While it has been quite a long while since out last post, work on the the show is now in full swing.
We now have several scenes down on paper, as well as outlines for scenes that we hope to workshop with the actors. In our writing of the show, we have covered one of Damon’s bedroom walls in paper. We stand scratching our chins, Sharpies in hands, and brainstorm our scenes across the wall. This allows us to visually connect our ideas and use drawings and diagrams to express ideas for blocking, set and multi-media. We hope to have a working copy of the script by the end of this month.
We have scheduled auditions for the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd of this month. In order to best represent the Hamilton community, we are holding open auditions, with one night at Mohawk College on the mountain. We hope to audition small groups together in order to create a comfortable, creative atmosphere. Warm-ups, improv, and brainstorming will be a part of the process. Further details, including times and locations, will follow within the next week.
Last Friday we made a trip out to Dofasco and Stelco for our second photo/film shoot. While the weather was great, we found it difficult to capture the shots we wanted. A security guard ran from her booth to inform us that we had nearly caused an accident in out quest for arty smokestack shots, and when we asked if we could photograph the factory from its front lawn, we were informed that this was against the company’s policy. We parked across the road, and while an overpass and a “Dofasco: Supporting the Hamilton Community” sign were a bit of a barrier, we photographed the high-security entrance, and vast panorama of smokestacks and corrugated steel. We also photograped dunes of scrapmetal over two stories high! Since traffic was so heavy along the skyway, we drove acros it several times, photographing from inside the car. We were struck by the unexpected and apocalyptic beauty of the sun shinning off of the lake, and the smoke-capped factories rising up out of the water. Soon we will schedule another shoot that will allow us to walk along the bridge and hopefully receive permission to shoot on Dofasco and Stelco property. Expect the results of this shoot to be up soon.
Today we have completed one of our first major requirements of our thesis project: constructing a scale model of our set. Over the past 2 days, we have spent a combiined nine hours in the set and props shed on campus measuring and rearranging minniature flats, set pieces and 2.5inch people around in our tiny blackbox rendition of The Robinson Memorial Theatre. Our set, pending approval, is based on the design concept, “The Driver’s Handbook meets Sesame Street”. While it does sound a bit strange, what we have designed is a very modern set featuring bright colours, astro-turf and geometric shapes and a stage painted with road markings…..with a little graffiti, to add a touch of urban decay. There will be 3 mesh cages, a plank of wood, a tall skinny potted deciduous tree, and several other moveable shapes that the actors will be able to move, creating their own performance spaces for each scene.
We are also very excited to welcome our stage managers, Colleen and Meredith, as part of our team. These girls have already given the project so much dedication and passion. We can’t wait to contnue on to the next stages of the project, and we hope to keep you all updated. More to come on auditions and the rehearsal process soon!
