Jim, here are my notes on the Sunday run-through. These are meant for you, so please
don’t forward them except through you. As I said, take what is useful and discard what is
not. Things seem to be going pretty well and I don’t want to muck up your process. Well,
not too much anyway.
First, a note for you. There is a continuum with directors between those who prepare
everything and those who totally wing it. Your directorial style seems to be thinking on
your feet quite a bit. I don’t have a problem with this in the abstract, but I do have a caution
with regard to student actors. Professional actors who come ready with thoughts of their
own and are used to committing to lots of provisional ideas don’t have a problem with
deciding-as-you-go. Indeed, it’s a richer and more creative environment when no firm
decisions are made beforehand. However, for students this can be disorienting. They tend
to respond better when the guiding hand seems more confident and definitive. “Let’s give
it a try and see what happens” works with actors who know how to play objectives, identify
beats, ground given circumstances, perform scansion, etc. With students who are already
overwhelmed, whoever, I worry that this forces them into that deer-in-the-headlights
place.
My advice is that you take the reigns a little more firmly. I don’t mean that you need
to be a more strict disciplinarian, but I think if you prepare a little more thoroughly and
have decisions ready for the issues that come up – blocking, objectives, props, etc. – you
will find that the actors comfort level will improve and likely they will become more
relaxed performers. I have found that giving more structure this way allows students to be
more, not less creative, because they are more sure of what they are doing and what is
expected of them.
If that doesn’t make sense, let me know. Now, for the rest of my notes from the run.
Again, forward what you think will be helpful:
All – Don’t wait for direction, direct yourself. Solve your own problems.
All – Don’t go dead to the scene. Be alive the whole time, listen actively, etc.
Set – Is there any way to dampen noise of footfalls?
Cassius – Enthusiasm at top. She is the juice for a lot of this and she needs to enjoy the lust
for power.
All – volume.
Ebrahim – He has done this before and you can press him. If you aren’t comfortable doing
this, ask me and I will. WARNING: He also will surprise you late in the rehearsals
with lots of new ideas. Let him know that he is building the character NOW and that
late-coming ideas will be less likely to make it into the show.
Hannah – I think a key for her might be her body. She is flexible and willing to try things, so
I’d ask her to take on a different physicality. Something like the zoo exercise or
psychophysical actions might work for her.
Brutus – There is currently no sense of public persona being different from private
persona. He can do it, but he needs to be reminded that Portia is his WIFE. He
LOVES her.
Portia – she will need help identifying an objective for talking to her hubby. She’ll need to
be told explicitly that she needs intimacy.
Sharon – lions and corpses out of graves – let her know that these can be taken seriously.
She’ll go there.
Sound – let’s talk at production meeting tonight.
All – Caesar is a god.
All – no one-arm hugs please.
Portia and Servant – unexpected humor here could be useful. Double takes and that sense
of go, stay, go, stay could be good schtick.
Quick Change – Cassius’ anxiety could buy plenty of time for Treb. to get changed
backstage. Use some non-verbal time to flesh out Cassius’ story.
Anthony – Like with Hannah, I think working Darrell’s body could help his character. He is
too lose and modern. He is a public figure and used to being on display.
Caesar – I’m not convinced that down center is the best place in terms of blocking to put his
body.
Brutus – When he parts out Caesar’s qualities he is running too quickly through the list.
Each is different and Cody can do it much better.
Anthony – Brutus is an honorable man. This repetition has to be worked rhetorically – and
I mean like a professional rhetorician. Brutus is NOT honorable for Anthony, so he
needs to use this repetition like MLK – intentionally.
Cinna – funny scream? I couldn’t tell if this was intentional or not, but it doesn’t seem right.
Cassius – Since she’s a woman, might she hook up with Brutus after Portia’s death? Could
there be an undertone of that in that scene? It would make sense in terms of
jockeying for position.
Man/boy – It seems like some pronouns still need changing for consistency.