Picking up from yesterday –
Okay, where to even start?
So, remember B who came with me to my audition and everything? Full circle, she was here for this!
And it was really just magical. It was the same deal of her helping me to print things and finish things up at the last minute. We rehearsed my parts in my apartment and made tiny changes down to the wire.
We went down there together, and just walking around that area of town with her brought back those brilliant, amazing memories of going to the audition with her. *Contented sigh*
Before the presentation, I ran through the whole thing with everybody in a practice room to the side of the classroom. This was the first time we’d all been in the same room.
We were mainly just a music stands. We did a liiiiittle bit of the physical stuff, and the lead guy was such a trooper. It was very kind when we were rehearsing this part where he throws me down and he was all “you’re in control.” And I understand stage combat and everything, and that yes, according to all the rules, I was in control.
But still, there was something about recreating a situation that is all so familiar to me – but this time where I got to be in control – that just felt nice.
So, anyway, the big moment – dun dun duuuuuun *scary chords*
I was so worried it wouldn’t play right… And there seemed to be at least some reason to be a bit legit worried about that, because there’s this scene where he’s pressuring her to have sex and she’s like ‘oh, I don’t know. Hey, come on. I don’t wanna,’ etc. etc.
And the scene is leading to him forcing himself on her. But as it was first playing out, I think people were thinking of it as a little “cat-and-mouse” [blegh] thing, and so they were laughing.
And as it’s getting closer and closer to her being assaulted, I’m getting so nervous. “Oh my gosh, 4 more lines… 2 more lines ’til it happens. Are people gonna think this is… funny?”
But thankfully, the room went quiet as soon as it happened.
[And even though I didn’t mean for it to switch emotions so quickly, I actually kind of liked that it happened from laughter, and people maybe realized either a) how quickly things can change, or b) they were too lighthearted about some signs that we should’ve been concerned about her.]
Toward the end of the show, I could hear some people crying. (I heard a woman let out a particularly pained sigh after a tough lyric in the song I’ll share the lyric for tomorrow.)
It was very well received. All night people were coming up to me, telling me they related, or they learned something. It felt like it really started a lot of conversations! [That’s a big part of what theater’s supposed to do, right?]
It was just a really magical night all around.
And I’ll get to the actual class feedback tomorrow.
[For more on my experience with The BMI Workshop, you can go here.
For more on the sexual assault posts, you can go here. Thanks!]