Reporting from Carbon Black's First Day of Rehearsal


On October 15th, our stellar cast and crew gathered at San Diego State University to begin rehearsals for the world premiere of Carbon Black. As Literary Manager, I really wanted to be there for the first day to listen in on the changes that have been made since I last saw the show. I know Terry, Doug, and Randy have been working together since the retreat to further strengthen the script and tighten up any loose ends and, as I told Randy, "it's much more fun to hear the actors read the script then to read it myself and have to make up the voices." And actually, "more fun" turned out to be a gross understatement. Sometimes, actors will be a bit conservative during read-throughs and table work opting to conserve their energy for blocking rehearsals. Now, I'm not all too familiar with Sheila, Michael, Tonantzin, and Stephan's individual work ethics but if this was them holding back, then wow, we're all in for a wild ride! Even with the stop and go structure that goes hand-in-hand with table work, this was one of the most dynamic read-throughs I've had the pleasure of being a witness to. The changes that Terry's made really bolster what was already a very compelling story. I think everyone's prime to get this play on the stage and I highly encourage everyone to buy their tickets now because this is definitely a show you won't want to miss.

For more rehearsal updates, be sure to check Carbon Black's production website: http://carbonblack.weebly.com.

On a completely separate note, we're currently assembling our 2010 National Reading Panel so keep an eye out for an announcement about that soon. The convening of this panel is one of the first steps towards planning our annual Playwrights Retreat and Festival of New Plays (yes, we're already planning for next summer).

So stay tuned and I'll be in touch!