Web Diary
Show: Shakespeare's "Hamlet"
Role: Polonius (Minister to the King, Father of Ophelia and Laertes.)
Producer: Shady Shakespeare
Week 6: Return to Sanborn Park and a little rant about being off book!
We have now begun rehearsing at Sanborn Park in Saratoga (see picture here). Oue new set is rather impressive. It is two stories with sweeping staircases both stage left and stage right. The upper level is used as the battlments of Elsinore and as the entrance and exit to the royal chambers. The lower level has a small platform at the back used as a setting for the king and queen's thrones and for Gertrude's couch in a later scene. The rest of the lowerstage is used to supplement these areas as extra space. Lighting will be used to differentiate inside scene's from outside scenes. An area just stage right of the mainstage will be used for the graveyard scenes. Entrances and exits are made either up the stairs, through to portals stage left and stage right of the throne platform or through the crowd and over the bridge found at the back of the house. After three seasons I actually get to use the bridge!
This set was constructed piece by piece off site, numbered, broken down and then reassembled over two days at the park. The following weekend we installed the lighting for both onstage and off. That was where I did my obligatory time helping. I put together the lights in the dressing rooms. Hung the blacks separating the backstage from the performance space and helped destroy the old light booth to make room for the new.
Over the next two weeks the finishing touches will be made to the set making it truly unbelievable!
The rehearsals themselves were interesting. Finally able to work on the performance stage we spent the week going scene by scene adjusting blocking, working on projection and other items as we got aquainted with the new surroundings. This was also our first week off book. although we still are able to call for line. This allowed the director to really start getting us into character and start working on those parts of the show where timing and emotion are so critical.
The week was not without some bumps in the road. Forgive me if I go on a rant here but as I just mentioned, this week was supposed to be our first week off book. Unfortunately one of our actors, who has a substantial role, was not off book. Now I would not be angry about this if he had in fact been trying. But the said actor was heard whining before rehersal on Monday claiming he did not know why he had to be off book now, when there was still two weeks left before we open. Now, as an actor I like to be off book ASAP as it allows me the freedom to work on character.
This fellow claims he cannot just memorize lines but has to go through some esoteric procedure that MIT would be at a loss to explain. But here is the problem. We have had our scripts since May, at least a full month before the beginning of rehearsal. We were told the first week of rehearsal that we were expected to be off book by the 30th of July. So all of us have had over two months to get our lines down. Some of us came into rehearsal itself off book for the majority of our scenes. Our Hamlet, who has the most lines of us all, came in essentialy off book for at least 50% of his scenes and is now off book on the remaining ones like the rest of this cast. Yet our friend, with his process, was still on book for at least three of his scenes in the second act. To watch these scenes unfold were truly painful. It got so bad the director finally let him have his book, which was unfortunate because that is what he wanted in the first place. I especially felt bad for those actors on stage with him,
Now, luckily for me I was not in those scenes with this person. I had already met my demise. But if I did have a scene where he was unprepared I would be even angrier then I already am. It shows a great lack of respect for your fellow actor to come to rehearsal unprepared. We all had the same deadline. We all knew the score. But this person has selfishly chosen his method over his fellow actors needs. Now do not get me wrong! We all have our own method and approach to the work we do. But we also have to take into account those around us. Theatre is a collaborative effort. We must be able to trust each other. This person's behavior leaves me with no trust. I do not think he has even read the entire script as it appears many of his choices are out of context. It is simply not professional. And this person is going to be going for his MFA soon. Hopefully his instructors will beat it out of him. On a professional stage, as opposed to a community one, you are not given the option to hold your book at all. You are expected to be off book at the first rehearsal. I do not think his method would go over well on Broadway. It certainly did not go over well with me!
Oh well, let us just say that I am not happy at all with this turn of events and leave it at that. I hope to God he is ready come opening night.
See ya next week,
Ross Arden Harkness