Last night’s rehearsal, our first since the showcase, was disappointing in some ways, and great in others. Disappointing because most of us weren’t there. Great, because Takahiko, Mayu, and I had a really great follow-up conversation about what we discussed with the audience on Saturday after the show. I learned more about Takahiko in …
Tag Archive: Yokohama Theatre Ensemble
Feb 06
Showcase #1 and a Non-Working Gun
Well, here I am in the rehearsal room again. I’ve mopped the floor, put on some Leonard Cohen, and am typing this while I wait for the floor to dry and the others to arrive. The showcase on Saturday was a great success, not in any sense of having put on a polished show …
Jan 31
Fever Dreams
We’re four days from the Yokohama Theatre Ensemble’s first showcase. Yikes. I’ve got a million things to do: memorize lines, find the flashes for my socks, buy a few props, memorize a song, create content for the show’s programme, buy the snacks for post-show party, email people directly to remind them about the showcase, send …
Dec 06
Bonenkai at the GekiSalon
Went to the Gekisalon bonenkai tonight at the Yokohama (Sotetsu) Honda Gekijou. Mari and Takahiko were there as well: Takahiko in his normal capacity as a volunteer staff member at the drinks table (and his less-normal capacity as Santa Claus), and Mari as my wingwoman. I did less mingling than usual: I had …
Dec 01
Back in K-S
That’s right, we were back in the space in Kanagawa-Shinmachi last night for our rehearsal. I’ve been waffling on several things recently. Will we have some kind of showcase/presentation this calendar year? If we do, what will the content be? How much should that content be prepared and polished? At the moment, I’m …
Nov 24
Rehearsal Space Woes
I’m sitting in a tatami room at the Katakuracho Kumin center, waiting for Mari and Takahiko to show up. Hiraku is on sabbatical until the two shows he’s committed to are over (my suggestion, since he was starting to look like he was operating on no sleep); Mayu is on training for work this week; …
Nov 10
A Change of Plan and a Creepy School
I’m quickly rushing to type this off before heading to tonight’s rehearsal. Last night, we met at Nippa (新羽) station on the Yokohama Blue Line and proceeding to walk to our rehearsal space. This was another new one for us, and it was about a 7 minute walk through darkened streets. When we …
Nov 08
Back to the Grind
Last night was the first YT Ensemble Rehearsal for me in just over two weeks. I’d taken a break from rehearsals while my parents were visiting from Canada. It was also nice to give the group a chance to find a dynamic without me, as so far I’d been the only constant. During my …
Oct 17
What Happens When the Sun Comes Out
Sunday’s rehearsal started out as a bit of a disappointment. Due to some schedule adjustments to accommodate one member’s participation in another show, this was our last full-day rehearsal of 2011. By the end of the day, two of the ensemble members had called in sick, one got stuck at work, and one showed …
Oct 03
The Education of an Ensemble
Yesterday was the Yokohama Theatre Ensemble’s first all-day rehearsal (10:00 – 18:00). I had convinced ESL Theatre Project’s Lei Sadakari and voice instructor Graig Russell to come in and run some sessions for us. Lei’s morning session consisted of a movement workshop, using group yoga poses and exercises to get us moving our bodies …
Sep 27
The River is Wide
So the YTheatre Ensemble has started working on our first project. The first official project will still be Wall of Shame: The Musical, but we’re going to start doing a series of mini-projects to get us in the right headspace. The first project is to expand the world that I and a bunch of …
Sep 11
YT Ensemble, Assemble!
The Yokohama Theatre Ensemble met for the first time as a unit this past Friday at the Kanagawa Earth Plaza (or Global Citizens Plaza, or whatever it’s called). In addition to myself, the ensemble includes four brave souls: Hiraku Kawakami, Mari Kawamura, Mayu Cho, and Takahiko Arai. I say brave because we’re doing something …
Sep 08
The Dream I Stole From Sam
(mumble mumble) years ago, I was sitting in an apartment in Toronto, watching the real actors smoke, including Sam Rosenthal, now Artistic Director and General Manager of the Vaughn City Playhouse. This was a party of some sort (my memory is vague), possibly even the closing night party of The Diary of Anne Frank, my …
little birds