much completely in-line with what I was looking for in the actors, so I'm glad we were able to have a similar outlook on the whole process. It was very different to be on the other side of the auditions, but it wasn't hard for me to adjust to it, I don't think. I felt pretty comfortable making the calls instead of taking them, which is going to be good going into the rehearsal process.

Keanu and Yihong were easily my top choices for Beschut; they both did very different things but physically and vocally, however they both worked for the character really well. Having worked with Keanu for Play-In-A-Day, I knew he was someone capable of letting go and performing characters with very distinct physicalities (he played a dog in the play I directed for that). Chloe was someone Will and I had really liked as Ren during her reading of the original script back in Playwriting class last term, and, having worked with her also during Play-In-A-Day, I knew she was someone who could take direction well and devote herself to her character. Even without seeing her reading at the actual auditions (which I know is VERY different from reading it in class), I felt confident that I could help her if she had issues understanding her character during the process. She was my top pick for Ren by a long shot.

Jones and Glen being voice-over roles really helped me with casting, as I could basically put anyone in those roles regardless of scheduling or commitments to other plays; I only need them for a single recording session (although I may have them attend a few other rehearsals). For that reason, I had a lot of potential options for the roles, and I actually ended up flipping my 1st and 2nd choices for each role last minute on Wednesday when we cast the shows. Adam and Josh Smith ended up being my final two top picks for Jones and Glen (respectively), mostly based on the timbre of their voices and characters.

Casting went very smoothly on Wednesday and I got all my top picks. Keanu and Chloe's schedules align themselves pretty well with me and Will's, so I'm confident we can find time to do one-two rehearsals a week for the first few weeks here, and then possibly amp it up to 2-3 in later weeks as we get closer to the show. Over the weekend, I'll put everyone's schedules together and create a rehearsal schedule for the next few weeks.

Now, to start the next part of the process: completing my concept and presenting it to the class!