After the second week of rehearsals, Kevin Hoffmann (DSF’s Lucentio) shared a few thoughts about where he is in the process of creating his role.
By the second week of rehearsal, we’re well on our way to transitioning from a roomful of strangers to an artistic ensemble. Those around you begin to understand how you work just as you begin to understand how they work. You rapidly develop a creative shorthand that is essential in an abbreviated rehearsal process and form bonds with your fellow artists.
Individually, the second week is about exploring the feeling and spiritual aspects of the performance. By spiritual, I mean to describe those aspects which are psychological, intangible or extramundane.
The time for dry intellect and table work has passed. You’ve completed the bulk of your tedious memorization and you’ve consulted the myriad of texts and manuals Shakespearean actors refer to when unraveling the intricacies of the language. Your script is full of notes and cryptic pencil marks. You’ve examined the scansion and meter and you’ve analyzed the play and your character. You’ve made that initial terrifying leap in bringing words on a page to life.
Now that that work is complete, the true fun begins. You don’t worry about the final product. The sculpting comes later. The director will shape what you bring to the table. For now, it’s your job to give him/her something to sculpt.
So you play and experiment. You feel your way through rehearsals. You trust the first stage of the process and build on the framework that has been laid. Awkwardness is sloughed off and confidence increases. You begin to adapt your actor’s instrument (body, mind and spirit) to inhabit this character. You try on your character like a set of new garments. How do they walk, talk, move, feel, process new information? You make bold choices and push the boundaries. You care very deeply about everything. You explore, create and keep throwing fuel onto the fire. If you have unanswered questions, you ask. But most importantly, you give more than you take.
OTHER REHEARSAL UPDATES
Ife Foy’s First Week of Rehearsals
