The Play is Underway!

Since my last entry, the Borderlands group has started to do full run-throughs of the show every night. Last night they did their run-through in costume and with sound cues. It was a crazy rehearsal for me because I had to run around helping all the actors with their costumes as well as be the DJ, however this did not interfere with my note-taking because Eva said almost nothing the entire time. At the end she gave a few notes, but for the most part they were very minor comments (watch your pronunciation on this word, remember that in the theater there will be a door that closes right over there, etc.). I would say that the show is in wonderful condition considering they still have a full week before the show opens. All the actors have been off-book (not using their scripts) for a few weeks (although they still need to call for "line" every once and a while) and the acting is becoming more and more consistent from one rehearsal to the next.
Now for the week-by-week summary I promised in my last entry:
The first two and a half weeks of rehearsal took place at the Centro Cultural de las americas building (40 W. Broadway in downtown). When I arrived at the very first rehearsal I was greeted with hugs by people I had never met before. This, I think, shows the warm, informal atmosphere which describes this meeting. After all the contracts were signed (a process that took about 10-15 minutes), all the actors gathered around a very small table while everyone else was squeezed into the area between the table and the door (all the board of directors as well as the prop guy, the set guy, the lighting guy, and the costume lady were also at this rehearsal). After the read-through was over, Eva asked for comments before giving her own. After giving some advice to the actors she went over the references some of the lines make. Then she answered many questions on the time period and went of the schedule (she gave everyone a copy of a schedule from January until March that included what days rehearsals were, what Acts were to be rehearsed on those days, and who needed to show up when) and times were decided on. For the rest of the week, the table was cleared away and replaced with a couch, chair, and coffee table (stand in props). During this first week, many of the actors were already off book and calling for lines. During this week, several scenes were blocked every day. First Eva would watch the scene, then she would ask the actors questions about their characters ("How important is Paulina to you?" "Is this the first time you're telling her about this?"), this allowed the actors to really seriously delve into the psychology of their character. Then the scene would be run again, to allow the actors to put their new decisions for the character into play, also Eva would interrupt many times during the second run-through to point out details and ask the actors more questions. By the end of this week, some of the actors already had much of their costumes, many of the props had already been brought/bought and the actors were already rehearsing with music.
Eva's technique was much the same in week two, she let the actors run-through without interruption than gave the actors comments (many of them affirming actions she liked) and had them run it again. During this week, the lighting guy came to two rehearsals and Eva explained to him what her lighting "vision" is.
During the third week (on January 28th) a very important production meeting took place during one of the rehearsals. The actors went into one room to run lines while the lighting, set, props, and costume people met with the director and stage manager in another room. The stage manager told them everything that was still needed for the play and everyone decided whether that item should be considered a costume, a prop, or part of the set. Eva told them specifically what she wanted this item to look like (for example how tall and what color is the coat hanger). Next everyone discussed whether or not the student matinee would have to be censored (whether it was acceptable to have fake cocaine and talk about erections to their 15 year old audience) and whether Zuzi theater will let the actors smoke onstage. January 31st was the first day rehearsals took place at the South Side Presbyterian Church (a much bigger space for the actors). The stage manager marked the exact area of the stage and marked where all the doors are. For the rest of the week, blocking was solidified and the dance scenes were timed so that they did not run on too long.
During the fourth week (or this week) almost every prop that will be used in the show has trickled in, the costumes have been approved and worn during a run-through, the stage hands that will be present during the show have come to rehearsal to learn their duties, and the soundboard manager has tested out sound effects. Overall the show is just about ready to be performed.
Now I know that all of this is a huge dump of observations, so in my next post I will analyze some of Eva's techniques and how these compare to the directors I am reading about in my 'Director/Directing' book. Also my first Wild Things rehearsal is supposed to be on Friday. I am very unhappy to say that I will have to miss it because I will be performing Charlie Brown at the BASIS Middle School at the exact same time. This is also true for the Saturday rehearsal, but after Saturday I will be finished with Charlie Brown and nothing should get in the way of rehearsals anymore, although I may have some problems with overlap between Pancho Villa performances and Wild Things rehearsals, but what can I say? Such is the life of a thespian.