Feedback

Today was my in class workshop day for directing and I got great feedback on my show. The class really seemed to love my casting decision for all my actors. My biggest fear was erased when jason thought that my show wasn't to over the top and times it needed to be. My classmates really seemed to like the show and thought that my characters had credibility. They mentioned minor technical elements that they liked such as the mommy and daddy t shirts. My set seemed to work for everyone and they liked the entrance and exit from the stairs of the studio. They gave me some feedback about how i could have used staged left a little more and that I could have also added a few props such a baby toys lying around. At times i was given the suggestion that i could have made joe and amandas baby talk even more prevalent and built it up throughout the show. But mostly i was given great compliments. I am so glad that my class mates liked my work. I am proud of what I have done and hopefully this show gave my actors something to be proud of as well.

Closing Night

Tonight was closing night of my show Baby Food. I can't believe it is all over. Tonights show was very good and the audience once again loved it. I still think my favorite was opening night and I cant help to think it was better. I am sure every director is like that though. I mean nothing went wrong and the audience loved it but there was just something missing. I am very sad that it is over. We striked the set and in ten minutes flat POOF, my show was over. I had such a great experience with this directing show. I had the perfect cast. They really helped me learn that I can be a good director even if I am laid back and not as strict as some. i feel I really grew and expanded my knowledged of directing. I learned that I have good ideas and a good eye for details. I am also glad that I did a comedy. Comedy is what I love and its what I am good at. Looking back I am happy with all of my decisions and am happy with the feedback I was given. I am so thankful that I had a stage manager this time. I really think that made a huge difference. My past directing show i did not have a stage manager and it made it really hard to be looking down at the script all the time and also trying to watch what the actors are doing on stage. It was also nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of and here their opinion. I really think that after this directing process that directing might be something I would like to pursue in the future.

Last rehearsal and Opening Night

Today was opening night as well as our last rehearsal. It was a really good idea to have a rehearsal before the show because this made the cast and myself feel more confident. We played some warm up games and even created our own game with the ball called categories. We also ran our show with Andy's so that we could practice the set change. Both shows went really well and we let our cast get dinner and prepare for the night. Leading up to the show I was very nervousI wasn't nervous because I thought the show wouldn't do well, but I was just nervous. All I can say is that I couldn't have asked for a better show or a better audience. They LOVED it. The show went better than I could have ever imagined. My cast was soo on and full of energy. They knew how to hold for the laughs and were feeding off of the audiences reactions. They added some things which only made the show even better. I am pretty sure everyone in the audience got a good laugh. Afterwards was amazing because I have never benn given so much positive feedback. People told me that I was a great director and I couldn't beleive it. Directing was always somethings that I was afraid of and never thought i knew exactly what I was doing. I guess I did. They only thing left to worry about was wondering if tomorrows performance would be just as good.

Dress Rehearsal

Today was sort of a last dress rehearsal form my show. It was also a preview. Barb and some of her modern class came to watch the show. The audience certainly laughed, but not as much as I had hoped. The casts energy was low because we didn't have time for warm ups. It was a good run just not the best audience. My cast was feeling very badly like they had let me down. I thought the show went well. I told them not to worry about anything and that they did great and it was just the audience. Also I have heard that if you have a terrible dress rehearsal you will have a wonderful opening night. Hopefully that's the case, even though things went pretty well in my book.
We are not having a rehearsal tomorrow because of my theater criticism obligations but we did decide to have one more run through before the show on Saturday. This will provide some last minute adjustments and make the actors feel comfortable and familiar with the show for opening night.

Run through with a few guests

Today was a run through of the show with the added elements of light and sound. The show doesn't have any specific light cues except for lights up and lights down. There is intro music in the beginning that fades and then there is music at the add when the lights fade. We also added a sound effect of a baby cry which really adds to the humor. The run went really well and the two audience members were howling. It was good to hear an audiences reaction and I know it really helped my cast with energy. One of the audience member was a fellow class mate and director, who really helped me with some simple suggestions. I only had a few minor notes for my cast. I am really excited about tomorrow because Barb and a some of her modern theater class is coming to watch the show. Fingers crossed!

Insights as of now

I decided to give some of my insights on directing the show Baby Food 
thus far and some things that have learned and discoveries I have made. First of all one 
activity that I felt was very beneficial was one that I did at my very first read through. 
Since I have to couple in my show I told them to get with their partners and to come up 
with their back stories as couples and also come up with a story of how the two couples 
became friends. My cast was very excited to do this activity and they took it very 
seriously. After giving them about seven minutes I had the couples take turns presenting 
what they have come up with. It was very amusing and interesting to see what they 
came up with. Even though they were very different it was good to let the actors come 
up with what they wanted. Another activity I also felt was very beneficial for the actor’s 
character work was the circus walks activity. I had the actors do this before our second 
rehearsal and I could tell such an immediate difference after the activity. I also had them 
say what their characters likes and dislikes were one at a time. This was also very 
entertaining to see them decide what their characters would say. For my rehearsal 
process I decided to do the bite size chunk method. I broke the show into 2 pages at a 
time and did the blocking organically. I found this to work very well. It was a nice way to 
block because it is very collaborative with you and your cast and gives them freedom to 
form their characters. Sometimes I worry that I am a director that just goes with the flow 
and isn’t very by the book. I don’t want my cast to think I’m unprepared or careless. The 
other day at rehearsal my cast and I were waiting for one cast member to arrive and two 
of my cast members told me something that really put a smile on my face. He said, “You 
know what Casey, I just wanted to let you know that I really enjoy your directing 
style.” “You are really laid back and don’t tell us what’s right and wrong, instead you give 
us the freedom to choose and help us if we stray.” “I really like that and I think that a lot 
of people are going to want to work with you in the future.” That really made me feel 
great about my directing. So it just goes to show have more confidence in what you do 
because even though you may think you are not doing things right, other people might 
think what you do is great. My show opens next weekend and I am thrilled to have an 
audience and see my finished product.

5 days till showtime

Tonight was another run in the studio. We had more set dressings today as well as the last props needed. The actors wore there cotumes as well to get the full effect. The show was going good and I only had a few notes to give. I decided to change blocking for Joes entrance and also Rhett and Jamies exit. Since the show takes place in a nice finished basement I decided to have them walk down the actual audience stairs and exit going up the stairs. I like this a lot better then just existing stage left into the black. Also I decided to add to the ending. The show kind of ends on a very strange note and then there would be a blackout. I told Joe and Amanda that there last lines really turned them on to start making out wildy. That later turned into Amanda jumping on Joe with loud sounds fading to black. It is strange and absurd and thats exactly what this show calls for. We also decided to light the candle that is one the coffee table. This provides and really neat effect because when the lights are out it lights up the baby picture of aloyosha. This sets the mood for so much strangeness.

Studio for good

Today's rehearsal went a lot better than the previous. We were back in the studio and this time for good. It was tech week. After running the whole show with props and set pieces things went pretty nicely. I decided then to have a WHAT rehearsal. My actors were familiar with this exercise and did a lot better then the first run. The only major issue seems to be the pace. There are some moments where the dialogue needs to be tighter. Also in the beginning since the show starts mid conversation we decided to have Amanda ad lib a line to ask about what the other character is talking about so that it doesn't start so dead. This really helped. Then I had them run the beginning and would stop if things were to slow and showed them where to speed it up. This seemed to help. We also found more gestures for Amanda to be doing after she hands the wine glasses to everyone. We also added a coat rack to the set so that when Rhett and Jamie leave they can grab their coats and walk out the door.

MPR again

Well tonight's rehearsal was one of those rehearsals where I transformed into a director for sure. The last rehearsal we were in the studio and everything was going great. We were supposed to be in the studio again but something came up and we had to go back to the MPR. This had a huge effect on my cast. First off the first run was horrible. They were paraphrasing every line and they were laughing about it and not taking anything serious. This made me scared because they had been so on and learned their lines so fast and I was afraid that might have been a bad thing because they were getting lazy. After the first run I told them they all needed to take ten minutes and review their scripts. They all sat there studying there lines. Then we ran it again. It was better but it still wasn't working so I just stopped rehearsal there and told them to come back fresh for next rehearsal. I also told them that sammie the stage manager was going to be taking line notes.

Studio Run

Tonight was our first night in the studio. It was such a difference running the MPR and then in the studio. My cast had so much more energy and I felt like I was watching a different show. We ran through the show in its entirety and it was pretty good. There was more to play with because of the studio furniture. We really worked through the show about three solid times. Since the show is only seven pages I don't like to over do it. They are almost completely memorized with their lines and blocking. We also added some more props which definitely help the actors get into the show. I am feeling good with the show at this point. I am having a few rhythm issues as well as some jumbling of words, but those are all minor things that i point out with specific notes to my actors.

Goals and thoughts so far

I decided that I would share my thoughts on my goals
for my directing show as well as talk about some of
my fears. First off, I have only had two actual rehearsals
 and I have almost all of my show blocked accept for 2 pages.
 My actors are very well prepared and are almost off book which
they took the initiative to do themselves considering there
deadline was not until March 19. I chose the play baby food
because it was one of those scripts that you’re reading and all
of a sudden something hits you and you think to yourself did
 that just happen? It was so strangely funny that I had to bring
 in to life on stage. My goal for this show is to let the audience
have a good time and even though some of the things that happen
in the script are absolutely ridiculous, I want them to believe
 that the characters are real people and not cartoon characters.
My fear is that it might come of as a Saturday night live sketch
 and I don’t want that to happen. I have been installing it into
 my actors about realism and believability of their characters
and they have been doing really well with it. The two couples
in the show have already established such a great relationship
 with each other in the show that it is very naturalistic. They
 are beginning to add gestures and noises even when they aren’t
talking that add so much to who they are as people. I am also
very happy with the different dynamics between the two couples.
They are complete opposites but by the end of the show they
 end up switching roles, which should be very evident. So far
there are just a couple moments where I see that slipping and
having turn into a sketch comedy piece. Most directors have
 the problem of actors not being big enough. I have the opposite
 problem with having my actors being to big and having to bring
them down. Although I do find myself laughing hysterically I
have to determine what’s best for the piece and keep it real.
I also have the challenge that even though my show is a one act
it's only seven pages long. I only have seven pages to hook
and play with audiences emotions. Even so I think I will be
able to do this.

3rd Blocking Rehearsal

Tonight was the third and final blocking rehearsal. We had one chunk left to do. We started rehearsal out by playing concentration ball. This didn't work so well. The highest number we got to was fifteen. I think some casts are cut out for that game. Unfortunately my cast is not one of them. After playing a warm up game we conquered the last chunk. We read it allowed first, then proceeded to block it. The last chunk took the longest to block and was perhaps the most difficult. When we were finished blocking it, we ran the show from the top to finish. It was a big old mess the first time through. We fixed the problem areas and continued to run the whole show twice. The cast had most of their lines memorized and it was only the third rehearsal.

Second Blocking Rehearsal

Tonight was my second blocking rehearsal. I started off the rehearsal by having the actors do the character circus walks. These were very beneficial and really helped them build their characters. When they were done with their exercise I had them say to the rest of the cast as their character what they like and what they hate. This was very funny and they did a really good job with it. After the character activity with read through the next two page chunk. After reading through it we started blocking where we left off the last rehearsal. After blocking the second chunk we went back to the first and ran both together. We had to fix some things and help them remember some of the first but they knew what they were doing for the most part. Then we proceeded to read the first and second chunk together three more times. Even though it gets repetitive it definately helps with memorization, and to pick out errors.

First Blocking

Tonight was the first actual rehearsal after a week off for spring break. I decided to begin blocking the show in tiny two page chunks. I first had the cast run through the scene on there feet to get it in their heads. Then I began blocking. I started by giving them beginning positions and some possible movements to be doing at the beginning of the scene. I would let them see where there body would take them based on the dialogue and then tweak, fix, or ask them if it felt right. When it didn't look right we brainstormed together some possible ideas that might work. After we had a basic structure for the two page chunk we ran it three more times in a row to really get it cemented into their brains. I was lucky because most of them had the first two pages memorized so it made it easier to play around with the movement. When rehearsal was over I told them to try and have the next two pages memorized for the followig rehearsal. I was happy with how things were going, and impressed at my casts dedication.

First Read Through

Today was my first read through for Baby Food. I was very excited and nervous' at the same time. I felt more comfortable because I have a stage manager to help me out with logistics. I haven't had a stage manager before so it will be neat to see how it works out. The read through went really smoothly. The cast was already making some really nice choices. We read through it twice and changed some things in the script that were outdated or didn't make sense. It was really good to see my cast so passionate about that show. After we were done reading and discussing, I had them do a little activity. Since I have to couple in my show, I had them pair off and come up with their back story of how they met, and also how they met the other couple. After they were done I had the couples come up one at a time and present what they had come up with. It was hilarious to say the very least. Even though the couples had very different stories it was very beneficial and awesome to witness. We then decided on a common back story. I was very pleased with rehearsal. I told my cast to try and start memorizing lines, since we are going on spring break and they will be taking a week off, so that when we come back we will be ready to start working it.

David Lindsay- Abaire

I decided to research the director of my directing show to get
a better feel for his style. My show Baby Food was written by the acclaimed playwright
David Lindsay-Abaire. This play was written for the 24 hour theater Broadway Benefit in
2005. I think it is a fun idea to do a play that was written in so little time, but is so
entertaining. David Lindsay-Abaire was born in South Boston, Massachusetts. He was
born in a family of five which he considered very “Blue collar.” His father worked for a
fruit market and his mother was a faculty worker. In eighth grade he attended a New
England Boarding School called Milton Academy and that’s where he first became
interested in writing for theater. He then continued theatre at Sarah Lawrence College
and he was accepted in an American Playwrights Program at the Julliard School. There
he was tutored by Christopher Durang and Marsha Norman. It is very evident that he
was influenced by Christopher Durang because they have very similar writing and
absurdity in their works. David has always thought that theatre is a place for absurd
things to happen which is why he tends to stay away from realism in his writing. David
says that "My plays tend to be peopled with outsiders in search of clarity." Some of his
works include Fuddy Meers, Wonder of the World, High Fidelity, Kimberly Akimbo a Devil
Inside, The Other Person, and Crazy Eights. Fuddy Meers was actually performed here at
IUP in the fall of 2004. In 2007 David received the Pulitzer Prize for his play Rabbit Hole.
Rabbit Hole also received five Tony nominations including Best Play. His newest work is
Shrek the Musical which he wrote both the book and lyrics. It premiered at Seattle’s 5th
Avenue Theater and opened on Broadway.    He is now working on screen adaptations of
his play Rabbit Hole which would star Nicole Kidman and also his play Kimberly Akimbo
for Killer Films and DreamWorks. He was most recently awarded the 2008 Ed Kleban
Award as most promising musical theatre lyricist. David Lindsay-Abaire says that some
of his influences are playwrights: Edward Albee, Georges Feydeau, John Guare, and
George S. Kaufman. Abaire is credited with two screen plays Robots and InkHeart and is
currently writing Spiderman 4. He is also working on the book for the musical High
Fidelity. David Lindsay-Abaire has a wife named Christine and one child a son named
Jason.

Auditions

Today Andy and I held Auditions for our directing shows Baby Food, and Wooed and Viewed. We had quite a lot of trouble finding a stage manager to help us run audtions. People kept backing down on us even untill last minute, but we were so thankful when Geoff Maus so graciously came to the rescue. Word of advice to directions with auditions coming up make sure you get a stage manager fast, they are very helpful and help the logistics of the auditions go smoothly and also may serve as a reader. Overall I was very happy with the auditions. I was very impressed with the talent that we had, which also made it very hard to cast. I always feel terrible when someone has a great audition and may be a great actor, but you can't cast them because they are just not right for the parts in your show. I guess every director deals with that problem sometimes. I find it very hard to say no and let others down. I think about their feelings and emotions too much. I need to be more of a director in that sense. Some more food for thought for future directors make sure that you are extremly prepared for both auditions and callbacks. Be ready for anything. Also be careful how you word things. I told an actor after reading at callbacks that he could go now, and I think he took it the wrong way. Looking back on it I should have said thank you I've seen what I've needed to see. I really regret that and wish I would have thought before I spoke. Anyways good luck to those who've yet to cast your shows. There is plenty of talent that Andy and I didn't cast and would love to perform in your shows. I'm very happy with my cast and I can't wait to begin rehearsing!