Last night I worked on lighting with the cast of Hero.  We are 10 days from opening and things are moving rather quickly.   The set was also being built so there were a lot of creative juices in the air.  Working on lighting can be rather tedious.  The cast has to wait around while lights are re-focused.  I had worked out all the cues but once you get actors on stage, the lighting inevitable changes and it takes time.

The rehearsal went long, but I noticed a sort of lightness (no pun intended) in the air as we made our way through the play.  It was hard for the actors to remain totally in character as there are so many stops and starts.  However, they were having fun and didn’t let the tediousness of the night get to them.   After over 2 months of rehearsals, a comfort and ease had come upon them.

Normally, I can get kind of testy during this time.   The details of mounting a production can be enormous, but last night the lightness in the air was needed and did not distract from the task at hand.   It showed me that you can bring a group of relative strangers together and forge a functional family unit.  And that’s what doing theatre is all about – community. 

I wish I could apply the same lightness to my current screenplay Twig.  I’ve been trying to re-write it.  One particular character and his story are not working for me, but I have not been able to come up with a solution I am satisfied with.  Therefore, there have been a lot of blank stares on paper, pacing and probably over-thinking.