Geva Cohort – “Informed Consent” Part III – Rehearsal Week 2

(Informed Consent, directed by Sean Daniels, runs from March 18 to April 13)

rehearsal space, with taped and table 'levels'

“Great!  But I don’t think we can charge money for it yet,” Sean quipped at one point.  Obviously, since it’s only the second week of rehearsal, and the show doesn’t open until March 22.  But the progress they’ve already made in that short time is considerable – the actors are already deep into their characters, and you can really feel the power of this very complex play, and get a sense of the emotional impact it will have when they finally do have an actual (paying) audience. 

model of the set

The different levels in the play are mirrored by the levels of the set, which also evokes the Grand Canyon, which is one of the play’s settings.  Since this is not a traditional set, with rooms and furniture, motivation for moving or sitting has to be found in the dialogue (for example, at one point, Sean asked a seated actor to stand, to give the scene more energy, but to sit an another point to communicate more intimacy).  And since the actors will need various props to indicate the different characters they portray, great attention is being paid to where those props are stored and how they are retrieved and returned, by whom and when.  Very complicated!

I attended parts of two different rehearsals this week.  The actors are in the process of memorizing their lines and their blocking.  At the same time, they are working to breathe life into their characters, for example, by:

- discussing “clockwise” vs. “counterclockwise” tribal dances (apparently the Havasupai are a “clockwise” tribe), and the implication for stage movement,

- exploring different accents (and sometimes translations) to associate with different “stories,”

- determining who they are, when they are just sitting and watching other actors in a scene,

- using Sean’s insightful and often humorous direction to help them understand their subtexts.

The upcoming premiere of Informed Consent is extremely timely.  Just this week, the New York Times ran an article and op-ed about the FDA’s current deliberation of “genetically modified babies” – embryonic mitochondrial manipulation, which would give a child genetic material from three parents, rather than two, and eliminate inheritable mitochondrial disease.  I would have loved to talk to Sean and the cast about that over the drinks that he kindly invited all 9 of us cohorts attending Thursday's rehearsal to, but luckily for them, I had dinner waiting for me at home.