A Diary Entry on the First Drama Rehearsal
God, if this is your will, please grant me strength and be with me in my fight against setbacks. After today’s rehearsal, I am now down in the dumps, let alone wishing to get any single award. Sigh! Romeo and Juliet is still my favourite play, the masterpiece of Shakespeare, but the awful sound effects, scripts, performance of the actors and lighting are literally putting my profession at stake (if this rehearsal is a real one on stage). Geez!
What a disaster right from the beginning. The rehearsal started with the monologue of Juliet – an old plot, but injected with the modern element of “Love Story” sung by Taylor Swift in the background. What a ‘smart’ choice! Juliet, with blonde, curly hair, and moist eyes, spoke in the British accent, and the popular melody crept in… Juliet couldn’t even utter a word, and the whole crew – including me – just couldn’t help laughing. It was such a mismatch! But just leave it ‘cos it was originally my idea to use this song! LOL ( I’m a diehard fan of Taylor after all; I won’t blame myself for this.)
Carried away by the song, Romeo seemed to be a bit hyper. This is the only reasonable explanation for what he did. In the part where Romeo was on his knees and proposing to Juliet, Romeo had the free rein to utter a few lines of his own. Against my expectation, Romeo kept staring at Juliet, giggled and suddenly stood up to kiss her. This scared Juliet, who had all along been playing her part, out of her wits. This improvisation completely ruined the divine romance of the story. How dare he!
After scolding Romeo for his rowdy behavior, the team went back to work and the rehearsal seemed to go smoothly. Things can, however, always catch me by surprise. In the last scene when Romeo was lying in the coffin and Juliet was crying beside him, the whole stage was suddenly blacked out. Guess what? It was not because of power failure, but due to the light board operator! The lights should have dimmed gradually. The operator blamed it on insufficient rest. I bet! He got drunk yesterday, and I could still smell alcohol on his breath.
Directing such a team, I’m screwed. But in pursuit of my dream career, I should never give up. OK, so this is the case, I’ll put off the second rehearsal to allow the actors to learn the lines, and for the backstage crew to get enough rest.
I should opt for a classic for the background music, and test it before the next rehearsal. Also, time to talk to Romeo and Juliet in person – to find ways to make sure they click and there’s chemistry between them. Maybe it was my fault to have chosen such a song, and it ruined the whole play. What a lesson!
I have faith in myself that I am able to carry on! Wish me luck, amen.