Mid-winter Update

Do I have time to tap the maple trees this year?

And we’re off! Rehearsals for The Dark Lady of the Sonnets are now underway, and what an experience it has been so far. Yes, I love being in rehearsal, but it’s been a long time since I worked on a play like this. Shaw’s scripts demand that both actors and directors bring their brains with them to rehearsals, and that’s exactly what this ensemble is doing. We’re talking about meaning, character, even philosophy, on a level that I haven’t done in quite a while. That’s the downside of doing my own plays, I suppose - I’m no George Bernard Shaw, and I tend to hit the audience over the head with my syntax, rather than carefully crafting subtle messages in metaphors and mythology. There’s just not all that much to discuss in my plays (and anyone who tries usually misses the point), but this play, on the other hand, has more layers of meaning than one could get to in a lifetime of rehearsing. 

I think that shows like this are good for the directorial soul. I’m out of my comfort zone, to be sure, but not completely lost - I’ve actually directed this play once before. But the script forces me to stop, think (do research), and most importantly, make decisions. In rehearsal, the actors too are making decisions, some of which are the same as mine, some of which aren’t. Together we’re finding the truth of the play, our truth for this production, which is different from any that have come before, or will come in the future, even if I were to direct the play again. 

More to come about that one next month. In the meantime preparations continue for both summer productions at the Ennotville Library. Alas, my name wasn’t drawn in the lottery for the Guelph Fringe Festival this year, so I won’t be going back there with a new play, but on the upside it has freed up some additional material, and I’ve made some changes to the line-up for “Her” Stories in week 2. It’s still an all-female show, and I am still looking for the same three amazing women to star in it, but now I think the actual content is that much better. I’m still no George Bernard Shaw, but maybe I’m a little bit less of the playwright I was when I first penned some of those plays, many years ago. 

So that’s about it for this month’s post - I’m plugging away at a number of things, not the least of which is casting, until the weather warms up sufficiently for me to really get rolling in the shop. As always, if you’re interested in being a part of the action, onstage or off (especially off), please do let me know, as I’m sure we can find a place for you this year.