Frenzy or Bust

So we are entering week three of Toronto the Good and I have been thinking a bit about how this whole process works for me. I have discovered that I seem to begin my directing in what can only be called a "state of artistic frenzy". It seems that it is the same part of my brain that clicks into place when I am acting or directing or making Excel spreadsheets.

I know that the latter item may seem a bit out of place but really it isn't. For me, and I guess my brain, there is a place for inspiration and wildly connecting neurons to solve problems and make arcane choices that just work in an inventive way. And that when you look back at the work you see the, hopefully elegant, solutions but you may not be quite able to fully understand the creative flight.

After the frenzy comes the final shaping, watching and slowly letting the actors take control of the show. For me it seems that the hand off comes a bit sooner rather than later and frankly I prefer it that way. But preference is not always the best course of action.
However since I jacked the concept of "visioning" from David Latham the whole rehearsal process is accelerated. This "visioning" is an approach to the first work through of the text and when that is coupled with a 1/2 day workshop about 4 weeks before rehearsal starts you get a creative cast and team that is already well down the road mentally before the first meet and greet.

It has been a very fruitful couple of weeks and I cannot wait to get on the deck this Friday and bring all the technical components in to play with the actors.