Development from afar or Love is in the Air

Howdy,

When I remounted The Dirty Talk with Kevin and Sidney - I remember talking about at rehearsal that it is a privilege to be able to revisit a play you love. Once in a decade type of an event in a career. It is actually a fourth in a lifetime event for me with Sweet Storm. This is the first revisit I've had with a different cast - but it is equally as special. And what makes it special is the investment everyone puts into the play. This play demands it - because it's about allowing us to be loved and to love. And you can't do that half assed. As I mentioned I could only see the first performance at Clark. Mainly because I had committed to get back to the LAByrinth Master Classes on Sunday and Monday - and you can't get from Worcester to NYC very easily - so I had to return Saturday morning. I have been honored the last two nights to get a call from the stage manager, Kate Rafey (the best college stage manager ever) and Dan and Leah - both nights reporting on the growth of the play and setting goals for tomorrow's performance. Goals of growth. And it really reminds me of the three performances we did at The Public with Jamie D. and Eric T. because in each of those we pushed for growth. And each show got better and better - and it sounds like that is happening in Clark as well.

A valuable lesson was learned by both actors tonight. Saturday's prep was so good and so strong...that they set new goals and made the assumption that there prep would be there because it was there last night. Something they won't do Monday because they both realized they still have to do the prep to realize the early moments of the play. At the same time they knew it wasn't as strong and they put the focus on the other and trusted them, invested in them, and as Kate Rafey texted me...'the actors were good'.
I love getting the calls at night to hear how it went, and what they want to strengthen tomorrow. I love that they care about the play as much as I do, and Jamie, Eric, Jessica, Lea, Betsy, Sarah, Martin and all do.
My quote of the night comes from Dan (Bo)- "It's amazing we are able to approach each performance as an opportunity of growth. Usually you're going on stage trying to make up for things you didn't get to in the process. Here we're not trying to catch up, we're trying to add to it. And make it more specific. And that's really cool."
That's the feckin' spirit of LAByrinth if I ever heard it.

Goodnight,
Padraic