Almost there...

10 days before we open, and everything's in pretty awesome shape...

"Fringe Show" and "Schmoozers" are fully blocked. I opted to go with "Schmoozers" to end the show, but I just as easily could've switched. They're both great for different reasons, and both are fully blocked. All we need to do is memorize at this point, and we've got a great show...

There's one more play to block however: "Plagiarism". Due to our complex rehearsal schedule, we've had very little rehearsal for this play. Jonathan Shatzky and Ryan Moleiro basically have opposite schedules. The few times I could get them both in the same room at the same time, I decided to devote to "Fringe Show". "Fringe Show" is longer and has more characters, so I thought that would be a more efficient use of time.

So we've got 4 hours of "Plagiarism" rehearsal tonight. We've blocked about half of it, and my focus this week will be to tighten this particular playlet. We spent quite a bit of time on character work and blocking for the other 2 plays, but "Plagiarism" still remains largely enigmatic. The other 2 are in good shape, and a week from now, "Plagiarism" will catch up...

This is the part of the process I refer to as "getting over the hump". The actors know the show. They simply have to remember everything we've decided over the last few weeks, memorize all their lines and get in the flow of the production. My job is almost over - which is an ambivalent feeling - and it's time for the actors to take ownership of the work. It's already happening, but this next week will be more of me handing the baton to my talented cast, then figuring out what the hell to do with my time after we open on Sept 17...

Opening night is always bittersweet for the director. It's a relief because the show is finally ready to go up before an audience, but also poignant because the director now becomes redundant. I'm looking forward to simply becoming a fan of the work, but it's always tough to lurk in the shadows - as there is always another moment to refine, another choice to meddle with...

10 days until catharsis, then it's off to the next project - wherever that may be...

Bobman