February 19 2013

Don Juan in Tech Rehearsal February 2013. Photo: Manuel Rotenberg. Dancers: Maxim Tchernychev, Joseph Hochschild, Stephanie Maiorano, and Christopher Jovilar. This is a section from the start of the piece. Imagine it under extremely moody lighting with a large sign in the background. As the show starts, Don Juan circles the stage and then is met by a woman and two assistants who pull out a variety of props to be used later. She takes his cloak and they both morph into household servants. The play begins.

Because of the "range-y-ness" of the story, I felt it was necessary to create a construction that would allow us to travel from place to place quickly. Truth be told, I am also more comfortable in this sort of staging.

Also because of the intimacy of the Lyceum stage, it is much better to allow the audience to see the show "as a show" rather than to try to really pretend we are in Old Spain. Since the stage is in a thrust configuration and the audience is always aware of itself, it just doesn't quite work.

Daily Stuff: Came in to the office today and did a bit of work. Also taught at Florence Elementary. Rain Day, so I was in a smaller room. But that was fine. Started giving movement for their dances at the end of the year. So we now have the beginnings of a polka, a jazz dance, and a ballet dance.