The Parchment

by Taylor Coffman

Loreli Deleon

I figured I’d write a little blog update because frankly every other MTC’er is TOO busy! As I type the whole team is in the Lounge Theatre in Hollywood conquering the great “10 out of 12” cue to cue and then a full run. For those non-theatre insiders, “10 out of 12” is the only day the union allows for a 12 hour work day with a 2 hour break to use for meals. A “cue to cue” is basically the first time lights, costumes and sound are added- so you trudge steadily through the script perfecting each moment. It can be tedious. It’s a lot of hurry up and wait. It’s usually the day the actors only get to say a few lines because the focus is mostly technical. It’s actually a lot like working on a film come to think of it.

With almost 300 tech cues- Ditch is a monster for a “small theatre” production. Today will be an essential, but very long day.

It’s my lunch break at the office, even though I am at my desk tired after a long weekend and drinking an AWAKE Starbucks tea the size of my bladder (as if this will “wake” me up/although it reminds me of the Big Gulps I used to drink during my Psych Lectures in college. The act of drinking kept me more awake than the actual caffeine)… I am feeling a bit lonely.  Although, historically cue to cue makes me want to gouge my eyes out- it bums me out not to be in the darkened theatre for 12 hours. Read the rest of this entry »

by Ryan Mulkay

Liz Brown as Susan and Ryan Mulkay as Ian

He was a character I won’t soon forget. Probably because he was so cool. Or was he simple? Slow? Smart? Good vocabulary, but not very street smart. Edgy? Well, if you consider his line of work. In love? Yes, he is definitely in love. In over his head? Yes, he is definitely in over his head. This is Ian. This is how I approached such a character. A seven-layer dip of creation if you will. So much to work with. Ian is someone who is constantly being thrown curve balls and is fighting to keep up—but who isn’t? That’s just life. Although, his curve balls seem to be a bit faster. Read the rest of this entry »

by Taylor Coffman

(Illustration by Loreli Deleon)

Tomorrow will be the very first DITCH rehearsal I won’t attend… The show previews on the 29^th and opens on 30^th and my role as the playwright is becoming less and less needed in the production process.

Don’t get me wrong, I may still be around to change a phrase here and a word there. However, the play is the play at this point. The last round of major changes was submitted over the holidays and as we began 2010 the play, on the most part, is complete. Read the rest of this entry »