Like Martha says “It’s a good thing”

Most projects are collaborative.  Theatre is collaborative.  Whatever you do for your 9 to 5 is also this.  On rare occasions, I don’t know if the magnetic poles have to align just right with the stars in Orion’s belt in the Southeastern Hemisphere at the precise midpoint of the moon’s lunar cycle, but some times people listen to all of your ideas.  And I don’t mean they hear them then skip over them to the next topic, or completely shoot them down. What I am talking about is the ideas that get heard and dialogue begins to happen and the idea expands and morphs into something, hopefully better or more useful.

My friends, today has been that day for me.   Over at the nursery, I had a little pow wow with my boss and conversations just bounced around the room.  Then at rehearsal, Elisa let me adapt and manipulate and reinterpret my lines differently than I did in the past, and she didn’t even blink an eye.  I think she knew that I am still tweaking and modifying character voices and movements and I feel like when I work with her I don’t have to always ask for permission to do something different.  I truly love the freedom that I feel like I am allowed in order to put my best character forward.  Aside from basic blocking, every thing that I did tonight was different from the original rehearsal of the scenes.  Accenting different words, created more interesting speech patterns and new ideas and feelings.  Thus causing new physical reactions with my fellow actors.

We ran through Act 2 tonight, and while there were parts that are a little bumpy, the shape is there.  Tomorrow we have a design run through, and I am crossing my fingers that they, the designers, will bring some new energy to the cast and it’ll feel like something brand spanking new.

I wanna take this feeling and put it in a little box, tie with a corn silk bow and place it under my pillow, so I’ll always have it.

It’s definitely a good thing!