the blogging stage

Audioclip from The Master Builder. Hilde and Solness. (Daiva Bhandari and Blake Montgomery.)

masterbuilder_audioclip

We have discount tickets available through Goldstar. In fact, for this weekend and next, there are even some free tickets available. Go to Goldstar.com and pick up your tickets now. You heard it on the blog.

See you at the theater.

Here are some production photos taken by Michael Brosilow during our final dress rehearsal. He did an amazing job given movement and lighting conditions. Thanks, Michael.

We had a great opening last Sunday. The elements of the show came together beautifully and the whole story was brought into great life and focus by the presence of a full house. 

So thanks to everyone for all your hard work. It was a difficult  week but the effort and energy, faith and trust, goodwill and patience all paid off. 

And thanks to the audience for showing up. It was really a great house and it was a pleasure to play the story for  you. I can’t wait to get back at it. We have created a really strong structure to play with and grow into. And now we have a bunch of shows to just keep working on the piece. I’m excited to see how it develops.

(Check it out if you haven’t already seen it.)

Well…it’s been a long couple of days. And I suspect there will be a few more long days to come. Things are coming together well. All parts of the show are shaping up. I think everyone is doing really great work and the attitudes and energy have all been positive.

So we finally really did our speed through. An hour and twenty plus twenty minutes of stopping and do-overs. And as is usually the case, so much of it felt good. “Oh, it is better at this speed.” Sure there were bits that were rushed but the whole thing just transforms and becomes alive at that speed and energy. I believe even slowing it back down (while keeping out gratuitous pauses and low-energy/low-stakes lulls) we will be under 1hour40minutes. So…after all, it looks like we can do this as one act after all. Yay. Nothing like an intermission to ruin everything.

Maggie and I just spent 4 hours going through and making some nice light cues. Figuring out exactly what the looks are, or at least what was driving them, the rules for entrances and exits, the moments which are “real” and the moments which are “shared fantasies,” the progression of color and mood throughout the show.

So much is coming together in terms of finally understanding OH this is how the piece works. And yet, there is so much left to do.

Tomorrow night bringing in the sound will help and working on the timing with music and light. And then Tuesday getting back to running the show. FInding its rhythms, adjusting blocking and pictures, pushing moments, articulating the arc of the show…

Anyway, it’s late. I don’t know  that I am shedding any light on anything. I just wanted to put out into the world that I think we are getting closer. And not a moment too soon. I am tired. I am content with a good day’s work. I am happy to have spent that day (and these last weeks) working with a great group of people. And more four-square will be played soon.

Some thoughts…if the ending is not actually about the Master Builder’s climbing nor about his falling - if it’s specifically about how it affects the other three characters, their reactions - then we do not need the Master Builder to re-enter for the falling sequence.  If what he’s doing is described as “the impossible” and that he’s standing on the topmost planks of a high tower then we see the actor actually on the stage on the same level with the rest of us - it just doesnt seem right to me.  and since we dont have the option of putting Blake at an extreme height, maybe we could return to the idea that it is only the three remaining characters on stage in the entire ending sequence.  

I will email specific ideas of how to stage the ending with three as soon as i’ve got a full idea.   

Here is a word document version of the norwegian text for use in creating the pre-show:

Norwegian Master Builder Text

So last night’s focusing in on our world: zooming in on the things we want to keep, eliminating the ideas (both visual and performative) that weren’t helping us, and working the production details (as opposed to scenes)…

All of it I think helped immensely. Not only did the production feel like it started to hold together visually, like it was a piece and not merely a whole bunch of crap onstage, but it really brought out some great stuff performance-wise, too.

The extra oomph we got from the new evolution of entrances, really helped. I believe Maggie gets the credit for seeing what was missing there. Thanks, Maggie.

And the work on the character change moments was great. It really brought a new energy to the piece. One which I think will be a lot of fun in performance. I am sorry I don’t get to do that too. But I suppose I have enough things to worry about already.

And even though we didn’t do much of the scenes…the little bits we did seemed to benefit greatly from the energy that came from these choices. Really, there was a huge jump in presence and play all around. Great work all. Really great. (Keep working on your little quick-change plays. If they are great, they help immensely. If they are less than great we’ll need to figure something else out. The good news is that last night promised that they can be great. So keep up the good work.)

And last, for the time being, I was happy how the rehearsal worked. I was a bit worried coming in having made some sweeping decisions. I feared that in implementing them I would have to revert to being complete dictator. That didn’t happen. After having clarified our new rules, it seemed to me that you all were able to accept them, adjust, and then we were all able to collaborate on the actual working of details.

This continues to be an exciting process to me. And we are in really new territory. We have made some mistakes, often I have made mistakes, but overall the group has remained in good spirits, united in a common purpose, and supportive. The next week will benefit greatly from that. And I will continue to try to push a strong direction on the piece without controlling all the details of that direction. It will be tricky but last night makes me believe we can do it. Again, great work all.

Onward!!!

HILDE: The bird of prey likes hunting best.

SOLNESS: That’s the robust conscience!

HILDE: I know what you’re going to build next.

Proposed Cuts in Bold Italics.

SOLNESS: And make you a princess?

HILDE:  You promised me that.

SOLNESS: And give you a kingdom, too?

HILDE: Why not? It didn’t have to be an actual kingdom.

SOLNESS: But something else just as good?

HILDE: At least as good. If you could build the highest church tower in the world, I thought you must surely be able to produce a kingdom too, of some sort or other.

SOLNESS: I really can’t figure you out, Miss Wangel.