6-Hour Transitions Rehearsal

Posted on Nov 19, 2006 at 4:49 p.m. by Beverly

Show: A Christmas Carol

We had a 6 hour rehearsal doing 'transitions' today. What's a transition you ask? It's those times on stage when the story must change locations, go forward/backward in time, etc. It's that time when we as actors transport you, the audience and your imagination, to another scene.

But for Christmas Carol, we are not only changing the scene, we are engulfing you into the environment of the land we're creating. So when we leave Scrooge's office in the first scene, we actually create the bustling city streets of London as Scrooge walks to his house where the next scene begins. This is no small task. There are about 45 people on stage living 45 different lives and every move is choreographed. Things you can overhear at this point in the rehearsal process: "The audience can't see you when you two are standing that close to each other," "If he's facing that way, you face this way so that the audience on this side doesn't get a bunch of people's backs," "You need to come in on the end of her line so we're not waiting forever for the rest of the cast to enter."

It's a very mechanical rehearsal sometimes, but it needs to be. 45 people need to be telling the same story...we do it each in our own individual way, but we have to work as an ensemble.

So I'm pooped. Pooped. Good rehearsal, but I'm now delirious.

There's a copy of US Magazine floating in the women's dressing room. I know it's terrible, but I'm fascinated to see the lives of celebrities. Makes one sad as a female actor to see so many celebrity actresses doing so much plastic surgery to themselves. It forces me to wonder whether the nation can respect an actress who allows her natural age to come thru. And these celebrities who dress up as 'ugly' people thru 6+ hours of makeup to see how ugly people live...it's disgusting to me. We're actors, and we're supposed to be imitating real life, and in real life, everyone is NOT beautiful and it pisses me off that they live in such a privileged world, they can't see the people they're supposed to represent.

Then again, maybe I should stop reading trashy magazines.