Cast Choreography

So each week, during dance warm-ups, an early 10 minutes is spent on learning choreography. It's not choreography we're going to use in the show, but each week, three members of the cast teach 16 to 32 counts of choreography to a small group, then we perform for the rest of the cast.

Tomorrow is my day to teach, so I've been spending tonight working on what I'm going to teach tomorrow night.

Now, it may be cheating a little, but I'm pulling a piece of choreography that I learned in highschool (*COUGH*twenty*COUGH*years*COUGH*ago*COUGH*). I seriously seriously doubt that the muscle memory still exists for this, but honestly, it seems much easier than when I learned it way back when.

Hopefully it'll be as easy to teach.

Shakespeare: The Musical - Rehearsal Week 3

So this was a really intense week. I think that I learned more about Shakespeare in the last 3 rehearsals that I did my entire High School career (sorry Ms. Mottern).

When one thinks about Improv rehearsals, one tends to think "Zip Zap Zop" and "Logical Word Toss" and "What Are You Doing?" -- but with this show, we've actually spent a significant amount of time in chairs discussing things. Things like Shakespeare's World View, and the importance of Death in comedies versus tragedys, and how every single one of Shakespeare's characters has their own dignity. There are no (or few) caricatures, but only characters, each with their own solid sense of self (sorry Will Farrell).





We're also completely reconstruction the openings we use for our musicals, because the "opening number" really doesn't mesh well with how Shakespeare told stories. So we're experimenting with the Opening Action Sequence, which, like in many of Shakespeare's plays, consists of a throw away scene with characters we may or may not see again, who are there only to set the stage. They are there to get our attention, and tell us what's been going on in the world that we're about to explore. Their scene then leads into an opening song that is ALSO just there to tell us about our world. It's really bizarre in how liberating it is not having to worry about "Will singing this make me the protagonist?" and things like "What if I set up something too important that I don't remember later?"



On a personal note, I was completely blown away by the raw talent that this cast has. Seriously, this is rehearsal #5, and the songs that were getting cranked out were "CRAP! Why don't we have a video camera running?" good. This is going to be an awesome show.

The Science of Shakespeare

The Time Lapse of Rehearsal #2 for Shakespeare: The Musical



If you'd like to see what Christian wrote on the board, check this out:

And Lo, So Didst Begin Rehearsals for Shakespeare: The Musical

Before we even ended the run for Un-Scripted: unscripted, we started work on our next show, "Shakespeare: The Musical."



Directed by Christian, AD'd by Bryce, and Produced by Mandy, it's sure to be a crowd pleaser!!

But -- that's what Un-Scripted MEANS . . . !

OK, this is the weirdest thing.

Maybe not THE weirdest. But still weird.

Sitting at the show tonight in the audience, taking notes, I started talking to the people next to me. Someone in front of me overheard and turned around with an expectant look and, may I say, a challenging grin. "You're the director?" she said. "I have a question."

"Sure thing!"
"How much of this show is really un-scripted?" This question comes up a lot. In fact, it came up at the talkback last week, too.
"All of it!" I proceeded to explain how the show stemmed merely from the suggestions, and how we rehearse the individual skills, but not show stuff.
"How about the storylines?" she asked skeptically.
"Nope! It's all improvised! In rehearsals, we do stories, but once we do them, we can't do them again."
She looked displeased. "Why, then, do you think that we all" gesturing to her two companions "have the same question?"
As the lights went down for the second act, I said, "Hey, I don't know! I'd love to talk more about it, though. I could talk forever!"

OK, so I've been asked before about whether we're really REALLY improvising (YES! we ARE! it's MADE UP!) -- but never ACCUSED. Accused! She seemed extremely annoyed!

And Christian said that after the show she "backed him up against the wall" and questioned him about the same thing, "until she got frustrated and left."

Seriously? I mean, for one thing, tonight's show wasn't the best show we've ever done (sorry guys! :o) it's true! sometimes you're hot, sometimes you're off! happens to everyone)--so why exactly would we 1. Write the show to be just like that, and 2. LIE about it?

It's not like magicians, who just won't tell you. Improvisors are happy to tell you just what we do! It's not magic -- and we're not gonna lie! I'm a terrible liar, for one thing.

Hence, the reason for the blog. Really, nice vaguely German-accented lady sitting in front of me. We're improvising. It's made up. You helped. And if it's a good show (or a bad show), does it really matter when it was written -- either six months ago or six milliseconds ago?

Comments?