Rehearsal Update: The Belle of Amherst
I took a short drive to the Ennotville Swamps yesterday to take in a rehearsal of the Belle of Amherst, the next show in our summer season at the library.
You know it's going to be a good time when they serve you tea and cookies with your rehearsal. As expected, with only a couple of weeks remaining until the show opens the triumvirate of women making this show happen have things well in hand. Rachel, the director, is carefully fine-tuning blocking and bringing out all the nuances of the text, as she should be at this point. Sara, the actor, has almost conquered the mammoth task of memorizing lines and one can see in her delivery the beginnings of a very moving, inspiring performance. Tying it all together is Pam, the Stage Manager, calmly giving line prompts and encouragement.
What struck me as the afternoon went on was that I wasn't getting lost or baffled in the text. By my own admission, I am no expert on Dickinson, or even the greater canon of American Literature, yet I understood every word that was spoken. I was able to grasp meanings behind the lines, and the seamless flow from text to poetry (symbolic of Emily's character, I suppose) made the whole thing not so much a play as an experience. This is not something you go to watch, it is something you go to be a part of.
So all is quiet on the "Belle" front. A welcome relief for me (just try having eight productions in the works at one time - it can get a little exasperating!), but more importantly a treat for you, the audience. This is going to be a great show. Something special. Something I think we'll be talking about for a long time to come.
You know it's going to be a good time when they serve you tea and cookies with your rehearsal. As expected, with only a couple of weeks remaining until the show opens the triumvirate of women making this show happen have things well in hand. Rachel, the director, is carefully fine-tuning blocking and bringing out all the nuances of the text, as she should be at this point. Sara, the actor, has almost conquered the mammoth task of memorizing lines and one can see in her delivery the beginnings of a very moving, inspiring performance. Tying it all together is Pam, the Stage Manager, calmly giving line prompts and encouragement.
What struck me as the afternoon went on was that I wasn't getting lost or baffled in the text. By my own admission, I am no expert on Dickinson, or even the greater canon of American Literature, yet I understood every word that was spoken. I was able to grasp meanings behind the lines, and the seamless flow from text to poetry (symbolic of Emily's character, I suppose) made the whole thing not so much a play as an experience. This is not something you go to watch, it is something you go to be a part of.
So all is quiet on the "Belle" front. A welcome relief for me (just try having eight productions in the works at one time - it can get a little exasperating!), but more importantly a treat for you, the audience. This is going to be a great show. Something special. Something I think we'll be talking about for a long time to come.
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