Notes from an ActorOctober 10th 2007 |
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From Adam Luckey
October 10
Alright. So we are coming into the home stretch. It has been few days since I sat down to my journal, but I’ve never been away from my script. I went to a play a few days ago and even carried my script with me. I didn’t read it during the show, mind you. I did glance at it a little during the pre-show and at intermission. Even if I don’t look at it, it feels good to have it near me. But I’m starting to hate that book, my crutch. My head has wrapped itself around the majority of the play, but they are still swirling around the air, look you, this brave o’erhanging firmament, in Act 5. So, when the chance arises, I’ve got my nose in the book. I wouldn’t necessarily call it cramming, but someone who is more of an alarmist might. I just know that I want it all up in my head, comfortably. If we are talking percentages, I’m running at 89 % memorization at the moment. How can the brain hold so much without bursting and what happens when it finally reaches capacity? Do you start to ooze from the ear canals or start speaking in broken sentences? Who knows, we may find out the answer soon enough.
We are starting to put it all together to get the sense of flow and get it into our muscle memory. I’m seeing places where I am hitting my stride and other places where I am still pretty unsure of myself. Some of that may have to do with not fully realizing the scope of the stage space, levels, and multimedia aspects, but at least I know that there are places that need extra attention. I’m getting there, I’m getting there. My schedule says that there is still time. I think everyone in the cast and crew needs to remind themselves of this at times. Hell, I have to sometimes. Still, I’m staying pretty calm, all things considered. If I wasn’t nervous and anxious, I shouldn’t be up there attempting this. My hard work is going to pay off.
Oh yeah. Some of the video work we recorded (until 3 AM, mind you) isn’t going to work, so we are going to have to rerecord it. Truthfully, I am a pleased about that. As the evening dragged on, my illness, insecurity in the part, and exhaustion was starting to show. Certainly not my best work, that is for sure. It will be good to get a second chance with a healthier constitution and better grasp of the lines. I will say on a side note that the work that Andrew Connerley has put into the production is nothing short of amazing. His edit of the Ghost’s passages moves me to tears every time I hear it. And not tears welling up in my eyes but streaming down my face. It comes from a mixture of sheer terror, pity, sadness, and rage. He has captured the mood exactly. I get goose bumps thinking about it now. It is a damn shame that this “Ghost Mix” may not make it into the show, but I hear that he may be able to do the same kind of mix with “take 2.”
Hamlet is a tough part. I’ll go ahead and say that. That bastard lives in his head SO MUCH but speaks a lot for someone who does is basically in introvert. In cinematic terms, it would be pretty easy (albeit boring) to just have Hamlet’s 6 main soliloquies as voice over. And it would make sense. How does one “live in the head” and at the same time allow the audience into it? Ay, there’s the rub. And I’m still rubbing it. 7 days and counting.
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