March 19, 2005
Out on the road, I'm a man of few possessions. I have as many clothes as I can fit in a suitcase, a guitar, a handful of books and CDs, couple of cameras, an iPod, and a laptop computer, which contains my whole other world back home. I check in on it once or twice a day, and I'm reminded that SXSW has been going on all week, the first one I've missed in nine years. My sister and several of my friends are all busy playing showcases, attending parties, bonding, and winning awards. My pal Billy Harvey took home an award for best music web site, which it clearly is. Uberjournalist Chris Gray, beat boxer John Pointer and Latin tour de force Del Castillo were also winners in their fields. Congrats, y'all!
Here at the shop, the hard work continues. Today was a run-through of both acts, from top to bottom without stopping (except for a 15 minute intermission). For the first time, the show as a whole appears to take on a life of its own. The players are all getting a firm grip on the techniques and now the real performances are beginning to emerge. As exciting as it is to watch, it's a more effective study as well. As the moves are better defined and more props and apparel come into play, it's easier for us standby's to observe and take notes. The verbal cues are also picking up faster. Since week one, Don has been sitting us in a circle and taking us through a series of word exercises, each of us passing words around, across and in all directions, in sentences, story form and free association. The goal is for us as an ensemble to create something, anything, and collectively make it move. We're now seeing it pay off as the cast begins to come together onstage as one mind. It's the show's ultimate message, as it was Lennon's.
After the run-through is done and the invited spectators have left, another birthday cake emerges! Stage Manager Artie Gaffin, known throughout the industry for being an uncommonly kind soul, keeps meticulous track of the birthdays of every person in the room and his assistants see to it that each one is duly celebrated. This is in addition to their making sure the company has every element of support we need, down to the smallest stick of chewing gum. It's the icing on top of an already delicious cake.
Outside, a peace rally is going on. It's actually happening in Central Park (and all over the world on this 2nd anniversary of the Iraq invasion), but some on 42nd St seem to have picked up the spirit. For a split second, I felt like I was missing out by being cooped up in a rehearsal room, but I quickly remembered that every day is a peace rally up here.