Rehearsal Notes: 4-19-11

The Importance of Being Earnest Rehearsal Notes
4/19/2011
tomorrow- definitely using actual tea.
note- must find the disk with the lighting cues on it.
Act One

stronger arm, Ross, when holding the plate stand. Good movement choices. Note- there will be doilies and things on the cart.

four-tey, not fort. Clarence

comic pauses, Clarence. You went to fast after the line of "I never think of it myself"

Enunciate more clearly, Corey. Jack, careful about being to casual. And check with MC about gloves, shoes, etc.

Couldn't quite understand 'divorce court'

Clarence, Corey, you get a little closed off during your scene together at the beginning. Use the whole body.

Clarence, you missed part of the line starting with " I really don't see anything romantic…"

The jacket, Corey- you pushed one arm up to the elbow- it's not period.

Clarence, make sure you don't lose words like aunt- your accent is good, as is the inflection, just pronounce every syllable. You're doing better, but you've still got a long way to go.

Corey, "my dear fellow" sit like a gentleman, not a teenager. You need to run your lines more so that you can concentrate solely on your acting.

" wouldn't be able"- lost! Clarence, say every syllable crisply. "in public"- lost that too

Corey, do not push up the sleeves of your jacket to your elbows! No matter how uncomfortable you find that, Jack wouldn't.

Clarence, you keep losing the ends of your words

TECH NOTE: The Bell needs to be a little louder.

Nat, make sure you aren't in the way of Colleen- she must get to the couch in a dignified manner

Corey, your flirting needs work. Practice. You seem to be in pain.

Colleen, good job on dropping the register. Make sure the owe register doesn't obscure the words.

Colleen- when you stand up, you seem to be acting an aside. Maybe you should look at Algy?

Corey, stand up straight when you get up to follow Gwen. You very very casual- you should be agitated. After all, you are about to propose.

Also, Corey, crisp words. Every single one needs to be understandable.

Your register is getting high again, Corey. "Supposing it was something else"- sometimes it works, sometimes it is a bit much.

Nat- good job. you are understandable, easily readable, fully memorized.

"Married at once"- emotion behind it? where is the fear she is going to turn you down?

"Marry me" HIGH, Corey. You don't sound quite serious.

Can we see Lady Bracknell before you say the line, Colleen? That way we see the indignation.

Corey, during LB's rant on ignorance, you are far too casual. Posture.

" at a moment's notice" should be"any time, at six months notice"

Jack needs to evolve during the scene- how does he feel during it, how does he change?

"Brighton line"- you've been rocking on your feet, Corey.

We need a new pen for LB- the current one is an anachronism.

Clarence- slow down and enunciate!!!! Your lines are still being lost- I could barely understand I'm sitting right beneath the stage!

Jack- take a bit longer to realize what the music is- wait for the dadadedumdum we all know before you start shouting at him.

"Love to her"- you could stand to be more suggestive, Algy, in your mannerisms. But tastefully so.

Jack, you still sit too casually. Sit up straight ( this all during your conversation about Earnest and Bunbury).

Lane- slower movements. Don't run into the room, even if you want the scenes to move faster. You could start coming in slightly sooner.

Hold her hand like a lover, not like you are setting a bone, Jack.

Gwendolen- have your purse to pull the diary out of to write his address.

Jack- say the line once Lane is in the room. Also, don't hold her hand, guide her by the elbow. elegant, arms level with your waist.

Arm a bit lower for the cheers, just out to the side, about even with the shoulder

Algy and Jack- Algy has got a plan, Jack hasn't a clue, the audience has an inkling, play this up!

Corey, never EVER sit down before Natalie, as it would have been extremely RUDE  

Act Two

Bati, project a bit more.

Sofia, you do a good job projecting, but it gets a bit fast to be easily understood at times -"do not speak"

Sofia, you throw away the ends of your words- enunciate more.

run over your line "mr. worthing is not back from town yet"

Chasuble- soften the r's, We need more of a sense you are only there to see Prism- you only see Cecily when it suits your getting to speak to Prism

Clarence- the hat is worn level, not sitting on the back of your head.

Clarence- enunciate!!! "oh I must"

Cecily, stress the first " my wicked cousin Earnest"

We're losing the joke about missing the appointment in town vs any reasonable excuse to be leaving.

Everyone, comedic timing! Let the jokes sink in

More of Cecily going to the bush, being stopped- play up the "I want one from you"

"Celibacy" I lost the end!!!! ENUNCIATE

Jack, same problem with the hate Clarence had

Sit on opposite sides of the bench, look dreamily, P sees J over DC's shoulder. Also, we like the quick shift away from each other upon J's entrance

" any state of the mind?" Look over that line, DC.

DC/ Miles ARTICULATE!!!! We cannot understand a word you are saying!

DC "unmarried was he not" Yoda, you are not.

Miles, say every consonant "perfectly canonical"

"Disturb on"= "intrude on"

SPEAKING TOO FAST.

Jack- not grounded STAND WITH PURPOSE, we need to be able to read "I don't have a brother" as "I seriously have never had a brother, who the deuce is in my dining room?"

Jack, you're always clasping your hands in front of you- it doesn't seem very confident.

Note: Work on the subtext behind holding the hands so long, boys

Merriman- walk off like a butler- no attitude in the turn of the head.

ARTICULATE "Perfectly childish"

Clarence, your physicalization is good! Corey, keep working on it.

Know when you enter and exit, Corey. And don't look you'er trying to communicate telepathically when you can't remember.

Merriman, you still run off. More dignified- who is Merriman to you?

Why are you looking into space when she' taking down your confession- you are confessing to her

Bati, louder- you articulate well, but you are terribly hard to hear.

Also, you talk very very fast.

Lost the dates "? of last march?" LOUDER.

Note- curl his hair

Nice move with the hat, Clarence

Clarence, play around with the other name bit, and remember to pronounce all the words in the dialect "Ceremony"

PURSE FOR GWEN NEEDED- the plastic bag is not acceptable

Lorgnette- also needed.

Costume crew, make sure the costumes are completely in p[lace before sending the actors onto the stage- Gwen's cuff was scrunched up

Where did you pull the lorgnette from? your purse is on the bench, Nat (when you read C's diary)

"Call it" Bati- lost those, Project and Articulate

Merrimen- the teacups cannot remain stacked whilst they sit on the actual tea table. Also, make sure the tablecloth is perfectly set- you are the type of butler who's got it down perfectly EVERY TIME.

Set the plate stand at the back of the table equally distant from both chairs.

JACK WORK ON PHYSICALIZATION. You walked in like some sort of hermit/drug dealer.

Algy- keep all your focus on Cecily when you come in. We'd like to see a bigger reaction when the girls pull away from the boys- not pushing, necessarily, but in their expressions and mannerisms.

Bati- you strut rather.

Jack- we need to see how agitated you are, and how you've decided to put all the balm on Algy.

EVERYONE! IT'S  BRITISH WEEK! SPEAK IN ACCENT ALL THE TIME

Jack, cover for it when you don't remember the lines. Don't show that you don't know- because the audience doesn't know you've messed up unless you show it.

You forgot the food- you're supposed to be eating it as soon as you sit down- don't just forget it exists until just before it's specifically mentioned

Jack- you missed a line- and don't both of you eat at the same time. Then we have to sit and watch you eat.

Starting tomorrow, anyone who tanks a scene will be made to stay after and run it until it is better. Tell your parents you may be here quite a while.

Jack, pick up the slack. Get memorized, or at the very least act your part so that poor algae's got something to go off of.

Clarence, the muffin doesn't quite work. Hold it the side, away from your body, so that we can see the silhouette.

Clarence, excellent job covering for Corey!  

Act Three

THE COSTUME FAIRY IS COMING FOR YOU ALL! BEWARE, BEWARE! (check the office for missing pieces- because if you dropped it, left it on the floor, left it unattended, Jim the costume Fairy has it, and you will pay for your absentmindedness)

never talk backstage

books- set up as if they are on a bookshelf- they wouldn't be stacked.

Girls, look in the same direction when you're talking about the boys

Gwen- talk as you are coming in so it doesn't look like you should be in but you missed your cue

Jack, upstaging yourself when you first come in and stop. Also louder.

More space between the boys so that the girls and boys form a V

Jack, when you moved forward you upstaged Algy

Bati, don't laugh when LB comes in.

the physicalization of the look look scene was off- it is look look separate.

"engaged to be married to lady bracknell?" First, though it was funny, the actors must not laugh. React according to your character or simply pretend it wasn't said.

Jack stand behind the poof- do NOT sit awkwardly next to Gwen.

LB  you should be crossing as you say "Mr. Worthing"

Jack, stand in character. At the present, you are simply standing on stage as Corey.

Hold your hands steady, Colleen. Don't let them rock.

When you say how much Cecily's got, your sticking it to her- be prouder, more peacockish

Review your blocking for the act- it's all off

Where is your bag, LB? That is where your pocket watch should be coming from.

" After six months" Try saying that with a different meaning, Corey. You have the power for the first time- and you are realizing it

Jack, steady, grounded- you have the power, so don't bounce like a nervous teen

Colleen- good covering for Jack's slip!

JACK LEARN YOUR LINES

Don't break into laughter when you don't know the lines- pretend nothing went wrong. NEVER break character.

But don't forget to act and project.

LB, I commend your perseverance in trying to get everything back on track.

Jack, watch the scene, don't stare at the floor- no matter what happen you must act

DC, you have to sincerely be leaving, you cannot look like you expect to be stopped.

Sofia, I like your reactions during the LB tirade! You were Prism!

Jack and Gwen- the hand holding looks awkward

Jack, you should be on Gwen's right just before you leave, rather than being forever on the left.

Jack, the sound effects sound perfect- just make sure you are doing it at the correct time.

Prism, Chasuble, make eye contact over the lowering of the bag- keep playing the relationship.

JACK, remember your blocking- you do not take him to Gwen, take him to Cecily, etc.

Say the lines you make up just as you would the real lines, or the audience will know. Don't drop the voice.

Don't laugh as you try to pronounce the names- this is a tense moment! You're future depends on this moment. You can cover for your mistakes- so do it! Don't just break down! You aren't pathetic. You can do this. don't laugh, stay in character, and we'll all do just fine.

The line is "telling the truth", not living a lie

Look at Gwen at the end, she's your life, she's the reason its so important to be earnest

LB- you just stand up, don't cross around.  

Curtain Call

Servants on either side of LB, LB sit on the poof. Ross on left, Matt on right. Matt has cucumber sandwiches, Ross tea, offer them to LB. Servants down on one knee.

Gwen and Jack- CSR. Gwen offer hand, he almost kisses it.

Crew member bring the journal to Cecily and Algy so they can create  silhouette with it. CSL.

DSR. Prism is carrying DC.

Prism and DC bow, then the servants, then Bracknell, then Algy and Ceci,  Then Gwen and Jack, then acknowledge the crew, then come to the front, hands together, up down back. Then return back to the silhouette pose, lights out, exit the stage.   

Sam's Notes

work on long and short vowels! Last, hand.

r's - look out for them

go over the lines in the accent in your head 

Jim's last minute notes

learn the lines, get them down, or we fail

poker faces- don't let the audience see you panic