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Rehearsals A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum |
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10/17
- "Forum"
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In the Rehearsal Studio in the the new Arts Center. Tonight the cast is working on several scenes for the next production. They work on blocking, and basic choreography. The actors are "off book", they know their lines and do not use a script. Present are the actors for each scene, the Director, two Assistant Stage Managers, the Musical Director and various others at different times.
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The Director gets things started with the scene "Free" which involves the main characer, Pseudolus, Hero, and the three Proteans. The Proteans are the chours and they perform a variety of tasks and roles in the course of the play. This is a musical and this scene is all about Pseudolus' desire to be free. Hero is his master and agrees to set him free if Pseudolus can find the girl that Hero desires. The actor playing Pseudolus begins and as he sings the lines slowly the Director suggests movements. It is a repetitive and painstaking process. They perform the same, or slightly different movements, over and over until everyone is happy with how it works. The patience of everyone is impressive. The Musical Director plays the piano and has a real knack for picking things up at exactly the right spot in the music and for changing the tempo as needed. I enjoy watching the scene come together. Once in while someone asks a question and invaribly one of the Assistant Stage Managers has the answer. Need coffee, we'll get it. Where can we find this particular kind of sandal? They'll find out. How did we do this part the last time? Like this, they reply. Everyone pays close attention and there are no real glitches in getting this scene together. In a surprisingly short span of time they have it down and will finish the piece with the Choreographer on Friday. Several more scenes are rehearsed this evening and actors come and go as they are needed. all are on time and things move quickly through the process. The Director works easily with the actors, making suggestions and asking them what feels right. There are no power struggles and everyone contributes ideas. Some are tried and work and some are discarded, but no one mocks another's suggestions. I am impressed with the level of collaboration and the ease with which the group interacts. |
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Goals |
| Scene "Free" | ||
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Pseudolus sings about how life will be when he is free. |
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Proteans help Pseudolus act out his hopes for freedom.
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Working out each and every movement. How does it go? Up, out, down? Where and when? The Proteans work hard to get it right. |
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| Scene "Impossible" | |
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Hero and his father, Senex, wonder who Philia is waving at and why would she wave at the other one? During this scene the two actors sing similar lines directed at the other character and move around the stage in mirrorlike movements. One walks and gestures , then the other does the same on the other side of the stage. In the end they meet in the middle and realize they need each other. |
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| Here is a blocking diagram for this scene. It is very complex and the actors have to remember each movement precisely or they won't end up in the right spot for the ending. | |
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| Scene - "Maid" | |
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Here four of the male characters sing about how nice it is to have a maid. They have rehearsed this scene before so they have some idea of how it should go, but they are still working out the final movements. This is a very active scene with lots of movement around the stage. |
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