Hey everyone!
I just realized that I haven't updated in a while... Sorry about that! Rehearsals have been going really well! We have blocked all of Act 1 and the first scene of Act 2.
One particularly difficult scene to block was the final scene of Act 1. This is the ballroom party scene, which means almost the entire cast is on stage during this. The director placed the party-goers on opposite sides of the stage to sort of frame the center, where most of the main dialogue took place. Once everyone was placed, we proceeded with the scene and figured out how to maneuver around everyone while acting. About half way through the scene, most of the cast left the stage to listen to the opera singer. I (Marguerite) was left on stage with Chauveline and had a scene on stage with him. Once he left, Sir Andrew appeared onstage. He had a secret note that he read while I was "resting" in a chair. Once he had read it, he is supposed to start to burn the note and I snatch it from him before it is completely disintegrated. We have not run this bit completely. We went through the motions, but did not use the flame. I think we will be working this bit out at our 3 hour rehearsal on Friday.
Today, we worked on the first scene of Act 2. This was a very long scene - 23 pages long! I was impressed that we made it through the whole thing and even had time to go back and re-work the beginning. It was a very important and intense scene. My character, Marguerite, begins to figure out who the Scarlet Pimpernel is in this scene. She also has a very intense with her husband, Lord Percy Blakeney. Kevin and I ran this for the first time today and did pretty well (in my opinion). Rehearsal today was very productive!
This play is going to be amazing!
