Today, the cast visited a rehab clinic that treats patients suffering from traumatic brain injury, in order to accurately portray the character(s) in the play dealing with the same problem. I can’t say much about what we saw there, since we signed nondisclosure agreements, but I was very moved by the staff’s devotion to rehabilitation as a profession. We spent over two hours talking to them.

We then began working through the play again from the beginning, taking time with the fight choreographer to choreograph two short but painful moments:
– a father slapping a son
– a brother pulling his brain-damaged sister away from the man she loves

I do love fight choreography as a way of working. It’s such a vital way of getting actors fully engaged and precise in their bodies. I someday want to do an entire show (I suppose this is VAST WRECK…well, someday, I want to do another entire show…) that is all fight choreography.

The director also had one of the actors lead movement warmups and Suzuki exercises. Very effective. I remember how unwilling I was to cede leading the warmup to actors within the cast of MOH&H, because I thought it would take away from those actors’ abilities to enjoy and relax into the warmup. On the contrary – it helped the cast bond, and the leaders enjoyed the responsibility. Just another case of something I learned the hard way. Seeing this director so effortlessly make that transition really reinforced the point.

But I have to remember that there is no way but “the hard way” to learn anything about directing.