Let the show begin...

There is nothing so valuable as an audience!

The space we’re in for performances is so interesting, its intimacy making it that there is no dark back corner to lurk in. Everyone is looking right at one another, actors and audience alike.

It’s like we’re living life right in front of each other. Which is what we do every day, but sometimes it takes the slow rise of lights and the thud of an actor’s shoes across the set to help us remember that everything is happening all the time.

The audience is the third pillar of theater. Watching them lean forward, hearing them laugh, seeing them have a moment that catches them off guard, and getting their feedback is vital as we continue development.

As Hermann ruminates, “It’s nothing until someone reads it.”

Take a listen...

BRAHMIN'S SON



FAIRY TALE



THE OTHER SHORE



RING THE BELL

A Place To Call Home

We wanted to take a moment to give a special thanks to Telsey & Co. for their generous support of our workshop. Sonnet Repertory Theatre Co. advisory board member Bernard Telsey generously agreed to allow us to use his audition studio as our rehearsal space. What a perfect fit. Centrally located in Midtown, the studio happens to be a perfect match to the theatre space we will be moving into. We have been able to map exactly where every audience member will be sitting, and play in a space that will feel very familiar when we move into the theatre. Rehearsal space in the city isn’t always easy to come by… especially when you’re making BIG NOISE… like we tend to do. So we thank Telsey & Co.

Interestingly enough, Bernie Telsey happens to be featured in this month’s Playbill Magazine. Read all about him…

Playbill.com

In The Studio

Kristin & Wade are in the studio today... working on a rewrite.

Watching a Master at Work…

With 29 songs in the show, music is a very important part of the rehearsal process. Add to that complex harmonies, daily edits, the addition of an underscore track, changing time signatures… and you’ve got your work cut out for you! But watching Music Director Karl Mansfield at work makes it look as easy as breathing. He brings a joy and skill to the room that gives ease to the actors and allows room for questions or changes. It’s a total joy to watch him work.

Add to that the “compose on the fly” style when Wade sees an opportunity to fine tune or refine, and the rehearsal process gets very exciting. The moments of discovery are beautiful. And when the sound is full the goose bumps suddenly appear.

Capturing Moments

Enter The Magicians...

The music has been taught, the actors are on their feet working their way through the text and exploring each moment of the scene, and now we add a new element... DESIGN.

Last night Set Designer Lex, Sound Designer Justin, and Light Designer Jessica began to add color to our canvas. Lots of beautiful and exciting ideas being shared.

Workshop - Week ONE

ONE week down... whew!

The actors read and sang through the entire script today after spending the week learning ALL the songs... Wade has certainly composed them a voluminous challenge. After the read thru on the first day, I went back to some scenes and hacked at them, added to others, and marked the moments that need something though I'm not quite sure what yet. That's why we have smart and talented actors in the room. It's so strange and beautiful to have nine voices saying things that you've spent two years listening to in your head.

We're going to start working the scenes this week and get them on their feet, which means we put 'em up and pull 'em apart to figure out what works and what doesn't. I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's questions and to finding out the answers, because that's how we're going to make this thing really sing.

-Kristin

We've begun...

This week has been dedicated to music rehearsal. We are moving fast in learning all 30 songs in the show in just four days. The blend of voices are beautiful. Together they fill this room with a total wall of sound. Some moments take my breath away, harmonies are bringing tears, moments of discovery bring pure joy.

Bearing Witness by: Andy Lindberg

Nearly four years ago I was totally blissed out as cast member of the 2005 production of “One.” I filled my days and nights with the music, the imagery and the connections that formed the show. I was surrounded by friends and good feeling as we put up what was, at the time, the most current version of the show.

Tonight I was blessed to sit in as a new group of artists began their journey with what is, as of today, the NEW version of the show.

Though I knew the show, like most of the cast and crew I was hearing this new version for the first time. It gave me shivers.

The show has grown and changed greatly since 2005. An entirely new way of looking at the story brings us face to face with Hermann Hesse as he struggles to write “Siddhartha.’” The story dips and dives between the parallel journeys of the writer and his creation as they both seek to find peace in their life.

And the music has changed as well. Tonight we heard the music almost entirely in the voice of the composer, Wade. He and his Macintosh have been busy constructing symphonies and calliopes to demonstrate the new score. We heard him singing almost all the parts, often multi-tracked into a choir of singers.

And it is new. Gone is nearly every note I sang in 2005. In their place are new works that brought clarity to the story, and moved me.

It was odd, sitting on the sidelines. I was filled with excitement for the actors and the creative team as they begin to wrap themselves in the eiderdown of this new version of the show. This new version is darker, but clearer than 2005. It is more complex. It is going to take work to tease the piece apart and put it together in its new form.

But that’s the fun part.