8/10/2010 - Reading the Script

NOTE: This entry was handwritten on the date mentioned in the title. I'm just transferring it to the blog.


As we enter the final week of employment at Unto These Hills, I finally have the time and mental focus to begin working on Baby.  I've been listening to the cast recording since I found out that this was going to be my project, and had hastily read through the script once when I first got it.  But today I decided to actually sit down and really start to analyze the show, closing myself off in my room to read the script and listen to each song as I got to it.

I stand by my statement that I think it will be a great show.  The setting of a college town, the ages of the six main characters, and the overall scenarios are going to hit home for a lot of audience members.  My only mild concern is about some of the dialogue, which walks a thin line.  If executed well, it actually can come off as real and genuine conversation.  If not, it could come off like a sitcom; a series of set-ups and punchlines with the occassional dramatic moment.  I have faith in Marcus, though, and trust that we'll have a capable cast that can do it justice.

Danny is much more as a character than I originally thought.  At first I had just seen him as this all-around nice guy who was just trying to do the right thing under his given circumstances.  But as I really read the script, I picked up on a lot of details I had either missed or not let sink in; that he switched his major from science to music, that he has always had a punk-rock fascination, the few details given about his mother, etc.  I realized that his goal isn't JUST to become a good father; it's to actually grow up and become an adult.  Not only does he have a lot to prove to Lizzie and the rest of the world, but mostly to himself.  This is actually something I can relate to big-time, because that's the kind of stage I feel my own life is at right now.  I'm sure the more I work on the analytical assignments, things will get more in-depth.

Intro: Welcome to my BFA journal!

Hey guys! You're probably wondering what's up with this. As you may or may not know, part of completing a senior BFA project at the University of Montevallo is to keep a journal of the rehearsal process and any thoughts you have or research you do before or after the show. I decided to start keeping a blog for this journal because:

• It's easier than writing everything out by hand.
• It's a way to save the journal should anything happen to my computer.
• It's one less thing to cram onto a Flash drive with the rest of the assignments that go into the book.

Just keep in mind that everything I put in this blog will eventually be copied, pasted, and printed out to be turned in with my book. This could turn personal, so I might adjust the privacy settings for the time being. If I do, though, I will make it available soon after the show is over.

Let's see how this goes: as they say in the show, "we start today!"