Steppenwolf Theatre Company Blog – Chicago Theater, World-Class Ensemble

At the start of a process for a play, artists collaborating on a production conduct their work in relative privacy, secure in the knowledge that if they are making a fool of themselves, it is only in front of others in the same boat. There comes a point in the rehearsal process, however, when the insular, protective environment of the rehearsal room must give way to greater exposure. At Steppenwolf this happens on the Thursday before a production moves into the theater to begin technical rehearsals, when the designers for the production and the staff of the theater are invited to watch a run-through of the play in the rehearsal room.

We had such a run-through for Love Song yesterday, and I was reminded of how valuable and privileged an experience it is.

Odd as it sounds, this may be my favorite time to see the show. One still feels the intimacy of the rehearsal room, but the performances are sufficiently advanced that one can extrapolate what they may be like after a few weeks of previews. Without the technical elements (the set, lighting, sound effects) one fully engages exclusively with the text and the actors. With a new play, this is a particularly exciting moment – we are in a sense the first audience for a work never before seen.

Feeling this way yesterday, I started to wonder if the thrill I experience wasn’t a little parochial, or even downright “geeky”. It made me wonder if others, in their pursuits, ever have similar feelings, when encountering something entirely new.

This entry was posted by Edward Sobel on Friday, March 24th, 2006 at 10:10 am and is filed under Love Song. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.