The Diary of Anne Frank: Part 2

We have started the blocking of The Diary of Anne Frank this week.  I had such anxiety, not because of my cast, but because I want everything to be perfect.  My set design has been left in the hands of two capable people, but the design process hit a snag.  Our stage just isn't big enough for what I had in mind.  So, everything I worked out at home for blocking, came up as a big problem on Monday night.  My set designers came up with a design that would be functional and still show everything that needed to be showcased.   Here lies the problem:

My blocking had to be redone.  But, my cast being the pros that they are worked thru the challenges of where to go and what to do with ease.  Last night, I felt a shift in the process.  Sure we were only in our second night of rehearsal, but I felt "it".  That "it" is the moment where I feel utter peace about what I'm doing.  We started the night with a little dialect lesson from my friend Shelley.  I think that lesson is what put everyone's mind in the right place.  Yes, I still gave direction and cues of what to do, but not as much as I had feared.  This cast knew instinctively where to go.

While I had a couple of cast members missing, I don't think it will be a problem for them to catch up.  The flow is getting there quicker than I had dreamed, and it will only be a matter of time before everything becomes natural to the cast.  We will block out Act II on Thursday night and I am very excited about it.  The second act is where we see a change in Anne's character.  She is no longer the over-eager child, but is slowly becoming a more mature girl.  The families having been locked up in the same space for such a long time are at times falling apart, thinking irrationally, and fear is definitely setting in.  I want that from my cast.  I want them to eventually get to a point where the sound effects that are meant to serve a purpose in telling the story, to actually strike fear when they hear it.  The sounds of soldiers on the street, sirens blaring, and cars racing up the street.  That is exactly what these people felt in their time of hiding.

So, the challenge has been set for me as well as the cast.  I am not worried about the cast though, I believe they will rise to the occasion.  I am truly blessed to be working with all of them, as well as a very capable stage manager.

I will start taking pictures of the process soon.

Until next time, I remain
me