Oh yes. Rehearsal. That is a large part of my life at the moment. The great Bro. Hyrum asked me to assistant stage manage "Fiddler on the Roof" and since we open in a couple weeks it's getting down the crunch. And from my experience so far I'm beginning to think he picked me because I've helped him with tech before and the stage manager for this show doesn't really do much. (Shah! Not a Christian thing to say, I know.) I'm also finally in an acting class this semester, with John Bidwell. My poor psyche is going to have a rough time of it this semester when it comes to acting. (Please excuse me while I go into theatre terminology for a moment.) Bidwell teaches method...he's all for Stanislavski as explored and explained by Uda Hagen and Michael Shurtleff. I'm also being trained by Hyrum Conrad in Alba emoting, though, which is quite the opposite of method, although still presentational in nature. (Alba's pretty deep stuff that I can't even hope to explain...check out http://keystoneonline.com/story.asp?Art_id=1135 and there's a pretty good article there. It's not a very widespread technique because so many people are so used to method, and because there are only 5 or 6 teachers in the U.S. certified to train in Alba.) Later in the spring, if I get into "Our Town," I'll be working with Omar Hansen, whose main focus is story-telling and representational acting. I think my brain might explode. BUT, I figure the best way to learn is to learn it all, and then choose which works best for me and to have all those things as resources so that I can employ them all in their proper time and place.
Being involved with "Fiddler" is tons of fun, though. I love working with Bro. Hyrum, and the cast is fabulous. We had a minor crisis yesterday...actually, it's pretty major but I'm trying to labor under the happy dillusion that it's not. Our Hodel broke her arm slipping on the ice yesterday, so her left arm is all up in a sling. The break went into her elbow so her arm is totally immobilized. So we're trying to re-work choreography and figure out how a costume can hide a cast and/or sling. We're also wondering about set peices that were supposed to be done weeks ago, and about Spencer looking Russian without being wigged because the Dean pulled him aside the other day and told him that he didn't care if he had permission from a proffesor, his hair was too long and for talking back, he has to have it extra short. Also a little concerned with Anselin, who passed out onstage last night. Oh yes, and about Marcie, the little girl who's been called in just this week to play Bielke...we still haven't heard from her or her parents and she's a youngun. But these are the adventurous little things that make show biz exciting!
My schedule's pretty easy this semester...I'm only taking 13 credits, and all but three of my classes are fine arts related (english, education, and math). Hizzah for that.
So I think that's about all I can think of to say. My Jen says that I should mention how "fabawesome" and "fantacular" she is. I think I'm going to go eat soon, because if I don't I will, in the words of Jen herself, "feel like a hammer without a head...completely useless!"
Love you all!
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