The Religion Thing has started

We started rehearsals for my sister's play The Religion Thing this week and I have to say it has been one of the most stress free, totally enjoyable, first weeks I've ever experienced. First of all I love the play. Secondly, my sister Renee and I get a long. VERY well. Theater is all about collaboration and collaboration can't happen unless there is a lot of trust in the room. We already have that. I know that I'm incredibly lucky that my siblings and I get along so well. Even if we weren't family, I'd be great friends with both Renee and my brother Dave. I just really respect them. Their both smart as hell and I also just honestly enjoy their company.

And this cast has been a joy to work with. I've worked with both Chris Stezin and Will Gartshore before-- Will and I having worked together many times. Liz and Kim and Joe all came in and sort of cast themselves so to speak. I love when that happens, when talent and sometimes fate gives you who you need for a play.

Another thing I realized during this experience was patience-- well not patience really, but I relaxed a bit more than usual. I've been very fortunate to be able to direct both plays and musicals. I just came from directing the musical Ordinary Days in Philadelphia. It was a wonderful experience even with the pressure of only having two weeks of rehearsal before tech. On The Religion Thing we have four weeks of rehearsal before tech. I've always thought it odd and unfair really that musicals and plays tend to get the same amount of rehearsal time. I don't think plays should get any less, but I do think that musicals should get more, so it was odd that, in this case, the play got more rehearsal time than the musical. One thing that I've noticed in the past few years is that the economic downturn has absolutely affected how much rehearsal time shows get. It seems that cutting down costs includes cutting down rehearsal time. One of the things that I've always loved about directing musicals is that for the first four to six days of rehearsal I get to spend a good deal of rehearsal time listening to the cast learn the score. It's a wonderful way to allow the show to "infect" me even more than it has up to that point. The last three musicals I've directed I have started staging the second day of rehearsal if not the first. It's a much more intense process and the process of rehearsing musicals is always pretty intense. When I'm directing a musical I am always trying to get the show "up on its feet" as soon as possible. So when I go directly from directing a musical to directing a play, I feel like I'm going from 100 miles an hour to about 60, and the urge to just get the actors up on their feet is not easily squelched. During these first few days of rehearsal I've let that instinct fall away. These actors are so wonderful, and they've read the play together several times as a cast for readings of the piece over the six months or so. It's been incredibly relaxing and freeing to not worry about product but to allow a more leisurely pace to take over the process. I'm enjoying it!