Dress Rehearsal Pictures, Al Lien

Richard  George Howard                        Roz  Charlotte Paul Eillen  Ethel        

Performance May 11-12, 18-20, 25-28

Record-Eagle preview, May 5, 2000, Record-Eagle Review, May 16, 2000, Moon Over Buffalo, 2000 by Al Lien

Production Team

Steve Morse, Costumer extraordinaire

March 03, 2000

Finally, I have gotten cast in a show! It has been a dry couple of years of not getting cast. I have auditioned and auditioned but to no avail. Directors have a vision and sometimes you are not what they want. It is never easy to accept that but they can't cast everyone.
Now's the time though. I have a role and must get to the book. As I ranted at my cast (Charley's Aunt) that they should get off book, so now I must follow my own teachings. We will see how well I take to the harness.

March 07, 2000

First rehearsal.....read through. Imagine, if you will, having gone through the process of auditions. You present yourself before a director and fellow actors so that they can look at you and decide if you are good enough for them. After you have successfully proven to them that you can do the job and you are better than the others vying for your role then you get to sit in a circle and read the play! All that energy and sweat to get the part and you sit and read the play! Quite a let down from the lofty heights of stardom one envisions. Another thing about these plays, the director wanted to know if we were all available for all rehearsals. We all said yes. First rehearsal, Monday, all attended. Second rehearsal Tuesday...cancelled. Even the best laid plans sometimes go astray.
Bring a pencil when we start blocking, the other guaranty we have is that blocking will change too!

March 10, 2000

Finally, blocking! We are doing something other than talking about the play. We are actually working. It is nice to get back on the boards. Directing a play is like coaching a team. You see what should be done but can only scream from the sidelines. The actors have all the fun of performance. Now I get the fun and our director must sit on the sidelines.

March 13, 2000

I had counted 5 mainstage directors in our production. This means 5 people out of 13 that have directed at least one show on main stage. I was wrong! Our Stunt coordinator makes 6 main stage directors. We will find out if this is a problem or not. Two of the directors are performers and the rest act in a management role.
We are in blocking now. This is the part that is toughest for me. We stand around, read the script and walk where we think we are going. The director says stop and we start again this time going where the director sends us. Remember the pencil I told you to bring along? We are using both ends!

March 14, 2000

Theater is fun! After a performance I have so much energy from the thrill of performing and the appreciation of the audience that I float several inches above my bed until I calm down. But I work hard before performance to get the fun. I memorize lines nightly. I fear that I will never memorize those darn lines. I worry about the blocking. I worry if I will be believable to the audience. I think about the play and my character from the first rehearsal on. In fact, I have had the book for Moon Over Buffalo several months working on character and memory to get over some of my fears.
Rehearsals for me are work. I can laugh during rehearsal but I get so caught up in trying to follow book and action and entrances and getting my lines out so other actors have someone and something to rehearse against that the funny play becomes hard work.
This lesson is hard learned. I hope our cast learns it soon. We have a very funny and a very hard play to put together. When we do it, and we will, then the work is over and the fun begins.
Theater is fun! 

March 20, 2000

Theater is People. Lots and lots of people from different walks of life. In our cast, we have a computer geek, teacher, telephone dispatcher and more. In the production team, we have a computer geek, accountant, HR person and more. Most of us work 8-5 everyday doing what we need to pay the mortgage and allow the theater avocation. At 6:00pm, three nights, a week, our little band gathers at the playhouse to rehearse. Mind you, we do rehearse at other times as well(read the other journals) but the group rehearsal is at 6. Regardless of our day, we must come to the rehearsal with a clear open mind. We have to follow the script and the director. We have to get along with our fellow actors, even when they are so,  so wrong that you want to scream. Did I tell you the director didn't know up-stage from down-stage? And why can't the properties guy get there with the props I need RIGHT NOW? Oh, we don't know where the furniture is? How can I perform in conditions like this????? By the by, my day wasn't all that great at work either!
When you get by the personalities and see the people underneath then theater happens. I can growl about what is not right or what would be better but maybe, just maybe, I am not right all the time. Could be, I had a bad day or someone else did.  I must let the day go and accept my fellow actors for what they are. After all, theater is people.

March 28, 2000

Long time since I have been back to the journal, not that I haven't had anything to say! Last night, not counting the two directors performing in our play, we had four directors directing one scene. It looked pretty funny. First one would come up on stage then another, the third talked from the floor and the fourth finally, in a fit of frustration, came up on stage to give us the final word. We chose to work on the scene.
      Bringing a play from auditions to performance is a demanding process. Directors have to have a clear vision of what they want on stage. Actors need to see that vision, do their best to reproduce that vision and find a space in that vision to give emotion and credibility to the character they portray. This process I describe is called rehearsal. Here's how it works.
  The director lets us read the book(script) and wander on stage to the best of our ability. Then he/she points out where we should go and when we should go there(blocking) during the reading of our book. We, then, do the movement and reading over and over to cement this action/dialog in our mind. All to often we get ahead of ourselves and expect this process of memorization to be done in a moment. We have a 90  page book and we can't memorize it in a week. We can't match words and movement in a day. We certainly can't match words and direction from several directors about one scene in a day.
For the former we need some rehearsal time. For the latter we need lots of rehearsal time.

March 29, 2000

Last night I had fun! We worked our sword fighting scene till we sweated. We argued with the director about where we should go and why. Notice singular director. We argued with each other about where we should go and why. We ran scenes several times, getting timing down on costume changes. Two actors  went to a different area and practiced kissing. When you have to kiss on stage it is terrifying. It is a invasion of their space and your space. You don't know how to do it. You become self-conscious and shy. So you go to some deserted spot and work it out. It is hard work.
When the evening ended we all looked at our watches and wondered where the time went. We actually accomplished some blocking and stage work. We were tired but it was that tired you get from a job well done. Like I said, last night I had fun!

April 3, 2000

Tonight we begin again. We have been off for the past several days. The main stage production takes the time away from us. We have six weeks yet till we open so I am not complaining. Tonight we are scheduled to be off  book. That is, we must rehearse without benefit of our nose stuck in the script. We will have someone reading the script ready to help us if we forget the lines but we are flying scriptless this evening. This is taking away a crutch, a very difficult weaning process. I am ready!
I memorize my scripts in many different ways. I tape them and listen to them while driving. I read the book and block the page with a piece of paper revealing line by line to help memorize. I give my book to some one else and have them read me the cue line to my line. When I am driving or in the shower or walking down the street I know my lines back and forth. Get me on stage with other actors and it is as though I haven't read the book at all. Of course, I do have blocking to consider, other actors to listen to, acting situations undiscovered that draw focus, all working to destroy the hard work I put in on memorization. In a couple of rehearsals I will get comfortable and my memory will return. I know that. I have witnessed this situation a zillion times. Yet... it makes one pause. Will the memory come back this time or is it gone forever? Only time will tell.
Uh...what was it I was talking about?

April 4, 2000

Six Weeks out. Plenty of time. Last night we started the "normal" rehearsal period for a drama/comedy at OTP. We run 6 weeks for drama and 8 weeks for musicals. Because of the Christmas/New year celebrations the winter and spring schedules suffer greatly. MOB(MOON...) received a generous rehearsal allotment, over 11 weeks. We may have this extra time but you couldn't tell it from last night's rehearsal.
Step on stage and you experience embarrassment which manifests itself as laughter, almost giddy laughter. This behavior always happens the first couple of rehearsals because we are pretending to be someone that is in a book. We are standing on a bare stage. We are saying things to strangers that we would never say to our closest friends. The giggle behavior is expected. But we are 5 weeks into our rehearsal and last night the giggles were the loudest I have heard. We have pressures to be off Act 1 book in one day. Maybe that was the cause of the giggles. We, now, start the normal rehearsal schedule, maybe the giggles will go away in a week or so. Six weeks out. Plenty of time.

April 5, 2000

I would never compare my talent to the Broadway cast of  "Moon Over Buffalo". I, finally, got to watch the Bravo special "Moon Over Broadway", the documentary of the making of this play. The script we have bares little resemblance to the original script. It took rewrite upon rewrite to get here. It involved many consultations with the actors and the director of the show.
When a playwright produces a piece, he/she puts ideas on paper and hopes for the best. When the director and actors get to the "new" piece, they find what works on stage and what doesn't. The sound in your head does not necessarily translate to a good sound on stage. In a Broadway play, at least, the playwright works with cast and crew to make the play work on stage. Hence rewrite after rewrite.
Our play has the best that the above process could produce. We cannot change this script now but we can give it life. We have to work as hard as the original cast to find the energy and motivations to make the play "real". As the Broadway cast "finished" their work on the play by performing it on stage so shall we. How will it compare?

April 11, 2000

Did I tell you that our show suffers from community theater syndrome? In a couple of days the studio theater show opens, "Woman in Black". True to  community theater, the director of that show could not find a sound person for this intensely sound effected show. Our director has the gift of sound and had to jump in, at the last moment,   and help. I said it before and here it comes again, "We have plenty of time", so we lost our director for the sake of the Playhouse. Now what do we do?
The assistant director, (remember he has directed main  stage before), has taken the rehearsals over. Here comes the rock and hard place. He doesn't want to block new stuff. He waits for the director to do that. He must run scenes or acts because his actors must work or go crazy. His vision must match the director's but the director must put his energies elsewhere. We all understand, since we wear many hats at the playhouse, too,   but we(actors) need the work or we will make it up ourselves. The AD can't and won't go too far afield from what we blocked before yet he must work us and by virtue of that work impart his vision to the show. He can't do what he wants but he can't not do!
This crazy situation places great stress on actors and directors. If we paided our people as professionals do then  we could fire or replace them and move on. Community theater doesn't have nor do we want that opportunity. We become a family in this process. We bond and make a better show through this adversity. We have plenty of time and talent. We will mumble under our breath, have snits, get frustrated. Yet, the curtain will rise on opening night We will perform for our audience. You will never know the problems and you won't care. When you see a community theater, good or bad, know that the performance came out of the community theater syndrome, a few people doing lots of jobs.

April 17, 2000

We are running at last! Last Wednesday we ran the first act complete! Maybe we were a little early for a full run but we did it anyway. We had our problems. We weren't completely off book but we saw the flow of the act for the first time. Then we ran it again!. It both improved and fell apart. Improved because we had more of the lines down from saying them once already. Fell apart because we got tired, real tired. It exhausts one to remember blocking and lines for the first time.
Sunday, we worked on set construction. Sometimes actors have to build the sets they play on. We, also, got our director back. He only needs to run during performance and we can't rehearsal then so he can devote time to us. We started running act two. We are not off book on act two but we have a set that we can bang real doors on , so working the physical and then the mental quite tires(I said it before) and confuses one.
Now that our director has returned and is directing, we seem to have less tension on stage. He makes decisions and we act. It will not get better as we match through April. Three weeks to Tech Sunday and the four days to opening night. The play looks a little like a play now. The director has control. The set gets better and more useful everyday, but we can see the end of the process and we are afraid. The good news, we are running at last!

April 18, 2000

We got our lecture last night. Everyone should be scared doing a show. The actors fear performance. Will we remember our lines? Will the other actors remember theirs? What will go wrong during performance that we will have to work out? The tech staff fears that they will miss a cue or the actors will jump and they will have to catch-up. In all this we have the control. We succeed or fail on our actions. Not so the Director.
Everything you see on stage during a play comes from the director. If you see an action you don't like, the director let it happen. He has "the artistic Eye". An actor, tech person can do whatever. The director allows it to happen or changes it. Like a painter, the canvas of the stage comes from the brush of the director. The director can only rehearse and direct the actors. It falls to the actors and tech staff to present the director's vision. Hence the lecture.
We have four weeks of rehearsal left. We are not off book. We are struggling with our blocking and the director is scared. He has no control of the show once we start performance. He can only see rehearsals and work us till we give him what he wants.   He sees we are having trouble and fears that we will not make the progress necessary to put his vision on stage. I have never been in a show that this didn't happen.
I give the lecture each and every show I direct. Every show I've acted in gets the lecture. It doesn't help the actors and tech staff but it eases the mind of the director. We have one more lecture to go.

April 24, 2000

We have three weeks to go. May 12 we open and it isn't very far away now. Last weekend, Easter, those of us who stayed in town worked on the set. We painted and hammered and set lights. All the things one does to get ready for a performance. Sometimes we have a construction crew that does that, sometimes not. This case not. I have built sets and learned lines and performed before. I know when I first started in theater, I felt my job was only to act. It is a full time deal anyhow. However, if you have no set on which to perform, you could diminish the end product. I started to work on the set as well as learn lines. Now, I do whatever needs to be done just so I can perform. Everyone in this cast has worked on the set from time to time. We do have lives outside theater. Our lines are coming along as well. We have time. I'd say... three weeks.

April 27, 2000

You fix a little here, something goes wrong there! Seems as though every time you see a problem and fix it, the fix causes a problem somewhere else. If the director sees a stage movement he doesn't like he tells the actor to change it. The actor obliges and performs the scene again. Unfortunately, the actor is usually not on stage alone and the other actors must compensate for the "new" movement. They must now think of where they need to be in relation to the "changed" actor and then they forget their line or their next blocking because they think too much about the first movement. Until everyone has been through the "change" the scene looks jerky and lines get screwed up. Then the director gives you a note on the missed line or blocking and you want to tell him it was not your fault but you keep quite because you know it was partly your fault for not doing what you were doing and also, it won't matter because the next time you do the scene you will have it changed and so you go on.
This last "go on" is the frustration one feels as we get closer to opening night. The more we rehearse the more comfortable we get in the blocking and script. When we have a change, not only the director can cause changes but coaches(we have three now), the stage manager, and the other actors can get into the "change" situation, it causes this domino effect and subsequent frustration for a while. The closer to opening the harder and more trouble the changes. But to perfect the show change we must! So.... 
We'll fix a little here, something will go wrong, for a while!

May 1, 2000

Twelve days to opening night! If you were to ask any of the actors, directors or crew of our show what they needed most to make our show better, the answer would be "more time". We will never have enough time simply because we don't want make  fools of ourselves because we haven't got in perfect!. We rehearsed act two last night. It went well. We rehearse plays front to back. The last part of the book almost always gets less attention then the beginning. Human Nature. Our second act needs more rehearsal time, but the idea is there. We, all, are worried about the timing and interplay in the second act. We will get enough time to get the act done. We always have. This is the process that one goes through. I am not worried.... just a little anxious. We need time and we have time, twelve days to opening night.

May 5, 2000

We received our second lecture lat night (see April 18). We have 6 rehearsals to go before opening. The director is getting edgy. He knows he has only 6 more chances to get it right and he is working each chance. From my point of view the play looks very good. We have our occasional goofs and dropped lines but overall the flow and tone of the play shows up. Of course, I control what happens around me and the other actors control their areas. The poor director can only sit and watch, feeling each dropped line or missed placed blocking as a play ending goof up. 
I know, and he knows, the if we hadn't gotten it in the last 10 weeks of rehearsal, we won't get it in the next 6 days. Fortunately for us, and him, we got it! Still it makes the director feel better to give that second lecture. 

May 8, 2000

We open on Friday. This is the week to get everything right. We had Tech Sunday yesterday. That means the tech crew looked at all the technical aspects of the show, lighting, costumes (under the lights), make-up, props, all the things that make a show a show other than the performers and their lines. This can be a rigorous process for shows with lots and lots of Tech. Our show has very little and was mostly done last week. Still you need Tech Sunday to fine tune that aspect of the show. Technical staff doesn't come into rehearsal till quite late in the process.
Our rehearsal went very well last night. Our director gave us very few notes (director instructions). We all felt good about the show. As we get closer to Opening night we will feel the tension more. It happens every show. The tension comes from the thrill of performance and not the creative battle of actors. After all, we open Friday.

May 11, 2000

This is the my last night's performance! Tomorrow we open the show. Tonight we have our Dress Rehearsal. This includes all props, lighting, blocking, costumes and, new to this, an audience. We will rehearse. The director can stop us and give direction. It rarely has ever happened that a director will stop a dress rehearsal but it is a rehearsal.
The difference is the audience. Tonight, for the first time, we try out our stuff on new blood. We will find out if all our hard work pays off. The audience will laugh or we will have to regroup, quickly, for opening night! 
When we finish tonight, the theory goes, we will present this very same show to the rest of the audiences in our performance run. Aside from the unexpected problems, the days travails of actors, the odd illness, you should see the same show tonight as you will on closing night. The newer actors, caught up in the thrill of performance, nearly always say just before the closing night's performance, " I am going to give it my all this performance!" I ask," why did you wait until now?"
Tonight is my last night's performance, as is every performance, until we close. Hope to see you there.

May 15, 2000

We opened last weekend. We have no major problems to report. We succeeded in delivering 99% of the lines and got the story out to the audience. 
The Opening night crowd loved the show. Of course, that audience is usually the OTP regulars coming for support on opening night. That does not diminish the enjoyment but it is worth noting. The Second night, which is usually a lower energy show for the cast, went against the norm and had huge energy. As a result the Saturday audience appreciated the show as much as opening night. 
It seems our cast came to play and play we will. We have too much fun with this show and give the audience too much humor for one evening. Our smiles are still on our faces the next morning! We have two weekends to go. It will be hard to close this show.

May 22, 2000

What a  great cast we have! Usually when you run a play for several weekends you can pretty near tell what days you will have good performances and what days you will have problems. Opening night is always high energy but sometimes weak on the skills because of the energy. The Saturday shows, that end the weekend, or the Sunday matinee, if that ends the weekends, seem low on energy and I get the impression in some shows that the cast just wants to get done with the play so they can relax. The Thursday performances , the first of the weekend, are similar to dress rehearsal because the cast rarely looks at their script until the Thursday show. That leaves the second Friday as the best show of the run. This according to the Kuehlhorn rule of community theater performance.
I have seen exceptions but few and far between. Our show is an exception. To a person, the actors in "Moon..." come with the same energy that they have had all along. It is a thrill and  a pleasure to work with this kind of talent. To know that you have to pump up because if you don't you are the only one on stage with no energy. We get a lot of energy from the audience but even more from our fellow actors. What a great cast we have! 

Final Entry, May 30, 2000

Our performance run has ended. We have had our parties and fond farewells. We will see each other during the next play but this play and the bonds that were created has ended. I leave this play with mixed emotions.
I had a great time. This may have been the most fun I have had on stage. I worked with some dedicated performers. We have theatrical interest but not usually dedication. I just really, really liked this show.
Now we move on, as vagabonds of the stage, always do. We audition, rehearse, form bonds, perform then clear the stage for the next show. Some of us sit on the sidelines for a while, resting from our emotional and physical efforts. Others jump into the next show, ready to meet the new challenge.  I will sit until called to help or I see the next opportunity to get involved. It feels good to relax but in a week I know I will need another stage fix. Look for me, I'll be the one smiling!
Our performance run has ended.

Return to beginning
Lisa Oddy Journal
Sarah Hampton Journal
Ed Mulcahey Journal

Lisa Oddy, Actors Journal.

March 10, 2000

Since I have never been involved with theater productions before, I thought a "1st timer" point of view may be interesting.
First I must say, for the record, anyone who thinks anything to do with theater, acting, production, etc. is easy should just once get involved in some capacity backstage. Suddenly, a new respect and admiration develops for these individuals who devote so much time, effort and energy.
Auditions were particularly daunting. imagine being a "babe-in-the-woods" so to speak, and watching all of these very talented, very funny people. My first response was "puke and run"! Once I calmed down and stepped "on stage" I had the most amazing revelation - with all the lights shining in your eyes, you can't see 10 feet past the front of the stage. I'm beginning to think I can do this!
First rehearsal, introductions all round and again I wonder how I made it so far. Two directors playing lead, an actress who actually acted in New York and L.A. - wondering if I am over my head. Everyone settles in to read through the play and I begin to wonder how will we make it through this on-stage without dying of laughter ourselves? This is fun and these are fun people.
Second Rehearsal - "Blocking" , I discover, is being told where to stand, when to stand there, how to stand there, and when to get out of the way. I also found out, as a recent inductee to this, I will learn a new language called "stage direction". I wonder if I should search out a dictionary? (If there is such a thing!)
I am fascinated by my cast members and their intensity at getting things right. I have the right group of teachers.
My only concern tonight is to be told by Gary I move and talk - I've always moved and talked! Having two elder brothers and being the youngest of seven, most of my life has been spent moving - mostly to get out of the way. I will have to work at this!
I find the process of creating myself as a new actress from raw material very challenging! A lot of fun but very challenging.

03-13-00

Tonight I find myself in remedial acting class. Ron and Margaret are patient enough to spend time with me teaching me the subtleties of playing off fellow actors, while playing to an audience. Ron shows me how to cross a stage gracefully and I think " If I could walk like that I'd have allot more dates!" (Forgive me Ron!). I must practice Graceful.
I'm learning, too, about timing. Don't step on the someone's line, and don't step on the laughter. Give the audience time to enjoy something funny - without causing "lag-time" in the action.
This is the most work having fun has ever been!

03-14-00

more blocking. Tonight I have one line in the scene we are working. I walk across the stage, give my line and I'm off stage. Then I wait. I find theater very beneficial for developing this fine art of waiting!

03-19-00

Our first rehearsal on mainstage. Even working around a "foreign" set I find it quit exciting to actually be on the stage. At the same time, it's a little intimidating to think that in 1 1/2 months those seats will be filled! I realize now how much work there is to do.
If was fun watching Jeanette and Don dueling. After only 2 lessons they look pretty good! From a distance of course. I'm not sure I'd want to be onstage while swords are flying every which way. I have a high self preservation priority.
Trying to figure out where everything will be eventually and develop a sense of where to go is also interesting. Blocking, I'm learning, is always subject to change. Watching everyone run around during the "find George" scene is almost exhausting! And I only have to go from the "backstage" to outside.

4-5-00

It's surprising how busy things get, and how tough it can be to keep up with getting off book, and trying to still keep up with "real life". I'm sure people at work are getting used to hearing me practice lines during lunch. I'm sure at first they were
beginning to wonder if I'd lost my mind, I was talking to myself all the time! 
Tonight, we filmed our commercial. It was great fun to watch everyone making faces for the camera. Then, when it's your turn and you keep hearing "OK, change expression", suddenly it's not as easy as it looks!
After a complete run through of Act I, Ron told us we are only 10 minutes over his estimated time. We must be doing something right!
It's quite fun to go out with everyone after rehearsal and get to know each other better. Listening to all of the stories about past productions at the playhouse makes it easy to see why people get "addicted" to this. It's great fun to rehearse, and to be someone else while on the stage, but the people are what will keep me coming back. Just having the opportunity to know more of these people, and be a part of this family!

4-9-00

Tonight we finally have the stage to ourselves. Reality sets in when you see a stage without the set of another production, and realize soon it will be our set there! No more working around tent poles, and risers! It also makes the realization the
opening night is so close. Tonight, we worked incredibly hard. I know Ron, Margaret, and Gary are making this a better play, and I know in the end all of the hard work will pay off, but when you sit for three hours, and frustration begins to
set in, and tension begins to mount, it's tough to watch tempers flare and not wonder if we'll all still be speaking to each other after tonight. Then you walk in the next night and everything is ok and everyone is ready to work again. Don and I spent some time working out our first scene together, and when we started it during rehearsal, Ron changed one small thing at first, and suddenly I was lost! It amazes me that learning and practicing something one way all of the time can hinder you when changes are made. Now I know how my dance students felt when we would face in a different direction, nothing is the same, but you learn to adapt (I HOPE!). I'm beginning to really get an idea of what it is I'm doing. Tonight Gary
told me I have gone from an obvious completely clueless case, to the beginning hint of someone who may yet become an actress. It 's wonderful to have someone tell you that all of the hard work you've been doing shows, and to receive a pat
on the back for it. I think if it were not for Ron and Margaret's patience I may well have been a lost cause! I have finally learned to deliver my lines without pacing or rocking. I can remember the difference between upstage and downstage, and most important, I can stand face to face with the other actors and remember my lines. I remember the first time Don looked me in the eye on stage, and it was like an instantaneous "BRAIN DRAIN". I couldn't remember what scene we were doing, much less what I was supposed to say! It was very intimidating to be up there with such a veteran.. Don and Jeanette, as directors are great teachers without realizing they are teaching me. Watching them interact while rehearsing with each other is a lesson unto itself. The brainstorming and interaction between them is wonderful. I hope that one day I could be lucky enough to work with them again. I would love working with any of these people again, just because they have this energy, and happiness while on stage (most of the time) that can be very infectious.

4-24-00

I'm told I don't update my journal often enough, and so I suppose it's time to try harder to keep up with entries. Last week we started working with Mike Kelly. What a difference it makes having someone watch each individual alone and
telling you specific areas to work on. It's really funny to play a scene, and have this big guy with a beard play your part for you! It shows how much work I have to do, when I realized he played the part better than I ever have!! 
After rehearsal Ron and Gary both told me they noticed an immediate improvement. Now I can't wait to see Mike in "Woman in Black". Everyone is telling me it's wonderful, but after working with Mike I can definitely see why. 
Rehearsals are getting later, sometimes frustrations get in the way, and I think everyone is beginning to feel the push. Opening night is now three weeks away, and we're all working harder. Sometimes sitting in the audience I'm amazed how everyone else seems to be able to just call up their character and step immediately into their role, especially Sarah. There are times I'm sure the last thing she wants to do is that balcony scene again, but every time she starts, and every time it gets funnier! I hope this is something I can learn, because there are times when I think I can't tell George about my brother with the gun one more time! Then I get out there and get into it and realize that this is fun. 
No matter how tired I am after work, when I walk into the playhouse, I know I'm going to have fun. I suppose that may well be the reason it's called the "play" house. Because for a little while we get to stop being adults with jobs, and bills, and be someone completely different!

04-25-00

The pressure is on, tempers are running short, and everyone is beginning to show the pressure. Hopefully, tonight will be a little more relaxed, however we're all feeling tired. It can be uncomfortable when it's tense onstage. I just went home last night and defused. When everyone feels the tension, I think it makes it more difficult to keep things in perspective. I just keep reminding myself  "this is fun, This IS fun, This IS FUN!" I'm sure, in the long run, everything will be fine. I would rather see all of us getting along. I don't like conflict.
THIS IS FUN...THIS IS FUN...
Only three weeks left. I've started having dreams about missing my cues. My first one involved walking onstage 1/2 hour late for my scene. Everyone turned around to look at me and I heard someone ask " What the HECK are you doing onstage now?" I have been assured this is completely normal. I would like to know the working definition of  NORMAL according to theater standards. Rumor had it that soon it will be the "naked onstage" dreams. Oh Goody, something to look forward to!! THIS ITS FUN... THIS IS FUN...
I must admit though, I'm hopelessly addicted. Going and pretending to be someone else, and playing for a few hours a few nights a week is actually habit forming. When I walk through the doors, I just have to remember for every tough night there are good nights, and it will be worth it. THIS IS FUN...THIS IS FUN...THIS IS FUN...!!

MAY 12, 2000

The day has arrived. We open tonight. Why didn't I take today off of work? I'm sitting here at my desk typing this and the stomach butterflies have already started! There is not much to say really. Time has run out. Tonight we share our weeks of rehearsal and hard work with the community. Are we ready? YES. Are we flawless? No. But, no show is ever flawless. If it was the mysticism and attraction to live theatre would be lost. The idea that ANYTHING can happen is what creates the adrenalin that keeps us going night after night! The inherent trust that we as a cast and crew have worked so hard to foster is what will make Moon Over Buffalo a success. "That's it! Now, come on!" The curtain goes up in 11 hours!

5-3-00
Only 9 days left until opening night! Trying to get timing down, and remember where to be, keep up with changes, and deal with costumes is challenging. Last night we managed to do a full run, and I think it went quite well. Knowing where problems are going to pop up helps to get them fixed before things become chaotic. Having to run upstairs and change out of my Cyrano costume, get into Eileen's dress, fix my hair and finish my makeup will be a real challenge. I'll have to develop some sort of system to keep myself on time. Last night I couldn't finish every thing and make it in time for my first cue. 
Having the Record Eagle there was interesting. Getting through the first act was pretty smooth, then waiting for someone to decide what we were doing for pictures, waiting to be told where to go, what scene we were doing. I've decided that theatre is a lot of hurry up ... wait ... hurry up ... wait. It's great training for developing patience!  
I have co-workers asking about my state of mind a lot now. Am I nervous, am I excited, am I still having fun... A hearty YES to all of the above! Trying to keep up with rehearsal schedule, and still get errands run and keep up with day to day life is pretty hectic. I have a pile of laundry that looks like it could be climbed by Sir Edmund Hilary! Thank Heaven for
a forgiving sister! Sometimes I think the only statement she hears from me anymore is "See you later". My sons are getting very excited. They can't wait to see me up there. I was asked if they will understand all of the jokes and innuendos, and my only reply could be "God I hope not!". I'd rather have things go over their heads than try to explain everything to them. The only thing I've had to make sure they understand is that Mom's not REALLY pregnant! This is just pretend.
I'm looking forward to July and auditions for "Anne of Green Gables".  Now that I know how much fun this is I want to do more.

5-8-00
Our First technical rehearsal went well. Things are falling right into place.  
Everyone keeps asking me if I'm getting nervous. I'm not really nervous, I just have this great anticipation. I think I'm just ready for someone to be out there actually watching. I find myself listening at times to see if any one one is laughing. I walked to the back of the theatre to watch the balcony scene last night, I can't imagine how Sarah manages to do that over and over, and it gets funnier every time. I'm not sure I could stand out there for all that time alone! 
Just when I think I'm doing everything so well, I'm being told I'm not loud enough. I've never been told THAT before! I have to remember to think about the people in the balcony. All of this hard work, and suddenly it's time to show our stuff. Getting costume changes and cues down are really all that's left to do. For the actors! The behind the scenes work is really in full swing ... the set is so cool.
It's hard to believe that only a month ago we were rehearsing on the "Superstar" set. The costumes are really amazing. The ladies who were in charge have been so great. I just can't believe all of the work that is involved in a production. When you watch a play, realize that the people who are onstage are only the visible portion of the work. There is literally an army of people behind the scenes working their tails off to make sure everything is done. It has been a lot  f fun to work on this play, but it has been a real education too! I could have never imagined all of the work and talent that people give to the playhouse. I'll never be able to watch a play again without thinking about all that went into it!

3 DAYS AND COUNTING!!!
5-9-00
Only 2 days to go! No rehearsal tonight, what to do? After 2 months of my nights revolving either being at the playhouse rehearsing, or spending my evenings studying my lines, I'm not exactly sure what a night off is! Last night seemed to go well. We keep getting the more energy speech. It's hard to have energy when it's 90 degrees, but like Gary said, we can
rationalize every reason, but we still have to have more energy! I'm actually looking forward to having an audience on Thursday night.
The anticipation is starting to build!

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Don Kuehlhorn Journal
Sarah Hampton Journal
Ed Mulcahey Journal

Sarah Hampton, Actor's Journal

March 13th, 2000

An interesting first rehearsal indeed. Last week was strange as I had to curb my excitement. I was all set to jump into rehearsals and after the read through found out that I wouldn't be needed until Monday, the 13th. Oh well. It is always interesting for me to look back at a rehearsal process after the show has closed. I often remember those first weeks of rehearsal, the inevitable awkwardness when the cast is just becoming comfortable with one another. How that will change in the coming weeks! Gary has decided that we should all be at rehearsal each night. Bravo! I think that this will really help bring us together as a unit early on. In this show it is imperative that we have a common mind.  Ensemble comedy. The key word is ensemble; "an approach to acting that emphasizes the unified work of the entire cast on behalf of the play rather than the individual performances." The script is strong, but it will not work unless every person on stage supports one another. The beautiful thing about Moon is that everyone has their shining moment on stage. As soon as that moment passes you sit back and watch your fellow actor shine in the spotlight, and you revel in their moment of glory as much as your own. That, my friends, is what working as an ensemble is all about. After all, when all is said and done, we bow together, as one.

March 16th, 2000

One of the hardest things in life to do is block out a bad work day in your mind. One of the most important things to do at a
rehearsal is just that. Sometimes I'll drive around the block a few times listening to music just to calm me down. Its especially
difficult when you don't have an hour or so to eat dinner and relax. But, if an actor or director or stage manager etc. can
arrive at rehearsal focused and ready to work, more will be accomplished. I only say that because it's been a doosy of a work
week and I feel I'm being tested in some way. One can try for an hour to clear their head and walk in ready, but inevitably,
sometimes it just doesn't work.

hmmmm, the love scene. An aspect of the theatre that I am not well versed in. I spent last evening with "Paul" working out the
logistics of the make out scene that happens at the top of Act II. These scenes tend to be awkward no matter what, but the most
challenging aspect comes into play in the sense that we haven't fully developed our characters, so it ends up being 60% us and 40% our characters. I know that the awkwardness will pass as we become more comfortable with one another and our characters.
I did laugh a lot last night and have the bruises to prove it. We should have had a stage combat expert there to help us! We broke down the beats of the scene, and added, in my opinion, some great physical comedy. First, we fall onto the couch in a moment of "passion", then get tangled up with one another and catapult onto the floor. Unfortunately, my backside got clothes lined by the edge of the couch on one overzealous attempt. It's hard to sit today, I think I lost part of my tail bone. It was our homework to do this scene and we did it well. It went especially well when we could remember our lines! But that's another journal entry for another time. Of course we still have to get the directorial seal of approval.

In the theatre there are good rehearsals and bad rehearsals. Then there are those rehearsals that make you suddenly step back and see the show coming together. That moment of Zen when the timing starts to work and the blocking fits the scene. The moment when the actors slip a little bit deeper into their characters and start relating to each other not as actors in a play but as husband and wife, parents and children, ex lovers, and forbidden lovers. It leaves one smiling and wanting to work harder.

March 30, 2000

Yes, it has been a while since my last entry, I know. It seems like I haven't had rehearsal that much in the last two weeks. I was hoping to use the time off to work on getting off book as that is what I need to concentrate on most. Unfortunately, poor health got a bit in the way and I am behind on my own schedule. Even though I felt awful, I pushed myself to not miss either of our two rehearsals this week. I'm very glad I did. I feel that we accomplished a good amount. Even though I left feeling physically drained, I was mentally motivated. I actually had a rough time turning my brain off. It is exciting to constantly be working
through scenes in your head. How can a certain beat be stronger? Where is my motivation coming from in this particular scene? How can we build this realistically so that the audience feels what the characters on stage are feeling? I feel that my character is really starting to develop and grow away from my own persona. This is the part of the rehearsal process that I just love; working in character and experimenting to find the truth in the play. AHHH!  It is fun!

April 2, 2000

This morning I woke up and to my delight Bravo was broadcasting Moon Over Broadway, a documentary film about the Broadway production of Moon Over Buffalo! Usually I wouldn't watch something like this. I hate it when I see someone else playing my part differently than I have begun to envision it. For instance,
in 1997 when I was playing Rizzo in Grease I repeatedly was asked if I was going to cut and perm my hair. I wanted to scream, "I am not STOCKARD CHANNING, and I will never be STOCKARD CHANNING!" I wouldn't mind her career but her hair style in the movie has NOTHING to do with the play. Anyway, this documentary was different. First of all it revolved around Carol Burnett's return to Broadway after 30 years. But more important for me was the
directorial problems and disputes over the text. I never considered how difficult it would be to have the playwright sitting next to you at rehearsals. It really makes one think about the liberties that we as actors and directors take with theatrical productions. If every director pictured themselves in the room with the writer they might make different decisions! If every actor thought long and hard as to the consequences of changing the sentence structure of a line or paraphrasing, they might also make more of a valiant effort to learn the text exactly as written.
Watching seasoned actors like Carol Burnett and Philip Bosco struggle with the same things that Jeannette and Don are struggling with; or any of us for that matter, was so enlightening. It makes you realize that even though we are in Traverse City, Michigan, we have the instincts and the talent and we are doing everything the way it is supposed to be done. We are having the same disagreements over the same lines. The scenes that work, really work, and the scenes that don't, well they just don't, but we do the best we can with them and keep working hard. The only difference between us and them is that the budget for Moon Over Buffalo on Broadway was just over 2 million dollars.

April 3, 2000

It would be really easy for me to tell a tale of last evenings rehearsal and point fingers and name names (including my own), but I won't because last night EVERYONE had their moment. The actors came in ready to go off book on Act I. We ran ACT II. Nothing was smooth. If blocking wasn't changed it was forgotten. The rehearsal was constantly stopping and starting, we're tweaking the blocking when we haven't even seen the set design and it is becoming increasingly harder to focus. But, I'm just going to try my best to remain positive and chalk it all up to a Monday. The most important lesson in rehearsals like this is to not let them get you down! We have 6 weeks, PLENTY OF TIME! Sure, there is tons to be done, but we'll be there on opening night and we'll be
ready! If not, we'll have a really fun time pretending that we are:)

April 13th, 2000

I haven't written throughout this week for many reasons. Mostly, I just needed to process what happened this week. At this point we are less than a month out. We have only 11 rehearsals before tech week. Sure a lot can happen in 11 rehearsals, and it will, but I feel we need to be using our time more constructively. Gary has had to give his time to "Woman in Black" this week because they had nobody to run sound, and as we all know it is a show filled with sound. Now I completely understand this, and support it. The playhouse is run by volunteers and sometimes sacrifices must be made. Where the frustration comes in is when we have blocked and re-blocked and blocked some more, and every time we do a scene someone else is directing and someone else is changing the blocking! What makes me laugh is that we'll probably have to re-block everything once the set is constructed because it is being built on angles that we aren't even considering now. My suggestion at this point? Masking tape! Masking tape in the exact places where the flats will be. I guess a lot of this makes me want to
direct even more. It could be my own ignorance, but I direction could be much more clear. Maybe I'm just lucky enough to have been directed by actors who direct. You see for me it doesn't help when the director says you need to move around more or when you say that line I want you to stand like this, or I don't know what it was but that was great. You see all of those things are much too general. I'm looking for a director to talk to me and discuss my character
and my motivation. I really believe that the blocking will happen if all of the actors are in character and are relating to each other within the context of the play. It's being skimmed over right now, and we only have 11 more rehearsals! We need to sit down as a company and talk about the directors vision of the show and our characters, and how our characters feel about each other. These elements are crucial and probably should have been dealt with earlier. I feel like I've walked into "Waiting For Guffman".
"I'm going to go home now and bite my pillow!"

May 1, 2000

Well my two busiest weeks of the year are finally over so I'm making an effort to get back to my journal. Here we are, only a week and a half out, and I'm feeling surprisingly calm. Maybe it is because all my worries at my day job have come and gone and I can really concentrate on the show. Or maybe its just that I am ready to perform this thing and get it over with! Either way, I'm ready. We have a lot of work still to do, but I'm confident that it will happen. When it comes to the theatre, I am a perfectionist. I don't want to perform unless I feel that there is a product to sell to the audience. Lately, I haven't wanted to perform. After last night however, I'm ready to step up to the plate and nail this thing. I'm not worried about the director's notes anymore. I'm going to take this time left and play more with the subtleties of my character. I love playing in the moment; allowing emotions to come out that maybe weren't present at the previous rehearsal. A rule of thumb in the theatre...NEVER ANTICIPATE! It is one of the hardest things to do when as a person you know what is going to happen, but in the life of the play you don't. As we tighten up this show we as an ensemble REALLY NEED TO START RELATING TO EACH OTHER. The time has come to take the focus off of ourselves and our individual performances and LISTEN to our scene partners. One of my acting teachers used to say "performances are richer and more truthful when one truly listens to the words being said by their scene partners. When one only thinks about themselves, their lines and what they personally have to do onstage it spells doom for the whole production." Sanford Meisner talks about "living truthfully under imaginary circumstances". His technique is based on this idea, and his analogy is to know the text cold, without emotion and then let the text ride like a canoe on your emotion and intention. I can see this whole thing coming together, but its going to have to be a group effort. We have to stop placing blame on others for mistakes that come along and start accepting fault as a group. I know that we have the ability to do this, but how very true it is to say that "you are only as strong as your weakest link" 

May 3, 2000

Wow, we are so close to opening night! At this point I'm feeling almost without words. Last night's rehearsal was pretty good. We blundered our way through act I in our costumes, but we found a synergy in the second act that we had previously not encountered. I'd like to think that most of us felt pretty good when we left the theatre last night. Today, I am not thinking about all of the little things left to do, but rather the show as a whole. The continuity. I think we are really starting to find our rhythm and it couldn't be soon enough. Sure, in the next 6 rehearsals we have A LOT of work to accomplish, but its gonna happen. It's frightening to say but I THINK I'M FINALLY STARTING TO HAVE FUN!

May 9, 2000

THREE DAYS OUT! I can hardly believe it! Is this show really going to have an audience in three days? Actually, I think that we are ready. What we need is an audience. It always amazes me how the presence of the audience catapults you more into character than anything else. You can workshop your character until you're blue in the face, but as soon as you have the audience it becomes REAL.  It is a really difficult thing to describe, the interaction between the characters on stage and the audience. During the rehearsal process I sometimes forget just how much a part of the show the audience becomes. You often hear actors talking about their audience. "The crowd is great tonight and full of energy! They are so loud! Wow, they are loving it!" OR "What's with the crowd tonight? They're so quiet. They don't seem like they are enjoying the show at all." These things can throw you, but they can also really FOCUS you. I guess in the end, THREE days out, we can only trust ourselves and trust the work we have done. We'll have great nights and we'll have not so great nights. But if we, the actors, are having fun then I will be confident in the statement that WE HAVE DONE OUR JOBS WELL. 

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Don Kuehlhorn Journal
Lisa Oddy Journal
Ed Mulcahey Journal

Ed Mulcahey, Actor's Journal(i did not spell his name wrong on purpose,ED.)

HERE WITH THE WIND

      In an attempt to contribute more to the playhouse, (As well as not being out done by my cast mates) I too will give a rendition of "My life at the playhouse".
      I always told people that I wanted to do a play, but in the same breath, I told myself  I could never do a play. As we all know, things change. I was approached about "doing" Inherit The Wind last fall. I recognized the title from the classic movies that were force fed to me by my mother, with the help of "Bill Kennedy at the movies".
     A few basic requirements I had for being in a play were met.

#1. It was a large enough cast that, if need be, I could get lost in the shuffle.
#2. Not too many lines.
#3. IT WASN'T A MUSICAL!

      Not that I have anything against musicals, in fact I like them a lot, just so long as I'm in the audience and not on the stage.
      I read the script for "wind" and was convinced (almost) that I could pull of the role of Bert Cates. The poor guy is on trial for doing his job, and the whole town wants to see him hanged. He's got to be a bundle of nerves. I'd be a bundle of nerves walking on to the stage.  It was perfect. This didn't require acting! All I had to do was get from the jail, to the defense table and not faint. I was in!
     The cast soon put my nerves at ease and I was quickly making friends, a benefit I had over looked.
      It ended as quickly as it began, I was left wanting more.
     A few weeks passed and I found myself going to the playhouse in hopes of running into a few members of the cast. After all, these guys are always in shows, and it was an audition night, so odds were I’d see someone I knew. It was like a family reunion of sorts. The hugs and the hellos were wonderful. I explained a few times that I didn’t know Moon Over Buffalo so, I wasn’t going to read for it, but one of the girls (Michelle) coaxed me into reading with her, I got on stage and read the script cold. It was weird to be on the stage again, but reading lines that weren’t Bert Cates. That night I borrowed a copy and read the play  cover to cover. It was like reading a lost episode of the Carol Burnett show. I needed to be in this play. When the night was over Gary (The director) said that cast list would be posted in the basement of the OTP and on the homepage. I raced home and logged on. Nothing. I checked again an hour later, still nothing. Three or four checks later I decided that I should give it a rest for the night. 7am. Checked the page. "What is the hold up?" it was long day, but by 1pm there it was the cast list. "Ed Mulcaney". It was awfully close to my name, what are the odds of an Ed Mulcahy and an Ed Mulcaney being at the OTP.
      I decided to be excited. I read the rest of the cast list. I would be working with a couple a people I had already bonded with, a couple of veteran actors I could learn from, and a first timer I could relate with. The perfect blend.

BLOCKING THE MOON
     After the first night of read through I was eager to get started blocking. The first scene already involved more moving than I had in "Wind", more lines and more action, less cast members. These are direct violations of my acting requirements? Had I bitten off more then I could chew? Wait till I get a hold of my agent! Wait a minute, I am my agent! I suppose I would give me anything I couldn’t handle, or would I…?

3-19-00

LOVE HURTS

ROZ and I got together the other night to block the "passion" scene. Little did I know I’d also be blocking her elbow with my eye! This scene has proved to be the most difficult (and painful) scene I’ve ever had to block. Getting passionate with your ex fiancé is no easy task especially when you’ve known her only a couple of weeks. I believe this is why our director gave us creative independence. That and to spare the rest of the cast from seeing us trip all over each other in front of them.

After a brief tour of her home and as many little non-topic discussions we could muster, we opened the script and pretended we were comfortable. The script reads easy enough, she asks for a kiss and I plant one on her cheek. She tells me it’s not good enough, I give another, and she says she needs a third because she’s superstitious.

The third kiss lands on her lips and we’re thrown in to the heat of the moment. Unfortunately for her, she was also thrown into the edge of the couch. We laughed till we cried then she cried a little more from the pain her tailbone was giving her. When we got back into character we were doing fine until she knocked my glasses off and tried to poke my eye out with her elbow. I was beginning to wonder if we were now rehearsing for the WWF.

After about forty-five minutes of mutilating each other, the white flag was raised and we declared our blocking a success. I only hope Gary does too, because I don’t think my insurance covers love scenes.

03-20-00

I MET PAUL TODAY

Tonight, I felt the rehearsal went well. There was a lot of little silliness going on, but I feel I was having fun as Paul, rather then myself. It was the first time I think I felt I was in character. Maybe, we’re all starting to see one another as who we are playing rather then who we are. And to see Gary as the Director, rather then as Heathers dad. J

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Don Kuehlhorn Journal
Sarah Hampton Journal
Lisa Oddy Journal