Reflections on Wit
I was thinking about Wit last night, the play I did last summer. I recalled that my mom told me about a woman who had sat next to her and Neil. She had decided to come to the show after reading the reviews in the Willamette Week and the Mercury. She asked if they were there for me...she had figured that they were because Neil brought flowers and she knew from the picture in the Mercury that the two female cast members were quite different in age...and assumed that a young man wouldn't be there for the elder of the two! My mom said that after the show, the woman asked her to let me know that I did a wonderful job.
So, in my mind, I started to watch myself on stage, as if I were that woman sitting next to my family. Did I support the positive review of me in the Murc? What was so great about my performance? I had to stop myself from thinking that way during the show because it would have been destructive. The reviews, while great, were nerve wracking because they were something I felt I had to live up to. I had to be diligent to not let it affect my work.
The play was so well liked and that amazed me, in a sense, because somewhere along the line it felt like we were cheating - it was so easy! By easy I mean that we only rehearsed for three weeks (well, four, but I was gone for the first week of rehearsal) and the director didn't really direct us very much. And that made me think. Did it feel like we weren't directed because he was really good at making it seem like he wasn't directing? Was it because the cast was pretty experienced and we made a good ensemble? Which would be funny because off stage we weren't a very tight group. Anyhow, the whole thing, with all it's intensity and depth, just seemed to come together so easily, and I don't know what to attribute that to.
When I worked on Pure Gold Baby, we rehearsed for four months, nearly seven nights a week and sometimes all day during the weekends, and it was exhausting trying to get that show together. It was also a brand new show, so there were a lot of kinks to work out. The final scene was constantly being re-worked. Plus, we wore 6" stripper shoes through out the entire play, which is quite the workout (my legs and butt looked great!). I was so tired after doing that show that I stayed away from theater for about a year and half, until I got the part in Wit (though I did have roles in a few local short films).
Wit was such a joy that I was excited for more theater. I don't have any theater plans in the horizon, but Neal Corl has asked me to be in a short film that he's shooting next month. I'm looking forward to it. I really enjoy the medium of film, though it's something that I need much more experience with, so I'm grateful for the opportunity to work and learn.
Love,
Aislinn
So, in my mind, I started to watch myself on stage, as if I were that woman sitting next to my family. Did I support the positive review of me in the Murc? What was so great about my performance? I had to stop myself from thinking that way during the show because it would have been destructive. The reviews, while great, were nerve wracking because they were something I felt I had to live up to. I had to be diligent to not let it affect my work.
The play was so well liked and that amazed me, in a sense, because somewhere along the line it felt like we were cheating - it was so easy! By easy I mean that we only rehearsed for three weeks (well, four, but I was gone for the first week of rehearsal) and the director didn't really direct us very much. And that made me think. Did it feel like we weren't directed because he was really good at making it seem like he wasn't directing? Was it because the cast was pretty experienced and we made a good ensemble? Which would be funny because off stage we weren't a very tight group. Anyhow, the whole thing, with all it's intensity and depth, just seemed to come together so easily, and I don't know what to attribute that to.
When I worked on Pure Gold Baby, we rehearsed for four months, nearly seven nights a week and sometimes all day during the weekends, and it was exhausting trying to get that show together. It was also a brand new show, so there were a lot of kinks to work out. The final scene was constantly being re-worked. Plus, we wore 6" stripper shoes through out the entire play, which is quite the workout (my legs and butt looked great!). I was so tired after doing that show that I stayed away from theater for about a year and half, until I got the part in Wit (though I did have roles in a few local short films).
Wit was such a joy that I was excited for more theater. I don't have any theater plans in the horizon, but Neal Corl has asked me to be in a short film that he's shooting next month. I'm looking forward to it. I really enjoy the medium of film, though it's something that I need much more experience with, so I'm grateful for the opportunity to work and learn.
Love,
Aislinn
posted by Aislinn at
5:17 PM
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