On Fire

Howdy,

Today's rehearsal was about reconnecting to one another. Rediscovering and investing in what Ruthie and Bo love about each other. And reconnecting to the intimacy and conversation of Sweet Storm. Scott very accurately talked about the trust and courage that it takes for actors to fall in love on stage...and that trust is apparent in the room. The play became much more intimate today, and because of that, it grew tremendously. The chemistry between the two of them was on fire - which is what makes it fun to watch.

And speaking of fire, the play has a lantern on the set. We all agree the 'light' from the lantern will be the theatrical lights - but the act of lighting a match to ignite the lantern is required for keeping the reality of the moment. Whenever there is fire on a set there has to be approval by a fire marshall and the set has to be flame proofed. There is a lot of discussion about how Ruthie will light the match while sitting on the bed, leaning far away from the bed... or does Bo have to do it for her? We explored many possibilities in rehearsal today...and the long lean by Ruthie is our answer today. It is fascinating the things you have to work on, or think about, when it comes to bringing a play to life. 

Another great discovery, in a discussion with Sarah and Betsy yesterday it became clear that the event of closing the 'window' was more about Bo doing something to care for Ruthie, more than creating the reality of the window that was important. What we did - is not literal in any way. I can't tell you what it 'means'. I can just say that when it was done in the rehearsal room... everyone agreed that it felt totally right. I don't know if I discussed closing the window earlier or not on this blog. I'm discussing it now because the collaboration between all designers in the telling of the story is to be fully trusted. Everyone is invested in telling the story. And when I talk about directing I like to say, it is not up to the director to have the answer but to recognize when the answer has entered the room. Today it entered the room and everyone recognized it. Thanks to all in the discussion.

Goodnight,

Padraic