rehearsal #6 plus

we are on our feet and at the Three Pear Studios for the next two weeks. Friday night we listened to music selected by the actors, each piece reflecting their character in thought, feeling, etc. a nice selection preluding our sharing stories of past lovers. afterwards we got on our feet and started blocking the show. i prefer blocking an initial blueprint for us to deconstruct and build anew as the days go by. everyone was very receptive to the work and new revelations about the show surfaced. we got through half and will do the rest on Tuesday. kudos!

on Saturday afternoon, Madeline and I drove around Chicago distributing postcards on the show to coffeeshops, bookstores, theatres, other art venues, etc. a very tiring day. we sat down at the Moroccan restaurant on Ashland afterwards and froze our asses off. we decided it was not in the cards to sample their fare so off we went to the warmer climate of Buenos Aires Forever (also on Ashland). the empanadas were delicious and the steak I had was grilled just right. i like this place and hope to get back there soon. after the meal we went on over to the Goodman Theatre to see August Wilson's Radio Golf. I thoroughly enjoy everything that Wilson puts out and I thought the production was well handled. Golf did seem to be missing some of the verve that most of Wilson's plays have and I can't help but think that if he hadn't died shortly after writing, there would have been further development of the script. in all, his legacy as one of the greatest American playwrights is still intact.

sunday, the Bears won! as did the Colts. I got to see, or hear most of the Bears game, though I passed out for much of the second quarter. The Saints came marching a bit too early and ran out of steam as the Bears home field advantage took its toll. I missed the Colts game to see the Silk Road Ensemble play at Pick-Staiger in Evanston. I can't think of anything else better to replace the game. the first half of the program was Chamber music from CSO and another group. I didn't care for either of the pieces, but the musicians were quite impressive, especially the clarinetist of the second piece. I knew this was not why Madeline dragged me away from my couch, so I waited patiently for Silk Road to come on stage. Well worth the wait. Not only was their music top notch, the community the musicians had with each other was great to watch. Being a musician who has played in multiple band settings, I could tell this was a treat for all the members of the Ensemble. to be able to play this music with each other was truly a gift and they all expressed that to the audience. it has been said before and it will be said again, music connects beyond borders. read more about the Silk Road Ensemble and the work Yo Yo Ma is doing with it and you will be kicking yourself for not coming to the show...but they are around and everyone will have a chance to see them. Don't miss it.