Run run run

From now on we're concentrating on running each act - either separately, or the whole play together. This is the time when the pacing becomes important and we see if the individual parts of the piece we've constructed will all work together. I think they should.

I also sat down with the script this afternoon and worked out how each scene change was going to work. I think that we shouldn't have any problems. There are two changes in Act 2 which are nagging at me a little - there's a lot to move around and, as the play goes on the pace increases, so the amount of time needed to change the set diminishes. If we take too long (say 30 secs instead of 20) then it kills the play stone dead. I'm sure we'll work it out between now and the opening night (which is only 22 days away now!). The fact that I know that it's a potential issue means it won't be an awful shock at the dress rehearsal.

Working through the script like that also allowed me to fine tune a couple of scenes which were giving me cause for concern. I'll work on them with the cast before our Act 2 run on Thursday.

And I did myself a favour by choreographing the walk-down this afternoon. That's the bit after the end of the play when everyone takes a bow. It needs to be slick, smooth and (in my opinion) fair - we've got an ensemble piece and I'm not a huge fan on giving the 'main' actors the biggest applause. So I worked out a nice way of getting everyone onstage 3-at-a-time and then mixing up the line after the first bow. Much fairer on everyone like that, I think.