Sunday, May 27, 2007

Thank you for the music...

ABBA reference for those who didn't know...

Rehearsed with the band today - always SO cool. I always forget what an amazing difference it really makes - And what a re-energizing kind of thing it is. They sound fantastic, and noe the next nights bring lights, costumes, and then everything on Wednesday except the audience which comes on Thursday... gonna be a fun week as it always is...

By the way...

You've heard mention of Jacque, Lockstock's famous designer cousin... well, that not what he had set out to become... he had wanted to be a painter. And he was good at it too. One problem - he insisted on wearing a pink coat over his clothes while he painted. Well his fellow painters went along with it initially because Jacque was so good - but eventually all the verbal jabs and name-calling from passers-by got to be too much and Jacque was let go. And word spread - there was nowhere for him to go that would put up with his quirkiness. In other words - no one wanted to put up with everyone...

MOCKING THE LOCKSTOCK SMOCK

Over and Out.

O.L.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Finally

My apologies to the 6 or 7 people who actually read my blog - the hard drive in my laptop had to be replaced and then it was a chore getting hooked back up to the internet (Thanks Tripp!) - So haven't imparted my wisdom in a while...

Anyhoo... had a week now in the "space" and things really seem to be coming together. Some shows, two weeks out I'm freaking out thinking I don't have enough time. Others I can't wait for an audience. This one is quite "Goldilocks" - it's just right. Things are going smooth. I'm getting to the point where I can breathe during the Cop Song, lines are fine - couple of stupid word flub ups but in great shape, and things are really starting to clip for everyone I think. And it will only get more so this week.

So I will post more this week. Unless my laptop blows up or something...

By the way... when you come see the show you may wonder why Lockstock doesn't carry a gun. Well as a child he was always enamored with the gun his father owned - a 9 mm Luger Parabellum semi-automatic pistol. Well while his father was away, he stumbled upon it and was playing around when he dropped the pistol. The pistol went off and the bullet put a hole in the family recliner - Lockstock's father's favorite chair. Unable to hide what he had done, he told his father and was grounded for three months. After living through that he swore he'd never own a gun - his father's scalding words to this day ringing in his ears...

"KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF THE LOCKSTOCK GLOCK!"

Over and Out.

O.L.

Saturday, May 5, 2007

It's "Play" time...

I had a favorite Professor in college. Tom Nevins. He taught Dialects, Theatre History and Directing. He was also the one who gave me my first lead. Christy in Playboy of the Western World. We started each rehearsal with a game. Kitty in the Corner, Red Light/Green Light. Childish games - so that we could remember how carefree and unrestrained childhood was. And to make us realize we still had had playfulness inside of us. He'd say there's a reason the thing we're doing isn't called a "Work". It should be fun, carefree and unrestrained at the core of it all. Don't take that to mean there's no work involved. There's plenty of that. Take it to mean that the end result is to open up that wonderful world that is PLAY.

Another thing our games taught us was that it's OK in the process to make a fool of yourself, to make a choice that doesn't work - SO WHAT - DO OVER. Now that the entire show is blocked, and after Sunday the Cop Song will be Choreographed, it's play time, and I can't wait. To laugh, to fall, to get up, to fall again, to learn, to finally get it, and to have fun playing.

Green Light.

By the way... Lockstock's Grandmother was quite the entrepreneur, opening her own coffee shop when she was only 19. When water supplies started drying up though she was forced to sell to a larger franchise owned by Mr. & Mrs. Reginald Nuts. Not only did they buy the property they also liked the name she chose and changed it just a bit to their liking. The name? You guessed it...

Chock Full O' Lockstock

Over and Out.

O.L.