Friday 2 – June 8th

All in all a good day today.

Our first session was cancelled since the speaker couldn’t make it.

We didn’t need to get there until 2 pm.

I took another load to the wash and fold. I put the claim check in my wallet so I won’t lose it. I’ll pick it up tomorrow – supposed to have showers tomorrow – there must be some tie between my picking up my laundry and rain. Have to think about that one. I wonder if there is a play in there somewhere?

I talked to Rob O’Neill today and we’re going out to dinner on Monday. He said to say ‘Hi” to everyone on Orcas. I told him that everyone on Orcas says hi to him (and Lisa Benner).

Now to the rest of the day.

Last things first. The evening session (7 to 20 pm) was very different. We were broken up into small (7 person) groups. Each group was headed by a playwright who gave their group ten pages of a script he was working on. The play he is working on is a one man opera. Really! It is based on the true story of a Chinese man who was trapped in an elevator in NYC for three days. We listened to a couple of songs from it and they weren’t too bad. Not high opera – just a musical where every line is sung. By definition that makes it an opera.

We read parts of it aloud then we spent an hour talking about it and our ideas on it. Here we have a guy trapped in an elevator – not a whole lot of room for blocking. Wrong!!! One of the guys in our group is a costume designer but also does set design. He came in with a possible design for the set and it was REALLY great. It gave the directors a lot to work with and we just brainstormed. It was really good. The playwright is coming to Seattle next week to have a reading (singing) of his play at The Theater Off Jackson.

That reminds me of something I’ve been meaning to mention: My biggest revelation so far is the important part Designers play in the play presentation process. Each type of designer brings something different to the process – far more than what we are used to on Orcas. Of course these guys get paid big bucks. This guy tonight was talking about a show he is currently costuming. He analyzes each character and knows more about the character than the playwright or director. He even put a medallion in the pocket of a costume because he decided that the characters mother had given it to him. Not mentioned in the script anywhere.

After we finished with the opera, we talked about working with playwrights in general. It was a really good discussion and one of the best I have been involved in since I got here. We had actors, the designer, the playwright and four directors all participating. It was an amazing discussion.

Before this session, we had the fourth of five plays that they have been rehearsing. This one was called “Green Zone” after the name of the American compound in Baghdad. It was a comedy/drama and poked a lot of fun on the American Army and the civilian support people but also had a more serious overtone. A fourth play very different that the others.

It was also the first play that effectively used the new collaboration model with great success. The actors, designer, director and playwright all felt that the more interactive model provided a much better product. It was funny and well done.

The first session today was cancelled because the expected speaker could not be there.

We start an hour late tomorrow so I have time to get my laundry.

Good night. It’s 11:20.