Donna Lucia bounces back

February 5, 2000

Nothing like a good rehearsal and reading to bring one back.

I didn't even have to go to rehearsals on Thursday, since they were working on an act I wasn't in, but I just had to learn those lines. I called up Lord Fancourt Babberley and schedule an early reading with him so we could run our lines together. We never had read together, only on stage. In the meantime I was going to learn those stupid little buggers no matter what. Andi, my good buddy, came to my rescue. She the fastest reader in northern Michigan! We read and reread and tore those lines apart, but them back together again, analyzed and figured out just how I was going to remember them. When I first started practicing my lines last month it would take Clyde and me about 45 minutes to get through them all. We finally got it down to just under 25 minutes. After that session Andi and I had it down to 12 minutes!!! You talk about flying!!! AND I was off book the entire reading (only a couple of prompts needed).

This whole play is about pacing, it must be fast. Lines bouncing back and forth, zinging across the stage and knocking down anyone getting in the way. I wanted to learn those lines that fast.

I was still feeling bad, you know, that "I'm going to probably get sick feeling and die of pneumonia" attitude. I took a nap right before I left for rehearsals and debated calling Babbs to say I couldn't come. Next thing I knew Cassis was licking my face (I do hope you all know Cassis is my standard poodle!) and telling me it was time to get a move on.

"Okay, I'll go. But under one condition...," I said.
"Yeah, what's that?"
"You go with me."
"No problem!!!! Have poodle will travel!"

I was going to take Cassis with me to rehearsals. After packing both of our bags (of course hers is bigger and better packed then my own), we jumped in the Subaru Outback and drove the 35 miles down to Traverse City.

I felt better already because Jack a.k.a. Patrick, went nuts over Cassis and she thought he was perfectly wonderful. Babbs came in, right on time and we started to read and read and read and read. We played with the lines, making some overlap, we punched them out and bounced them off each other. Before I knew it, it was 8:30 and I felt like a million bucks. We were going to nail this sucker!!!

Next day pneumonia was history, the cold never materialized and my sore throat was mellowing out. It's amazing how one's mental state can affect the physical.

Yours playing those lines,
Suzanne & Cassis (Of course, it was me being there that did the trick!)

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