I thought I’d write a bit about my acting process.  I ended up getting the part that I auditioned for in June and tonight we had our first rehearsal.  It’s been a few years since I’ve been really passionate about a part that I was doing.  Or at least been passionate about a role and then got the part.

I am in the play Rope’s End by Douglas Bowie.  I saw the play last year at the Blyth Festival, when my friends Tony Munch and Marion Day played the parts of Toby and Marisa.  I enjoyed their performances and the show immensely.  And I thought, “I’d love to be in that play.”  So, when I saw that the Burl-Oak Theatre Group was putting on the show, I kept my eyes peeled for the auditions.

So here we are.  The first day of rehearsals.  The show opens in 65 days.  I have just over 2 months to prepare for two weekends of performances.    Greg, the director, wants us off book (to know all our lines) by September 1 – which gives me 31 days to learn 94 pages of lines.  And since there are only two actors in the play, that’s a lot of lines!

But preparing for a part isn’t just about learning the lines.  It’s also learning about the character.  Finding nuances.  Playing off the other actor.  My character makes all kinds of references to things because he is a bit of a trivia buff, so I should probably do some research just to be a little familiar with some of the things I talk about.

For our first rehearsal, Carmen (who plays Marisa), Greg and I discussed theatre, the play, and life.  And then we started reading through the play.  We got to the end of the first act when it was time to call it a night.  We’ll finish the read through on Sunday, when we meet again.

It would have been nice to complete the whole play in one sitting, but there was a lot of discussion during the read through.  And more importantly, we were getting to know each other – actors and director.  A play is always an interesting mix of personalities and the three of us will be spending a lot of time together, so it’s important learn about each other as quickly as we can.

I’m very excited to embarking on this journey!