Heat, a Hacking Cough, and the Rehearsal Raccoon

 

The rehearsal raccoon is back. Our old nemesis is helping himself to the garbage cans, opening the securely-fastened compost bin, and licking his lips as he peers into the pen of three week old chickens. So far the stellar acting (and the ever-on-guard cats) have kept him far enough away from rehearsals to be no more than a minor distraction, yet he remains, lurking in the background, ever-ready to throw a wrench into our methodical, carefully-timed plans. 

It's been an excellent run of rehearsals to date, all furry critters considered. The cast are coming together well, and the five shows are starting to take on a life of their own, beyond simply what's written on the page, and it means that the actors are finding meaning in (and taking ownership of) their characters. I can hardly wait to see what they look like once the lines are down. 

I, unfortunately (or fortunately?), have been the weak link so far. I've been fighting a bitter cold for most of the past week, and it's made working creatively extremely difficult, largely because it's made sleeping extremely difficult, and talking, two things that a director in rehearsal really needs to be able to do if they want to be successful. A few days of crippling heat hasn't helped much either. I've struggled through rehearsals at less than my best before (oh the things we used to do in the pre-Covid world...) but this time it was harder than I remember. It was a challenge to keep up, especially with such a strong cast. 

But I'm glad I did. No matter how bad I felt at the start of rehearsal, and no matter how much I hacked and choked on my own words during rehearsal I always felt much, much better at the end of rehearsal. The buzz is back, and it's unaffected by physical ailments. That feeling is what makes doing this, and all the sacrifice and hardship that comes with it, worhwhile. Tonight I'm finally starting to feel a bit better, and here's hoping that another good night's sleep will help get me fully back in the saddle, and back to getting everything done that I need to get done to make this summer's season a success.

Now one thing I have done towards that end is to check out my listing on the Guelph Fringe Festival website. Yes, the shows are up, and tickets are now on sale. So, if you want to learn more about shows in this year's festival, including my own, "Have You Flogged Your Crew Today?" you can read all about them here, and you can buy tickets to any performance of my show here. This event is going to be so much fun, and I'm looking forward to seeing all these great shows almost as much as I'm looking forward to getting on stage and making some people smile. 

But I'm not quite there yet - I need at least one more good night's sleep. So until then, I'll pass things off to Whiskers, who remains on guard, as always, against all threats posed by the rehearsal raccoon: