The Dangers Of Diving In
Last night was my first rehearsal for this show my friend recommended me to. Now, normally I would be more hesitant and not accept the role right away - as I did with this. This show is at a theatre that I , personally, had a terrible experience with years ago. But, I also saw two other shows there - one mediocre and one fantastic - so there were no clear signs warning me against proceeding. And while I have never met the director before, she is friends with my friend, which gives me some character insight (I think) and through our conversation on the phone I got the sense that she and I gel well, and she seemed to have her ducks in a row - i.e.: a full rehearsal schedule already planned.
Of course there are still so many things that could go wrong - a terrible script (from what I have read though, I like it enough), a terrible cast, not enough attention getting paid to staging and costumes... but those things can go wrong with any production you sign up for, regardless of when/how you got involved. It's just that jumping in two weeks before opening, you know you'll feel awful if for some reason you feel the show is a detriment instead of a benefit. You can smack your head against the shallow bottom and end up with cranium-splitting guilt.
It's such a complicated thought process (in my mind, at least) I feel I need to make a flow chart or something. But I think you understand all the possible pros and cons.
The most persuasive pro right now for me though is I have a small list of agents who begged me to tell them when I was on stage next - and here is an opportunity for me to do that. The big question is though: Are any of my roles large enough for it to be worth their time coming to see me and is the piece something I will be proud of?
Obviously I don't know those answers after the first rehearsal. What I do know is that the cast is fun - we did group warm-ups which I have not done in years. (For one show, a couple years ago, we used to have a group dance party before curtain which wasn't mandatory - it just sort of came into being through a hyper cast and an involved soundtrack which required extensive checking every evening before we began.) But they were fun warm-ups and I felt right at home jumping in when I didn't even know everyone's names. I also know that I agree with the director's vision for the piece. I can't guarantee she'll hit the mark, but I think she's definitely got the right idea - which is half the battle.
I'm not sure how all this will play out but we'll know in two weeks (holy crap - 2 weeks?!). If all else fails, at least the dive will wash away some of the cobwebs.
Comments