December

December was a whirlwind, in every sense. I felt as though I was constantly trying to wring 40 hours out of a 24-hour day.

I left Cambridge a few nights into previews of BEST OF BOTH WORLDS to come back to New York to move into my new apartment, have a few last production/design meetings, an almost immediately go into rehearsal for THE LOVER.

Working on Pinter's THE LOVER was a labor of love -- intense labor and intense love. There are A LOT of words in the piece, and the two main actors were required to bring the emotional journey of a marriage rocked off its foundation fully to life in the span of a compact one-act, while handling multiple dialects, a period piece, and a dense text. As insane as this all was, I never regretted choosing the piece, because I really loved it, and because the cast was completely dedicated to it and to each other.

There was one major bump in the road, when we realized the play was running several minutes too long. The designers and cast and I made some tough decisions about how to shorten the piece. In the end, we felt the piece was the stronger for it, even though the decisions to "kill our storytelling babies" (such as not having the actress change clothes on stage in stylized real time, but rather off-stage with a dresser) were agonizing at the time.

I learned so many lessons from working on DirectorFest. First, of course, to never underestimate the running time of a show. But it was also the first time in a LONG time I had worked with a full design team. Communicating effectively with them stretched a muscle that I simply wasn't used to using. Clearly and thoroughly articulating an idea early in the process is crucial. I learned really quickly that the designers could've used more information from me sooner, and I'm excited to put what I learned into practice on my next production. It struck me recently how few opportunities there are for directors to really direct -- not a reading or a workshop or even fringe show, but to manage a full production team, which is really a huge part of a director's job. I would have to say that the opportunity to do so is one of the greatest things the Drama League gave me.

In the end, I was proud of the production. The actors seemed to have real ownership of the work we had done, and the designers created a sleek and rich 1963 world. And I do think that the story I set out to tell was told. Most importantly, I forged relationships that I know will endure for a long time -- people with whom I can't WAIT to work again.

Beyond the production, DirectorFest meant tons of events! Brunches, drinks, meetings, hosting my Dad who was in from out of town -- lots of hand shaking, lots of follow-up e-mails, and finally...lots of opportunities to contemplate "What next." The last official days of our fellowship, we were lucky to spend some really good time together - Ed, Mike, David, and I, and even got to have a beautiful farewell dinner with Roger. I am amazed how close we've become in these several months, really. During the craziest moments of DirectorFest, I would bump into Mike, or David, or Ed in the hallway, and just fall into their arms for a big, understanding hug. (I think I got the best hugs since I'm the girl.)

We're now scattered geographically once again. David and I are still in New York. Ed is in Oregon for the next few months. Mike is in Cambridge directing a play, though I did get to see him last week. But we are all eagerly awaiting the next time that we're all going to be in the same city -- there's NO doubt we'll meet up to eat some really good food and instantly fall back into our rhythm.

(posted by Laura)