“We Need to Rehearse the Way We’re Going to Perform”
April 8
Our sessions always begin with a ring—a tradition where we circle up, breathe together, and ground ourselves for the work ahead. This evening’s ring also included a bold request: a participant asked if she could step into the role of Don John, one of the key antagonists in the play. The group supported her enthusiastically, and we assigned several other ensemble members into key roles, including Ursula, Borachio, and Conrade.
We briefly revisited a key goal for the season: keeping the production at about 90 minutes. With that in mind, we encouraged ensemble members to begin thinking about where lines might be cut, and to bring suggestions to upcoming sessions.
We picked up rehearsal at the end of the wedding scene between Benedick and Beatrice. Two ensemble members in these roles have built a great onstage dynamic, and the scene was full of laughter—especially during one attempt to get down on one knee, which resulted in joyful chaos. We rehearsed both in segments and as a full scene, then moved on to the interrogation scene, where additional ensemble members filled in as Seacole, the Sexton, and Leonato. Before running that scene, we gave the actor playing Leonato a brief character summary to help ground the performance in emotional truth, especially in the moments that require grief and intensity. Other ensemble members helped by offering direction and support.
As we neared the end of rehearsal, we cleaned a few critical scenes—especially the moment where Claudio and Don Pedro learn the truth about Hero. One ensemble member’s physical reactions stood out, and we spent time refining the confrontation between Antonio and Don Pedro. Even as we worked with precision, there was still room for play: we closed the evening with a favorite game, Demand a Dance, where actors must quickly invent a dance on cue.
April 10
This rehearsal was packed with activity—so much so that taking detailed notes was nearly impossible between scene work, character coaching, and blocking adjustments. But the energy in the room was undeniable: a real shift had occurred. With our performance fast approaching, the ensemble is fully stepping into what we call “the kick-ass and take-names stage.”
During check-in, a long-time facilitator, Maria, shared that she would be leaving the group at the end of the month. Her announcement was met with emotion from the group—tears and lots of gratitude. One participant turned to the facilitators and said they better “give it back” to Fisher-Grant, making sure he knew just how special Maria’s presence has been to all of us.
We also discussed having temporary facilitators join us closer to performance to fill in small ensemble roles. The group was receptive to this idea, recognizing it as a practical way to ensure the show runs smoothly.
The evening’s rehearsal was driven by a new rallying cry: “We need to rehearse the way we’re going to perform.” We reminded the group that moving forward, entrances, staging, and line memorization would need to be performance-ready. This meant:
Getting backstage and anticipating entrances in real-time
Using index cards or tools to memorize lines quickly
Making script cuts to preserve time and focus
Running scenes in full, with no half-measures
Maria took the lead backstage, working with several ensemble members to identify and cut lines in real-time while others rehearsed. This strategy helped keep the momentum going in both rehearsal and text work.
We picked up where we left off in the play and moved through several key scenes. To strengthen the ending, the group decided that Dogberry and Verges will arrest Don John onstage at the end of the show—giving them a reason to be onstage for the final group dance.
We also revisited Act 1, Scene 1. A big focus here was reacting to Beatrice’s sharp humor. One ensemble member really leaned into the moment, landing jokes and responding with flair. Leadership was strong across the board—especially from one ensemble member who admitted during check-in that she wasn’t feeling well, yet still led the group through major scenes.
Another change we made was cutting the character Balthasar and transferring his lines to Dogberry during the party scene. This allowed us to simplify casting and keep the energy streamlined going into the final dance.
By the end of the night, everyone was buzzing. There’s a shared sense of urgency and excitement—nervousness, too, but the good kind. The kind that means we care deeply, and that we’re ready to bring this story to life together.