What a week in the world of ANGELS IN AMERICA!! We staged and re-staged on our fantastic set this week. Shout out to Robbie and Trevor and everyone else who constructed this amazing home for Kushner's words. Last night, for the first time, I actually put my notebook aside and WATCHED parts of the play without taking notes. That never happens!! We still have a lot of work to do but we are right where we are supposed to be at this point in the process.

Happy Easter, etc. to everyone. More pictures soon!!! I promise!!!

Ryan

New Space

We have finally reached the Chesapeake Theatre, and it is SO SPACIOUS compared to the rooms we have been working in. I think being in the space where we are actually performing has given us actors a new thrill. Tonight we ran Act I to really get a feel of the "platforms" and how truly large they are. I feel that after a long week of rest, everyone is so excited to get back to work and make Angels a hit and something Harford County has never seen! ONLY 3 WEEKS AWAY!!

"May I suggest a vacation..."

Last Wednesday, we ran the entire show with great success and ventured on a little break from the production as Harford Community College is on spring break. While I hate to be away from ANGELS at this time, I feel that we are where we should be right now. The show is ready to move into the theatre on Monday. It is time to take these amazing words and bring them to a larger space and eventually onto a set. There are lots of busy worker bees in the midst of HCC's vacation: Robbie is editing an exciting video suprise, Terri is continuing to create slides and I am plugging away on sound design. The actors are in the process of re-reading the script in an effort to frame the entire story of the piece for our grand return next week.

Enjoy the break and see you next week!

Turning A Corner

Tonight, we really turned a corner. We ran the entire show for the first time and it is very exciting. Tonight was one of those special nights that make me love being in the theatre. Here are a few current working shots:

"Miss Ron Reagan Jr....the pardon the expression heterosexual..."

Things have been plugging along with ANGELS. Last night we ran both ACT I and ACT II. I am noticing the cast is really starting to live in the world of the play....they are really chewing on Kushner's words. This week, we will be finished blocking the play. I am looking forward to running the show next week before break!! Very exciting times in Harford County!!!

More Photos!

Friday's rehearsal went very well. We had a good time searching out new scenes in act three, and reviewing scenes from act one and two. Everything keeps rolling along and the excitement is building. Only 5 more weeks until opening night!

Updates and New Pics

We had a few setbacks in terms of illness and such this week but we are still trucking along. We did some very rich scene work this week. I'm seeing more red meat and less salad....this is a good thing!! Enjoy our new pics!!

"I'm trying to make a point"

Tonight's rehearsal there was huge improvement! Shane and I really stepped up and made it a lot easier to bring emotions onto the stage. I feel that both he and I really feel the tension and the cravings that Joe and Harper want in each scene. Also, I came to rehearsal a little early today and saw some of Roy and Henry's (the doctor) scene, and they both seem to be developing their characters extremely well. Maybe I should ask Jess how she found the male character with ease, because frankly I'm having difficulty!

Production Meeting and Rehearsal

Tonight was indeed a busy night in ANGELS IN AMERICA land. We had a full production meeting where we nailed down a lot of great stuff. We created a workable tech schedule and discussed publicity issues.

Rehearsal tonight was wonderful. We are carving the play out bit by bit really exploring the characters in depth. Instead of jumping ahead and blocking ACT III, we are taking our time and re-exploring ACT I this week which is time well spent. Julian really discovered Mr. Lies tonight...look for the gum chewing! Also we mapped out Louis and Prior's relationship back to the day they met which was lots of fun.

I continue to return to the fact that even though this play has a lot of big words and big ideas it is still about a group of people in conflict at the dawn of the Millennium.

-Ryan

Coming Along

Last night was the first time the cast ran through the whole first and second acts of the play. From what I have seen, the characters are really starting to develop and it's becoming a more exciting experience every time we go through a scene. The whole cast is so strong and I am so excited to continue blocking Act III and see what else lies ahead!!

New Pics!!

The Millennium is Approaching

Here are some pics from tonight! Great rehearsal. Tomorrow....we run Act I. The Millennium is approaching!!

Threshhold of Revelation

Tonight we staged two of the most popular scenes in Angels in America: Scene 7, the "Threshold of Revelation scene and Scene 8, the "I burned dinner" scene. As a director working these scenes in acting classes and seeing these scenes in various showcases, I felt a bit of pressure to make them work. What new life could I breathe into words that I had heard countless actors speak before? Tonight I saw these two scenes as if I had never seen them before. Azman Toy and Chelsea Baungarcher brought style and vulnerability to both Prior and Harper tonight. Chelsea brought a particularly inspired take on the following:

Harper (to Prior): Deep inside you, there's a part of you, the most inner part, entirely free of disease. I can see that.

I was in tears. I'm also seeing raw and exillarating work from Shane Todd as Joe and Brad Mascari as Louis. Finally, Jess Brockmeyer as the Rabbi and Sam Wiitila as the Angel are digging deep into the core of their roles.

I'm looking forward to bringing back Andrew Lightfoot's Roy and Julian Archer's Belize in the next few days. My goal is to run the first act on Friday.

Kushner is alive and well in Harford County Maryland!!!!!

-Ryan

P.S. Live performance shots coming soon!!

On Our Feet

Tonight we got on our feet for the first time and it was very exciting. After a fantastic meeting with Teri (our scenic designer) we were moving chairs around and creating the world of the play. This cast continues to amaze me with the raw enthusiasm and energy they bring to the room. I continue to feel that when I really listen to Kushner's words, I can't go wrong.

Scenes 1-5 are blocked....hopefully most of Act I will be finished by tomorrow night.

Stay tuned.......

Angels In America@ HCC--First Post

The purpose of this blog is to document the process of creating Angels In America: Millennium Approaches at Harford Community College in Harford County Maryland. As the cast, design team, construction/TD team and the general Theatre Guild membership prepare to take on this awesome task, I thought it would be great to document our journey. I'm especially interested in everyone keeping in touch during our current weather crisis. So here goes......let's start blogging.

-Ryan