(All Your Questions Answered, written by Greg Kotis and directed by Sean Daniels, will open September 19 at the Geva Theatre as part of the Rochester Fringe Festival)
What a difference a week makes! At the next rehearsal I attended, none of the actors was using a script (although an actor would occasionally call 'Line!' in the middle of a bit and be supplied with it immediately by the stage manager). This allowed much more freedom of movement than the last rehearsal I witnessed. It also impressed me when Sean would stop them mid-scene and ask them to repeat a spot to rework it, and they'd be able to rewind the script in their heads to the appropriate point, without having to start all over again!
It's interesting to watch a show being created, rather than just rehearsed. Since this combination of skits has never been performed as a collection, and some have been newly written, the actors and director don't have the pressure of having the audience compare them to whoever set the standard in the 'original' (it must be very difficult for actors in revivals of famous plays or movies - I know I couldn't help thinking that Leonardo DiCaprio was no Robert Redford as Gatsby...). Sean and the actors have more latitude in interpreting the words on the page, and they seem also to have the authority (not sure if it is in conjunction with the playwright or not?) to change or delete lines, both of which I noticed in this rehearsal.
Almost half of the skits are theatre-centric, many are very dark, and, surprisingly, only two brush at political themes. I wonder how the actors feel about the skits - do they like them? Do they enjoy them? Does comedy come easily to them, or would they rather be in a juicy drama, but they're just glad to be employed?
At one point in a break, I caught Sean's eye, and even though I wasn't 'there,' I was there, so I asked a question about the staging of a particular playlet. He explained to me that "confusion is the enemy of comedy" and that the first ten minutes of comedy are extremely important. That's when the tone and pace of the show is set, and when you "let the audience know they're in good hands." I'd never thought about that, of course, because either I've been taken care of without knowing it (Book of Mormon comes to mind), or not (coincidentally, ten minutes in is just about when my companion and I escaped from Kotis' Pig Farm at the Roundabout Theatre in 2006).
I snuck out of rehearsal as the cast began running the transitions between scenes, so they could make sure their props are in the right places. In addition to performing, the actors will also be responsible for setting up and breaking down each scene. I know I keep using the word "impressed" but when I see how versatile these kids are, I can't help that feeling, watching them making theatre, but also singing and playing guitar. I suspect that more than a few of them can also dance when the role calls for it. It's amazing how many more talented people there are in this world than there are outlets for them to display their talent. My wish for these ten is many more outlets.
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