Wednesday, September 08, 2004

My new opening date: Oct. 9th. Oct. 10th special performance with reception after 3:00 p.m. matinee!!

All right. So, I am moving my opening date from Sept. 17th to Oct. 9th. After tech rehearsals this weekend, I realized that I had had my writer's hat on for months, years! And my actress hat on for a few weeks. And I had never really had on my director's hat for as much time as I needed to. It's very labor intensive for me, I have to video tape the show and then rewatch it. I guess I never figured that part out in advance, how it was going to take me so long, so much longer than if I'd just had a director there. The bad news is that I should have known that and I have to reschedule everything, which is a hassle. The good news is that I recognize this and I can make the change and give myself more time. It's funny, it wasn't until 3:00 a.m., early Saturday morning that I suddenly became aware that I could single handedly change the opening date. There are only a few times in show business where that is possible, and I'm going to take advantage of it.

Also, the actress in me realized that while I could have a good chance of memorizing my lines before the show opened, performing them well --- finding all that I expect and plan to find in them, well, that was something that was simply going to take more time. But I have to say, other than not being as ready as I want to be for critics and the like, I am so damn excited about this show. I mean, even if no one comes, I am so thrilled to finally have it up and running. That I get to get all this off my chest, I get the pleasure of performing it, it's just so exciting.

My technical crew, my lighting person -- Steve Young, and Drew -- oh Drew Dalzell, they are so amazing. And the set looks so much like my living room -- well that's because it's all furniture right from my living room, rug, piano bench (my grandmother's piano bench), Stickly chair, end tables, books, the whole thing is transferred into the theatre. It's sort of amazing to see it all there. We constructed this big tall book case in the middle that looks great, like a Christmas tree of books. And I keep thinking of little things I want there: a globe, for example. My friend Jim Emerson (cinepad.com) came down from Seattle this weekend and took notes and gave tips and it's just all coming together and it's just...I have to pinch myself that it's all finally happening.

So, I just went to Moab to do a small (very, very, very small) part in this Wim Wenders movie. It was just wonderful. It's so mind blowing to be in that part of Utah -- it's just like a lunar landscape, so otherworldly. I was there for three days. We worked way out in the...I was going to say "countryside" but that isn't the right word, I guess the right word is "landscape." George Kennedy is also in the movie and had scenes in which I was present and talking. I don't even want to say I was in scenes with him, my part is that small. Also Tim Matheson plays another producer (it's a film within a film kinda story) and I got to be with him (he's hilarious) and it was really one of those jobs where you feel so lucky to be in show business.

Also, I got a trilobite fossil, a rare one, 550 million years old, from Utah. I'm so happy to have it on my mantle. It may even make it's way into the show, well onto the table next to the chair in my show. We'll see. I feel like my trilobite is auditioning for me right now... Seeing if he can really stand the pressure. Well, I figure if he's withstood 550 million years of pressure in the earth -- oh jeez. See, I couldn't help myself from writing that. AGH.