Tongue and cheek, (and totally appropriate), our set pieces for “Earnest” will be made up primarily of ball-shaped topiary and pillars.
…Throw in a tea cart, a chaise lounge, and wicker-seated throne; a small table sprinkled here and there, Moroccan-themed bit of drapery, and a set of French doors: you have the set in it’s basic entirety. In the round, sparsely populated with purpose, the design is made to allow plenty of space, as well as just enough obstacles to aide in the cat-and-mouse games.
We blocked the first part of Gwen’s proposal and Jack’s interrogation tonight.
A little Q & A, a little “dish,” a little read-thru, a little exercise: a delicious game-play of physical enticements without use of script or words…only noises, touch, breath…on command from Mdm. Director…in a constant change-up of who is chasing whom, and repelling at an instant, stealing a touch here, retreating there, moving back and forth across the entire space, at various speeds, weaving through the furniture and back again, using every silent seduction element at our disposal, so that even apart, the electric current continues, stretching…pulling, at torturous levels, to snap us back again, time after time, in the closest, closest of “almostness.”
How titillating and aroused can you get up to the point of breaking? Tickle the delicate little well-trained animal of character to stand upon the absolute brink of losing all control.
…Then: don’t let it.
…Just play with it.
…Like a tease.
…And giggle.
A lot.
In between.
Add back in the text…
…Then forget where we are with the lines.
…Or what happens next.
So goes the courting of Gwen and Jack.
The exercise was invaluable. The resulting blocking: a heated tango.
It was delicious.
…Will take some time to get the exact beats of one another’s moves. Of course still being on book does nothing to help. But the knowledge that our rhythm will only strengthen, our snap-tos, and side-glances, finger-skims, nose-touches, lip-bitings, breath-catchings, nape-necking, scent-breathing, hair-twirling will at one point become so smoothly related to one another, that the tango without the music will be inherent. Which completely explores the whirlwind courtship, rife with sexual desire, attempted by two people who never get an actual moment alone together, until now.
…And will set up the very distinct difference between their more grown-up romance, versus the childishly innocent fairy-tale Algy n’ Cecily one,
God, how I love a good Director, who knows what they want, and knows how to get it out of you.
…Even on the first, damn, day.
HUZZAH!!!
…Off to study lines now.
As ever, it has been made clear to me: One must acknowledge the vital importance of getting the hell off book as soon a possible. So off I go to it. In earnest.
~D