After the second week of rehearsal, we asked Adam Darrow (DSF’s Proteus) to share a few thoughts about his journey with the play.
June 24, 2013
Every single time I begin working on a Shakespeare piece I’ve never performed, I get the exhilarating feeling that I know nothing; about Shakespeare, about acting, about myself. It’s exhilarating because I know that in just a short while I will have grown as a person and an actor. After a busy week two with Delaware Shakespeare Festival, that has never been more tangible. I haven’t just changed because of the sunburn from our outdoor rehearsals, but I’ve learned new music, learned some new dances, and have been utterly humbled by the staggering work we have done, and by the long road we have yet to run before we open.
As week two came to a close, we began to really address the challenges of the play – stark emotional shifts, almost impossible moments of forgiveness, and some actions that I believe will test the cast and audience alike. Our wonderful director, Sam Bellomo, continues to strike a great balance with all the actors. We receive some very specific direction, and other times we have the freedom to throw ourselves at an impulsive idea or an action to see what works. The text work we’ve been doing with David Stradley and Caroline Crocker has been enlightening and wonderfully exhausting in and of itself.
We were fitted with costumes by Amanda Wolff this week, and this show is going to look beautiful. There are colors and patterns that pop, and some great vintage pieces that are really going to transform the whole cast.
I think we are now caught up in some wonderful forward moving energy that will take us through this next week. We have put together 95% of the show, which after two weeks is no small feat for a Shakespeare play. Now it’s about making things clear. There are a lot of smaller scenes in this play and we need to make sure they connect and that all the characters remain in the same believable world. We’re going to do more singing, more dancing, and we’re going to wear more sunscreen!
OTHER PERFORMANCE/REHEARSAL UPDATES
Griffin Stanton-Ameisen’s Opening Weekend
Emilie Krause’s First Week of Rehearsals
Clare Mahoney’s Third Week of Rehearsals
James Kassees’ Tech Week
