Dessa Rose - Sitzprobe Night

Tonight we had our sing-thru with the orchestra. It's so fascinating what that extra element can do to the show as a whole. I actually did Dessa Rose at school a few weeks ago with a solo piano, but I noticed so many new nuances in the music that I never noticed before. One of my coaches here at school always talks about using the music and allowing it to be your scene partner. I felt a lot of room to further develop and extend what I'm doing in the show just based on hearing the music that's going to be under us.

During our run earlier in the day, we were able to peek into the theater and see the set as they were working on it. Whoa. It's quite impressive. I'm so excited to work in that space - there are sooo many levels and different things to play with. I always feel so connected to the story I'm trying to tell when I can do it from the physical world. I can't wait to start layering in those extra elements - set, costumes - but I'm a little nervous as well. It's just going to be really important for us as a cast to remember the moments we've developed in the rehearsal hall and maintain that focus once we get in the space. It's going to be strange to walk up and down platforms rather than wander across tape lines. But we'll get through it. I think the show is already pretty strong, and I look forward to watching it grow in the next few days of rehearsal.

Six days from first preview! Unbelievable! Thus starts a lot of long days in the rehearsal process. Tomorrow is on the lighter side, but then we're kind of off to the races for the rest of the week. But bring it on! I look forward to it. I can't wait for people to come and see the great work that's gone into this show from every angle - musicians, performers, designers, carpenters, everyone. Okay, off to prepare for this crazy week.