Crossing the Bridge

I usually call this moment 'turning the corner', but because we're using Eileen Ivers' "Crossing the Bridge" as part of our musical interlude collection, THAT'S what I will call it this time.


I always have to write about this moment because it never ceases to be magical for me.  Every show starts with such high hopes.  I cast to the best of my ability, filling the parts with just the right people, and we rehearse--regularly, plodding along, running the scenes, adding to them, building them, putting in 'bits'.  We work and work and work, and suddenly, we reach a crisis moment.  I'm so stressed by rehearsal, pressured by self-imposed deadlines, trying to reach seemingly unfathomable standards for performance, character development, and actor's skill.


It seems especially difficult this show.  It seems like show after show, I pound home the idea that 'you are a real person, with real feelings, real language, real reactions...'  But this time, I've asked them to be something different.  Our spoof fairy tale requires larger than life characters, big Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd mugging, double-takes, asides to the audience, over the top reactions and movements.  That, combined with comedic timing, lines and blocking has made this show a pretty big challenge.  But...they're getting it.  Slowly but surely, they're getting it!!


We're doing a scene for the Hancock County Community Foundation's event on Sunday.  I've been so nervous, because I knew we weren't good.  Not up to our usual standard.  What we had was ordinary, amateurish, child-like.  But last night, the magical moment came...with patience, hands-on directing, and repetition, it came.  Working with my leads on the scene we're going to do--it clicked.  It was funny.  The parents I had in the audience laughed.  *I* laughed.  The timing was there, the playing to the audience, the facial expressions, everything!!  And it makes this week's restless, toss-and-turn nights, the stressful, high tension days TOTALLY worth it.


We have a show!!  My Kids are BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL, TALENTED...  They never cease to amaze me. Mmwahh, my KidsPlayers!!!  ***  I adore you!