The past couple weeks have been mostly about one thing for me – LINES.  Because this is a new play – we get additions and cuts to the script throughout the rehearsal process.  It’s part of the beast.  I usually have no problems learning my lines – of course I’m usually playing a smaller character.  In addition, my wife pointed out to me that maybe I have some sort of blockage (not valve related) to Ignatius.  Was I afraid of being unlikable?  Was I still not fully seeing the world from his eyes?  I’m not sure, but in the past couple of days I think I’ve gotten over the hump.

The first preview is tonight – which means there is a paying audience, but we’re still in rehearsal.  We’re still working and still finding it.  What’s ‘it’?  It’s that flow of energy, the second nature of going from scene to scene, moment to moment, without anticipating or thinking about what’s coming next or what you just screwed up.  It’s about listening to your fellow actors AND the audience at the same time.  It’s not easy, and sometimes it doesn’t happen.  But that’s the goal every night.  That’s the goal tonight.

Some press links are below – but I first want to give a shout out to the wonderful cast of Dunces -

Brik Berkes, Andrew Crigler, Rachael De Julio, Laura Floyd, Marianne Fraulo, Agnes Harty, Enoch King, Mark Kinkaid, Kathleen McManus, Eric Mendenhall, E. Roger Mitchell, William S. Murphey, Andrew Puckett, Scott Warren, and Mary Wolfson.

Mobile Press Register Article

Jan Schroder’s Girl on the Go blog

First read-thu’s are funny.  It’s like the first day of class, and this time it’s a new school – my first play in Atlanta.  Monday I was nervous for a whole lot of reasons that don’t make much sense.  I hadn’t been onstage in almost a year, I always feel that I haven’t done enough work going into rehearsal, and I was just getting over a nasty reaction to a wasp sting that had me in the house all weekend.  Tuesday morning I took a hike with my dog, Maduro, and let all of that bullshit go.  I was ready to rock, and take Ignatius by the horns.

The first read went great, and we have an unbelievably talented cast and crew.  The play is really funny – and I can’t wait to tell this story onstage.  We’re now in the process of going through the play more specifically;  nailing down accents, answering questions, and making sure we ( I ) pronounce all the words correctly.  Today we’ll start some blocking and get up on our feet!

Going further in

When you’re working on a role – that character is always present.  You go through life in a sort of dual state – as you, the person, and as the character.  Questions begin to pop into your head -

How would I hold my spoon?  My crayon?

What’s my favorite position to sleep in?  What kind of bed do I have – how long have I had it?

What do I love about my Mom?  Hate?  What do I love about myself?  Hate?

If the current Pope is not my idea of a good authoritarian – what Pope was? *note – go to a Catholic Mass in Latin

Do I bite my nails?   Trim them?

What did my father smell like?  Did he wear a mustache like I do?

Ah yes – the mustache.  We had a fantastic photo shoot for the show last week (I’ll post some pics when I get ‘em) and the razor was put to use.  It takes either a lot of confidence or apathy to rock a ‘stache.   Yes,  in the period of the novel the mustache was a little more prevalant – but I have to think that the way Toole describes it on Ignatius that it’s not your usual ‘stache.  It’s an extension of Ignatius’ worldview.

My wife, a friend and I were in East Atlanta this weekend enjoying some delicious comida at Holy Taco and walking around.  In Bound To Be Read Books my wife found a great book for me – A 1938 New Orleans City Guide. 

The Wiki article on Dunces says Ignatius was born around 1932 – so the city in this book is one he would have known.

My valve is doing fine, with no incidents to report in a while – though the hot dogs and mustard ( a condiment I loathe) for the photo shoot had me worried.

Playbill Article

Broadwayworld Article

And a pic from my early reading this morning -

He’s OCD, and probably Bipolar.  I’m not sure if he’s ADHD. – My Mom

She also thanked my wife for helping me with my fashion sense, and reminded me of my red sweatpants circa 1985.   Worn everyday because they were the most comfortable, not caring what they looked like.  I also read an article on IBS while on the toilet this morning (I found it – I didn’t set out to read about bowels while using them, don’t judge me) – which is mostly caused by a one-two punch of food and stress.  I’m not so quick to label Iggy – but at this point, all doors are open.

As I’m beginning to delve into Ignatius, there are some things I know I need to work on.

Whenever I’ve been away from the stage for a while (last October) my voice needs a little TLC.  The space isn’t huge, but being able to communicate effectively to everyone in the house is work – and I’m starting to train my voice accordingly.  So for now, that means vocal warm ups and breathing exercises once a day.

Ignatius is a big guy – and gains weight through the book by ingesting massive amounts of Dr. Nut and hot dogs.  I’m also a big guy.  I know what it means to overeat – to be stuffed and full beyond full.  Anyone who has battled with their weight has been where Ignatius is.  What I’m going to do, to continue to do -  is eat healthy and work out.  That’s the best way to serve my process, and serve Ignatius.  His walk (or waddle!) and the way he holds himself is very different from how I move.   My body needs to be ready to use muscles I’m not used to engaging, so I can aptly fill his desert boots. On a side note, I had heartburn for the first time – maybe ever.  I think I’m starting to get in touch with my valve.

As I go further down the rabbit hole, don’t be surprised if all of the he (Ignatius) statements start turning into “I” statements.  I’m not there yet – but I can feel Ignatius starting to blossom.

Here’s the casting notice for Ignatius:

IGNATIUS J. REILLY
Caucasian, heavyset, 30’s – 40’s

Not a lot to go on – but well, that’s me in a nutshell.  I saw a playbill article a couple of days later with a little more detail on Ignatius-

A lumbering, loutish mountain of a man, Ignatius carries a volcanic vitriol for the modern era and is ever at the eruption point;… Clad in his trademark green hunting cap with earflaps, voluminous pleated tweed trousers, plaid flannel shirt and muffler, he spends the bulk of his time in his long-suffering mother’s house, feverishly scribbling his lengthy indictment of the last four centuries in Big Chief notebooks. …”

Now I was hooked.  I had heard of A Confederacy of Dunces – but never read it.  My goal was to read the 400 page book before the audition.

When I received the sides – there were no stage directions.  I went back through the book and added my own – making specific notes about burbs, valve closings, and his acute sense of smell.  It was a lot of dialogue – but if I got the role, it’s only the tip of the iceburg.

Auditions are a strange beast.   It’s acting and performing – but with a handicap.  The best acting is about “the other” – and auditions are all about you.  I know a lot of directors and producers say they don’t want a performance, but they’re lying.  They want you to be the guy (or girl).   They expect you to come in and knock it out of the park – and well, you should ’cause that’s the job.  Being a great auditioner requires you to make really strong choices – go for broke – and in the same instant be flexible enough to go in a totally different direction.  It also requires a zen-type mentality of detachment.  All actors know that not getting a part you are really invested in can keep you in bed for weeks.  The trick is to be invested – and be able to forget it the minute you exit the audition room. Easier said than done.  Especially when a role is right in your wheelhouse.

For this audition I made some choices early.  I wasn’t going to memorize.  I’m a pretty quick study, but in this case Ignatius talked almost Shakespearean – without the iambic pentameter.  His speech was littered with parentheticals, qualifiers, and antiquated phrases.  Screw being off book.  I saw some great youtube videos and looked through my accent/dialect books but just couldn’t translate the brooklyn-meets-southern “yat” to my mouth.  It didn’t feel right for Ignatius.  So -no accent.  I read and read, and kept working on the sides.  Above anything else – I wanted to capture his spirit.

At the audition they asked to look at only one of the sides – the first Night of Joy scene.  I did my thing – and smelled the stench and hated my mom and glowered at the bartender.  I got some direction to “heighten the language” – done.  A third time through I was nudged to “look down at the others” more.  That was it – peace out.  Time to start forgetting (well, unless I got the call)

I got the call.

Callbacks were the next day.  I approached it like a rehearsal.  Yes, be the guy – but go in and have fun, do the work.  Explore.  I read with a lot of terrific actors and went home.  I tried to forget.  I attempted to eat dinner and watch tv and not think about untrue moments or read into facial expressions of those behind the table.

The offer came later that night.