Today is our first two show day, and also our first day without any rehearsal time prior to the run. Rehearsing during the day before an evening preview performance can be exhausting, but one advantage is the actors have plenty of time to "get into character" (as they say), and to bond with each other. Today (and once the show is up and running) the actors are not required to be at the theater until a half hour before the curtain, so depending on their pre-show rituals, some of the actors may not see each other until they cross paths in character on stage (although knowing this cast, they will take the time to knock on the dressing room doors and shoot the breeze pre-matinee).
Actors have different ways of handling two show days. Polly Lee, who plays Anna in the show, told me her favorite routine is to go to the gym between the matinee and evening performance. A good workout and a shower leave her refreshed and ready for another turn at bat (to continue today's baseball metaphors)! We've incorporated Ellen's rewrites into the final scene, and they seem to be playing very well. We have the advantage of another full week of previews, so I anticipate that we will continue to tinker here and there.
Jenny Mercein is the Assistant Director for GRACELAND.
