WATER!!!!



  On monday the pool was filled and we began our first water rehearsal. Focusing on the shipwreck scene, we spent much of the rehearsal adapting to the new element of the set, as well as tweak the scene itself. 
We had bathing suits and towels at the ready backstage because, well, we got a little wet. On top of their usual work, the stage managers were busy mopping up the water that the rest of us soaked up from the pool. It was, as Narrator 2 puts it, “an enormous green catastrophe”. Overall we had a very productive day, like most. This first water rehearsal marked the beginning of a new phase of work for the show. With only a week until dress rehearsal, finally getting into the water was very helpful.
Just keep swimming,
Riley






Set Build 10/24

Saturday we had our final set build! We got to work on the backdrop, the pool, and the deck for around the pool.
We also got to add lights to the inside of the pool. It is all really starting to feel real and come together now that there is an actual pool on stage. Soon Dom will be able to fill it with water and get the filter going so we can start water rehearsals!! We all worked really hard today between drilling, cutting wood, and assembling the set. It was a long but rewarding day. The set builds help us work together as a team, contribute to the show, and also is a way to learn new things!!


Throwback blog post from the beginning of blocking!


Hi everyone!! On Monday we began the next step in our process on the show, which is detailed blocking. We worked and put a lot of great ideas together and produced a substantial rough draft of a scene.  After we finished with all of the hard work we had done, we were lucky enough to loosen up with a fun, cheerful dance party. This playful activity was recorded and will be featured in a very cool dance number with the dance program here at Berkshire. 


We showed off our awesome dance moves to the song September while the dance teacher, Mrs. Keefer, captured the theater crew in our prime.  Can’t wait to see how we look up on the big screen!
Don’t run, it’s slippery!
Amani B.

Rehearsals Continue


Blocking:
Now that we are getting deep into the blocking of the show, it has become much of what we do during rehearsals. Blocking is just planning out where, when, and what actors are doing at every moment on stage. For most of the common movements we use blocking shorthand, and for the rest we just write out the action in our scripts. For example, “E6 • XUL (table) • sit” would mean Enter 6 (we’ve labelled each entrance with a number), cross the stage to the Upper Left area (more specifically to the table located there) and sit down.

Some photos of the process:


(Annie's diagrams that make sense... in the moment)

Watch for sharks,
Riley

            On their return trip from Tamps, As Greer and Riley previously mentioned, Mr. Howard and Dom got straight back to work.  While Dom continued to work on the logistics of the set, Mr. Howard introduced a new activity he learned while at the conference.  This activity showed us how small changes in various aspects of a scene are very important.  We focused on three main aspects: connection, level, and focus.  To begin the activity, we walked weave-like across the stage in an attempt to to fill the space.  After getting this into our bodies, Mr. Howard introduced the next step of the activity.  We would continue to walk around the stage until Mr. Howard would call “spotlight”.  At this moment, each actor would find the nearest of five spotlights, and create a pose with the other members in that spotlight incorporating focus, level, and connection.  We then focused on one of the five poses, and discussed which small details had a huge effect on the scene.  We repeated this activity for approx. a half an hour.  After learning about the importance of level, focus, and connection, we applied them in rehearsal as we worked on new scenes.  Personally, this really helped me understand my characters and my relationships with characters that I am close with in all of my scenes. Thanks for reading.

Dreaming of the deep end,
Amani     

Rehersals continue

        Today we focused on the Eurydice and Orpheus scene. We spent a lot of time giving each ensemble character a level, focus, and connect so that the whole stage picture could become one scene, rather than only the leads of the scene having specific blocking. A lot of what we try to focus on is making every actor on stage seem equally engaged even when they have no lines. Meanwhile, actors have been working at learning lines. Line run is not not too far and, now that we are getting closer to the show, every moment counts.
The water’s fine,
Riley

Monday, October 5th


            On Friday and Saturday, Mr Howard and Dom were at a conference in Tampa, so it was up to us (and Annie of course) to rally and I think we did a pretty great job! We spent Friday sort of ironing out the beginning scenes, in which I have a few different parts. For my first show at Berkshire, I think it’s really cool how quickly I’m picking up blocking cues. It’s also pretty cool to learn how to channel three different characters in the course of just one or two scenes.
            After a bit of review, we ran all we had done for the first four scenes. We made quite a bit of progress in blocking the show; meanwhile tech crews have been working on acquiring costumes, makeup, bios, props, and headshots. The publicity crew also worked on putting together a skit for the pep rally (see below!) to advertise our show.
            We’ve only got a month to go, but we can’t wait to see you then!
Bring your swimsuits!
            -Riley and Greer

Peter (and Ben not in the picture) doing the skit to tell the campus about the show!