History Repeating

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.  The cliffs of snow are rumbling and shifting, and one big sneeze could cause the entire avalanche.  Yes, that is a rather dreary thought, but I can't help it.  Othello has been quite difficult to cast.  It needs actors of great skill, but I can't pay them properly, so I have to rely on the project fitting in with people's schedules.  This is fine in theory, but Shakespeare is a bit of a pain in the butt because he doesn't write nice neat scenes that allow small group rehearsals.  The way he moves the action, you need everyone around all the time.  Now try getting 8 people who have jobs, families and other creative commitments into a room at the same time ANY time and I will give you a standing ovation.  That being said, I am game to try it.

My bigger problem is if, over time, people's commitments change.  This has already just happened.  One of  my performers has had to pull out of the project due to competing commitments.  It was very mature of him to admit the conflict, and I thank him for letting me know at this early stage, but it makes me nervous.  I have had two shows that I have had to recast early in the process.  The most recent one (Glengarry Glen Ross) went fine.  The cast settled and the show was great.  The first one (Three Steps Forward...) was not so lucky.  Recasting caused a lot of instability in the group and exacerbated what would have been quite normal creative trial and error process.

I am hoping I can trust in the experience and professionalism of my cast this time.  I am also more experienced with this type of thing, so the burden will be on me to make sure the situation stabilizes.  On the positive side, most of the the participants know me well and have worked with me before on really great projects.  Anyway, fingers crossed.

The Final Stretch

Yeeha!  I have cast Kevin Rudd, and if Syd Brisbane does actually commit to the project I will have it completely cast.  That will put all of the pieces in place.  Then I just have to rehearse and build this sucker and it will be realised!

I have also discovered that if I join Dancehouse I can get rehearsal space for around $10 hr which is great.  It means I don't have to spend big heaps of money on rehearsals, which means I can spend more on - well - all the other things that are going to cost money.

I got more good news yesterday too.  It turns out that Verve have moved their show into another venue, which means we won't have to do the usual Fringe bump in and out every night in a half an hour.  The venue is basically ours, and we can set it up how we like it and leave it be.  I swear, the stars are aligning in all the right ways.  This was obviously meant to be.

An Auspicious Occasion

I let myself have a good rest last night which meant today I was refreshed and ready to face the challenges of producing with energy and vigour.  Luckily.  I woke up to a great email from Clancy Moore, who has agreed to come on board for the Fringe Othello as Peter Garrett.  I am so excited about that.  Clancy has the energy and acting talent that role needs.

My other big goal today was organise auspicing for when we take this into full production.  I had a meeting with Kara at Moriarty's and she helped me draft a creative development budget and a presentation budget for funding applications.  The reality is that I missed an important deadline, so it is going to be almost impossible for me to do what I want to do fully.  That doesn't mean I won't try, it just means I have to be clever and/or find a sugar daddy.  Anyone out there willing to invest in a sure fire, guaranteed blockbuster?  Just asking...

Anyway, I am very heartened about the progress of everything even though it is exhausting - and a bit lonely at times.