Alright... up on our feet moving around and sketching out Act One. That was fun. With so little time to rehearse such a long play, we really won't have a whole lot of time in rehearsal to just work on the acting. Today we essentially spent most of the four hours blocking the scenes (figuring out the basic movements of the scene.) But even within that, I try things out... different actions... different movements...
A few fun things have started to bubble up about Cassio. One is, why did he get promoted? We talked about it partially being a political move. We're saying I come from an important family. On top of that, we're saying I have known Desdemona for a while because she too comes from an important family. Cassio is a Kennedy. Cassio's family would have a house in the Hamptons. He's as uptown as can be. He learned fencing from the best coaches. He's been groomed by the best teachers on all subjects. Cassio would hang out with Prince William.
Another thing we've been talking about is how much does Cassio like Desdemona... or did he like her?
One thing actors often do is they use something Stanislavski called "the magic if." It allows the actor to mentally explore situations they haven't actually been in. I have never been in a situation where my commanding officer liked a girl that perhaps I liked. But what if? What might it be like? What is perhaps a somewhat similar situation in my own life that I can draw from to understand the emotions of the situation in the script?
If I do play that I had a crush on Desdemona (which I think I will for the time being) I think it's kind of like a situation I remember in high school. I remember the point in high school... like Junior year, when I started to realize that some of the most desirable high school girls were now dating college guys. And heck... what if the college guy was actually cool? So yeah, you had a crush on the girl, but you completely understand why she is with the guy she is with, and you are cool with it, and heck, you even like the guy. So... you go and date a freshman or sophomore because who you thought might be your dream girl is off the market.
Same thing with Cassio. He had a crush on Desdemona and they probably had interacted for years. But when awesome Othello asked Cassio to help hook him up with Desdemona... of course Cassio would do it. Othello is like his idol. Cassio would do it happily. And he might let out a masked sigh every now and then that a good one got away, but he's happy for Des and Othello... and so Cassio goes and dates a Freshman... (Bianca). haha
Another thing I was playing with tonight was Cassio's stance. One the one hand he's a soldier. On the other hand, he is very refined. So I was playing with how to give some elegance to my stance, without it coming across as too pretty. I definitely want to appear one of the sharpest on the stage though. No slouching... no hands on hips... Cassio is proper... what is that in movement? Actually, I wonder if I can find some pictures of Prince William in his soldier gear... does he leak elegance?
I was actually thinking about my commedia training. With the lovers in commedia it is fun to imagine that someone is always taking your picture so you always have to be in a good pose. Well, can I use a little of that for Cassio? Can he always have good lines? Something to play with.
If I go that route... then, when I am drunk, I can do the exact opposite and it will show, even more, just how much the alcohol affects me.
Speaking of which, tomorrow is Act II. Act II is my biggest act... including the drunk scene. So, I'm going to try and spend some quality time tonight and tomorrow really working those two scene in Act II.
Oh... and Cassio has a beard... so I've been living with stubble for a while. I talked to the director about that and he said he just wants a 4-5 day beard type thing... sweet... I've got that already. I'm glad I don't have to do a bigger beard than that... it gets so itchy man. Especially in this heat. And running with a beard? Not good. So this 4-5 day scruffy look is very appreciated!
Final thing... it was pretty amazing to see how many people were barely using their scripts today. The more you learn your lines before rehearsals begin, the more you can play when you get to rehearsal.
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