Final Week of Rehearsals

More speeches from Justin won't be welcome to anyone at this stage, but with less than a week to go until our opening performance, it might be time for a few words from an actor's perspective. We've come a long way since our meeting with the full cast (or pretty much the full cast - there have been a few dropouts and additions along the way) at the end of Winter Quarter. Lines are down (more or less), phalluses on (in my case at least), and actors are growing visibly in their roles (in the case of Al's human-trafficking Russky, alarmingly so). The nervous, excited calm preceding the final comic storm would seem to provide the perfect opportunity to take stock of our thespian progress.

Rehearsals began a little later than most of us would have liked. Justin himself was off in Athens for a few weeks immersing himself in the background for his role (and, incidentally, attending an epigraphy course), and the usual business of campus life took another week or so away before we could make a real start at our own version of Greek life. When we did, it took us a while to find extras for all the walk-on roles in which this kind of comedy abounds - the Frenchy's Assistant, for instance, or the Homeland Security Informant - so that it was some time before we could rehearse the play in full. In the event, the brave souls who stepped into the breach of last-minute line-learning have slipped with unruffled smoothness into the general Aristophanic mayhem.

One of our purposes in founding SCIT was to provide ways for undergraduates and graduates to associate in a cooperative, constructive, but fun way. Acting out a light-hearted parody of child prostitution wasn't quite what we had in mind, and it took a while for a few of us to stop being embarassed about some of the more provocative sections of the play (it may take the audience some time, too). But watching the Acharnians rapping away the other night for the first time, it struck me that we had indeed found an ideal site for generic, ideological, and social interaction by digging our hands into the Old Comedy mud.

While line-learning has proven more of a challenge than many of us expected, mainly because of the repetitive nature of Aristophanes' humour (how many objects do I have to ask Jay-Z for until the joke finally becomes - funny?), for the most part the company has reacted to the challenges of acting out ancient humour with an Athenian swiftness, flexibility, and team-spirit. And as we speak (or as Justin writes) posters display our alternate identities to the world (well, the university anyway), the fishbowl awaits filling, and phalluses nestle in the prop bag like expectant larvae. Now all we need is an audience - and an open-minded one too...

Advertising and Rehearsals - Less than 2 weeks left

Al here, giving the producer's update.  This week we were fortunate enough to receive support from the Stanford Graduate Student Council to help cover the costs of lighting and sound.  This was a major relief, as these tend to be costy items, both to rent and to run.  Kudos to the GSC!

With less than two weeks left before opening night, publicity is becoming an increasingly pressing concern.  Foivos, the director, suggested a poster themed after publicity images for HBO's "The Wire".  A stylized black and white saturated with yellow and marked by rubric, it made a striking image.  Taking photos at Wednesday night's rehearsal and combining them with an shot of a street fair in Kansas and a shot of the Capitol Building from Google Images created the perfect Main-Street-meets-Washington milieu.  Justin Cittee, the protagonist, stands front center, flanked by Captain America, an Envoy, two Russian "little-kittens" and Mr. Talibaloneys.  Only one Acharnian, played by C.J., made it into the picture.

With the poster designed and website now up (http://scit.stanford.edu; thanks Jason for the prime web address), we're ready to take our campaign to the streets and facebook.

Rehearsals are proceeding apace, and perhaps the most entertaining (if time-consuming) aspect has become choreography.  Nikita, a Classics undergrad and member of an award-winning dance team, has produced stunning on-the-spot choreography for our musical interludes.  Half of our cast (myself included), however, seem to have two left feet, and this is a chance for the undergraduates to really show the grads up.  Foivos and I discussed how satisfying a well-choreographed scene is.  We hope our production may open eyes and minds to the immeasurable (because unknown!) effect of dancing and singing in the original performance.

James has been a master of his many lines.  Matt has yelled himself nearly hoarse as Rumsfeld.  Eleri's Parisian is outrageous, Maxine and Alice are, well, wonderful sports.  Bianca and CJ are masters of the line-dance, and everyone's putting in a ton of time and effort as the rehearsals become increasingly demanding.

So, for the next two weeks, props will be a major concern (in Zana's capable hands), as will be organizing the hitherto-neglected technical side of the production.

See you at the production!

-Al