Musical interlude

Hard at work  in rehearsals for my next show at the moment, but still found a few moments to pull out the little s95 point-and-shoot camera that I always have with me.  One of my cast-mates is also a photographer and has been doing a great job of documenting our rehearsal period more formally, but I couldn't resist taking a few quick snaps myself; it's a side of  the process that people don't always get to see even though to those of us who work in the theater it's simply a normal work environment.

One of the best things about this rehearsal space is NATURAL LIGHT.  Many rehearsal rooms are in cinder-block basements and bunkers, so to see daylight every day is a real treat. There are a lot more people in the rehearsal room than you might think:  in addition to the cast, there's the director, conductor, assistant conductor, pianist, stage manager, two assistant stage managers and, in this shot, our artistic director had also stopped by to watch for a little while.

  It's not as "hurry up and wait" as  when filming - and this director is terrific about using people's time very efficiently - but there's still a lot of hanging around when you're rehearsing.






No matter how hard we all work (and, while artistic and satisfying, rehearsing is often very real work demanding both intense mental concentration and  serious physical involvement!), NOBODY puts in more hours and effort than the repetiteur. 












No matter who is called or what section is being rehearsed, that is the person who has to be "on" all the time...