And then a month went by

by Paul Fidalgo

Yes, it’s been way too long since I’ve posted. To those who are loyal readers, I apologize. I simply haven’t had the energy or will to post my thoughts and goings-on at the ends of days. This is a good thing, as my work has kept me busy, enthralled, fulfilled, maddened, and giving a damn.

But YOU deserve better!

I don’t know what I can say about the experience of Greater Tuna to do it justice. It was incredibly difficult, and worth every minute. Conflict arose for me when we were in full performance mode for Tuna and doing Renaissance Season rehearsals at the same time. It means that there was a lot of work being done on the Ren Season shows that I couldn’t be a part of, and that drove me out of my mind, being unavoidably left out of the action of the new, exciting project. I have to give a lot of credit to my fellow company members for being so gracious and generous to Jessica and I, allowing us our time to do our show, as well as time to REST.

But Tuna itself was so much fun, and was hard to suddenly let go of after such a short run. Jim was a smart, efficient, and trusting director for the project, and he knew how to get the most out of us in the little time we had. Jessica, of course, was an absolute blessing to work with, and my respect and awe for her talent, trustworthiness, and range only continues to grow. If you’re not already, you should be a regular reader of her blog, The Chronicles of Jessica.

Now I am headlong into the Renaissance Season (as a quick reminder, it’s where we put on shows with no directors, only the work and creativity of the actors in a short period of time). Romeo and Juliet opened last week, and that has been a smashing success so far. I play Benvolio, and I’m finding the non-clown a very satisfying role to play. All of my co-workers in the troupe are fantastic to work with, but I can especially say that Ben Curns and Matt Sincell as Mercutio and Romeo have been particularly generous and imaginative scene partners. I’m fortunate to be partnered with them for this show.

The entire show has come together better than anyone could have expected, though I must say that as Benvolio, my responsibility for the play ends halfway through the show when Mercutio dies, and Benvolio presumably decides it’s better to stay home and study then hang with Verona’s ruffians. The point is that R&J is a relatively easy show for me now that it’s open, my most gut-wrenching choice being whether Benvolio should wear a sweater or a tie. I went with the tie, by the way. My pride and joy of this show, however, is that we play “My Name is Prince” for the last interlude, sung by, of course, Rene who plays the Prince.

We officially open ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore tomorrow, and it’s by the skin of our teeth. This show, unlike the former, is madness. I often find myself not entirely sure what scene I’m about to enter into, or realizing that I’m holding prop A when I actually need costume piece B or instrument C or, wait, I’m not supposed to go through this door!!! There was drama today about the level of humor and absurdity that can be acknowledged in the performing of individual roles, and I’m not entirely sure where we as a group came down, but some retooling has occurred in some of my work that I’m not thrilled about having to do. It’s an issue that I feel still seeks a clearer solution. It’s a great show so far, though, and I’m amazed it’s as entertaining as it is considering how much we’re flying by the seat of our pants.

That’s all the news for now. Thanks so much to all those who came to see me and Jess in Tuna, and those who have seen the Ren season so far. There’s gonna be a lot more to see! Only today we did our first read-through of Eastward Ho!