Jim's Richard III Blog

What had started as a blog of Richard III rehearsal process at Cal Shakes has now evolved or devolved into a small novella. The author is petrified to change the name for fear it'll disappear, and wouldn't know what to call it anyway. Many stories are included and questions are even answered sometimes!

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Carol Quickie

We've moved into the gorgeous Geary Theatre now and had our first intro to the crew and had the talk about safety in the workplace, behavior, eating in costume, smoking, and all the details that all the kids need to know and get used to.

I watched the cast from time to time, and saw one of the boys begin to tune out -- saw him sigh, his gaze drift from the speaker, look left and then to the right in a manner which became more desperately bored with each turn of the head. And then he looked up and saw the flying corpse suspended from the ceiling.................

He turned slightly in his theatre seat holding onto the armrests, and as he looked up transfixed, a slow, innocently gleeful, absolutely delighted grin spread across his face, and it was a grin that captured all of childhood -- the quintessence of boyish joy--in an instant. Fabulous.

That was worth the whole day.