Who Shot Cock Robin? (Vol. 6, Issue 5)

Original Air Date: 03.06.2008
Theme Song: "Gay Boyfriend" - The Hazzards


For the first time ever, I'm taking a couple Theatre Arts classes (AHHHH, I know), one of them being Intro to Directing. A mere two weeks into the semester, our professor, Chris, "randomly" pairs us all up alphabetically to direct a contemporary 5-minute scene for Lunchtime Theatre. Logically, I'm put with Torrey, and luckily for me, he's already a part of the Theatre world.


Quickly, he proposes that we do a scene from either Angels in America or Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, and after reading both plays, I choose Cat as a first choice, mainly because someone always does Angels in America each year. We choose a 2-person scene between Maggie, a sexually repressed young woman, and her husband, Brick, a disabled, closet homosexual who refuses to touch her. Riveting stuff.

Once the final play roster is confirmed, the entire class forms a 14-person panel of directors that conducts two major casting sessions throughout the week. And unfortunately, as I'm watching the auditions, I'm surprised that barely anybody is jumping out at me. But then the door swings open, and in walks Teri, a sophomore actress. Out of over a dozen girls, she is the only one to actually choose our scene for her cold reading. She gives a powerful, dramatic performance and once she leaves, quite a few of the directors are already prepared to THROW DOWN for the chance to cast her. Oh, there WILL be blood, my friend!


After all the actors have read, the directors decide to start the negotiating process NOW, so that there won't be any bloodshed. Darn. *puts brass knuckles back on shelf* At this point, we have to take a closer look at the guys, since not many of them auditioned for serious roles. But after a brief deliberation, we agree on Chris, a senior actor, who impressed us both with his physicality and volatility in his audition for Pancakes, Brian & Becca's dark comedy.


By some miracle, we manage to get BOTH of our first-choice actors. SwEEt. Immediately, Torrey and I meet with our acTORS, draw up a rehearsal schedule, and have them read the script on their feet. Typically, I would keep track of the lines while he would pay attention to body language and such. What I like most about these rehearsals is the collaboration between us and the actors. More often than not, their suggestions about blocking, emphasis, and enunciation are spot-on, and make the whole production look better. They've got good instincts, Thank God.

The most nerve-wrecking but rewarding experience is when I actually have to conduct a rehearsal by myself. I'm intimidated, mainly because unlike my partner, I didn't come into the production being friends with both actors. Needless to say, my fears are irrational (as always), and that rehearsal goes amazingly and as always, they Do Great Work (as they say at Gettysburg)--I even get to use one of my favorite Marching Band exercises for memorization: Chunk it, Add it, and Loop it. And I'm sure it impresses both Torrey and myself when both actors are off-book ahead of schedule. Good stuff.

After weeks of hard work all around, the time for CAT's debut finally arrives. The night before, I throw together a mini-poster design, so we can hand out separate programs at the show (since we're performing alongside Wonder of the World and what else? Angels in America). Well, an hour before showtime, I'm at the library printing out 40 sheets of posters on the world's SLOWEST PRINTER only to have a librarian hack the paper up improperly. RRRRrrr, oh well, I'm in a rush, so it'll just have to do. Mmph.

Upon my arrival in Stevens Theater, I set up by the podium and greet guests as they arrive. Once the theater is literally packed wall-to-wall with college co-eds, I join Torrey in the booth and watch as the fruits of our labor are reaped on stage. As I'm watching Teri and Chris through the Plexiglas window, I can't be help but feel soooo proud of BOTH of them, at how they manage to make their portrayals even MORE polished now than they were at the dress rehearsal. And from those who were lucky enough to be there, I've heard nothing but good things about the show, and to Torrey, Chris, and Teri, I'd like to say "THANK YOU, it was a pleasure working with you all."