"Turning the accomplishment of many years Into an hourglass..."

Well, we made it. Hell Week is over and all three shows are up and running. Now to lapse into a coma from which I may never wake.

Henry V went well, all things considered. There were no major hiccups, though there were a few flubbed lines ("...such a sum of...CASH!"). I think I did ok; honestly, it's hard to tell at this point. My throat is so ragged from talking that I sound like George Burns after a tracheotomy.



I fear I yelled too much, but as the rehearsals went on, it became firly clear to me that there's a lot of yelling called for in the show. It just seems that I was the only one doing it.

The last scene went great. I only added back a little to one of Henry's lines when he's talking about how he can't speak very well but it's better to have a good heart than good rhetoric. The actress that plays Katherine is fantastic and makes her into an angel that can pardon all of Henry's sins (self-accused or otherwise). In all, it was a nice wrap-up to a well-performed, well-directed show. And to think I was worried...

"SCONE!!!"

"...And now is he turned orthography; his words are a very fantastical banquet, just so many strange dishes."

Hell Week is two-thirds and we open Henry in a week. We lost a performance of Doctor to rain tonight; it happens. We generally go on, rain or shine, unless conditions are obviously unsafe. Tonight, though, we called it off because only three people showed up to watch: a company member and my parents. Thanks, guys!

We have one week to inject whatever magic we can into the show. The third show gets the most time in development (technically), but we stop rehearsing it during opening week so we can focus on the other two shows. Consequently, it can be tough to jump back into the groove and get things together before opening.

I think the show has some strong scenes in it, but I think we have yet to shape those scenes into a satisfying whole. I think we've only run the show top to bottom once so far in rehearsal, and even then we left a few scenes out. Things like absences, scheduling conflicts, fight rehearsals and other unavoidable obstacles have made it nearly impossible to get an idea of the show as a whole.

My concerns are essentially the same but, not content to simply play the damn role, I volunteered for another task: rewrite the last scene.

The last scene doesn't work. I don't mean our performances specifically; I think the scene itself is less than perfect. I've expounded on this topic at length previously so I won't drag all that out again, but never let it be said that I don't take action to change my situation. So I'll see what I can do to punch it up; though it's awkward, it's a vital counterpoint to the rest of the play.

"KISS ME, KATE!"