5... First Preview

Day 5. Friday, November 3

What is a preview? From the point of view of the audience member it’s usually a fairly normal performance. We sell tickets to subscribers and the public, though at a slight discount, and invite some of our neighbors to come for very little (thanks to an outreach sponsorship from Citizen's Bank). We also have pay your age previews. It’s amazing to me how many of our subscribers really like to come to the first preview. They like seeing something that is out there for the first time to an audience, and know there’s a chance they might see something that the rest of our patrons might never see, like a mistake, or something that get’s changed or cut before press Opening on Wednesday. What makes it different is that we’ll take what been learned from experiencing the show with an audience and try to meld that in. And we usually keep rehearsing, with up to five hours of rehearsal a day until opening. I’ll watch first preview but then, if I can manage, not see it again until opening. Often it’s a very different experience after a few days away. In a good way.

We didn’t rehearse much today though, after spending a half hour working with some new TV cues the cast arrives and they run a couple of scenes. They only work about an hour together.

Four year old Gabe Emerson (the voice of Danny) came in and gave his advice. Turns out his true calling may be that of Director. Watch out. Really though it was very touching to have a four year old hanging around the set. It was a little spooky to see him playing in the bedroom. The show now has it's ghost.

The preview goes well. It’s fun to sit in the crowd and hear them whisper to each other. It’s not so fun to listen to the opening of the candy wrappers.

(Photos: (top) Howie (Jordan Lage) attempts to relax his wife Becca (Donna Bullock) with a massage. (Bottom): Nat (Maureen Anderman, l.) and Becca (Donna Bullock) share a quiet moment in Danny's room in the Huntington Theatre Company's production of Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire, running through Dec. 3 at the Boston University Theatre. Photo: Eric Antoniou.)

Day 6: Invited Dress Rehearsal

Day 6. Thursday, November 2.

Today we ran the show twice, the first time in the afternoon after some brief work notes. Things are in good shape and we’re still doing a little finessing. Now is the time that we begin to give the show back to the cast. They have not really been able to get into the show since last Saturday as we have been constantly interrupting the show with adjustment making. A little change in blocking here, or a few minutes spent tweaking a lighting cue. We’re pretty much done with that now, so the cast can now begin to find the rhythm of the piece again on their own. Almost…

The afternoon’s run is photo call. During the run our photographer will take the production photos. The photographer will take several hundred shots and of these we’ll pick the 10 or 12 that you’ll see in the press and in our media from here on out.. Needless to say, it’s a bit of a pain for the actors to hear the constant clicking and film reloading during the run.

Tonight we give them a more realistic shot at it. No interruptions, no stops. Even a bit of an audience; we’ve invited some 60 or so of our neighbors from Fenway Community Health Center, Boston Conservatory, and Home for Little Wanderers to attend the invited dress. This medium does not work until it the experience is shared with an audience, and tonight we begin to see what is there; when the audience breathes as one, laughs (or doesn’t), and where we lose their attention. And we listen to what they’re saying as they talk to each other on their way out. It's much better than a survey form… you get the real candid reactions. It’s the beginning of what the next five days will bring.

(Photo: Izzy (Geneva Carr) gets philosophic over a home-made baked good in the Huntington Theatre Company's production of Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire, running through Dec. 3 at the Boston University Theatre. Photo: Eric Antoniou.)

Dress Rehearsals - Day 8 and 7

Day 8: Tuesday, October 31

Yesterday’s work has paid off. The set is looking great and it’s fun to look around and find the new stuff. Pictured here is assistant Props Master Brandon Ribordy admiring the fridge dressing. What’s wrong with this picture? Stainless steel does not attract magnets. We faked it.

Today is our second 10 out of 12 (ten rehearsal hours in a 12 hour span). I have a feeling we’ll be out early again. We start with tech of the last scene. Costumes has scrambled and will be ready to put everyone in costume for 1PM. Six hours earlier than originally scheduled. We’re ahead and we’re ready to see the clothes and try all of the fast changes.

The cast gets to eat a lot of dessert in this show. Crème caramel (yogurt), lemon squares, and a chocolate birthday cake (sugar free, no trans fat). Any local bakeries care to help out??? There’s a fair share wine consumed as well. That’s just still water with a little coloring.

I’m right. We end early, shortly after 10 pm.

Day 7: Wednesday, November 1

This afternoon we do a little tech stuff in the afternoon, and then a full dress run in the evening. There’s a cake crisis today. We don’t have a (working) oven on site, still can’t find a local bakery that does sugar free (what’s up with that Whole Foods??) and the cast doesn’t want leftovers. Props asks if they can run over to my apt and bake. Unfortunately I recently let my housekeeper go and there is no way I’m letting anyone near my kitchen with out spending a few hours cleaning up. We discover that one of our microwaves is a convection combo and the baking experiments begin. It was all frustrating and silly but if that’s the biggest problem we’re fixating on I’m not too worried. What are some of the other issues… it’s a little tricky to plumb a sink that moves around onstage. Much like an RV we have to use a pump to get the water flowing. And a pump makes noise. Another issue is the TV where the hubby watches his videos. We’ve managed to place the screen so it’s not visible to the audience, and now we’re working to make it look like it’s actually playing something so that you’ll see the light flashing realistically. It will take a bit of playing around to get it right.

My new laptop arrived this afternoon, so I got a chance to play a little. Found this on Julie White (Bad Dates and the title character in Persephone performed at our Breaking Ground festival last spring). Julie is so much fun… she guest judges on Iron Chef America once in a while and steals the show.

And Radio Golf scene designer David Gallo talks about his latest project Evil Dead:The Musical on the NY Times website. I’m not sure how to link directly to the slideshow, so look for the audio slide show link in the multimedia square. David was telling us back in September about all of the fun they were having with the blood FX.

(Photo: Julie White in Bad Dates. Photo taken by T. Charles Erikson)

All in the Family

Day 9: Monday, October 30^th

Today is the Actor’s Day off. Lighting and Sound are also laying low. Scenery, Props, and Paints hit the stage in full force to knock out as many of the notes as possible. It’s all the finishing touches. Slight adjustments on the wagons to make them quieter and more level. The finish molding is added to the walls. More boxes of set dressing are pulled from props storage, and a few shopping bags full of Crate and Barrel. Scenery cuts one of the kitchen cabinets down so the sightlines to the sink are better. This house is started to look lived in.

I would like to introduce you to Gabe Emerson, son of Ben and Virginia, our Audio Supervisor and Assistant Costume Director respectively. The deceased character of Danny, around whom the grief of this story revolves, is heard in a video tape that the father sneaks down to the living room to watch every night. We needed a four year old to do a voice over. Our sound man has a four year old. How convenient. It turns out that Gabe is quite the little actor, and did very well with the lines. It’ll break your heart.

Actor’s Equity allows us to use one or two “Non-Pros” a season (unless it’s a really big cast, or a student) so Gabe was it. No need to hire a casting director! Thanks to Mom and Dad Emerson for their assistance and coaching. All recordings were made in the comfort of the Emerson household. Gabe is coming by to meet the cast and crew on Friday. This is him in his Halloween Costume. I assume Mom made it.

If he wears it again we have plenty of candy.