Yesterday we had two sensational previews of The Nerd at Wayside Theatre. They came after a particularly difficult week for me and for our cast and the show's director. Earlier in the week I was dealing with some family health drama and that seems on its way to being rectified, but as you can imagine that added some stress to the always stressful tech week.
Fortunately I had hired Bill Diggle to direct this production of The Nerd and that alleviated some of the stress. Bill and his cast were doing a fantastic job. And then one of our cast members took ill as we were approaching the big tech day on Thursday. When we got the call it was one of those "we won't know for awhile" situations that make adjusting and adapting a real challenge. But our team put together various plans to cover all contingencies.
After the actor gave things a try at Friday's rehearsal it was determined that it was best that he take some time to get better before going forward again. So, Bill agreed to step in to the role for the previews and the Opening Night, which is tonight as I write this. The cast rallied around Bill and did splendid work in the final dress but it was one of those situations where everyone's nerves were right on the edge as we left the theatre on Friday night, all aiming for a bit of rest before Saturday's two preview performances.
By the time the first preview ended on Saturday afternoon you could tell that the hard work had paid off. They say comedy is hard. That's no joke. It's even harder when your cast is adjusting to different rhythms on the fly. But the cast was sensational as was Bill feeding off of the audience's joyous response throughout the show. The evening preview was magnificent with the house rocking and rolling with laughter throughout. As the cast and the team gathered for notes you could tell everyone was completely wrung out, but felt very good about their work and efforts.
So, we're on to opening night tonight, hoping that we can coax some laughs out of that tough crowd and move the show forward. Bill will do a sensational job along with the rest of his cast. (Jim Fleming's performance as the title character is unreal good, R. Scott Williams is brilliant, Ilona Dulaski, Jody Lee, and Dana Colagiovanni are all wonderful.) When all is said and done, we'll be both celebrating the culmination of what we've been through this week, and also be thinking about our colleague who we hope rejoins us this next week for what looks to be a laughter filled summer run into August.
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