So there’s going to be this wall, a rolling wall, which is one of the highlights of the set.  It’s being built right now, but we’ve already been setting some scenes without it.  To try to get some idea of how the wall will be manipulated to change the space and obscure/reveal scenes (as well as be a projection surface) we used a very sad folding table in its stead.  Sad because the actual wall is supposed to be 12 or 13 feet wide and about 4 feet tall.  And the table is, well, a table.  It did make for a pretty fun/ny rehearsal though.

Beginning.

Laura is disgusted. (above)

Hana is late. There are three more people hiding behind the table there. Ha ha ha.

See?

Ivana Catanese came to rehearsal too, to assist with the Castellano porteños accent.

Today was the second day of school girl rehearsals. I’ve been having the actors really invest in recalling what they were like at age 15, and also recalling pivotal events/times in their adolescence when they were taken out of context.

Today we had a more physical exploration of how they related to others and themselves at that age, which is where these photos are from:

Later we added “adult” characters to the mix — Dawn as the teacher and Jorge as the principal of the school. There was a moment during one of the physical sessions that I found really moving — I don’t really even know what the event was at that moment, but somehow I really started to see the actors as they might have been at 15, and that age of extreme vulnerability, excitement, self-consciousness, energy. It’s silly but amazing nonetheless to think about every person and the sequence of events that brought them into being in this world at this time, and all the things that happen to a person that shape who they are. It reminds me to take more care — something you do to someone else might be a forgettable event to you, but might affect the other person deeply. And vice versa of course.

Building and setting the journey through a day in New York, here is everyone waiting for the light to turn at a crosswalk, on their way to work.

I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. I love these guys.

WOW everyday I go to rehearsal I am thrilled to the toes to see the actors. Before rehearsals started I was so tense, almost dreading it. But now I wonder if I am in one of the happiest periods of my life.

Last night, we were beginning to build the city section that is the foundation of Ikuko’s voiceover part of the play. This part of the play is textless, all movement, a cinematic journey through the city. I had the actors create a physical sequence of movement and suspensions that encapsulated a day in their lives. It ended up being so moving, to witness the most private/public moments. Later they repeated their sequences while speaking out loud their internal monologue. Another revelation.

“The sky is so beautiful between the buildings. Better with clouds.”

“I wonder if black people think I’m racist because I’m holding onto my bag on my lap, but it was already there before I saw them.”

“If I pretend to be looking around at everybody in the elevator, I can catch a better glimpse of that cute guy.”

“I know I’m always late, but tomorrow I might be early.”

There is something so indescribably intimate about peering into someone’s life when they are traversing a public space, when they are supposed to be unrecognized, anonymous.

My commute to work this morning I kept thinking about everybody’s morning routine. Is Jy taking a smoke break? Did Dawn get her polenta? Did Connie get her window seat? Is Drae walking the dachshund?

We started rehearsals for oph3lia two days ago. Working today with the translator crew, for the first hour or so I had the actors do an exercise in waiting.

That’s Moe waiting. She’s trying not to touch the ground.

Here’s Jorge after two massage warm-ups:

and Laura waiting by the unused elevator and stairwell:

When I got to Drae, she had her tshirt pulled up over her nose. Here are her legs.

And Alanna, waiting and listening.

Later I had each actor recreate a segment of their waiting, which I just found endlessly fascinating.

In our lives in this city, time alone, I mean really completely alone, is a rare occurrence especially if you are in a relationship or co-habitate with a pet, roommate, etc. I think we are so very much defined by our context and relationships. The exercise in waiting is an exploration of who we are when we are taken out of our contexts, when we are not watched nor obligated to interact with anyone else. We are alone when we sleep. But when else? If you have no one to talk to, are you defined by the language you speak? How /can we shed the layers of our identity? Is it a release? Is it dangerous?