So, it appears that in order to stay current and honour the themes of the play, I should engage in some social networking of my own… Do people read random witterings on the internet? Does anyone care about what my thoughts are? Maybe you do, maybe you don’t. Either way, here we are: my director’s blog. I cannot promise that it will be exciting. I cannot even promise it will be interesting. But I can promise that it will be. Twice a week. Enjoy!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Week 6, Part 1
Firstly, thank you for all the positive feedback on the teaser trailer. If you haven’t seen it, you can find it underneath this post on the blog. If you have seen it, watch it again. And tell your friends. And then by tickets. Seriously, buy tickets.
But back to what’s been happening… An exciting week, this week. Neon Fringe had its first proper media. I was interviewed for Centre Stage on Dublin City FM (103.2 FM). Carmel Fitzpatrick made for a delightful host as we discussed setting up a new theatre company in these troubling times. The why, how and difficulties facing new artists in Dublin were all covered in a (hopefully) enjoyable and interesting piece. I’ll be back on in two weeks to talk specifically about this play so keep an ear out for that.
Production-wise, things are really heating up. Posters and flyers were delivered on Tuesday so expect to see Love in the Time of Social Networking publicity all over town from this weekend. Production meetings are now a trans-continental and multi-platform affair, with our scenographer/designer now resident in Canada. Social networking in action, if you will. On-stage, the cast are coming along very nicely at getting off-book and tonight’s run-through was, on the whole, very good. So, we’re getting closer. And with two weeks to go, we’re in (touch-wood) pretty good shape.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Week 5, Part 2
There are good rehearsals and bad rehearsals. This week saw the best rehearsal we’ve had yet. Scenes that were causing difficulties suddenly clicked into place. The actors are more confident as a result of good discussion and the decisions made. The difference in performance is measureable. We also had a good week for camaraderie. And when that has taken hold, the whole project begins to really come together. Fear is replaced by frankness, nerves by a willingness to try anything. When is a cast gelling most obvious? When the rehearsal breaks down because of that line or expression that has everyone cracking up and takes forever to get through. It means everyone is relaxed in each other’s company. And it is priceless. So, too, was the laughter. If theatre had outtakes, it would be a cracker.
Confession time. When you write a script, make sure you know what you have written. It seems obvious but… A few weeks ago, one of the cast expressed a concern that within the timeline of the play, there was a running theme that was anachronistic – something said at the start which did not match with what was said later. My response, naturally, was that it was a deliberate decision, something which would allow the audience to appreciate a dual chronology. This week, while rehearsing a scene, I suddenly realised that said cast member was indeed correct. The line is completely anachronistic. And, while many may not even notice it, it needs to be fixed. Humble pie for me.
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