Mood-altering rehearsal time

[pensnest]

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It's amazing how a rehearsal can affect my mood.

I don't know what was going wrong on Thursday evening, but it was like wading through treacle. We did manage to set the two numbers I had planned to set, but it seemed to be incredibly hard to get going. It wasn't helped by the fact that my props person turned up having not received my email (sent nearly a month ago) listing the props we'd be needing. Awkward.

Yet this Sunday, and last Sunday, the rehearsals went very well.

Last week, we managed to get the entire finale for Mikado, Act 1, set and sorted. That's about fourteen minutes of music, which is a hell of a lot. I didn't want the chorus bobbing up and down like mad things, but on the other hand, they can't stand there like lemons at the back of the stage, and there are interesting shapes to be achieved, and actual tension to be developed. And they managed it all in just two and a half hours. Awesome.

We had another really good rehearsal this morning - props and scenery people came up to me for approval on several items, and for more details of other things. Then we got into things, and again, it went very well. Not only did we set the last two numbers involving the chorus, *and* repeat the numbers from Thursday with no problems, but we also managed to go through the Act 1 Finale again, including one time where they ended up singing the final section unaccompanied, and doing it gratifyingly well.

I've decided I rather like doing the setting without the MD present. I explain stuff to the cast, maybe walk it through, then we play a CD and they do the moves and sing along. I think that perhaps without the pressure of having to sing it *right* when they're suffering from setting-IQ-loss, and with the added advantage of an accompaniment which includes the words, it does make it easier to get the feet going properly.

It certainly makes me feel better when I get the positive input of seeing the chorus do what I want them to do, without having to cope with the MD's lack of interest in some of what is going on.

There isn't enough time… but I do so want this show to be over.