A peek into the rehearsal room

Text Workshop 1 

Before we even started the rehearsal process we attended the first of the text workshops, this one being on Sunday from 6:00-9:00pm.This was the start of an overview for working with Shakespeare. Prior to the first workshop Marc had given us a few things to read. First we needed to read an article called “Talking Shakespeare” which involved a rundown of how we needed to approach and understand Shakespeare. The article was lengthy, but worth reading as it had a lot of information that I’d never heard before about how to speak the language that Shakespeare presents. I remember reading in a section of the article that said, "I think that most young actors don't understand what Shakespeare gives you...It's like swimming, you know. If you surrender to the water you keep up, but if you fight it you drown... The phrasing and rhythm and pace should support one, as water does a swimmer…”.  That quote painted a clearer picture in my head of how Shakespeare’s words should flow. Prior to the first workshop we were also tasked with reading the script and defining words we were unsure the meaning of. I appreciated this task because It will aid us later on when we are using Shakespeare’s words and need to paint a clearer picture for the audience to understand. Lastly, we dipped our toes into some scansion and iambic pentameter, which I have always had trouble with, but getting more practice on it was useful. This workshop was both educational and terrifying, as an actor I’m quite new to working with Shakespeare and feel quite out of my comfort zone. However, with this workshop I am starting to feel prepared to work in the unknown. 

Text Workshop 2

Once more we've met to do the second text workshop today, Saturday, from 10am-1pm. Today we focused more on scansion, rhythm, iambic pentameter, and intonation. I appreciate the detail in which Marc taught us scansion and iambic pentameter. I found out pretty quickly how easy it is to get it wrong, particularly scansion. There's so many different markings to use on the example texts that Marc had us work on, it was honestly a little overwhelming. I've quickly learned that for heightened text, that close listening to the language is imperative. Something I still don't understand yet is the concept of a feminine ending in Shakespeare. I think I just need to hear different examples side by side. I was surprised that towards the end of the workshop that we listened to old songs and how they compared to the rhythm of iambic pentameter. I'd never thought of doing a comparison of music to Shakespeare like that. I thought it was cool to see the similarities and differences between them. 

Accent Session 1 

Prior to meeting with Marc about preparing my Irish accent for MacMorris, he gave us some resources other than listen to. I have prior experience with learning accents through Marc's speech and dialect classes, which I think definitely will definitely help speed up the learning process. I'm particularly nervous though to learn the Irish accent because sometimes In my free time I like to learn accents and an Irish accent has always been tricky for me. Often times I would accidentally fall into a Scottish accent, which was frustrating. I took baby steps first and listened to the resources that Marc sent and practiced the sounds over and over again, especially the lexical sets and vowel sounds. Some lexical sets that came to me fairly easily were the strut, trap, cloth, goat, face, and mouth sets. Lexical sets that I had trouble with before meeting with Marc were the thought, start (more open front than I speak), bath, price (this one I have to be careful not to fall into the over-exaggerated blarney Irish vowel that many actors use), and goose sets. During the accent session I would occasionally fall into a Scottish accent which was a little embarrassing, but I kept at it despite that. For me the hardest part was replicating some of the vowel sounds. I shared this with Marc and we figured out that my tongue wasn't placed correctly and that I needed more space between my molars. Something that has helped me the most is not only listening and repeating the fundamental sounds of an Irish accent, but also I discovered listening to songs with singers who have an Irish accent helps me. Overall, the session went better than I expected it to, despite stumbling through my lines in the accent. Marc reassured me that I was in a good spot for having just begun the process. My goal is to become proficient enough to speak in an Irish accent without thinking about it. Something I appreciated the most was that I realized that it isn’t about perfection right away, that it’s a process, and I’m allowed to feel unfamiliar with it. Not having been trained for an Irish accent before is a welcome challenge, and yes, it’s awkward at first, but so satisfying when it begins to click.

First Rehearsal

Today was our first rehearsal, we were in Dupont 313 from 1- 4pm. The primary goal was to gain some tools for warming up our bodies, using our voices properly in the Klein Theatre, establishing our goals to reach throughout the production, and then dip our toes into “pulling on the world thread”. Since this was our first official rehearsal, I was incredibly nervous, but also really excited to begin this journey with my castmates. I could feel similar energy radiating throughout the room, nervous and excited energy. First we explored some varying degrees of movement, such floating and settling, wafting and waving, expanding, writhing, and all of these were in our personal sphere. We also explored a movement akin to shaking as well as the type of excitement you would experience as a child opening a present. I have done these types of movements before through Marc’s Voice and Body movement class, but I was equally excited to revisit them and remind myself to invigorate my child-like energy through play. We also began learning how to warm up our voices with humming and y-buzz, which is a type of warmup that will help with using more tone. I found that I still hold a lot of tension in my throat, and this was an opportunity to continue correcting that in a healthy way. Lastly, Marc connected the world of the play to the work we had done today, where it will certainly connect in the movement and voice work that we will potentially do in the show. We also did some research as a cast on the family trees of the French Royal Family, The English Royal Family, and history surrounding the play, and shared them with each other. It was very helpful to know where Henry V came into the family tree and how his line was legitimized. 

Second Rehearsal

Today was our second rehearsal. The primary goal was to expand on what we learned in the first rehearsal as well as “pulling on the world of the play” thread. Once again we explored floating and settling, wafting and waving, expanding, writhing, and shaking. I explored them this time with a deeper concentration and child-like curiosity. This helped me warm up and get loose for movement. We also explored walking around the space, in different tempos and patterns, making sure we fill the available space and create a like-minded group. We also learned how to “spotlight” someone as we were walking around the space, which means that when we are moving as a group, one or two people will move differently than the rest of the group. This makes the audiences’ gaze turn toward the “spotlight”. We also began to warm up our voices with humming and y-buzz, and going from the sound’s yee, to yea while maintaining enough tone and vibration. This is the warmup that will help with using more tone. I’m still working on using less tension in my throat and focusing all of the sound upward. After rehearsal I wanted to create something the cast could collaborate on, and bring us closer together. So I had the idea to create a cast playlist andI shared a spotify playlist for us to add songs to. I’d like to think this might help us get into character down the road. 

Third Rehearsal

Today in rehearsal our primary goals were to continue pulling on the world and character threads that we have started. We focused a lot on body energies, moving about the space with intention, and practicing moving at different tempos and patterns. Marc told us to start thinking about how our characters will move, especially for those of us who have more than one character. It is going to be helpful for the audience to understand the show if we can differentiate between our characters. At this point I’m unsure how I will do that, but I know that if I explore with intention I’ll figure it out. We also played some games that involved telling a story by making shapes with our bodies and not by words. I liked this exercise, it was fun, and it activated the cast’s sense of play and problem solving. I’m not sure what the point of it is yet, but Marc always has a reason for the way he teaches something. He always has a trick up his sleeve, and I’m excited to see where this goes. 

Fourth Rehearsal 

To begin today’s rehearsal we had the design presentation. I’m super excited about the concept of the show. It’s kind of like a time capsule enclosed in one show that presents both the past, present, and the future. Especially since the show is from the perspective of the Boy. I also think the costumes are really cool, I like the modern feel, especially after Kevin mentioned that Henry is kind of based off of Vladimir Zelensky. That put me in a different headspace for the show, that even so many years later in history we’re still fighting wars. And this show has a strong anti-war message ingrained into it, and that war makes monsters out of men. I also loved Micheal’s addition of adding metal music throughout the show, it gave the intensity needed with the theme of war. And the set design that Bridgette came up with is amazing too. The background being a map to show the audience where we are at different points in the show. And it being in the round really creates an intimacy between not just the characters but the actors as well. In the second half of rehearsal our goals were to continue playing and creating stories with our bodies. We explored a scene split into groups where we told the story of people going to bootcamp and being sent off to war where most groups chose that whoever went off to war died, which I found interesting. It was a fun exercise but also an eye-opening one, since it is a solemn story, this is what war is and can be. We also started exploring a story where we’re at a party. We have a few others who are dancing together and hearts are broken as someone who came with their partner originally, ditched them for another person at the party. I had enjoyed this exercise too, it was oddly intimate and I couldn’t place why. Towards the end of the rehearsal Marc told us that we might be using this exercise in the show to show the audience how wild and reckless Henry was in his youth, and that right after Henry would find out about his father’s death. That gave me chills. It was a stark reminder how things can change so quickly and how grief can be a slap in the face. For Henry being so young and suddenly thrust onto the throne with a lot of power and responsibility must've been terrifying. 

Fifth Rehearsal 

Today our goal was to action the second half of the show, which is an exercise I’m fairly new to as an actor. We touched on it during Acting 2, but here we went into it on a deeper level. To establish an action I’ve learned helps me be more intentional with my acting. To break down each beat into playable actions to make it more digestible not just for myself but I imagine for the audience as well. In the second half I don’t speak much, but I gave myself silent actions to propel me through the scenes. For the camp scene, the action I came up with initially is “to greet”, but halfway through the scene there is a beat shift and the action becomes “to listen”. For the scene where Bedford enters before the Crispian speech, I thought that either the action “to inform” or “to notify” would be good for that beat. Then after the King arrives my action is “to doubt” and once the King hypes us up my action changes to “affirm”, at least that’s what feels right to me. I’m not sure if it’s specific enough, but it gets the job done for now, at least. For the last scene I’m in, where there’s a fight, the action I chose is “intervene”. I’ve discovered that the biggest challenge for me right now is to be specific with my actions, but I tend to overthink it. I need to be confident in the action I chose for that beat and stick with it in the moment. 

Sixth and Seventh Rehearsal 

This weekend we accomplished a lot. Our goal by the end of Sunday’s rehearsal was to have done a full actioning run through of the show. On Saturday we worked on actioning the first half of the show. For the prologue I’m still figuring out an action for, I think I might choose to use the action “engross”, to engross myself in what the Boy is saying and as if to help the audience connect with the show from the start. The traitors scene I initially thought of the action “to support”, but there is a beat in the script where Henry tells us to arrest the traitors. So after that, I’ll shift the action “to hurt”, since we’re kicking the traitors teeth in. Then after that, there’s another shift “to lead” after Henry tells us to basically lead them to their deaths. For Harfleur, since it is a battle scene I think my action will probably be something like “to attack” and “to defend”. I know we will probably block it later, so I’ll put those actions in my back pocket for now. As MacMorris, the actions I’ve chosen for now are “criticize”, “scold”, and “interrogate” and "threaten” for each section of lines. By Sunday, we had reached our goal and technically done a full run through of the play, which was crazy fast since it only felt like yesterday we started rehearsing. Marc was telling us that we only get so many full run throughs of the show and that we should act with intention and explore new possibilities each time. Moving forward I’ll definitely keep that in mind to the best of my ability. 

Eighth Rehearsal 

I’m filled with nervous and excited energy as we move into Wonder Bread for the first time. I’ve been to Wonder Bread before, but I haven’t used it yet as a rehearsal space. We got a rundown/tour of the space, went over rules, and how our stage management team would be functioning. After that we got right to work near the end of the play. We started a few scenes before my scene, the fight scene between Fluellen and Williams. We haven’t choreographed anything for the fight yet so we kinda just high five and state what we are doing, to practice not only intention but safety for when we eventually do put fight choreo in. After we finish through the end of the play, we do text work through the whole show. A goal I set for myself at this rehearsal was to get more comfortable putting the work on its feet and committing to the actions I set and go with the flow and open myself to spontaneity. I felt I hadn’t reached my goal fully and I think it’s going to be a process of working up to it. I’m a big overthinker and tend to have trouble letting go and going with the flow, as well as doing away with old habits. 

Ninth Rehearsal 

Today’s rehearsal we started on text work beginning in the middle of the camp scene. From where we started I’ve already made my exit so I got to watch my cast mates work, which I always enjoy seeing the process of other actors. Then around 7:30 we started our first moments blocking pages 1-10. Because our set is in the round it is interesting to see how Marc navigates blocking. And he mentioned that the circular platform is a higher step than we might expect, and I was already internally crying for my knees, but the horrors persist and so must I. With just the layout of the set in tape I already know It’s going to be a lot different moving around the actual set with all the different levels. Even from the prologue it is an intricate process of figuring out how to navigate the “flow of traffic” on stage and how people are getting on and off. It took some adjusting from the end of the prologue into the first scene since there were too many people exiting in one entryway as Jenna and Nicole were entering. Marc told us to write down our blocking so we don't forget it, because there might not be an opportunity to look back at that moment. I think it’s good advice because if I hadn’t written it down I would’ve forgotten it.

Tenth Rehearsal 

I hadn’t been called for a few days so I took the opportunity to continue my accent work as well as work on researching for the show. Today’s rehearsal we started with weapons training. Brandon walked us through the rules of working with stage weapons, signing a waiver, and how to hand off a weapon safely. After weapons training we were blocking scenes 4.2, 4.3, 4.5 int., and 4.4 (pg. 67-77). I’m only in scene 4.3, so I was sitting in the wings most of the rehearsal, but It’s always valuable to watch the others work and hear what notes Marc gives them. This rehearsal I set my goal to start being more aware of who’s on stage with me and If I’m really listening to them. For scene 4.3 I was reminded by Marc to act through the line, give it fuel for the line and beyond it. I didn’t really understand this note until we stopped and did an exercise that is saying our lines while walking with purpose and then stopping suddenly, but you feel the momentum as if you were going to continue moving. So I began to apply it to my acting after that exercise, though this skill is very much a work in progress. During this scene I realized I didn’t really understand most of what Henry was saying to us, so I wrote down a reminder in my script to study his speech and look up which words I don’t understand in a Shakespeare glossary. 

Eleventh Rehearsal 

Today we were working on scenes 4.5 - 4.7 (pg. 78-86). I checked in, getting into the usual wonder bread routine. I signed in and when it was time to go into the rehearsal room, I had checked which scenes we were doing and I got confused since I’m not in the scenes that were scheduled for tonight. I kinda thought it might be a typo, but I somehow gaslit myself into thinking I was wrong. But eventually, Maddie came over and told me that it was in fact a typo and I was released. It was a funny misunderstanding and I didn’t mind seeing how the process was going for those scenes. 

 

Twelfth and Thirteenth Rehearsal

This weekend we accomplished a lot. The goals I had for myself for Saturday was to safely navigate stage combat and remember what we choreograph for the fights and violence in scenes. For the first half of Saturday’s rehearsal we looked at scene 4.8 which is the fight between Fluellen and Williams. We continued to safely navigate the fight, and figure out what our intentions were. We did that so we could tell Casey later on so it would be easier for him to choreograph the fight. Then we were going to block scenes 5.0 and 5.1 which I’m not in so I was released for the lunch break. After the lunch break we worked on fight choreography with Casey for the rest of the time. I have prior stage combat experience, and I’ve taken Casey’s knife class so I was excited to build upon my skills. We first showed Casey the general blocking we had for each of the Alarums. We started by breaking out into partners and were shown different attacks to practice on our partners. In this show the fighting is one of the bigger points of realism we wanted to include, so having a realistic fighting style was important for us to learn. Doing this helped us work out the attacks and defense moves we were going to use for Harfleur, since we’re doing that in a circular fashion. We used movement/ choreography we came up with way back when we started rehearsing, so I thought it was a cool callback to bring forth the collaborative aspects Marc wanted to include in the show. Then we looked at the traitors scene, we decided instead of kicking the traitors teeth in that we were going to do a choke. This scene is still in the works but we improvised and used neckties to simulate the choking for now. It was a process of how to do it safely, because we didn’t want to actually hurt anyone while doing it. But It kind of felt cool when Alexandra, Jenna, and I were in sync doing the scene. After we’d finished working that scene, Trevor, one of the traitors, shared with me that when I escort him off stage that I’m actually going to have to help him up since his knees hurt after kneeling so long. I immediately adjusted to his comfort level since I didn’t want to make him feel unsafe. By the end of Saturday’s rehearsal I felt good about what I’d accomplished. 

On Sunday’s rehearsal I wasn’t called until around 3:30, but I do know that they worked on the alarums on pages 78 and 80 as well as the scene 4.7, before I arrived. A goal I set for myself for rehearsal is not to lose my concentration halfway through a scene, I’m working on staying present in the moment. Once I was called we worked on a stumble through of the second half of the show mostly from memory. I was apprehensive about it, and I could sense the same from some of my cast mates, but we got through it together. Overall the stumble-through went well and it was really fun to see how far we’ve come in such a short time. I think doing stumble-throughs are really beneficial because it doesn’t give you much opportunity to overthink, you just do it, which I appreciate. When we finished the stumble through I noticed I was more mentally tired than usual, which I told myself is a good thing. It means I hit my goal. I was more present in the scenes I was in. Marc says by the end of a run-through you should be exhausted, so I think noticing my fatigue is a good thing. I need to keep reminding myself that this show is a marathon, not a sprint, and I should be exhausted. Something I've also come to use during the war scenes is a feeling I've not got the words to express it, but over Spring Break I was in Hawaii and we went to visit Pearl Harbor. We went to the U.S.S. Arizona memorial, and the feeling there was so heavy. That feeling knowing that you're standing over a grave, of sailors who never made it out of the ship. A stark reminder that war is hell. This feeling I brought with me into the war scenes of the show, to propel me through the scenes. 

Fourteenth Rehearsal 

Today’s rehearsal we worked on scenes 4.3 - 4.4, and 4.6 - 4.8. After we did scene 4.3 I was feeling a little stuck on it, and I’m not too sure why. I think I may be holding onto something, so I need to do some reflection and work on it. Then after some waiting we did scene 4.8, which we’ve been calling the barfight. For that scene, it’s been going well for the most part, but it feels a bit awkward, and I don’t know why. I think that it feels like we’re a little too clumped together, especially since Raine and I are blocking the main fight. I’m not sure if I should bring it up or not to Marc. I think it’ll be fine though, we might fix it later. We also brought back the concept of body energies and how we should apply them to our characters. Marc brought up that because many of us are playing several characters it’s important for us to be able to differentiate who is who through things like body energies and how they walk. We reminded ourselves of the different energies as a group and I wrote down how I thought MacMorris and Bedford would walk. I ended up choosing Slash which is indirect, quick, and heavy movement, and for Bedford because he’s a lot different from MacMorris I chose Glide which is direct, sustained, light movement. This felt right to me, though as we rehearse, it could change. 

Fifteenth Rehearsal

Today we started off with a social media talk and postering in the seminar room. Basically we were signing consent forms for social media releases and were asked if we were willing to do Instagram takeovers. It all felt so professional it was exciting! I personally said yes to doing the Instagram takeovers because I did them for the London study abroad and it was so much fun and I wanted an opportunity to do it again. Especially since prospective students will get to see it and hopefully get more excited to come to Mary Wash! We also split off into teams to put Henry V posters all around campus. I was partnered with Maddie Trevor Emmy and I think Ciarra ( I actually feel so bad I don’t remember exactly who the fourth person was right now). But we had two buildings to cover so we split up. Maddie, Trevor, and I went to Jepson and put up posters. It took a little longer than we expected because Jepson is a maze, but it was a little bonding moment so I appreciated it. After we finished we raced over to Wonder Bread. Today we worked on all of act 1 (pages 1-50). I think this was the first time we ran through all of act one with the blocking and everything, which was super nerve wracking but also exciting. The show is coming together so nicely! For the most part I think things went smoothly on my end, there were a couple of things I still need to work on. My lines for MacMorris are super repetitive so it’s just a matter of studying the lines more to make sure I get it right instead of accidentally paraphrasing or dropping a line. Literally all of my line notes I received were about page 36 for some of my lines as MacMorris. I also forgot to re-enter after Harfleur! It’s a really fast transition that I might have picked an entrance that was too far from where I exit after Harfleur. Marc decided to cut everyone’s entrance there except Henry’s for his speech. I was a little sad not to be on for that scene anymore, but it did make the show flow smoother, and it gives me a breather before I have to enter again. 

Sixteenth Rehearsal 

Today was our Design run which I was really nervous for because other people were in the room besides cast, stage management, and Marc. I can’t believe we’re already at the point where we’re almost at tech rehearsals. It’s gone by crazy fast! I’m not sure why I was so nervous for the design run, but Marc assured us that it was not an assessment on our progress on the show, it was for the crew and design team to watch and know what will be needed for the show. That definitely calmed some of my nerves. Tonight’s run went fairly smoothly, I only dropped two lines, but I did have some “See Marc notes” afterwards. Marc told me that I am “acting like I have all day” for the Macmorris scene. This was definitely an eye opener. It was something I hadn’t even thought about, and I totally agreed with the note. I needed a higher sense of urgency. We are at war afterall. Marc also told me that my line “Of my nation” seems predetermined, which I also agreed with. I will work on letting go of whatever safety net my brain has created for that line. Lastly, Marc wanted me to change my pose for the traitors scene because it wasn’t menacing enough. It was a little amusing because being menacing is a lot harder than people might think! But overall, I felt good about the designer run, and can’t wait to improve!

Seventeenth and Eighteenth Rehearsal 

This weekend we accomplished a lot. On Saturday I wasn’t called until 4pm, but when I got there we first worked on the traitors scene. We received a new weapon for when we hurt the traitors under King Henry’s direction. We got retractable keychains with chains attached to them to use to choke the traitors instead of neckties. It was kind of a jarring thing to be handed because it felt a little too real even if we weren’t actually going to be choking the traitors. We spent a decent amount of time making sure the traitors were comfortable with chains around their necks and how to position the chain correctly and safely. It was also a lengthy process trying to learn how to keep the chains from retracting as we were doing the scene. Which was a little scary because I didn’t want to accidentally hurt Trevor! But we communicated clearly and we figured things out. After that they worked on pages 23-24 which required an intimacy coordinator because there were kisses in that scene. I stayed in the room because I had never seen a moment of intimacy on stage being worked, so I wanted to see the process in case I do one in the future. It was a really fascinating process that made a lot of sense, and Marc directed it really well. I felt a little awkward being in the room because I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to be in there while they were working a scene with a kiss, but I think it was ok as long as I was respectful. It was so quiet in the room you could hear a pin drop and I accidentally moved my chair and it made the loudest sound in existence, it echoed and reverbed in the room. I was so embarrassed because everyone looked over at me, and I could only hide my face in my hands, devastated. Maddie and I shared a silent laugh when we made eye contact. Thankfully everyone’s attention went back to the scene, but I did want to dig a hole for myself and hide in there forever lol. The rest of the scenes that were worked I wasn’t in so I just watched. It was so amazing to watch and recall how far we’ve come! I was proud of my castmates and even a little proud of myself. On Sunday, we did our last run through of the show before tech rehearsals start on Tuesday. Which was a crazy realization that we were already at tech rehearsals starting Tuesday. It gave me a rush of anxiety, but also excitement that we get to share the show with audiences soon! I felt pretty good about the work I’ve done, though I noticed that I’m a little overly tense for some parts of the show so I’ll work on stretching more and working on being more relaxed on stage. 

Nineteenth Rehearsal 

Today was our spacing rehearsal and also our first technical rehearsal in Klein Theatre. We’ve made it to tech which is so crazy, it feels like yesterday we started in Wonder Bread. It’s a different feeling being on the Klein stage, overwhelming and exciting at the same time. The spacing rehearsal is an opportunity for lighting and sound to begin their work for the show. So it was a lot less acting and a lot of waiting, but Marc told us while we were waiting on stage to make it an opportunity to quietly run through the scene standing in place. Which was helpful so I didn’t lose too much focus and could jump back in wherever they wanted us to re-start. There was a nervous-excitement among the cast and crew, there was certainly a fascinating energy backstage. The addition of the crew is always a cool dynamic, they’re working extra hard because they are creating their routine and figuring out how the show works on the fly which is impressive! We didn’t do costume, hair, or makeup tonight, but I’m excited for when we do start those. 

Twentieth Rehearsal 

Our second tech rehearsal we began with working on the fight scenes with Casey for one last time. We first did the traitors scene, and Casey tweaked it a little so that it was more comfortable and safer to achieve. We had the traitors lean back so we could angle ourselves more easily in order to see Henry who gives us the order to stop choking. It worked a lot better. We also worked on choking the traitors in sync so it looked smoother. Admittedly it also looked cooler. Then we moved on to Harfleur which Casey thought looked great so we moved on. Eventually we got to the barfight, and we did it initially but were stopped in the middle of it. Casey thought something looked off with the spacing. Like I mentioned way back in an earlier entry, this scene always felt a little awkward. Casey fixed it immediately by having me push Raine upstage to get out of the way and let the audience have a better view of the actual main fight. It felt way less awkward and I was relieved. Being in Klein is so different, especially with the set I noticed the next day I was kinda sore and my knees really hurt from being very active throughout the show. The platform in the middle is higher than I expected, which we were warned about. It’s always a little different when we do it in the actual space. It’s harder on my knees than I expected it to be, but nothing some ibuprofen can’t solve. After we got through all of the fights, we began the play from top of the show and stopped sometimes for lighting and sound. It was a lot more waiting than anticipated, but I wasn’t frustrated or anything because I know everyone else who is just now putting the show on its feet has a lot on their plate. We didn’t hit our page goal tonight, but I’m confident that we will get faster as tech goes. While I wasn’t on stage I made sure to familiarize myself with the set, where my props were going to be set, and remember where I’m entering and exiting from, to make things run smoothly for myself. It was definitely overwhelming, but it kept me present. I also really appreciated the use of monitors that show us what’s happening onstage from backstage. It’s really cool to watch my castmates have fun on stage! 

 

Twenty-First rehearsal 

Our third tech rehearsal went well. We approximated our costumes to what the basic concept is and we also were taught how to do makeup by Kevin. I don’t have a ton of experience with makeup so I was eager to learn. It was basically a corrective technique that uses light layers of makeup. As we were doing hair and makeup the topic of birthday’s came up in the dressing room. We realized we have a lot of April birthdays in the cast! I believe Emmy, Raine, Rachel and I all will have birthdays during the show and Jonah’s just after! So crazy to think that in the middle of this organized chaos that I'll be turning 22! Once hair and makeup were done we started tech from pg. 3. I think we were also under our page goal for tonight, but we were faster than last night so that’s good! 

Twenty-Second Rehearsal 

Our third tech rehearsal we were going full out, full costume, makeup, and hair! Super exciting! I was a little nervous about getting all my costume changes correctly, but it ended up being fine timing wise. Knowing when to get changed and even being ahead of the timing makes things so much easier and I can just focus on the performance. I’m also quickly learning how sweaty the costumes make me, under the intense lights on stage and just from the amount of movement we do in the show. I’m also trying to heed Kevin’s advice to not let the costume wear you, you’ve got to wear the costume. So becoming familiar enough with the costumes like I wear them everyday outside of rehearsal helped me get comfortable with them. I’ve forgotten to mention this before, but before rehearsals I have a pre-rehearsal routine that I will also be doing for the show. I do a mental and physical check in. I check what my body and mind need today and adjust as needed. I stretch first while listening to the playlist I made for the show, and then I warm up my voice with humming, vocal warmups, and y-buzzing for as long as my schedule allows. I also make sure to do a physical warmup, something to get my breathing changed. I usually do a fight warmup that Marc taught us for both the show and Voice and Body Movement, or sometimes I simply do some jumping Jacks. I also do some Soaring and this other technique I’m not sure how to spell that I learned in Sim’s Acting Styles class. Sometimes I’ll also add in some Radiancy and do a count down from 10 shake down of my arms and legs. Additionally, I make sure to hydrate and eat something before tech, but not eat too much because I made that mistake once and almost threw up during Harfleur! This also might be the most hydrated I’ve been in a long time. And this is definitely the most I’ve paid attention to how my body and mind are feeling in awhile, and yes that sounds kinda sad I’m now realizing lol. But I’ve grown to really like my warmup routine, it’s very grounding and energising. I felt good about the work I did tonight and I think we even reached our tech goal tonight, so that’s reassuring! 

Twenty-Third Rehearsal 

Our fourth tech rehearsal we did a lot and it was exhausting, but we persevered. On Saturday we started tech from page 60 to the end of the show. It went really well and then we had a dinner break. Most of the cast decided to go to Chipotle for dinner, so that was a nice bonding moment! After dinner we went back into full costume, makeup, and hair. We did a full run through and we had a good energy and kept it throughout the show, which kept my energy going! I found that we’re kind of like a hivemind. If some of us have tired energy, we all kind of get a tired energy, so I found myself hyping people up quietly backstage if they seemed to be having an off day or tired. I think it helped at least a little bit. I felt good about the run through we did. After Rehearsal I had a few Marc notes. I was accidentally in the wrong spot at the point where Jamy says "tween you tway". I had to see him for repetitions as MacMorris. What he meant was for each repetition of a phrase, I should grow it make it more operative, which is the opposite of what I thought I needed to do, but it made sense after he explained it. I'll do my best to make sure I incorporate these notes into my acting. 

Twenty-fourth and Twenty-Fifth Rehearsal 

The fifth and sixth tech rehearsals went about the same, but we did well! These two rehearsals went late and we weren’t released until around 11 so the exhaustion is definitely catching up. Everything went pretty well for the most part, we had a few hiccups backstage, but otherwise I'm happy with it. On the 6th after the run we did a family photo with the cast, crew, and Marc. It was a cute moment as we packed everyone up on stage. On the 7th I woke up feeling a slight tickle in my throat which I absolutely did not want to turn into a sore throat. I’m super susceptible to sore throats and strep throat so it would actually be the worst timing if I got sick. So, on my birthday, I went to CVS and got some Emergen-C to add to my water bottle. Let me tell you that it worked like a charm, and I’d not used Emergen-C before. I've just heard through the grape-vine that it works for early stage sore throats. We did some scene work and then we had our first fightcall which went well. We made sure that everyone felt good about the fight and that we did it safely. Then after getting into full makeup, hair, and costume we did a full run through of the show. I felt good about the run through, though I’m getting a little apprehensive as the first performance is rapidly approaching. At the very end we also staged bows, which was a little surreal! I made the most of my birthday despite being so busy, and it was good to spend some of it doing what I love! After the fifth tech rehearsal I got a Marc note, that was really helpful. He told me to be more intentional with who I'm saying my lines to, and really earn the reaction I'm trying to get from my scene partners. I'll be sure to implement that, and I have a feeling it will really help propel me through the scene with more intention. 

Pay What You Can Preview

Time sure flies, we are already at the Pay What You Can Preview. A Pay What You Can Preview (PWYCP) is basically a tech rehearsal just with an audience. It allows people, mostly college students, to see the show at whatever cost they so choose. People pay anywhere from nothing, a penny, to maybe even nearly 100 dollars. I think it’s cool that UMW Theatre does something like this to make theatre more accessible! The routine felt the same, but more energized, everyone was radiating with nervous and excited energy. It was electric! After I was done getting my show shoes on I went up to fight call early, to ground myself further. I like being ready a little early because it gives me time to calm my nerves. Fight call went well. We were reminded by Henry, our fight director (I don’t remember his title…sorry Henry), that we keep the same level of safety and we shouldn’t try and switch things up just because there’s an audience. After getting dressed, sitting backstage waiting for the show to start is such an intense feeling. We’re all excited, especially since there were a lot of people in the audience, surprisingly. The crowd was lively and I could tell it was going to be a fun audience. Backstage we all did our pre-show rituals and then it was time to go on. Stepping onto the stage for the first time for the prologue was scary, but once I got used to the feeling of so many eyes on us I relaxed a bit more. I discovered that it was actually harder than it looks not to accidentally make eye contact with audience members. I almost looked directly at people a few times and if I had it would almost certainly throw me off, so I’m glad I didn’t. Everything went pretty smoothly, even the quick changes that many of us struggled with during tech! The traitors scene went well, Harfleur was successful, and the Barfight went amazingly! I discovered that I have more in the tank for Macmorris than I gave tonight, I can do better and I will. I also need to bring more intention into the camp scene and the moment before Henry’s St. Crispian speech. I don’t think I was as present in those scenes as I could’ve been. A few mistakes were made tonight and I overthink mistakes a lot. I need to practice releasing mistakes in order for it not to affect my performance. Walking into this show tonight I kept reminding myself that I can’t change the outcome once the performance is done and I can’t change people’s opinion on the show. They either like it or don’t, and I need to keep going and not let negative opinions affect me so much. I’m also quickly learning not to check YikYak after a performance because it’ll just make me overthink when people’s overly negative opinions are voiced on an anonymous social media platform. So I’m learning that protecting my peace is important, not only to myself, but for the mindset of the collective cast as well. But overall our first performance for an audience went really well, the audience was lively and loved the show. I can say that it was a success! After the show Marc gave notes, and one that particularly stood out to me was that he pointed out that despite getting laughs in certain moments of the show we can't be trying to reach for that reaction each time, we need to keep focused on actions and intentions. 

Opening Night 

 

The energy today is even greater than it was for Pay What You Can, I felt it the moment people started walking into the dressing room. We were all excited for opening night. Everyone was enthusiastic for friends and family to see the show! Gee-Gee and Ciarra were so sweet and got me little gift bags of things for my birthday. It made me cry, I’m so grateful for the friends I’ve made here! After getting into show shoes, the first priority was to work the transition going into Harfleur, because in the scene before many people have a really fast change after it. So we needed to run it because it’s been proving difficult. Thankfully it went smoothly when we practiced it. I was already sweaty after doing it and I wasn’t even in costume yet since Harfleur is a very physically active scene. Then we went right into fight call which ran smoothly as usual. I’m not sure what was in the air tonight, but we were all energized and ready to go! We did our pre-show rituals backstage and got pumped up. After the Prologue, we always quietly dance and mouth the words to the Beggin’ party sequence, it really helps get our nerves out. I really felt our sense of play come out tonight and open ourselves to new discoveries, myself included. I’ve never actually felt so relaxed on stage before, it made me realize that when I was in middle and high school theatre I was always so tense on stage, in many ways it was prohibiting me from making new discoveries. It actually made me tear up a bit when I realized that after the show. The crowd was energized tonight and it made us equally pumped! I also had a realization that I might be able to use for the moment after the fighting sequence in Harfleur. I realized that after the explosion, we probably can’t hear all too well due to the proximity of the blast, so I’ll try it next performance, to add that small bit of realism to the show. After the show we had the APO toast, it was a weird but amazing feeling being the one being toasted for. After the toast I headed outside with Trevor and we were just talking near the crosswalk going over how we felt about tonight’s run. I was congratulated by so many different people and I was taken aback by how many people approached me, because I didn’t expect it! I felt good about the show and I can’t wait to keep going! Having to go to class the next morning is kind of devastating, especially after being so tired from the night before, but thankfully I don’t have any early morning classes so I still mustered up the strength to go.

Performance 2 

It started out as a good day. I went to class, worked on homework for a bit, and had time to eat and warm up before the show. However it kind of went downhill after I was running a little bit behind, which wasn’t really the issue, because I’d still be on time. Unfortunately when I parked in front of Dupont I got out of my car, bringing my stuff with me, getting into my groove and my large water bottle that I specifically got for the show because I wanted to hydrate more, broke. BROKE. I was actually devastated, I kinda just stood there after I watched it shatter for a minute contemplating the meaning of life. I sighed and picked myself up, telling myself it could be worse, but I did kind of want to cry, because that was my comfort water bottle. I took a few deep breaths and cleaned up the water bottle. I kept repeating to myself that it’s ok, things happen, and that I can get a new water bottle. It just kind of threw off my whole groove and warm-up/grounding process. I could tell it was affecting me a little more than I’d like to admit. I made my way into the front entrance of Dupont, where I saw Ashley. That’s my girl right there, she’s so sweet, I told her what happened and she got me a water bottle for the show. I was super grateful, she saved me from being dehydrated for this very physical show. I could also tell when I walked into the dressing room that people were tired and energy was kind of dragging. Despite the setback earlier, I grounded myself and did my best to hype people up to raise some spirits in the room. Fight call went smoothly as usual. I noticed right away at the top of the show that what didn’t help our energy was the lackluster vibe from the crowd, but we made do and did our best as actors that day. We can’t let the energy of the audience affect our energy and effort, Marc brought that point up as well. I also have been thinking a lot about the note that Marc brought up after the Pay What You Can Preview, about fishing for a reaction during funny moments, and I’ve been consciously trying to avoid that, which is a bit harder than it sounds. Because I think if an actor falls into that, lines become predetermined and we don’t want that. Overall after the show tonight I promised myself to be more prepared for setbacks that might affect my performance on stage, as well as be prepared for the potential of the audience's lack of reaction.

Performance 3 

The third performance tonight was a lot of fun! I felt the most comfortable on stage I have yet, but maybe perhaps too relaxed, I need to find the right balance. The first two shows I spent a lot of time making sure I was hitting cues, bringing a comfortable pace to the show, and making sure I didn’t drop any text. For tonight I let go of those hand holds, trusting in myself that I know how the show runs now. This made me more available to listen to my scene partners, and I felt more open to spontaneous reaction. One thing I realized while writing this, I forgot to mention that in the beginning of this process when we were practicing y-buzz and healthy vocal techniques, and recalling things from Voice and Body Movement and other speech classes, I held a lot of tension in my throat. I’m honestly not sure when it changed, but I noticed that after consistent yelling as Macmorris my throat didn't hurt. I was really proud of this realization, because prior to learning and working on healthy vocal techniques I definitely would’ve hurt my voice if I were to attempt the same thing. So it was really cool to see my growth. Overall, this performance felt like a turning point. Definitely not perfect, but more honest. Now the main goal is to keep that sense of spontaneity while staying consistent and clear.

Performance 4

It is crazy how we’re already at our fourth performance, meaning we’re halfway done and next week we close the show! I was thrown a bit off kilter today because I was late and didn’t have time to do my warmup as I usually do. I had accidentally looked at the call time for Saturday instead of the call time for Sunday, the matinee. It was an honest mistake and I told myself it wasn’t the end of the world. I made it on time enough to get in makeup and costume on time. We were also running a bit behind schedule wise, I think there was an issue with some of the lights that needed to be fixed before the show. That little bit of extra time allowed me to ground myself and do a mini warmup which helped get me in the zone. I could definitely feel the weight of doing four performances in a row on top of classes, especially since we’re nearing finals. I could feel the same energy throughout the cast, but we kept a good energy today. I’ve definitely learned a good lesson in perseverance throughout this entire process, even if I’m tired, I show up, work earnestly, and it’ll speak for itself. Tonight’s show went really well, but I’ll definitely be taking care of myself in the days leading up to the next time we perform. Taking care of myself has always been hard, but being in this show has helped me put myself first a bit more than I usually do. I also have to remember that progress isn’t linear and being too hard on myself to a harsh degree won’t help.

Performance 5 

Second round of performances already! This is going so fast, faster than I thought it would! I’m gonna be sad when it's all over, this show has been so meaningful to me. I was particularly excited for this performance because I was told Sim Rivers, the professor I had for Acting Styles was going to be in attendance. A good chunk of the people I had in that class are actually in the cast, which has made it a really cool full circle moment for us. Prior to Acting Styles I wasn’t even remotely comfortable with Shakespeare, and Sim was reassuring and gave us all the confidence to audition for Henry V. We had so much fun in that class and I was really eager for Sim to see how far we’ve come since Acting Styles. I was also nervous, hoping he was gonna like the show, and once I stepped on stage those worries melted away. I didn’t know that Sim was going to be in the very front row until I got on stage and could hear him cackling at the funny parts. That was genuinely the most challenging part of tonight’s show, not to break onstage from Sim’s cackling, it was so funny. I was so happy that Sim was enjoying the show so much! All of us backstage who knew him and especially those who didn’t know him grew to like him quickly. The audience was also responsive, and really along with us for the ride, so that also helped our energy a lot. I personally think this might’ve been our best show yet (though I’m probably a bit biased). Overall, I felt really good about this performance, even after the show I wasn't as exhausted as I thought I would be! After getting out of costume I went and greeted the audience. I got a chance to talk to Sim first, he was waiting for us to come out which I thought was so kind! He loved the show and the first thing he asked was how I felt about the show. I really appreciated the question because right after a show, an actor isn't commonly asked that. I shared my experience and he said he was proud of me and all his Acting Styles students. It really warmed my heart, I nearly cried right there. 

Performance 6 

It feels surreal to be here at this point, everyday is a countdown to the last show. I remind myself to enjoy it and be present while it’s still here. I found myself finding more moments to slow down and take it all in. I was a little more jittery than usual so I made sure to do extra warmups to ground myself. It’s probably because my mom is here to see the last three shows! My mom hasn’t seen me act on stage since high school. She expressed to me it was emotional for her seeing me act again, since she knows how much I love theatre. I think I was a little distracted however, knowing that my mom was in the audience. I was nervous to know her reaction to the show and my performance in it. She traveled all the way from Colorado to be here to see me, so I made sure to bring my best. Though I think her being there also helped me not go into autopilot since we’ve all gotten comfortable with doing the show. Her presence reminded me to stay present in each scene. It gave me a reason to ask myself am I earning the reaction that I want from a certain person in the scene. After the show I didn’t get a chance to see my mom because she went to my aunt and uncle’s house to get some sleep. But I took no offense to it since she’s going to see two more shows, plus she knew that I was going to the cast party that was happening after the show. So after I left DuPont I went and grabbed some snacks to add to the spread for the party. It was a lot of fun and I got to play games and bond with the cast, crew, and whoever else showed up! It was definitely a satisfying end to an amazing day.

Performance 7 

Second to last performance, there was a tired energy among the cast today, but also a lingering sadness knowing we have one more show left after this one. This show will definitely leave a special place in our hearts. The dressing room was a little quieter than usual, but I could tell we were still prepared to give it our all. Tonight’s performance was probably one of the most present performances I’ve had. I wasn’t thinking ahead as much and I wasn’t trying to recreate past shows. It felt right there in the moment, especially in those quieter scenes. Which made every moment come with the realization that we’re almost done with the show that we’ve built together and it was sad, some of us were already getting emotional. Even the way we acted was a little different, every connection and every glance on stage felt just a little longer, barely noticeable, but still there. I think there was a silent understanding between actors that this journey we’ve been through together was almost over, and that we wish we could hold onto it a little longer. 

Performance 8

Last time, best time. It is a phrase that I’ve adopted over the past two years and it definitely hit me harder tonight. I kept saying it to my castmates to help hype them up, knowing for some of us this was our last show at UMW. We were buzzing with excitement as we were getting ready, but also there were a lot of emotions surfacing already as the reality hit for us seniors. Every part of my routine leading up to curtain felt heavier than usual. When we were backstage before the Prologue started I promised myself I wouldn’t cry until the end. Which was a little difficult when people around me were doing their best not to cry. We gave it our all this performance, because from beginning to end every beat, every line, every fight, every glance was a countdown to the very last line that Ciarra gave. At bows, some of us were crying, I didn’t cry because it hadn’t really hit me yet. In fact I couldn’t enjoy getting undressed and back into my clothes for the last time, I had to quickly get dinner and head over to Dodd Auditorium for my last choir concert. Every song hit heavier than usual, and I thought I was going to make it without crying until we sang the Alma Mater, that got me. The finality of it all really hit me all at once. It wasn’t just a goodbye to each of my shows, it was a goodbye to the people who’ve become like family to me. I’ve loved every second of this show, and I’ll miss everyone I’ll be leaving behind, but I’ll also miss my friends here who will be stepping out into the world with me.