Blocking

I am learning so much with this role in "Oliver!". Although sometimes it appears that things are disorganized and constantly in flux, the director and her staff are really quite methodical. Having gotten all of the musical numbers off on the right foot, so to speak, she's now turning her attention to the scenes in between the musical numbers, those scenes which are so important in moving the plot along. This activity is called "blocking". We actors are positioned on stage approximately where we will be during the actual performance. Often we might have to imagine that we're on a platform six feet in the air or descending a staircase which, for the moment, is non-existent. But in the process we get the general feel for whether we're upstage or down, left or right. And we get a bit of an idea where the movement is going to be if there is any.

But most important, we get to rehearse our lines with the other actors, getting a feel for the facial expressions and the body language which will become important in learning our lines for their intent and meaning, not just the words. And, yes, the director yells at us to "show more anger", " show more compassion", "remember, you're really mad at this point". Two women are to share the part of Nancy, alternating performances I suppose. I found it amazing how good they both were but how different my reaction was to each in our shared dialogue.

The adventure continues.