Friday's blocking of Two and Three

I thought that we have gotten a lot accomplished today. Here are my concerns for Two and Three. You both need to find the dynamics between your two characters. Remember the concept of status and put yourself in those positions from the get-go. John should be very much jockeying for power in Two and so should Carol. What we need to see as an audience is the shift of power between you both. We should get a sense of John as a bastard, but Carol must also emerge out of her shell as well so we perceive a possibility of her being bitchy. In Three, the power has completely shifted and no Carol is totally empowered and John is struggling to keep afloat.

The staccato dialogue is the driving force behind this piece. It is what keeps the scenes moving and the characters interesting. As you begin to memorize lines, make sure that you are picking up the pace of dialogue and your cues. This is a difficult play because one falter in the dialogue will bring the whole production to a stand-still. I know, no stress on anyone—right? I suspect that as we continue rehearsing, you will pick up cues and really shape and mold the scenes. Obviously One is the longest scene, but it still has the potential of moving along and appearing as a fairly fats paced, short scene.

Think about props for you both. John, we need to start personalizing some items for you: perhaps a favourite pen or particular pad of paper. Also, what books might you have on your desk? What would you be doing with you glasses, etc. Carol, we start you off with a knapsack, and in Two it probably becomes a nicer bag. I think that in Three, you only have a very nice folio and John’s book, and possibly a nicer notebook?