The set, props, and costumes have moved over to the theater, so we did speed-throughs for lines yesterday and this evening. The super-speedy winners are Gary and Jay.

For the run yesterday, Andy asked us to pick one word or phrase that is the key to each monologue, and to emphasize it as we get through the lines. So, for instance, I stressed "stewardship" in the first Gil Engen moment, and "I'm 52 years old and I'm gay" in Harry Woods's section.

That's what I like about working with Andy: he comes up with exercises to keep things fresh and developing, but he doesn't use the same exercise irrespective of the material and problems to be solved. When we did Birthday Suite, a sex farce for five actors, he sensed that we were a little too reserved, especially for the four characters who spend most of the evening swilling champagne. So he ran a Friday night rehearsal with live champagne. (The exercise worked too well, because Lee was tanked by the end of Act I.)

Andy and Jim are leaning on me about articulation and volume for Jon Peacock. The dialect choice that I've made for him is getting in my way a little bit.

posted: 10:51:38 PM