Run Through

We just had a short run through tonight to go over things that we had already blocked. It was a break during the middle of the week and a time to go over things that we haven’t ran in a while. It also gave Tyler time to see what we had blocked without him there. This was also a chance for the other four girls to see what we had blocked with Tyler and Rachel the night before. I was really excited to see their reactions. Because while I am confident in my abilities, validation is always nice. I loved watching the others’ reactions and it honestly makes me so excited to watch the audience react to the show once it opens. I want to share my lovely kiddos and all their hard work with the rest of the community. I was really excited that what I had worked on with Tyler and Rachel got the exact response that I was looking for. The other cast members were really focused on them when the tension started and I thought they might have started rioting as soon as that kiss happened when they were yelling at each other. I was so happy about that. I am so pleased that I was able to help them elicit the effect that I was going for. It helps that they are so wonderful and make my job so much easier. I am also enjoying the fact that I am helping them learn too. The run through went really well and I felt like I did not have too many notes tonight, but I know that will change as the rehearsals go on. I will want to tweak something, or they will mess up, or I decide to be nit-picky. Maybe tonight I was more focused on just watching them instead of picking out things that they did wrong. I try to balance out my notes on what needs to change with compliments. I find that positive reinforcement works wonders, especially with new actors. Since I have a crew of relatively inexperienced actors who are new to the way rehearsals are run outside of a high school or community setting, it is good to help them feel like everything they do is not them messing up. I also think that adding in specific compliments helps in other ways too. If an actor did something new, such as a new choice, and I liked it, pointing it out would help them remember to do it again in the future. It also boosts morale. The actors are happier and more relaxed, which causes them to perform better, if they know that they are doing well. I cannot reiterate it enough how happy I am with how it is turning out and how pleased and proud I am of my cast and the work that they are putting into this production. I am also thoroughly enjoying bonding with these wonderful people. I know that this semester has been so stressful with me taking twenty credit hours, plus rehearsals, plus bartending, plus attempting to create some sort of façade of a social life. Yet, this process has been so not stressful. So I am very thankful for the people in my life, such as my stage manager and designers, and my cast, and some of my friends who have to put up with me, and my parents who let me vent to them about literally anything and everything. Here’s to getting through the rest of the semester.