Rehearsal Room

Today was our second day of rehearsal for O Captain, My Captain: Whitman's Lincoln. It's a one man show set in the living room of Walt Whitman's Camden, NJ home as he prepares to go on a speaking tour about his relationship with the late Abraham Lincoln.

Bill Van Horn (who I've worked with previously on our production of The Dishwashers and who I LOVE) wrote the script and is also starring as Walt Whitman. I think it's going to be a fantastic show. Not only has Bill written a great piece, but the setting is so interesting that I'm convinced the audience will be absolutely riveted.

As I've said, the play is set in his home, the premise being that Walt has invited 80 or so of his closest friends to come and hear him give a "dress rehearsal" of his Lincoln lecture before he takes it on the road.

So instead of our more traditional seating with the audience on risers, the audience will actually be seated onstage in various period chairs and sofas. Bill as Walt will walk among them and interact with them throughout the whole show.

Since the audience seating is so vital to the spacing of the show, it was paramount that we have all of the chairs and sofas in our rehearsal room the first day.

Have you ever wondered what 80 period chairs looks like in a small dance studio?


A view from the front door:

And from the opposite corner:


Notice I've managed to squeeze in a table for us to conduct our first day of rehearsal business!

Now that we're up on our feet and blocking the show, there is barely room for a stage management table and a coffee table. Luckily there's only one actor, otherwise no one would be able to move at all.

Stay tuned... this one's going to be great!


And in other news, I'm totally psyched for 3 things, in this order:

1. New Year's Eve. I have 3 parties to attend: the Walnut's, Dan Kazemi's and the Manton Street girls. It's going to be a whirlwind night.

2. A DAY OFF. kinda.

3. Our famous New Year's Day party where we eat hangover-curing junk food, imbibe some hair-of-the-dog drinks, lounge around & watch the parade on TV and watch the utter craziness that is drunken Mummery on our street. I can't wait to chill with my nearest and dearest.

Happy New Year!