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Week 1

by Vance Smith, Director

We began our first night in the Incubator with a table reading of the script.  For most of the actors, this was the first time they had gotten to read much of the second act.  We followed the reading with a discussion, which raised some valuable questions about how certain parts of the play connected to each other, but on the whole the feedback from cast and crew was positive.  Afterwards, Steve and I decided that the most valuable thing for us right now is to get the show up on its feet and see what is working and what needs work. The next night we began staging the first act.  For the next four meetings, we had a blast staging the first four scenes.  The only problem that we ran into consistently was actors not being able to keep a straight face during some of the scripts funnier moments.  A couple of actors told me personally how much fun then were having during this process, and it shows.

Tonight (Wednesday the 14th) was the first hiccup.  As were staging Scene 5, the last one in Act 1, we hit some problems with unclear character motivations.  Both the actors and I were having some trouble getting to the root of what drives the characters in this scene, and I think it was a little frustrating to Steve, who thought it was clear.  We decided to let this one sit for a few days and spend more time with it this weekend.