[gathering] the mousetrap rehearsal
In all likelihood, the stage would be unusable come December, but for the sake of the first rehearsal, Jamie thought it best to hold it there regardless. The space was, after all, designed for such a thing, even if it didn't get much use when all was said and done. Having instructed the cast and crew to gather where the audience traditionally would sit, he took his place center stage, his toes dangling off the edge. There was no need to stand so close other than he wanted to, almost needing the physical reminder that he was about to endeavor on a venture that could very well see him crash and burn. It had been over a year since he'd led anyone, and longer still since he'd tread the floorboards in Stratford. He was as out of practice as pretty much everyone in the cast -- and that was, perhaps, the one good thing about the Island's lack of steady theater. Everyone was on the same page.
"Good afternoon," said Jamie, his arms outspread as he stared at down at the small group gathered, and he waited for the murmur of conversation to die down before he continued. "As you should all know by now, my name is Jamie Madrox, and I will be your director for the next month and a half. You've likely noticed that your stage manager, Layla Miller, and I have matching tattoos. I'll ask that you don't stare.
"Some of you are new both to me and this experience, so I thought we'd take the time to get to know one another today... Start off slow before the crunch begins. For the most part, your characters are strangers, but unless there's a surprise Daniel Day-Lewis in our midst, there's no reason for us to be."
Pressing a hand to his chest, he began to pace as he carried on, "Back home, I acted with the Royal Shakespeare Company, but I've recently been making my living as a private investigator, which likely explains why I chose this particular piece. The Mousetrap is the longest running show of the modern era, and well-known for its twist ending. It also happens to be about a group of people who find themselves stuck in a house with no way to leave, every last one of them lying about some aspect of their past, of themselves, all the while plagued by a recurring chorus of 'Three Blind Mice.'"
He paused for effect, turning on his heel to face outwards once again, and his brows inching higher. "Call me a sensationalist, but that scenario strikes me as uncomfortably similar to our lives here, on this island. Half of you could be murderers, and we wouldn't even know it... Because it's an exercise of appearance versus reality, what people say they are versus what they've actually done. People, they want to put their best foot forward to make life easier for themselves, if not those around them, and I have no doubt that some of you will lie to each other today, and throughout our rehearsals. It's simply human nature.
"And that," he said with a sudden snap of his fingers, "above all things, is the driving force of the play's narrative, that innate need to protect oneself that most of us possess."
Crouching down, he picked up the copies of the play he'd spent the last few weeks coaxing from the bookshelf, each of them annotated with his first round of rewrites -- character connections had been reworked to take into account their respective actors' age and some of the dialogue had been Americanized where applicable -- Major Metcalf's, obviously, would remain unchanged. He was sure more alterations would be needed as they worked during the upcoming weeks, but for now, the major issues had been worked out.
"But enough with my monologuing," he said, jumping from the stage with the scripts in his arms. "Let's get started, huh?"
Gathering post for The Mousetrap! This is pretty much a meet-and-greet for everyone involved to get to know one another, but people who would like to help out and haven't yet made contact with Jamie are more than welcome to tag in. Cast members' loved ones and friends are welcome, too, if they'd have stopped by. Further information about the play can be found here.
"Good afternoon," said Jamie, his arms outspread as he stared at down at the small group gathered, and he waited for the murmur of conversation to die down before he continued. "As you should all know by now, my name is Jamie Madrox, and I will be your director for the next month and a half. You've likely noticed that your stage manager, Layla Miller, and I have matching tattoos. I'll ask that you don't stare.
"Some of you are new both to me and this experience, so I thought we'd take the time to get to know one another today... Start off slow before the crunch begins. For the most part, your characters are strangers, but unless there's a surprise Daniel Day-Lewis in our midst, there's no reason for us to be."
Pressing a hand to his chest, he began to pace as he carried on, "Back home, I acted with the Royal Shakespeare Company, but I've recently been making my living as a private investigator, which likely explains why I chose this particular piece. The Mousetrap is the longest running show of the modern era, and well-known for its twist ending. It also happens to be about a group of people who find themselves stuck in a house with no way to leave, every last one of them lying about some aspect of their past, of themselves, all the while plagued by a recurring chorus of 'Three Blind Mice.'"
He paused for effect, turning on his heel to face outwards once again, and his brows inching higher. "Call me a sensationalist, but that scenario strikes me as uncomfortably similar to our lives here, on this island. Half of you could be murderers, and we wouldn't even know it... Because it's an exercise of appearance versus reality, what people say they are versus what they've actually done. People, they want to put their best foot forward to make life easier for themselves, if not those around them, and I have no doubt that some of you will lie to each other today, and throughout our rehearsals. It's simply human nature.
"And that," he said with a sudden snap of his fingers, "above all things, is the driving force of the play's narrative, that innate need to protect oneself that most of us possess."
Crouching down, he picked up the copies of the play he'd spent the last few weeks coaxing from the bookshelf, each of them annotated with his first round of rewrites -- character connections had been reworked to take into account their respective actors' age and some of the dialogue had been Americanized where applicable -- Major Metcalf's, obviously, would remain unchanged. He was sure more alterations would be needed as they worked during the upcoming weeks, but for now, the major issues had been worked out.
"But enough with my monologuing," he said, jumping from the stage with the scripts in his arms. "Let's get started, huh?"
Gathering post for The Mousetrap! This is pretty much a meet-and-greet for everyone involved to get to know one another, but people who would like to help out and haven't yet made contact with Jamie are more than welcome to tag in. Cast members' loved ones and friends are welcome, too, if they'd have stopped by. Further information about the play can be found here.