Post date: Apr 30, 2015 2:34:15 AM
We met today and worked on the scene in the Lab. We set a final arrangement of all the furniture and I spiked it on the floor. (We really have a lot of furniture.) I also recorded a look for the lighting, because I just couldn't resist, and we practiced in full performance conditions, minus an audience of course. The first time we ran through it they were pretty sloppy, it was really like a warm-up run-through more than anything else. I gave them a few notes about blocking and things, and I told them to think of the scene like a competition for their characters. That they were both looking for the evidence and the first one to find it would get some prize that they both really, really wanted. I left it up to them to decide what the prize might be. This isn't at all my interpretation of the text, but I was hoping it might encourage them to get more aggressive, or something. Then I had them run the scene again.
It was amazing. They finally put some attitude into it and it was great. They really brought up the energy through the whole scene, especially that troublesome middle section. But, once they brought up the energy in the rest of the scene, they plateaued and the end didn't have that step up it needs to finish strong anymore. I was just thrilled we finally had some energy in the middle! I pointed out the plateau, and they agreed, they'd felt it too. So they ran it one more time before we had to leave, and it was a little better. We're going to meet again tomorrow to hopefully iron out those last few kinks.