So, I’ve just cast another show that I’ll be directing and I’ve been thinking about attempting to keep up with this blogging thingie again. Meh. We’ll see.
Anyway, I’m directing this great play called Erratica, by Reina Hardy. I directed one of her other pieces that was in development with Babes With Blades and she apparently liked the work I did and recommended me to direct this one! I was able to cast my very best friend in the lead … not because she is my best friend, but because it is as if the role was written FOR her!!
The show is being produced by a newish Chicago theatre company called American Demigods.
I wrote during the Vanishing Points casting process about how ridiculously heartbreaking that process was for me…this one was no different. I had to turn away three people who I LOVE for roles that they absolutely could have played…but were just not the right fit with either the people they read with or the vision that I had for the role. It is very hard sometimes to separate “God, I love this person” from “God, I love what this person brings to this role”. For example, two of my very best friends have actually performed together in a couple other things I’ve directed…they’ve always been great together…in this instance, the characters need to have an awkward romantic energy between them which really drives the action of their characters’ relationship….the reading was great, but the romantic spark just wasn’t there…from either of them. If I could have overlooked that, everything else about the audition was great. I just couldn’t. It caused me some sleeplessness, but in the end, “the play’s the thing”.
So, my lovely and talented cast for the show will be Lisa Herceg (my very best friend and very talented actress who I’ve directed many times in the past!), David Wilhelm (a company member of American Demigods, with whom I am very excited to work!), Kelly Yacono (who just brilliantly played a crazy woman in the piece I directed for Appetite Theatre in the fall!), Victoria Bucknell (who was also in my cast of Vanishing Points and was one of a couple critically-acclaimed scene-stealers in that show!!), and John Luzar (who I just met at auditions, was absolutely not what I pictured in the role at all, but who was so perfect nonetheless that I couldn’t possibly NOT cast him!!).
I have a certain love of exclamation points anyway, but I seriously am THAT excited about this show. The script is delicious, the cast is delicious…I just can’t wait to get started!
Anyway, happy holidays to all of you who read this (or just Morgan!). I look forward to blogging about the new project!
- Danta Claus
What a pleasant surprise to see your post appear in my blog roll! Sounds like this will be a fabulous production! When does it open? <3